Softball Travels to Southern Illinois This Weekend
3/23/2012 5:34:00 PM | Softball
Creighton at Southern Illinois
Saturday, March 24 • Carbondale, Ill. • Noon (DH)
Sunday, March 25 • Carbondale, Ill. • Noon
This Week: The Bluejays return to the road for the seventh straight weekend to open the season, playing a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Southern Illinois. CU and SIU, the top-two hitting teams in the MVC, will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon and finish the series Sunday at noon.
Last Week: Creighton had its scheduled home-opening doubleheader against Iowa State rained out on Wednesday (rescheduled one game for April 4). The Bluejays have not played since opening MVC play with a series win at Bradley last weekend. CU swept the Saturday doubleheader, winning the opener with ease 11-3 and needing extra-innings for a 2-1 win in the nightcap. Bradley avoided the sweep with a 7-4 win last Sunday.
Scouting Creighton (11-11, 2-1 MVC): Creighton jumped out to the second-best start in school history this spring, winning its first seven games before playing five games against ranked opponents in an eight-game span ... The Bluejay offense has scored at least 10 runs in a game six times this year, including games of 18 and 19 runs scored ... CU ranks second in the MVC with a .291 average, 15 home runs and 5.8 runs per game ... With 29 doubles, the Jays already have more doubles through 22 games than they had in 53 games last year ... Junior Amy Baker is tied for the MVC lead with 27 RBI this year ... Baker, who has 36 home runs and 106 RBI in her career, is hitting a career-high .338 and leads the team with five doubles ... Sophomore Ellen Homan leads CU regulars with a .375 average, while freshman Allie Mathewson (.364) leads the team with 28 hits and six stolen bases and is tied with Homan for the team-lead in runs scored with 19 ... Newcomer Alexis Cantu (.295) leads the team with four home runs, 21 walks and a .537 on-base percentage ... Rookie Bri Lingl (.340) leads the team with a .617 slugging percentage and went 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBI last weekend at Bradley ... Junior Sammy Snygg (3-2) leads the team with a 2.93 ERA, while sophomore Becca Changstrom (5-6, 3.92 ERA) leads the team with 59.0 innings pitched and 52 strikeouts ... Brittany Telecky (0-1, 3.45 ERA) has made all 11 of her pitching appearances out of the bullpen and Cantu (3-2, 4.93 ERA) tossed an eight-inning complete game, allowing just one run in her MVC debut at Bradley last week.
Scouting Southern Illinois (15-7, 3-0 MVC): The Salukis swept Wichita State last weekend to start Valley play 3-0 ... SIU leads the MVC in hitting (.308), runs (139), home runs (19) and walks (109), while they have also struck out less than any other team in the Valley ... The Salukis, typically one of the top pitching teams in the MVC, rank ninth in the league with a 4.59 ERA and rank last in the league with only 68 strikeouts in 145 innings pitched ... Senior Mallory Duran-Sellers leads the MVC with 26 runs scored and ranks second in the MVC with a .420 average, while four other SIU starters are hitting better than .300 ... Allie VadeBoncouer (.345) leads the MVC with six home runs and a .745 slugging percentage and is tied with CU's Amy Baker for the MVC lead with 27 RBI ... Haley Gorman (.373) leads SIU with eight stolen bases and six doubles ... Alyssa Wunderlich (6-1, 3.47 ERA, 38.1 IP, 13 K), Katie Bertelsen (6-3, 4.51 ERA, 59 IP, 26 K) and Brittney Lang (3-3, 5.58 ERA, 47.2 IP, 29 K) split pitching duties for SIU.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 19th season at Creighton. With a record of 589-414-2 at Creighton, he is the winningest coach in Bluejay athletics history. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 24 years as a head coach is 737-485-3. The most tenured softball coach in school history has led the Jays to six MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), seven NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staffs of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-SIU Series: Creighton is 31-21 all-time against Southern Illinois, including 29-19 under Brent Vigness ... The Jays are 12-6 against SIU since 2006 ... The Bluejays and Salukis did not face each other in the regular-season last year, having the three-game scheduled series in Omaha snowed out ... The teams did meet in the MVC Tournament as SIU ended Creighton's 2011 season, topping the Bluejays 4-0 in Springfield ... The last time these teams met in the regular-season, SIU beat the Bluejays twice in Carbondale in 2010 ... The Jays exacted revenge against SIU in 2010, beating the Salukis twice in the MVC Tournament, including a 3-2 win in the championship game ... Creighton is the only MVC team that SIU coach Kerri Blaylock has a losing record against (12-21).
Home Field (Dis)Advantage: Since SIU's Charlotte West Stadium opened in 2003, the Salukis are 140-43 (.765) at home, including a 4-0 mark this season. Despite SIU's dominance at its new facility, the Bluejays are 6-4 against SIU at the stadium. The Jays swept a three-game series at SIU in 2008 and knocked off the Salukis in the 2004 MVC Championship game at the venue.
Nice Newcomers: Creighton is starting four newcomers this year, while all five new Bluejays have made contributions thus far. Freshman Allie Mathewson has started every game this year, splitting time between first base and center field, and is hitting .364 while leading the team with 19 runs, 28 hits and six stolen bases. Rookie catcher Bri Lingl has three home runs and has collected 17 RBI on 16 hits while hitting .340. Freshman shortstop Liz Dike, who graduated high school in December, has three home runs and has started all 22 games this spring. Freshman Taylor Flodman has made four starts and played in 20 games, making the most of her opportunities by driving in eight runs on seven hits and leading the team with a .389 average. Sophomore transfer Alexis Cantu leads the team with four home runs and is second on the team with three wins in the circle.
Baker's Dozen (+94): Junior Amy Baker is tied for the MVC-lead with 27 RBI this year, averaging more than one RBI per game. She now has 106 RBI in her career to rank eighth in school history and the Omaha native is one of only nine players in Creighton history to surpass 100 RBI in her career. Baker, who led the team with 33 RBI in 53 games last year, has 27 RBI in 22 games this year.
Hot Start: Creighton jumped out to a 7-0 start this season for its best start to a season since 1987. The 1987 team opened the year with 10 straight wins to set a school record, while the seven straight wins to open the year marked the best start to a season under head coach Brent Vigness. The Bluejays opened the year with an 18-0 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, setting the school record for the largest margin of victory in a game.
Offensive Bounce Back: The Bluejays are currently hitting .291 as a team, a mark that would rank fifth in school history if the season ended today, and is the highest mark by a Creighton team since the 1995 team hit .296. CU scored 184 runs in 53 games in 2011, an average of 3.5 per game. This year the Bluejays have already scored 128 runs in 22 games, an average of 5.8 runs per game. CU's slugging percentage of .443 is up 75 points from last year's .368. Creighton's on-base percentage of .382 currently ranks as the third best in school history and is its best since the 2005 team's .393 OBP.
Surpassing 10: Creighton has scored at least 10 runs in a game six times already this season. The 2011 team scored 10 runs in a game just once and the Bluejays have already scored 10 or more runs in a game more this season than in the previous three seasons combined.
Record-Tying Game: In one of Creighton's high-scoring games this season, the Bluejays tied a school record. The Jays topped Howard 19-4 on March 4 in Tempe, Ariz., tying the school record with 22 hits in the lopsided win. The 19 runs rank second in school history, just one shy of the 20 runs scored against the College of Saint Mary (Neb.) on Feb. 9, 2000.
Doubling Up: Last year Creighton managed to hit only 25 doubles in 53 games, its lowest total since 1992. This season the Bluejays have already smacked 29 doubles in 22 games, led by Amy Baker's five two-baggers. Baker led the team with 13 doubles as a freshman but hit just one double as a sophomore – in the 52nd of 53 games.
Tripling Up: Not only are doubles up for Creighton this year, but triples are also up. The Bluejays have eight triples this year, more than in any of its previous three full seasons. Senior outfielder Christa Ruf and freshman shortstop Liz Dike each have two triples to lead the Bluejays this year.
Saturday, March 24 • Carbondale, Ill. • Noon (DH)
Sunday, March 25 • Carbondale, Ill. • Noon
This Week: The Bluejays return to the road for the seventh straight weekend to open the season, playing a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series at Southern Illinois. CU and SIU, the top-two hitting teams in the MVC, will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon and finish the series Sunday at noon.
Last Week: Creighton had its scheduled home-opening doubleheader against Iowa State rained out on Wednesday (rescheduled one game for April 4). The Bluejays have not played since opening MVC play with a series win at Bradley last weekend. CU swept the Saturday doubleheader, winning the opener with ease 11-3 and needing extra-innings for a 2-1 win in the nightcap. Bradley avoided the sweep with a 7-4 win last Sunday.
Scouting Creighton (11-11, 2-1 MVC): Creighton jumped out to the second-best start in school history this spring, winning its first seven games before playing five games against ranked opponents in an eight-game span ... The Bluejay offense has scored at least 10 runs in a game six times this year, including games of 18 and 19 runs scored ... CU ranks second in the MVC with a .291 average, 15 home runs and 5.8 runs per game ... With 29 doubles, the Jays already have more doubles through 22 games than they had in 53 games last year ... Junior Amy Baker is tied for the MVC lead with 27 RBI this year ... Baker, who has 36 home runs and 106 RBI in her career, is hitting a career-high .338 and leads the team with five doubles ... Sophomore Ellen Homan leads CU regulars with a .375 average, while freshman Allie Mathewson (.364) leads the team with 28 hits and six stolen bases and is tied with Homan for the team-lead in runs scored with 19 ... Newcomer Alexis Cantu (.295) leads the team with four home runs, 21 walks and a .537 on-base percentage ... Rookie Bri Lingl (.340) leads the team with a .617 slugging percentage and went 4-for-8 with a home run and four RBI last weekend at Bradley ... Junior Sammy Snygg (3-2) leads the team with a 2.93 ERA, while sophomore Becca Changstrom (5-6, 3.92 ERA) leads the team with 59.0 innings pitched and 52 strikeouts ... Brittany Telecky (0-1, 3.45 ERA) has made all 11 of her pitching appearances out of the bullpen and Cantu (3-2, 4.93 ERA) tossed an eight-inning complete game, allowing just one run in her MVC debut at Bradley last week.
Scouting Southern Illinois (15-7, 3-0 MVC): The Salukis swept Wichita State last weekend to start Valley play 3-0 ... SIU leads the MVC in hitting (.308), runs (139), home runs (19) and walks (109), while they have also struck out less than any other team in the Valley ... The Salukis, typically one of the top pitching teams in the MVC, rank ninth in the league with a 4.59 ERA and rank last in the league with only 68 strikeouts in 145 innings pitched ... Senior Mallory Duran-Sellers leads the MVC with 26 runs scored and ranks second in the MVC with a .420 average, while four other SIU starters are hitting better than .300 ... Allie VadeBoncouer (.345) leads the MVC with six home runs and a .745 slugging percentage and is tied with CU's Amy Baker for the MVC lead with 27 RBI ... Haley Gorman (.373) leads SIU with eight stolen bases and six doubles ... Alyssa Wunderlich (6-1, 3.47 ERA, 38.1 IP, 13 K), Katie Bertelsen (6-3, 4.51 ERA, 59 IP, 26 K) and Brittney Lang (3-3, 5.58 ERA, 47.2 IP, 29 K) split pitching duties for SIU.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 19th season at Creighton. With a record of 589-414-2 at Creighton, he is the winningest coach in Bluejay athletics history. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 24 years as a head coach is 737-485-3. The most tenured softball coach in school history has led the Jays to six MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), seven NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staffs of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-SIU Series: Creighton is 31-21 all-time against Southern Illinois, including 29-19 under Brent Vigness ... The Jays are 12-6 against SIU since 2006 ... The Bluejays and Salukis did not face each other in the regular-season last year, having the three-game scheduled series in Omaha snowed out ... The teams did meet in the MVC Tournament as SIU ended Creighton's 2011 season, topping the Bluejays 4-0 in Springfield ... The last time these teams met in the regular-season, SIU beat the Bluejays twice in Carbondale in 2010 ... The Jays exacted revenge against SIU in 2010, beating the Salukis twice in the MVC Tournament, including a 3-2 win in the championship game ... Creighton is the only MVC team that SIU coach Kerri Blaylock has a losing record against (12-21).
Home Field (Dis)Advantage: Since SIU's Charlotte West Stadium opened in 2003, the Salukis are 140-43 (.765) at home, including a 4-0 mark this season. Despite SIU's dominance at its new facility, the Bluejays are 6-4 against SIU at the stadium. The Jays swept a three-game series at SIU in 2008 and knocked off the Salukis in the 2004 MVC Championship game at the venue.
Nice Newcomers: Creighton is starting four newcomers this year, while all five new Bluejays have made contributions thus far. Freshman Allie Mathewson has started every game this year, splitting time between first base and center field, and is hitting .364 while leading the team with 19 runs, 28 hits and six stolen bases. Rookie catcher Bri Lingl has three home runs and has collected 17 RBI on 16 hits while hitting .340. Freshman shortstop Liz Dike, who graduated high school in December, has three home runs and has started all 22 games this spring. Freshman Taylor Flodman has made four starts and played in 20 games, making the most of her opportunities by driving in eight runs on seven hits and leading the team with a .389 average. Sophomore transfer Alexis Cantu leads the team with four home runs and is second on the team with three wins in the circle.
Baker's Dozen (+94): Junior Amy Baker is tied for the MVC-lead with 27 RBI this year, averaging more than one RBI per game. She now has 106 RBI in her career to rank eighth in school history and the Omaha native is one of only nine players in Creighton history to surpass 100 RBI in her career. Baker, who led the team with 33 RBI in 53 games last year, has 27 RBI in 22 games this year.
Hot Start: Creighton jumped out to a 7-0 start this season for its best start to a season since 1987. The 1987 team opened the year with 10 straight wins to set a school record, while the seven straight wins to open the year marked the best start to a season under head coach Brent Vigness. The Bluejays opened the year with an 18-0 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, setting the school record for the largest margin of victory in a game.
Offensive Bounce Back: The Bluejays are currently hitting .291 as a team, a mark that would rank fifth in school history if the season ended today, and is the highest mark by a Creighton team since the 1995 team hit .296. CU scored 184 runs in 53 games in 2011, an average of 3.5 per game. This year the Bluejays have already scored 128 runs in 22 games, an average of 5.8 runs per game. CU's slugging percentage of .443 is up 75 points from last year's .368. Creighton's on-base percentage of .382 currently ranks as the third best in school history and is its best since the 2005 team's .393 OBP.
Surpassing 10: Creighton has scored at least 10 runs in a game six times already this season. The 2011 team scored 10 runs in a game just once and the Bluejays have already scored 10 or more runs in a game more this season than in the previous three seasons combined.
Record-Tying Game: In one of Creighton's high-scoring games this season, the Bluejays tied a school record. The Jays topped Howard 19-4 on March 4 in Tempe, Ariz., tying the school record with 22 hits in the lopsided win. The 19 runs rank second in school history, just one shy of the 20 runs scored against the College of Saint Mary (Neb.) on Feb. 9, 2000.
Doubling Up: Last year Creighton managed to hit only 25 doubles in 53 games, its lowest total since 1992. This season the Bluejays have already smacked 29 doubles in 22 games, led by Amy Baker's five two-baggers. Baker led the team with 13 doubles as a freshman but hit just one double as a sophomore – in the 52nd of 53 games.
Tripling Up: Not only are doubles up for Creighton this year, but triples are also up. The Bluejays have eight triples this year, more than in any of its previous three full seasons. Senior outfielder Christa Ruf and freshman shortstop Liz Dike each have two triples to lead the Bluejays this year.
Players Mentioned
P/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballCreighton Softball Hit-A-Thon 2025
Thursday, August 21
Creighton Baseball & Softball Fields Groundbreaking - 6/11/25
Wednesday, June 11
Creighton BET Postgame vs. St John's, 5/8/25
Thursday, May 08
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. Seton Hall, 5/4/25
Sunday, May 04
