Creighton University
DePaul
Softball Embarks On Final Regular Season BIG EAST Road Trip For Series Against DePaul
4/25/2019 4:40:00 PM | Softball
Bluejays fell to Blue Demons during 2018 BIG EAST title game
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Creighton heads to Chicago for games against DePaul and its final BIG EAST road series.
Game Schedule (UPDATED ON FRIDAY at 3 p.m.)
Games #39 • Saturday, April 27 • Creighton (17-21, 5-10 BIG EAST) at DePaul (30-10, 9-2 BIG EAST) • 9 a.m.
Game #40 & 41 • Sunday, April 28 • Creighton at DePaul • 11 a.m. (DH)
*All times listed are Central Standard Time
Follow The Games
A live stream of Saturday's game will be available via DePaulBlueDemons.com/Watch. Sunday's doubleheader will be featured on the BIG EAST Digital Network, which can be found at FOXSportsGo.com or on the FOX Sports App.
Live stats will be available for the game via SIDEARM Sports.
Links to the live stats and video can be found on the Creighton Softball schedule page.
Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.
Scouting Creighton (17-21, 5-10 BIG EAST)
The Bluejays enter the weekend following a pair of one-run losses at South Dakota State on Tuesday.
Creighton owns victories during four of its last six BIG EAST games, including a doubleheader sweep of Butler last Friday (April 19).Â
Lead-off hitter and center fielder Ashley Cantu leads the Bluejays with a .360 batting average (7th in BIG EAST) and .475 on-base percentage (t-3rd in BIG EAST). The junior paces the Bluejays in hits (39), runs (23) and walks (25 -- 2nd in BIG EAST).Â
Cantu is hitting .378 with 17 hits and 14 walks during 15 BIG EAST games.
Kiara Mills holds the team-lead in home runs (8 -- t-3rd in BIG EAST), RBIs (25) and slugging percentage (.681 -- 3rd in BIG EAST). The freshman ranks second on the team with a .341 average.Â
Mileah McKelvy ranks second on the Bluejays in home runs (6) and RBIs (24) while hitting .292. She has also been hit by the pitch a BIG EAST-high nine times and claims a .422 on-base percentage.Â
McKelvy paces the Bluejays with four homers during league play.
Kaitlynn Hunt paces the BIG EAST with 11 sacrifice hits, while Jayci Foster has 10, including eight during league play. Hunt and Foster each rank in the top-10 nationally for sacrifice hits per game.
Foster also leads Creighton with 12 RBIs in BIG EAST games.
Creighton owns a .269 team-batting average and averages 4.74 runs per game. The Bluejays are hitting .263 with 71 runs during 15 league contests.
Logan Black paces the Bluejay pitching staff with 93.1 innings pitched (20 appearances, 15 starts) and owns a 3.67 ERA with 78 strikeouts.
Laura Roecker leads Creighton with 23 appearances, including 12 times in relief (82.0 innings pitched), and is the team-leader with a 3.33 ERA, including a 1.37 mark during league play.Â
Kiele Miller ranks 14th nationally with 9.6 strikeouts per seven innings (81 in 59.1 innings) and is 6-4 with three shutouts during 13 appearances, including 11 starts (3.78 ERA).Â
The Creighton pitching staff claims a 3.71 ERA with 208 strikeouts and holds the opposition to a .245 batting average. The Bluejays claim a 3.04 ERA and 79 strikeouts during 99.0 innings of conference play.
Head coach Brent Vigness, Creighton's winningest coach across all sports, is in his 26th season at the helm of the Bluejays.
Scouting DePaul (30-10)
The Blue Demons enter the weekend with wins during nine of their last 10 games and is 4-0 this season at home.Â
Morgan Greenwood paces the team in batting average (.365), on-base percentage (.475) and slugging percentage (.604). Greenwood leads the Blue Demons with 19 walks and owns eight doubles, five home runs and 24 RBIs.
Freshman Gabby O'Riley is hitting .346 overall, but leads the BIG EAST with a conference-best .538 mark during league games (14-of-26). She also ranks third on the team with 28 RBIs.
Jessica Cothern owns seven home runs and a BIG EAST-best 41 RBIs while hitting .336 and leading the team with 14 doubles. Seven of Cothern's 13 hits during BIG EAST play are of the extra-base variety (four doubles, three home runs).
Maranda Gutierrez leads DePaul with eight home runs, including four during league action.
The Blue Demons are hitting .283 as a team (.301 in BIG EAST play). Five different players are hitting better than .300 this season.
DePaul's pitching has been controlled by Natalie Halvorson and Krista Dalgarn. Halvorson and Dalgarn have combined to pitch all 273.1 innings this season.Â
Halvorson is 18-5 with a 2.57 ERA and 85 strikeouts to 29 walks during 138.1 innings, while Dalgarn owns 91 strikeouts and 55 walks in 134.2 innings with a 3.12 ERA and 12-5 record.Â
The pitching duo has combined for 64 strikeouts (32 a piece) to just 16 walks during 74.0 innings during BIG EAST play (3.12 ERA).Â
Head coach Tracie Adix-Zins is in her first season at the helm of DePaul.Â
Series History Against Blue Demons
DePaul leads the all-time series against Creighton, 16-7.
The Blue Demons earned the 2018 BIG EAST postseason title with a 6-2 victory against the Bluejays.
The two teams did not meet during the regular season last year.Â
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton is 2-10 against DePaul, with both of its victories on the road against the Blue Demons in 2015. Â
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Creighton's Close Contests
Since March 17, Creighton has played 11 games decided by two or less runs including eight during BIG EAST play and three of its last four overall. The Bluejays are 2-9 during those contests.
Creighton is 4-11 overall (1-7 in BIG EAST play) during games decided by two runs or less this season.Â
The Bluejays claimed a 4-3 walk-off victory against Butler on April 19 for Creighton's first win during a game decided by two runs or less since March 17 against South Dakota State (1-0).Â
Small-Ball Bluejays
Creighton owns 41 sacrifice bunts through 38 games, which leads the BIG EAST.Â
Kaitlynn Hunt paces the Bluejays with 11, while Jayci Foster has 10. Â
Hunt ranks tied for 3rd nationally with 0.31 sacrifice bunts per game, while Foster is tied for 9th in Division I with 0.27 per game.Â
Last season, Creighton led the BIG EAST with 49 sacrifice bunts, while the Bluejays' Sam Crowley led Division I with 0.41 sac bunts per game. Â
Miller Named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Kiele Miller earned BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors, the league announced on Monday morning.
Miller pitched a three-hit shutout on Friday during the Bluejays' first game of their series against Butler. The Dripping Springs, Texas native struck out 10 batters during 7.0 innings of work -- her longest outing since March 17 against South Dakota State.Â
She tallied her third shutout of the season and seventh career game with 10 or more strikeouts.Â
This week's accolade marks Miller's third pitcher of the week honor this season.
The sophomore leads the Bluejays with 77 strikeouts during 53.1 innings of work to rank eighth nationally with 10.1 strikeouts per seven innings.Â
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Alm Earns Spot on Conference Weekly Honor Roll
Sam Alm claimed a spot on the weekly honor roll, the league announced on Monday morning.
Alm helped Creighton earn a doubleheader sweep of Butler with a walk-off infield single during the second game of the day on April 19. The
freshman finished the contest 3-for-4 with a double, run scored and her game-winning RBI. She ended Friday's pair of games by going 4-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored and one RBI.Â
Alm also walked during the series finale on Saturday to finish the weekend with a .625 on-base percentage.
The freshman leads the team with six doubles, is second on the squad in hits (30) and ranks fourth on the Bluejays with a .288 batting average.Â
Walking Off With Victories
The second game of last week's doubleheader against Butler (April 19) marked Creighton's first walk-off victory of 2019.Â
Sam Alm delivered an infield-single to drive in the winning run with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the seventh.Â
The Bluejays owned seven walk-off wins last season, including five walk-off home runs, and two during the final games of the regular season.
Below is a list of Creighton's walk-off wins during 2018. Â
Score Play (player) Date
9-1 vs. SUU 2-RBI single (McKelvy) Feb. 10
6-3 vs. SEMO 3-run HR (Finan) March 9
12-11 vs. Wichita St. RBI single (Finan) March 17
7-6 vs. PC Solo HR (McGill) March 28
13-12 vs. UMKC Solo HR (Moreno) April 17
6-5 vs. Villanova Solo HR (Moreno) May 5
9-0 vs. Villanova 3-run HR (Crowley) May 6
Cantu's Hitting Streak
Junior lead-off hitter Ashley Cantu held a 13-game hitting streak that was snapped during the first game of Creighton's doubleheader against Butler on April 19.Â
Cantu has recorded one or more plate appearances during 37 games this season. The junior lead-off hitter owns at least one hit during 28 of those contests, including nine with two and two with three.
She has also reached base via hit, walk or hit by pitch in 34 out of 37 games. Cantu had a streak of reaching base in 21 consecutive games snapped on April 19. Â
Cantu's streak of reaching base was the longest by a Creighton player since 2013 when Amy Baker reached in 37 straight.Â
The junior's 13-game hitting streak matched Jayci Foster's 2018 season-high hitting streak.
Liz Dike held a 14-game hitting streak in 2015, but no Bluejay has hit in 15 straight since 2008 when current assistant coach Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman tallied a 17-game hitting streak.Â
Since 1999, Sinkler-O'Gorman's 17-game hitting steak is the longest by a Bluejay.Â
Below is a list of Creighton's top hitting streaks since 1999.
Hit Streak Player Year
17 Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman 2008
17 Jamie Reiss 2007
14 Liz Dike 2015
14 Marie Gieron 2001
13 Ashley Cantu 2019
13 Jayci Foster 2018
13 Ellen Homan 2012
Roecker Makes BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Senior Laura Roecker earned a spot on last week's BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (April 15). She did not allow an earned run during 12.0 innings of work for a pair of complete-game victories against Villanova (April 13 and 14) and allowed only one during 5.0 innings against Nebraska (April 9).
Roecker, a transfer from UNO, is 4-1 with a 2.41 ERA during her last six starts (four complete games). She has allowed 12 runs (10 earned), struck out 17, walked seven and held the opposition to a .259 batting average over 29.0 innings in those starts.
During her first five starts of the season, Roecker posted a 2-3 record with a 5.49 ERA. The senior recorded 21.2 innings during those five starts and allowed 29 runs (17 earned) and a .306 opponents' average, while posting 15 strikeouts and 14 walks.Â
Overall, Roecker leads the Bluejays with a 3.33 ERA and eight victories (8-8) during a team-high 23 appearances (11 starts). In BIG EAST play, Roecker owns a BIG EAST-best 1.37 ERA during 46.0 innings of work (10 appearances, five starts).
Roecker In Relief
In addition to her late surge as a starter, Laura Roecker leads Creighton with 12 relief appearances. She owns a 2.68 ERA during 31.1 innings of relief work and holds the opposition to a .216 batting average.Â
The senior pitched 7.1 innings of relief during Creighton's extra-inning loss against Providence on March 30. She posted five consecutive scoreless innings before the Friars tallied the winning run during the 12th inning.Â
Roecker faced only 16 batters while not allowing a hit or run during 5.0 innings of relief during Creighton's trip to Carbondale, Illinois (Feb. 22-24).Â
She hit one batter but did not allow a hit or run and left three runners stranded in 2.0 frames while earning the victory against Saint Louis (Feb. 22).
The UNO transfer also walked one and struck out two while not allowing a hit or run during 3.0 innings against Southern Illinois (Feb. 24) to earn her first save as a Bluejay.
Recent Power Surge
Creighton hit only four home runs during the first 18 games of the season, but the Bluejays have launched 27 homers during their past 20 games, including 14 during 15 BIG EAST games.Â
Kiara Mills leads the team with eight, while Mileah McKelvy has six, including a team-best four during league play.
Kelli Finan has four, while Mikaela Pechar, Kailey Wilson and Ashley Cantu each have three. Two of Cantu's round-trippers have been inside-the-park home runs and two of Wilson's have been during pinch-hit ABs.
Creighton Ties Program Record For Homers
The Bluejays hit six home runs on March 27 against South Dakota to tie a program record.Â
Creighton set its single-game record for homers in a game with six last season against UMKC (April 17).
Kiara Mills hit two long balls on against the Coyotes, Ashley Cantu tallied an inside-the-park homer and Mileah McKelvy, Kelli Finan and Mikaela Pechar each launched one.
McKelvy Moves Into Top 10 on HBP List
Junior Mileah McKelvy earned a pair of free passes being hit by the pitch against Villanova (April 13 and 14) and has been hit nine times this season to lead the Bluejays, which is tied for sixth-most in a single season at Creighton.Â
McKelvy currently ranks eighth on Creighton's career record list for times hit by pitch with 17.Â
The junior was hit by the pitch three times during Creighton's weekend in Kansas City (March 15-17), including twice with the bases loaded.
Creighton Career Hit By Pitch List
1. Jen Daro, 39 (2014-17)
2. Michelle Graner, 34 (2007-10)
3. Alexis Cantu, 29 (2012-14)
4. Michelle Koch, 25 (2007-10)
Lauren Cisneros, 25 (2003-06)
6. Sami Herbster, 21 (2000-03)
7. Liz McKewon, 18 (2008-11)
8. Mileah McKelvy, 17 (2016-Present)
9. Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman, 16 (2007-10)
10. Tash Coffiel, 13 (2015-18)Â
RPI Update
Creighton ranked No. 186 in the latest RPI, released by the NCAA on Monday (297 Division I schools ranked).Â
The Bluejays own the sixth-best RPI among BIG EAST teams.
BIG EAST Teams in Division I RPI
75. DePaul
91. St. John's
125. Providence
153. Villanova
180 Seton Hall
186. Creighton
224. ButlerÂ
233. GeorgetownÂ
