Thursday, February 11
Tempe, Ariz
3:00 pm
Creighton University
vs
Tennessee
Softball Opens 2016 Campaign at Kajikawa Classic
2/10/2016 3:27:00 PM | Softball
Bluejays prepare for tough tests to start season
Tournament Central
TEMPE, Ariz. -Â Creighton Softball will open its 2016 campaign this weekend as the Bluejays take part in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The tournament will provide a tough season-opening test for the Bluejays as four of Creighton's five opponents finished 2015 with RPI rankings of 70 or better.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 11 vs. Tennessee - 3:00 p.m. - LIVE STATS - AUDIO
Thursday, Feb. 11 vs. Boise State - 5:45 p.m. - LIVE STATS
Friday, Feb. 12 vs. Cal State Northridge - 10:00 a.m. - LIVE STATS
Friday, Feb. 12 vs. UC Riverside - 12:30 p.m. - LIVE STATS
Saturday, Feb. 13 vs. BYU - 10:00 a.m.
*All times Central Standard Time
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Four of Creighton's five opponents in the Kajikawa Classic maintained RPI rankings of 70 or better: Tennessee (9), Cal State Northridge (51), BYU (56), and UC Riverside (70). Tennessee, CSUN, and BYU each enjoyed 40-win seasons in 2015, while UC Riverside finished just shy of the 40-win plateau at 39-17.
Tennessee advanced to the Women's College World Series for the seventh time in program history, while CSUN and BYU captured the regular season titles in the Big West and West Coast Conference, respectively.
GETTING UP TO SPEED
The Bluejays return nine starters, including All-BIG EAST Second Team selections Allie Reinhart and Blake Ringle. Reinhart batted .396 in league play last season, finishing the year with 21 RBI and a team-best eight doubles.
Creighton also returns starting pitchers Sydnee Eck and Micaela Whitney, who combined to pitch 262.1 of Creighton's 281.2 total innings. Eck won a team-best 11 games while maintaining a 3.17 ERA. Meanwhile, Whitney finished 2015 with nine victories in 132 innings of work.
BLUEJAYS TABBED FIFTH
Creighton was picked fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, while defending regular-season and tournament champion, St. John's, was unanimously chosen to finish first.
2016 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1.      St. John's (7) - 49                        Â
2.      Villanova  - 37                        Â
3.      DePaul - 36
4.      Seton Hall - 30
5.      Creighton - 29
6.      Butler - 21
7.      Providence - 14
8.      Georgetown - 8
TEMPE, Ariz. -Â Creighton Softball will open its 2016 campaign this weekend as the Bluejays take part in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The tournament will provide a tough season-opening test for the Bluejays as four of Creighton's five opponents finished 2015 with RPI rankings of 70 or better.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, Feb. 11 vs. Tennessee - 3:00 p.m. - LIVE STATS - AUDIO
Thursday, Feb. 11 vs. Boise State - 5:45 p.m. - LIVE STATS
Friday, Feb. 12 vs. Cal State Northridge - 10:00 a.m. - LIVE STATS
Friday, Feb. 12 vs. UC Riverside - 12:30 p.m. - LIVE STATS
Saturday, Feb. 13 vs. BYU - 10:00 a.m.
*All times Central Standard Time
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Four of Creighton's five opponents in the Kajikawa Classic maintained RPI rankings of 70 or better: Tennessee (9), Cal State Northridge (51), BYU (56), and UC Riverside (70). Tennessee, CSUN, and BYU each enjoyed 40-win seasons in 2015, while UC Riverside finished just shy of the 40-win plateau at 39-17.
Tennessee advanced to the Women's College World Series for the seventh time in program history, while CSUN and BYU captured the regular season titles in the Big West and West Coast Conference, respectively.
GETTING UP TO SPEED
The Bluejays return nine starters, including All-BIG EAST Second Team selections Allie Reinhart and Blake Ringle. Reinhart batted .396 in league play last season, finishing the year with 21 RBI and a team-best eight doubles.
Creighton also returns starting pitchers Sydnee Eck and Micaela Whitney, who combined to pitch 262.1 of Creighton's 281.2 total innings. Eck won a team-best 11 games while maintaining a 3.17 ERA. Meanwhile, Whitney finished 2015 with nine victories in 132 innings of work.
BLUEJAYS TABBED FIFTH
Creighton was picked fifth in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, while defending regular-season and tournament champion, St. John's, was unanimously chosen to finish first.
2016 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1.      St. John's (7) - 49                        Â
2.      Villanova  - 37                        Â
3.      DePaul - 36
4.      Seton Hall - 30
5.      Creighton - 29
6.      Butler - 21
7.      Providence - 14
8.      Georgetown - 8
Players Mentioned
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OF/C
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C/UT
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