Softball Concludes Regular-Season Against Villanova, Bluejays Seeking BIG EAST Title

Download Complete Notes

Up Next
Creighton concludes the regular season with a three-game series against Villanova. The Bluejays will recognize their five senior student-athletes between games of Saturday's doubleheader.

Matchup
Saturday, May 5 • Villanova (27-20-2, 10-5 BIG EAST) at Creighton (24-14, 9-3 BIG EAST) • 12 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, May 6 • Villanova at Creighton • 11 a.m.

Follow The Games
Live stats for all three contests can be found at Creighton.Statbroadcast.com.

Live streams with audio commentary will be available on Jays Video (gocreighton.com/jaysvideo) for Saturday's games.

Sunday's game will featured on the BIG EAST Digital Network, which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com or on the FOX Sports Go App.

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

Scouting Creighton (24-14, 9-3 BIG EAST)
The Bluejays enter the final weekend of the regular season in second place in the BIG EAST standings (9-3) after winning two out of three last weekend against Georgetown.

Creighton leads the BIG EAST in batting average (.308), on-base percentage (.402) and scoring (5.44 runs per game), and ranks second in the league in slugging percentage (.455).

Senior Sam Crowley leads the Bluejays batting average (.383 -- 4th in BIG EAST), and slugging percentage (.579 -- 7th in BIG EAST) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs (28). She is also second on the team in hits (41) and runs scored (25). Additionally, Crowley leads Division I in sacrifice hits per game (0.36) and paces the BIG EAST with 13 sacrifice hits.

Sophomore lead-off hitter Ashley Cantu ranks eighth in the BIG EAST with a .363 batting average, leads the team in hits (45), runs scored (37 -- 4th in BIG EAST) and is the only Bluejay to start all 38 games this season.

Hope Moreno has also appeared in each game this season (37 starts) after playing the first three seasons of her collegiate career at UTEP. She leads the Bluejays in hit by the pitches with eight.

Senior Tash Coffiel leads the Bluejays with a .455 on-base percentage and is tied for second on the team with 17 walks.

The Bluejays own a 3.47 team-ERA (second in BIG EAST) led by Bryana Clark who boasts a 2.87 ERA during 87.2innings pitched (26 appearances, 11 starts).

Freshman Kiele Miller owns a team-best 130 strikeouts (third-best mark in conference) during a Bluejay-high 113.1 innings pitched.

During league play, MIller has allowed 12 earned runs during 48.2 innings pitched (1.73 ERA -- best in BIG EAST) and recorded 56 strikeouts (2nd in league) to only 15 walks. She is also holding opponents to a .186 batting average during BIG EAST games, which is best the best mark in the conference.

Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats enter the weekend on a 10-game winning streak during BIG EAST play.

Villanova seniors Nikki Alden and Brittany Husk lead the offense. Alden is hitting .404 overall (second in the conference) and .450 during BIG EAST games, while Husk has scored a team-high 41 runs (second in league) including 18 during league play, and leads the BIG EAST in hits (66).

Alden, the Wildcat-clean up hitter, also paces the team in slugging percentage (.582 -- 6th BIG EAST) and on-base percentage (.469 -- 3rd BIG EAST), while Husk, Villanova's lead-off hitter, has 17 doubles and 15 stolen bases while hitting .383.

As a team, Villanova is third in the league with a .290 batting average, and second in scoring at 5.14 runs per game.

Freshman pitcher Anissa Amarillas leads the Wildcats in the circle. Amarillas has pitched 183.1 innings (leads BIG EAST), including 67.2 of 97 team innings during conference action, and owns a 3.25 ERA and 17 victories.

Villanova holds a 4.63 team-ERA, which ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.

Head coach Maria DiBernardi is in her 34th season at the helm of the Wildcats, and owns 879 career victories.

Series History Against Wildcats
Villanova leads the all-time series against Creighton 8-5.

The Wildcats took two out of three from the Bluejays last year at Villanova.

Creighton is 3-3 against Villanova in Omaha, with the Bluejays' last win in the series in Omaha on April 6, 2014 as the Wildcats earned a three-game road sweep during the 2016 season.

Creighton Fighting For Top Spot in BIG EAST
The Bluejays enter the final weekend of the regular season in second place in the BIG EAST standings at 9-3.

DePaul leads the conference at 12-3, while Villanova is in third place at 10-5, followed by St. John's (9-6) and Butler (7-8).

Based on winning percentage, Creighton can claim the regular-season crown with a sweep of Villanova and one DePaul loss (against Providence) or two wins against the Wildcats and two DePaul losses.

The Bluejays' last regular-season conference title came during 2013, Creighton's final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Creighton's best finish in the BIG EAST Conference is fourth (10-10), in 2014.

Bluejays Looking For 1st BIG EAST Crown
The Creighton softball team is looking to become the fifth Bluejay program to claim a BIG EAST regular season title since the
university joined the league during the summer of 2013, and earn the school's ninth BIG EAST regular-season crown overall.

Below is the list of the other BIG EAST titles in program history.

Volleyball - 4 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Baseball - 2 (2014, 2017)
Men's Soccer - 1 (2014)
Women's Basketball - 1 (2016-17, tie)

The Bluejay softball team claimed seven Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles ('98, '99, '00, '07, '08, '09, '13).

Vigness Earns Win No. 900
Head coach Brent Vigness picked up his 900th career victory with the Bluejays' 5-4 comeback victory during the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday against Georgetown.

Vigness owns a 901-630-4 record during 30 years of head coaching.

He claims a 753-559-3 mark in 25 seasons at Creighton.

The Central College (Pella, Iowa) graduate started his head coaching career at Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts and led the Lady Hounds to a 148-71-1 record during five seasons (1989-1993).

Vigness opened his coaching tenure at Creighton in 1994 and is the winningest head coach in Creighton athletics history with 753 victories during 25 seasons.

Bluejays Finish Month of April at 11-3
The Bluejays compiled a record of 11-3 during the month of April, including 7-2 in BIG EAST play.

Creighton hit .311 and outscored its opponents 81-55 during the month.

Jordyn Sturgeon led the Bluejays with a .419 during 11 games played (10 starts), and raised her season average from .269 to .325. The senior catcher recorded five multi-hit games in April.

Kiele Miller logged a team-high 50.2 innings in the circle and struck out 67 batters while allowing 21 earned runs (2.90 ERA) and holding the opposition to a .207 batting average.

Five Bluejays Play Final Games in Omaha
Seniors Bryana Clark, Tash Coffiel, Sam Crowley, Hope Moreno and Jordyn Sturgeon will each play their final games in Omaha this weekend.

All five will be recognized between games of Saturday's doubleheader.

Jays End Regular-Season With 7 In Omaha
Creighton concludes the regular-season with three games at home this weekend to end a stretch of seven consecutive games in Omaha.

The Bluejays enter the final weekend of the season 10-6 at home this season.

Creighton's 10 wins in Omaha this season mark the most for the Bluejays since joining the BIG EAST. The program record for wins in a single-season at home is 24 (24-4 in 1989).

Sturgeon Named To BIG EAST Honor Roll
Senior catcher Jordyn Sturgeon claimed a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, the league announced on Monday, April 30.

Sturgeon hit a go-ahead two-run homer during Creighton's 5-2 comeback win to secure the team's series victory against Georgetown.

In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, she capped the Bluejays' five-run fourth inning with an RBI single and finished 2-for-4, the only Bluejay to record multiple hits during the come-from-behind 5-4 win.

The senior also hit two doubles during the Creighton's midweek game against cross-town foe Nebraska-Omaha (April 26).

Clark Called On For Relief Role
After starting the season as the Bluejays' opening day starter, senior Bryana Clark has moved into a relief role.

Clark has made a relief appearance 15 times and owns a 2.08 ERA during 33.2 innings of relief work. She has also struck out 27 batters.

She is also owns four victories and one save as a reliever.

Most recently, Clark allowed only one hit during three innings of relief as Creighton rallied for a 5-2 victory against Georgetown (April 29) to claim the series.

Overall, the senior owns a team-best 2.87 ERA during 87.2 innings of work (26 appearances).

CU Sports Complex Turns Into Launching Pad
A total of 39 home runs have been hit during 16 Creighton games played at the Creighton Sports Complex. The Bluejays have hit 18, while
opponents have hit 21.

Creighton hit a program-record six home runs against UMKC on April 17, and the two teams combined for 10 homers.

During the past 10 seasons, the most home runs Creighton has hit during a single season at home is 26 (2010) and the most combined is 42 (also in 2010).

During the 2015 season, 41 home runs were hit during the span of 13 games, but 25 of those were hit by the opposition, which is the most during the past 10 seasons.

Here's a look at the home runs totals at the CU Sports Complex during the past 10 years:

HRs (CU HRs)   Number of Games   Year
39   (18)   16   2018
29   (13)   12   2017
26   (9)   15   2016
41   (16)   13   2015
29   (17)   15   2014
20   (13)   14   2013
34   (20)   16   2012
26 (12)   14   2011
42 (26)   19   2010
26 (19)   18   2009

By comparison, the Bluejays have hit only 12 home runs and allowed 14 during 22 games away from the Creighton Sports Complex.

Creighton's 30 home runs this season are the most since the team hit 35 in 2015. The program record for home runs in a season is 66, which was set during 2010. The Bluejays have hit more than 30 home runs 13 different times in program history (each time since 2001).

Crowley Having Breakout Senior Season
Senior Sam Crowley leads Creighton and ranks fourth the BIG EAST in batting average (.383) and seventh in slugging percentage (.579).

She is also tied for the team-lead with 28 RBIs, and is second on the team in hits (41), home runs (5) and runs scored (25).

During BIG EAST play, Crowley ranks third in the league with a .500 batting average (17-for-34) and second with a .794 slugging percentage. She has scored 12 times and has 13 RBIs (fifth in BIG EAST) during Creighton's 12 league games.

Crowley entered this season with only 20 hits during 106 career at-bats (.189). This year through 32 games she has 41 hits during 107 at-bats and has nine extra-base hits after having only five in her first three seasons (all last year).

Elite Offense
Creighton leads the BIG EAST in batting average (.308), on-base percentage (.402) and runs per game (5.55).

The team's on-base percentage ranks 17th in Division I (through games played on Tuesday), and its batting average is good enough for 28th in the country.

The Bluejays have recorded 10 or more hits in a game 17 different times this season. Creighton is 21-2 when out-hitting its opponent, and 2-12 when out-hit by its opponent (1-0 when hits are tied).

The Jays have drawn 129 walks (3.39 per game) and been hit by the pitch 32 times.

Additionally, Creighton has scored double-digit runs seven times and is 15-0 when scoring six or more runs. The Bluejays rank 35th nationally in scoring.

Miller Achieves 100 Strikeouts As Freshman
Freshman Kiele Miller enters the weekend with 130 strikeouts during 113.1 innings pitched.

She is one of only four pitchers in Creighton softball history to record more than 100strikeouts during their freshman season, and ranks third in program history for strikeouts by a freshman.

Strikeouts       Pitcher               Year
212   Tara Oltman   2007
175   Becca Changstrom   2011
130   Kiele Miller   2018
116   Marcia Jacobsen   1981
98       Cassidy Nee   2006
98       Shelli Mellegaard   1999

She is averaging 8.0 strikeouts per seven innings pitched, which is the second-best mark in the BIG EAST.

During 48.2 innings of work during conference play (nine appearances, seven starts), the freshman has 56 strikeouts to only 15 walks, and leads the league with a 1.73 ERA (12 earned runs). She is also holding opponents to a .186 batting average in BIG EAST contests, which is the best mark in the conference.

Miller has also already amassed the 2017 Creighton high for strikeouts as Bryana Clark led the Bluejays with 95 during 145.0 innings of work last season.

Cantu Continues To Lead-off For The Jays
Sophomore Ashley Cantu has hit in the lead-off position of the batting order for each of Creighton's 38 games.

The sophomore leads the Bluejays in hits (45) and runs scored (37), and is second on the team with a .363 batting average. Additionally, Cantu has reached based because of an error nine different times and on a fielder's choice six times.

Cantu is hitting .500 (26 hits) as the lead-off hitter of an inning.

Jays Keeping It Close
Creighton has played in 11 one-run this season and is 8-3 during those contests, including 4-0 during BIG EAST play.

The Bluejays played in 14 one-run games in 2017, and went 7-7.

Creighton also finished 4-1 during one-run BIG EAST contests.

Small-ball Bluejays
Creighton owns 41 sacrifice bunts (leads the BIG EAST) and seven sac flies through 38 games this season.

Sam Crowley leads the team and the BIG EAST with 13 sacrifice bunts while three other Bluejays have four.

The Bluejays had a total of seven sacrifice flies and 44 sac bunts during 2017. Creighton led the BIG EAST in sacrifice bunts for the second consecutive season.

Scoring All The Runs
Creighton scored 15 runs against Utah Valley (Feb. 10) 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.

The Bluejays have scored 10 or more runs seven times this season through 38 games and is averaging 5.44 runs per contest (leads BIG EAST).

By comparison, Creighton scored more than 10 runs only six times last season (50 total games) and ended the year averaging 3.9 runs per game.

Softball Concludes Regular-Season Against Villanova, Bluejays Seeking BIG EAST Title

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ashley Cantu

Bryana Clark

Tash Coffiel

Sam Crowley

Kiele Miller

Hope Moreno

Jordyn Sturgeon