Softball Heads To North Carolina For Runnin' Bulldog Tournament

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Creighton continues its early season tournament schedule with a trip to Boiling Springs, North Carolina for the Runnin' Bulldog Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb.

Game Schedule
Game #6 • Friday, Feb. 16 • Creighton vs. Eastern Illinois • 9:00 a.m.
Game #7 • Friday, Feb. 16 • Creighton vs. Western Carolina • 3:00 p.m.
Game #8 • Saturday, Feb. 17 • Creighton vs. Western Illinois • 9:00 a.m.
Game #9 • Saturday, Feb. 17 • Creighton at Gardner-Webb • 11:00 a.m.
*All times listed are Central Standard Time

Follow The Games
All four of Creighton's games in North Carolina will have live stats. Links to the stats are available at GoCreighton.com.

The Bluejays' contest on Saturday morning against Gardner-Webb will have a live video stream on the Big South Network (http://bigsouthsports.com/watch/?Live=3821), but the other three games will not.

Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.

Scouting Creighton
The Bluejays started the 2018 campaign with a 3-2 showing at the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas.

Senior Hope Moreno owned 10 hits (10-for-19), including two doubles and recorded nine RBIs during the opening weekend on her way to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll accolades.

Fellow senior Jordyn Sturgeon slugged .909 with one home run and one double while going 6-for-11 (.545) during four games.

As a team, Creighton hit .309 and outscored the opposition 36-17 through the first five games of the season.

Freshman Kiele Miller paced the Bluejays with 14.2 innings pitched during three appearances and struck out 15 hitters.

Scouting Eastern Illinois
The Panthers opened the 2018 season with a 2-3 showing at the Madri Gras Classic in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Sophomore Haley Mitchell led the offense with three extra-base hits and five RBIs.

Center fielder Kayla Bear paced the team with a .579 on-base percentage and .385 batting average with five hits and four walks. Bear kicked off the season with a 3-for-4 performance during a season-opening 4-2 victory against Iowa.

Jessica Wireman led the pitching staff with a 2.40 ERA during 15.0 innings pitched while the team allowed 29 runs during five games.

Head coach Kim Schette is in her 11th season at Eastern Illinois.

Series History Against Panthers
Creighton leads the all-time series against Eastern Illinois 4-1. The Panthers claim a 5-0 victory during their most recent matchup with the Bluejays during the 2013 season at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.

Scouting Western Carolina
Junior catcher Madison Armstrong earned a spot on the Southern Conference Preseason First Team and junior Hunter Gibbons made the Preseason Second Team as the Catamounts were picked to tie for sixth in the conference.

Armstrong made the SoCon All-Conference Second Team after starting all 48 games last season and finished second on the team in batting average (.314), hits (44) and doubles (13), while leading the team with 11 multi-hit games.

Gibbons also made the All-SoCon Second Team after breaking the Western Carolina single-season record for doubles (16) and pacing the squad with a .318 batting average and 40 RBIs.

Western Carolina did not play last weekend and will open its 2018 schedule against Creighton on Friday afternoon.

Head coach Jim Clift is starting his seventh season at the helm of the Catamounts.

Series History Against Catamounts
Creighton and Western Carolina have not met previously, and Friday will mark the first contest between the two schools.

Scouting Western Illinois
The Leathernecks started the season with a 2-2 showing in Peoria, Illinois at the Petersen Hotels Invite (hosted by Bradley).

Western Illinois scored 14 runs during its season-opener against Miami (Ohio) before only tallying a combined seven runs in the final three games in Peoria.

The Leathernecks went 22-32 last season and finished second in the Summit League with an 11-7 record during league contests.

Emily Ira and Kelsey Marlow were each named preseason Players to Watch in the Summit League as Western Illinois was picked to finish second in the preseason coaches' poll. Ira earned Summit League Pitcher of the Year accolades last year after recording a 2.85 ERA during 206.1 innings of work.

This season marks the first for Beth Golitko as head coach of the Leathernecks.

Series History Against Leathernecks
Creighton owns a 9-2 advantage all-time against Western Illinois.

The Bluejays last defeated Western Illinois 1-0 during the 2011 season at the Cyclone Indoor Invitational in Ames, Iowa.

Scouting Gardner-Webb
The Runnin' Bulldogs opened the season with a 3-3 record during six home contests as Gardner-Webb hosts 11 games to start the year.

Andria Booth led the team with 10 hits and five runs score while hitting .455 and driving in two runs through the fist six games.

Overall, Gardner-Webb hit .268 and scored 27 runs during the first week of play.

Laken Myers paced the team with a 3.23 ERA during 13.0 innings of work, while Ashley Wark tossed three complete games for the Runnin' Bulldogs. The overall staff allowed 43 runs and opponents hit .363.

Head coach Tom Cole is in his 18th season at Gardner-Webb.

Series History Against Runnin' Bulldogs
Creighton and Gardner-Webb met once previously during the 2004 season at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida.

The Bluejays claimed a 3-1 win during that game on March 13, 2004.

Moreno Makes BIG EAST Honor Roll
Senior transfer Hope Moreno earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after she led the Bluejays' offense during the past weekend.

Moreno ended the weekend 10-for-19 with nine RBIs, two doubles and three runs scored. She posted back-to-back 4-for-4 performances with four RBIs against Utah Valley and North Dakota State.

She started all five games at first base and did not commit an error during 28 chances.

The senior first baseman spent three season at UTEP before transferring to Creighton.

Scoring All The Runs
Creighton scored 15 runs against Utah Valley during their second game of the season.

The Bluejays' run total marked their most in a single-game since April 9, 2016 against Georgetown (15-2 W).

Creighton's 14-run victory (15-1) also matched their largest margin of victory since a 16-2 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb 23, 2013.

Hit Parade
The Bluejays recorded 14 hits during two consecutive games against Utah Valley and North Dakota State, matching the team's season-high for hits in a single contest from last year.

The Creighton record for hits in a single game is 22 which has happened twice (March 4, 2012 vs. Howard & April 9, 2002 at Drake).

The most hits the Bluejays have recorded since joining the BIG EAST (2014) is 16 in a game against Providence during the 2016 season (March 23, 2016).

Freshmen Impress During Debuts
Freshmen Kiele Miller and Logan Black each recorded victories during their first career starts in the circle for the Bluejays.

Miller went 5.0 innings and struck out seven while allowing three hits and one run during Creighton's 15-1 victory against Utah Valley (Feb. 9).

Black gave up one run and five hits during 6.0 innings of work in the Bluejays' 9-1 win over Southern Utah (Feb. 10).

Victoria Alvarez and Courtney Sandell also had impressive starts to their respective careers. Alvarez went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored with her first career start at shortstop against Utah Valley, and Sandell finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks while starting in left field for the first time in her Bluejays career.

Season Outlook
The 2018 Creighton softball team seeks a trip to the BIG EAST conference tournament for the first time since the program's inaugural season in the league (2014).

Last season, the Bluejays won six straight BIG EAST contests during the month of April to move into fourth place in the conference standings, and picked up seven wins overall during an eight-game stretch.

Despite the mid-season momentum, Creighton dropped its final home league game and last nine games of the season and finished in sixth place in the final conference standings.

All-BIG EAST Second Team outfielder Ashley Cantu led the team with a .346 batting average and ranked second on the team with a .404 on-base percentrage as a freshman. She returns this season to build off her first year.

Three-year starter Tash Coffiel paced the squad with 25 hits during league play and returns as the only starter from last season's regular infield.

Overall, Creighton returns four position players that started at least half of last season's schedule. The Bluejays' 12 returning letterwinners and 11 newcomers will fight for an NCAA Regional appearance for the first time since 2010.

Bryana Clark is the lone pitcher on the 2018 roster to appear in a game last season for the Bluejays.

Clark led Creighton in innings pitched (145.0), strikeouts (95), ERA (3.91) and wins (9) a season ago, as the overall staff struggled with consistency throughout the 2017 season.

Freshmen Kiele Miller and Logan Black are expected to make an immediate impact in the circle during their first seasons with the Bluejay program.

Miller earned All-State First Team and District MVP honors as a senior at Dripping Springs (Texas) High School after recording 256 strikeouts and a 23-5 record while leading her team to the state semifinals.

Black, Millard West's career strikeout leader with 545, guided the Wildcats to four Nebraska Class A State Tournament appearances, including two third-place finishes. The Omaha, product recorded a school-record 245 strikeouts and posted a 1.46 ERA and 22-7 record while earning Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska First Team honors as a senior.

Junior transfer Nikki McNeil will also factor into the pitching rotation after spending two seasons at Benedictine College (NAIA) in Atchison, Kansas.

Coffiel led the Bluejays with 88 assists while starting 30 games at shortstop and 19 at third base last spring. The Omaha, native owns 126 starts during her Creighton career.

Jayci McGill is the only other player on the 2018 roster to start a game at an infield position for Creighton a season ago. McGill started two contests at second base, but appears poised to fight for the starting nod this season after posting a .244 average at the plate, which included 12 at-bats as a pinch-hitter and a seven-game hitting streak during the middle of league action.

Transfers Kaitlynn Hunt, Hope Moreno and Kelli Finan each will compete to fill the current voids.

Hunt, a transfer from Nebraska-Omaha, started multiple games at catcher as a freshman during the 2017 season but has worked out primarily at shortstop during the offseason.

Moreno appears to hold the first base position after spending three seasons at UTEP, and will have one season of eligibility at Creighton.

Finan, a 2016 All-Big West Freshman Team selection, spent two seasons at Long Beach State before traveling from The Beach to
Omaha and will fight for a spot in the starting lineup at second base, third base or shortstop. She may also see time in the outfield.

Freshman Victoria Alvarez will also push for playing time at the middle infield positions and third base, while junior Morgan Bohanan continues to recover after sitting out all of last season with an injury and may see time at first base.

Cantu, the only returning All-BIG EAST selection on this season's roster, paced the team with a .346 batting average and ranked second on the team in doubles (7), on-base percentage (.404) and stolen bases (3-of-4) during her freshman season. She made 35 starts in right field and hit in the lead-off position 25 times as a first-year player.

Sam Crowley, one of Creighton's five seniors, started 21 games in left field and 10 in center. She drove in 11 runs at the plate last season and is expected to patrol center this spring.

Sophomores Kristin Fry, Sydney Jenkins and Mileah McKelvy, as well as freshmen Courtney Sandell, Chloe Knapp and Jacey Sawyer will battle for starts and playing time.

Both Fry and Jenkins primarily were used as pinch-runners last season, while McKelvy earned a medical redshirt after off-season knee surgery.

Sandell is the state of Nebraska's career batting average leader with a .582 average (160 hits during three seasons) and led Malcolm to its first state championship in only the program's third year of existence (2016).

Senior Jordyn Sturgeon started 43 games at catcher, threw out nine would-be base-stealers -- the third-best total in the BIG EAST -- and will continue to work behind the plate for the Bluejays. She also tied for the team-lead with seven sacrifice hits last season.

Junior Valentina Bertrand, sophomore Mikaela Pechar and freshman Hope Bonar will provide depth at the catcher position.

McKelvy appears to be the front-runner for the starting designated player role, but multiple players may see time at the offensive specialist position.

Creighton Picked Fifth In BIG EAST PollThe Creighton softball team received 23 points and ranked fifth in the 2018 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference announced on Thursday, Jan. 18.

Defending BIG EAST regular-season champion St. John's edged out defending conference-tournament champion DePaul for the top spot. Both the Red Storm and Blue Demons received four first-place votes, but the Johnnies claimed 46 points overall and DePaul earned 45.

Butler (34 points) and Villanova (29) ranked higher than the Bluejays, while Seton Hall (22), Providence (18) and Georgetown (7) rounded out the poll.

Creighton returns 12 letterwinners, including four position players that started at least 50 percent of last season's schedule. All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Ashley Cantu returns after leading the Bluejays in batting average (.346) and runs scored (30) during her first season with the Bluejays.

Senior infielder Tash Coffiel led Creighton with a .410 on-base percentage and enters her fourth season in Omaha with 128 career games played (126 starts) as a Bluejay.

Head coach Brent Vigness also welcomed 11 newcomers for the 2018 squad, which includes seven freshmen and four transfers.

Whitney Welcomed Back As Assistant
Head coach Brent Vigness announced the hiring of former pitcher Micaela Whitney as an assistant coach for Bluejay softball program on Oct. 9, 2017.

Whitney will primarily work with Bluejay pitchers, while helping in other areas as needed.

The former Creighton right-hander (2015-16) served as an assistant coach and pitching coach for the varsity softball team at Lewis Central High School (Council Bluffs, Iowa) for three seasons (2014-16), and helped guide the Titans to a 2.12 team-ERA during the summer of 2016.

She also assisted as the pitching coach at Papillion-La Vista South High School during the fall of 2016, and has given private pitching
lessons in the Omaha area.

Whitney spent this past summer playing professionally for Terrasvogels in Haarlem, Netherlands, and helped the team finish runner-up at the European Cup. She earned acclaim as the International Baseball Community's Top Softball Pitcher Overseas for the 2017 summer season.

The Omaha, Nebraska, native, led the BIG EAST in strikeouts with 86 during league play as a senior at Creighton in 2016. She ended her two-year Bluejay career with a 3.24 ERA in 257.0 innings of work with 234 strikeouts, 17 victories, seven shutouts and two saves. Whitney also recorded two no-hitters during 41 starts, including one during her first start as a Bluejay on Feb. 5, 2015.

Prior to playing at Creighton, Whitney spent two seasons at the University of Iowa and led the Hawkeyes with a 2.89 ERA during her freshman year (2013).

Whitney graduated from Creighton with a bachelor's degree in psychology in December of 2016.

Softball Heads To North Carolina For Runnin' Bulldog Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Victoria Alvarez

Valentina Bertrand

Logan Black

Hope Bonar

Ashley Cantu

Bryana Clark

Tash Coffiel

Sam Crowley

Kelli Finan

Jayci Foster

Kristin Fry

Kaitlynn Hunt

Sydney Jenkins

Chloe Knapp

Mileah McKelvy

Nikki McNeil

Kiele Miller

Hope Moreno

Mikaela Pechar

Courtney Sandell

Jacey Sawyer

Jordyn Sturgeon