Softball Meets St. John's For Final Road Series

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Games #43-44 • April 30 • Creighton at St. John's (DH) • 11:00 AM CST • Queens, N.Y. • Red Storm Field
Games #45 • May 1 • Creighton at St. John's • 10:00 AM CST • Queens, N.Y. • Red Storm Field

Up Next
Fourth-place Creighton (25-17, 7-6 BIG EAST) takes its final road trip of the regular-season this weekend during a pivotal three-game series at fifth-place St. John's (23-19, 7-7 BIG EAST).
   The teams will play a doubleheader that begins at 11 a.m. Central on Saturday before closing the series with a single game at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Red Storm Field in Queens, N.Y., will host the action.

Follow the Action
Links to live stats for the weekend can be found on the softball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
   Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.
   Saturday's doubleheader is expected to have audio available. A link will be provided on the softball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.
   Sunday's game will have a free video webcast at ESPN3.com.

Scouting Creighton
After a 19-4 stretch over its 23 games from Feb. 28 - April 13, Creighton Softball has lost five of its past six. The Bluejay offense has accounted for just seven runs in those six games, including 2-for-30 hitting (.067) with runners in scoring position.
   Creighton's hottest pitcher of late has been Micaela Whitney (8-7, 2.44 ERA). Whitney has won eight of her last 11 decisions and is third in the BIG EAST in ERA. She struck out 25 batters in two starts last weekend while issuing just one walk. Sydnee Eck has been named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week three times this season and leads the pitching staff with a 13-8 record. She's allowed 125 hits and 25 walks in 125.1 innings of work, and her 166 strikeouts on the spring are second in the BIG EAST and good enough to rank 31st nationally. Her 9.3 strikeouts per seven innings ranks 16th nationally.
   Allie Reinhart leads the club in doubles (7) and is second in batting average (.355) and RBI (27). Tash Coffiel has been an on-base machine, leading the team in batting average (.356) and on-base percentage (.477). Providing much of the power in the middle of the line-up has been junior Jen Daro, who hits .322 and has 38 RBI. She leads the BIG EAST with nine home runs.

Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 23-19 this season, including a 7-7 mark in BIG EAST play. The Red Storm are 9-1 at home this season and have not lost a home series since dropping 2-of-3 to Butler on April 1-2, 2014.
   Brittany Garcia leads the team with a .347 batting average and a .448 on-base percentage as one of four Johnnies to start all 42 games this season. Krystal Puga and Carly Williams share the team lead with six home runs each, while Puga has driven in a team-best 27 RBI. Lauren Zick is a dangerous threat on the basepaths, stealing 19-of-21 bases.
   In the circle Grace Kramer (12-11, 3.43 ERA in 118.1 IP) leads the team in wins, appearances, starts, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts. Madison Morris (4-0, 3.17 ERA in 53.0 IP) and McKenzie Murray (4-4, 3.21 ERA in 61.0 IP) also see time. Tori Free, the 2015 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, is 3-4 with a 4.75 ERA but has not pitched since March 6th.

Series History vs. St. John's
Series: St. John's leads the series, 5-3, winning 2-of-3 games in both 2014 and 2015 against the Bluejays. The series began in 2010 when the teams split games played in Arizona.
Recent Meetings: Creighton won the series opener 9-2 last year before losing the next two games, 11-0 and 4-0. The 9-2 win in the opener snapped the Red Storm's 15-game win streak. Anna O'Gorman led CU with four hits and a .444 batting average last season against the Red Storm, while Jen Daro and Sydnee Eck both homered in game one. Eck also allowed just four earned runs in two complete games, including one victory.

Important Series
With only two weeks left in the regular-season, the standings have tightened up as teams attempt to qualify for the four-team BIG EAST Championships to be held May 13-14.
   Since the league reconfigured in the summer of 2013, the league has gone to a four-team tournament. In 2014, a 10-10 league record tied for fourth place. Last year, a 9-12 league record tied for fourth place.
   Below is a look at each's team's conference record, as well as the upcoming league schedule for each squad.
Team     BIG EAST W-L   A30-M1   May 7-8
DePaul   11-3   @SHU   @CU
Villanova   11-4   BU   @PC
Butler   8-6   @VU   @GU
Creighton   7-6   @SJU   DPU
St. John's   7-7   CU   SHU
Seton Hall   7-7   DPU   @SJU
Georgetown   3-11   @PC   BU
Providence   2-12   GU   VU

Speaking Of Strikeouts
Creighton is the only pitching staff in the BIG EAST with multiple pitchers who have recorded 100 or more strikeouts.
   Sydnee Eck leads Creighton with 166 strikeouts this season, seven shy of the BIG EAST lead.
   Micaela Whitney owns 118 strikeouts this season, fifth-best in the BIG EAST. Whitney's 64 strikeouts in BIG EAST play lead the league, however.
   Eck and Whitney mark just the third tandem in Creighton history to each have 100 or more punchouts in the same season. The first three times it happened (2004, 2005, 2007), not only did Creighton make an NCAA Regional, but it was sent to Lincoln each time, as seen below:
Creighton Teammates With 100+ Strikeouts
Year   Team Leader (K)   Next (K)
2004   Tammy Nielsen (334)   Abby Johnson (126)
2005   Tammy Nielsen (319)   Abby Johnson (116)
2007   Tara Oltman (212)   Amanda Hess (151)
2016   Sydnee Eck (166)   Micaela Whitney (118)

Mowing Them Down
Micaela Whitney struck out a career-high 15 batters in Sunday's game at Butler, including at least one in parts of all nine innings she worked. The 15 K's are tied for ninth-most in a game this season, nationally.
   It was her second straight start that struck out 10 or more batters, and the third and fourth time this year with double-figure punchouts.
   Whitney's 15 strikeouts were the most by a Bluejay since Becca Changstrom's 16 whiffs on April 5, 2014, in a 16-inning victory over Villanova. Changstrom threw the final 10.1 innings of that game in relief.
   Whitney's 15 strikeouts were the most by a Bluejay in fewer than 10 innings of work since Amanda Hess struck out 15 Central Arkansas batters in her Bluejay debut, a seven-inning victory on Feb. 17, 2007.
   The chart below shows the most strikeouts in a game since Brent Vigness became Creighton head coach in 1994.
Most Strikeouts, Game, Since 1994
K's   Name, Opponent   IP   Date
19   Tammy Nielsen, So. Illinois   9.0   3/29/03
17   Abby Johnson, UMKC   7.0   3/30/05
16   Tammy Nielsen, Indiana State   7.0   4/12/03
16   Tammy Nielsen, Quinnipiac   7.0   3/11/04
16   Becca Changstrom, Villanova   10.1   4/5/14
16   Amanda Hess, Central Arkansas   7.0   2/17/07
15   Tammy Nielsen, Indiana State   7.0   4/3/04
15   Tammy Nielsen, Missouri State   7.0   5/1/04
15   Tammy Nielsen, Florida Atlantic   7.0   2/20/05
15   Micaela Whitney, Butler   8.2   4/24/16
14   Tara Oltman, Northern Colorado   7.0   3/10/07
14   Tara Oltman, Illinois State   7.0   4/21/07
14   Becca Changstrom, Butler   7.0   3/22/14
14   Sydnee Eck, Akron   8.0   3/6/16
14   Shelli Mellegaard, UNI   10.0   4/8/01
14   Tammy Nielsen, Wichita State   7.0   3/22/03
14   Tammy Nielsen, Toledo   7.0   3/10/05

Eck With A K
Sydnee Eck recorded six strikeouts in game two last Saturday at Butler, giving her 279 in her career. That's enough to move her past Candi Letts (276 from 1980-83) and Kristan Melton (278 from 2000-03) for ninth in Creighton history.
   Eck is 10 strikeouts shy of tying Hall of Famer Kelly Brookhart (279 from 1988-91) and 15 shy of Marcia Jacobsen (294 from 1981-84) to climb even higher on the list.
   Tara Oltman owns the Creighton record with 1,086 in her career from 2007-10, including three seasons of 283 strikeouts or more.

Allender Always In
Kelsey Allender continues to be a fixture in the Creighton line-up. Not only has she started every game this season, but she's started every game of her career.
   Allender enters this weekend's series at St. John's with 185 consecutive starts, including the last 180 in center field. She's tied for third nationally with 15 sacrifice hits this spring.
   Allender's not the only Blujeay with an impressive starting streak, as Jen Daro's made 121 straight starts (and has played in all 138 games since enrolling) and Blake Ringle's at 85 starts in a row.

All In For Allender
Kelsey Allender leads the BIG EAST and ranks tied for third nationally with 15 sacrifice bunts.
   Allender had one sacrifice bunt in each of CU's three games at Butler last weekend, adding to her lead. She's the first Bluejay with a sac bunt in three straight games since Michelle Trulin from March 21-29, 2015. Trulin finished last season with 10 sac bunts to tie for the BIG EAST lead.
   Allender's 15 sacrifice bunts are the most by a Bluejay since Michelle Koch had 15 during CU's 2010 season. Koch, with 17 in 2009, is also the last Bluejay with more than 15 sacrifices in a season.

25th Anniversary Looms
The 25th anniversary of the longest game in NCAA history is fast approaching. On May 11, 1991, Creighton faced Utah in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Omaha.
   In an era when pitching dominated, it's not surprising that Creighton won a 1-0 pitcher's duel. What makes that night so special is that it took 31 innings!
   Star Creighton pitcher Kelly Brookhart, who had thrown a complete-game shutout earlier in the day, threw all 31 innings in the longest game in NCAA history. She threw the shutout despite allowing 25 hits and walking eight Utes (all intentional) while stranding an NCAA record 31. Brookhart was no slouch at the plate in that game either, going 6-for-11.
   The 31 inning game took 6:24 to complete, and finished at 12:24 a.m. on May 12th.
   Making the day even crazier was that the Bluejay win forced the "if necessary" game to be played, and that started just 21 minutes later at 12:45 a.m.
   Game two turned out to be the third-longest game in NCAA history, as Utah won a 4-3 game in 25 innings after the teams agreed to go to the international tiebreaker rule and place a runner on second base to start the 25th inning.
   Brookhart came on in relief in the nightcap and finished off the final 20.1 innings, part of her 58.1 innings of work in an 18-hour span.
   Among the players in that unreal doubleheader was Teir Wilbur, the mother of current Bluejay outfielder Kelsey Allender.

Wanted: Clutch Hits
Creighton's offense, so potent while scoring 51 runs 5 games earlier this season in series sweeps over Providence and Georgetown, has fallen on hard times in recent weeks.
   The Bluejays have scored a total of eight runs in the past seven games while hitting just .198 in those contests.
   Creighton has hit only 3-for-32 (.094) with runners in scoring position, and are 10-for-58 (.172) in two-out situations during those games.
   By contrast, in the first 35 games of the season Creighton was averaging 4.86 runs per game while hitting .297 with two outs and .309 with runners in scoring position.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Not only does Jen Daro lead Creighton (and the BIG EAST) with nine home runs, but she's also been hit by a team-high six pitches this spring.
   Last year Daro became the first player in school history to be hit by 10 or more pitches in multiple seasons, as she's been plunked 12 times as a freshman in 2014 before 10 beanings in 2015 during her sophomore campaign.
   Daro's 28 hit-by-pitches are already third-most in Creighton history for a career.

Leads Generally Safe
Creighton has done an excellent job of protecting leads this season. In fact, there's only been three games that Creighton has led at any point in which it hasn't won.
   Creighton is 21-1 when leading after three innings, 20-1 when leading after four innings, and 18-0 when leading after five or six innings this season.
   On the other end of the spectrum, nine of Creighton's 25 wins this season have been of the come-from-behind variety.
   Before blowing Sunday's 1-0 lead at Butler, Creighton had won 24 straight games when leading after four innings.
   Creighton has won 21 straight games when leading after five innings, and 22 in a row when leading after six innings. CU last lost in those scenarios on April 15, 2015, when it wasted a 6-4 lead (after five) and a 6-5 lead (after six) in an eventual 7-6 loss at South Dakota State.

White Hot Whitney
Micaela Whitney is in the middle of a strong stretch, allowing just 15 earned runs over her last nine starts to lower her ERA to a team-best 2.44. That figure ranks third in the BIG EAST.
   The Omaha native has allowed just 40 hits in 62.2 innings over the past four weeks while striking out 70, and she's thrown shutouts in four of her last 11 starts.
   During her last 14 outings, Whitney is 8-3 with a 1.79 ERA in 82 innings of work. In that time she's struck out 98 and allowed just 56 hits and 27 walks.

No-Hitter For Whitney
Micaela Whitney threw the second complete game no-hitter of her Bluejay career on April 2 at Seton Hall. She struck out 11 and did not allow a walk in her gem. Just two Pirate runners reached base, one on a hit-by-pitch in the second inning and another on a third inning error.
   Whitney needed just 72 pitches to complete her no-hitter, throwing 57 strikes.

List of No-Hitters Under Vigness
Micaela Whitney is the 12th different pitcher to throw a complete game no-hitter during Brent Vigness' 23 years at Creighton, but just the second to throw more than one. There have been 22 no-hitters overall under Vigness' watch.
   Tammy Nielsen had eight no-no's (two in 2003, five in 2004, one in 2005), while Whitney threw one on Feb. 5, 2015 vs. Pacific in her Bluejay debut.
   Ten other Bluejay pitchers have thrown a complete game no-hitter in that time, while current assistant coach Alexis Cantu was part of a combined no-hitter vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on February 12, 2012.
   A complete list of no-hitters under Vigness can be found at the bottom of page four of these notes.

Strong Start, Part I
Creighton is off to a strong start this season with a 25-17 record, including wins in 20 of the last 29 games. By comparison, Creighton won 22 games all of 2015, when it finished 22-21.
   This is the 20th straight year that Creighton has won 22 games or more, all under the direction of Brent Vigness. The only BIG EAST school with a longer active streak is DePaul, which has 31 straight seasons of 22+ wins entering this spring, and 21 victories currently.

Strong Start, Part II
Before losing the last two weekend series, Creighton had started 6-1 in BIG EAST play.
   The 6-1 mark was the program's best start in league action since beginning 11-1 in 2009 in the Missouri Valley Conference. That team went on to win the MVC regular-season title.
   In fact, this was the sixth time that Creighton has started 6-1 or better in league play. Four of the first five teams to do so won the regular-season title, and the team that didn't won the conference tournament.
Year   Start   League, Finish   League Tourney Title?
1998   9-1   1st, MVC   No
2005   17-1   3rd, MVC   Yes
2007   9-1   1st, MVC   Yes
2008   6-1   1st, MVC   No
2009   11-1   1st, MVC   No
2016   6-1   ???, BIG EAST   ???

Trulin Goes Yard, At Last
Michelle Trulin's first at bat vs. Georgetown on April 9th was a memorable one, as the senior pulled a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right field to give Creighton a 3-0 lead.
   Not only was it Trulin's first home run this season, but her first round-tripper as a collegian. Trulin's homer came in her 186th game at the college level (including 111 games at Iowa Western CC), and in her 649th career plate appearance.
   Trulin entered that weekend with one extra-base hit in her first 189 at bats as a Bluejay, then had an extra-base knock in all three games vs. Georgetown. Besides her home run in the series opener, she also delivered doubles in game two and game three.

Reinhart Discovers Long Ball, Too.
Allie Reinhart entered the month of April with one home run all season, but has homered five times in the 11 games since April 9th.
   Her five home runs in BIG EAST play are second-most in the conference, and Creighton is 5-1 overall this season when she goes yard.

Back-To-Back
Allie Reinhart and Jen Daro hit back-to-back home runs in the second inning vs. Georgetown on April 9th, with both women homering on a 2-1 pitch against Delaney Osterday.
   It's the first time Creighton has hit back-to-back home runs since Liz Dike and Blake Ringle homered consecutively in the third inning vs. Butler on March 22, 2015.

True Blue Trulin
Michelle Trulin has reached base in 20 of the last 23 games, batting .333 with 22 hits and 14 walks in that span.
   Trulin has also scored 20 times in those games, during which time Creighton is 15-8.
   Trulin's streak of 16 straight games reaching base (snapped April 13th vs. Iowa State) was the longest mark of her Creighton career.
   Creighton's last player to reach in 16 or more straight games was Kelsey Allender, who reached in 20 straight contests from Feb. 5-March 22, 2015.

Magic Number 5
Creighton is 14-0 this season when scoring five runs or more, and has won its last 18 games dating to last season when that happens.
   That moves Creighton to 177-16 since 2007 when that happens. In the same time span Creighton is 137-188-2 when scoring four runs or fewer.
   Creighton's 14-12 victory in the nightcap vs. Providence on March 23rd snapped a 32-game losing streak when allowing 10 or more runs, a streak that dated to a 13-12 victory over Drake on April 9, 2002.

Creighton Picked Fifth in BIG EAST
As announced by the BIG EAST Conference on Feb. 1, Creighton was tabbed fifth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, just one point shy of Seton Hall for fourth place. Last season's regular season and tournament champion, St. John's, was unanimously chosen to top the poll. The Red Storm received all seven available first-place votes for a total of 49 points, as the league's head coaches ranked the teams one through seven and were not allowed to vote for their own programs.
   With two All-BIG EAST selections returning, Creighton will look to build off of last year's 22-21 campaign. Allie Reinhart led the Bluejays with a .396 batting average, 21 hits and 12 RBI in conference play last season. Blake Ringle finished second on the team with 10 long balls, four of which came in BIG EAST action. Including Reinhart and Ringle, the Bluejays return 15 players from a year ago. Creighton welcomes seven newcomers to the roster: Aujanae McCoy, Tara Fallahee, Bry Flanagan, Kelly Mardones, Michal Hylton, Val Bertrand and Mileah McKelvy.

Line-up Switcheroo
Head coach Brent Vigness made several notable changes to his line-up during the March 30th doubleheader vs. South Dakota State, then has followed the same game plan during the past 15 games.
   Tash Coffiel, who had started 26-of-27 games at third base, has now started the last 15 games at shortstop.
   Jen Daro, who had started the first 27 games at first base, has now started the last 15 games at third base.
   Anna O'Gorman, who had made five starts at second base, 11 starts in right field and nine starts at designated player, has made her first 15 starts of the season at first base.
   In the circle, Kelly Mardones made her first start of the season in game two vs. SDSU, as well.
   The defensive changes seemed to work well, as Coffiel, Daro, O'Gorman and Mardones have handled 158-of-163 chances successfully.
   Creighton also turned a pair of double plays in game two vs. SDSU, both on line drives to third base where a runner was doubled off first base. It was just the seventh time in the last eight seasons that CU has turned a pair of double plays in the same contest.

RPI Update
The latest NCAA Softball RPI, released through games of April 24th, has Creighton with the fifth-best RPI in the BIG EAST.
   Creighton had an RPI of 151, trailing only DePaul (97), Villanova (107), St. John's (135) and Butler (138).
   Creighton is 22-4 this year against teams with an RPI worse than 151, but 3-13 against teams in the top 151.

In The Circle
Creighton has used five different women inside the circle this year, with tremendous success.
   Creighton leads or is second in the BIG EAST lead in wins (25), ERA (3.25), saves (2), strikeouts (301), fewest walks allowed (79), fewest hits allowed (272) and fewest runs allowed (152).

What A Start!
Creighton opened its series with Providence on March 23rd with an eight-run first inning, keying an eventual 11-3 win.
   Creighton had not scored eight or more runs in the first inning since scoring 13 times in the first inning vs. North Dakota State on April 5, 2010.
   Creighton's top-scoring inning this season was a nine-run outburst in the second frame vs. Georgetown on April 9th. Creighton had not scored nine or more runs in an inning since scoring 12 runs in the third inning vs. Indiana State on March 31, 2012.
   Since that eight-run first inning on March 23rd, Creighton has scored a total of four runs in the first inning of its last 16 games.

Daro To Be Different
Jen Daro's grand slam in game two vs. Providence on March 23rd was her team-high sixth home run of the season. She added her seventh dinger on March 30th in game one vs. South Dakota State.
   She's the first Bluejay to launch a grand slam since Liz Dike on April 11, 2015, though Daro also hit a grand slam last year on April 8th vs. South Dakota.
   If you're curious, the last Creighton player with multiple grand slams in the same season is Bailey Dawson, who had two in 2008.

Give Me Four
Allie Reinhart went 4-for-4 in game two against Providence on March 23rd, becoming the first Bluejay with four hits in a game since Bri Lingl on April 5, 2014.
   Reinhart leads Creighton with 16 multiple-hit games, but that marked her first contest this year with three or more safeties. It was also her first career game as a Bluejay with four hits.
   Speaking of four, Michelle Trulin's four runs in game two vs. Providence on March 23rd were the most by a Bluejay since Kelsey Allender scored four times vs. Saint Peter's on March 12, 2015.
   Trulin has scored 16 times in the last 19 games after scoring nine times total in CU's first 23 games this season.

Situtational Numbers
Creighton is 16-3 this year when stealing a base, and had won 16 straight games dating to last year when picking up a steal prior to a March 30th game 2 loss to South Dakota State.
   Creighton is 14-2 this year when Allie Reinhart scores, and has won 19 of the last 21 games in which she's scored. Creighton is also 14-3 this year when Reinhart has an RBI. Reinhart is 29-for-71 in the last 24 games, producing 19 RBI and 14 runs in that span.
   Creighton is 18-3 this year when Michelle Trulin has a hit, and is 16-2 when Trulin scores this season. Trulin is 21-for-60 with 18 runs scored in CU's last 21 contests.
   Creighton is 13-1 when Mileah McKelvy has a hit.
   Creighton is 18-3 when scoring first this season and 25-3 when leading at any point this season.

McKelvy Delivers
Mileah McKelvy had the best game of her young career on March 5 vs. Niagara when she went 2-for-3 with two homers and five RBI in a Bluejay victory.
   The outburst came after she entered the contest with three career hits and one career RBI in her first 13 games played.
   McKelvy is the first Bluejay freshman with multiple home runs in a game since Amy Baker launched two round-trippers vs. Northern Iowa on April 17, 2010. Baker had three multi-home run games as a freshman and graduated in 2013 with a school-record 58 home runs overall.

Rebel Yell
Creighton has played some of its best softball of the season at the Rebel Spring Games in recent springs.
   This was the fourth straight season Creighton has spent its spring break in Florida at the Rebel Spring Games, and it has now gone 35-5 in those trips.
   In those games Creighton owns a collective ERA of 0.98, allowing just 38 earned runs in 271.1 innings. At the plate the Bluejays are hitting .270 in those Florida games, hitting 269-for-997 in the 40 games.
Year   W-L   AVG   R   HR   ERA
2016   9-1   .266   45   4   1.33
2015   9-1   .304   63   8   0.74
2014   11-1   .264   47   4   0.77
2013   6-2   .241   29   9   1.15

Eck Wins Three Weekly BIG EAST Awards
Junior RHP Sydnee Eck was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22, Feb. 29 and March 7.
   During those three weeks, Eck went 7-1 with a 2.70 ERA in eight appearances. She struck out 68 batters in 46.2 innings of work, allowing just 43 hits and 10 walks.
   Eck became CU's first hurler to be named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week in consecutive weeks since Becca Changstrom was honored by the BIG EAST on March 17 & 24, 2014, and is the first Bluejay softball player to be honored three straight weeks since at least the 2003 season.

Vigness Wins #700
Head Coach Brent Vigness is in his 23rd season as head coach at Creighton, where he owns a 711-508-3 record. He is the winningest coach in Creighton history in any sport and picked up his 700th victory against South Dakota State on March 10th.
   Vigness has a career record of 859-579-4 in 28 years overall, which includes five seasons at Assumption (Mass.) College.
   Vigness is assisted by two of his former players, Renae Sinkler and Alexis Cantu.
   Below is a look how long it's taken Vigness to reach each 100-win milestone at Creighton:
Win #   Date   W-L-T
100   4/23/97   100-100-0
200   5/6/00   200-168-0
300   3/12/04   300-252-0
400   2/17/07   400-305-1
500   4/4/09   500-345-2
600   4/21/12   600-422-3
700   3/10/16   700-500-3

Daro at the Bat
Junior first baseman Jen Daro had a huge weekend at the Troy Cox Classic from Feb. 19-21. In five games in Las Cruces, Daro combined to hit 6-for-12 at the plate with 13 RBI.
   She homered once in Creighton's 11-3 win over Campbell on Saturday, Feb. 20, and twice more in the Bluejays' following game that day, a 6-1 win over Western Michigan. Prior to Daro, the last Creighton player to homer in consecutive contests was Alexis Cantu—a current assistant on Creighton's coaching staff—in 2014.
   Cantu had also been the last Bluejay with multiple three-run home runs in the same game, having done so on April 6, 2012 at Wichita State as part of a game with three home runs.
   Daro's three different three-run homers over the course of two games on Feb. 20 are made more impressive when learning that CU hit seven total three-run homers in 2015.

Covering the Bases with Erin McGonigal
Fans who enjoyed following Creighton Softball along with Erin McGonigal last season can do so again this year, as the senior infielder chronicles the Bluejays' 2016 season in her "Covering the Bases" blog. Blog updates can be found online at GoCreighton.com.

Strength of Schedule
The Bluejays' schedule features eight opponents who made NCAA Tournament appearances last season, including five teams which won their respective regular-season conference championships: BYU (WCC), Cal State Northridge (Big West), New Mexico State (WAC), Oklahoma (Big 12), and St. John's (BIG EAST).
   Creighton's matchups with Oklahoma and New Mexico State in the Troy Cox Classic marked the fifth and sixth occasions already this season that the Bluejays faced off with teams that finished last season with RPI rankings better than 70: Tennessee (9), Oklahoma (12), New Mexico State (43), Cal State Northridge (51), BYU (56), and UC Riverside (70).
   One of Creighton's toughest tests of the year came immediately out of the gate with a season-opening match-up with perennial power Tennessee to begin the Kajikawa Classic on Feb. 11. In the contest, Creighton trailed by a slim, 3-0, margin until the sixth inning when Tennessee scored twice to seal a 5-0 victory. Last season, the Volunteers posted a 47-17 record and clinched the program's seventh Women's College World Series bid.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Allender

Valentina Bertrand

Tash Coffiel

Jen Daro

Liz Dike

Sydnee Eck

Tara Fallahee

Bry Flanagan

Michal Hylton

Kelly Mardones

Aujanae McCoy

Erin McGonigal

Mileah McKelvy

Anna O'Gorman

Allie Reinhart

Blake Ringle

Michelle Trulin

Micaela Whitney