Softball Picked Fifth in Preseason Coaches' Poll

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton softball team earned the fifth position in the 2021 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on Monday afternoon. The Bluejays received 40 points, just three points behind a tie for third between St. John's, the 2019 regular-season champion, and UConn, which is returning to the conference after a seven-season absence.

Villanova earned the top spot in the poll with 62 points, including six first-place votes. DePaul received the remaining three first-place votes and ranked second with 55 points. The Wildcats and Blue Demons competed in the 2019 BIG EAST Softball Championship game as DePaul rallied for its third consecutive BIG EAST title. The 2020 BIG EAST schedule did not start because the league canceled all spring sports competitions on March 12.

Behind St. John's, UConn and Creighton at three through five, Butler (30), Seton Hall (26), Providence (17) and Georgetown (8) rounded out the bottom half of the 2021 edition of the preseason coaches' poll.

Creighton compiled a 13-12 in 2020 before the season ended in mid-March. The Bluejays hit .297 as a team, led by senior outfielder Ashley Cantu's .427 mark (32-of-75). Cantu is one of two Creighton players that decided to use their fifth year of eligibility because the NCAA Division I council voted last March to grant an extra year of eligibility to all student-athletes in spring sports whose seasons were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cantu, a 2019 All-BIG EAST selection, owns a .379 batting average in 147 career games as a Bluejay. Her career batting average is tied for second in Creighton history among players with at least 250 career at-bats. She also is tied for ninth in program history with 113 runs scored and is just outside the top 10 for hits (181) and walks (64).

Catcher Mikaela Pechar also returns after having her senior season cut short in 2020. Pechar posted a .383 average in 21 games and tied for the team-lead with three home runs last season. The Omaha native has played in 119 games, including 75 starts in a Bluejay uniform, and owns a .282 career batting average with 29 extra-base hits and 60 RBIs.

Creighton returns seven position players who started at least 20 games last season. Mikayla Santa Cruz is the lone returning pitcher to log significant innings last season for the Bluejays. The Arizona native posted a 2.74 ERA in 61 1/3 innings pitched last season.
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The Bluejays' last conference game occurred May 5, 2019 to close out the 2019 season. Creighton defeated Seton Hall, 9-7, in Omaha to push its final conference record to 9-13 and place sixth.

The 2021 BIG EAST schedule is slated to consist of 24 games, which includes three-game weekend series against each of the other eight league teams.

Head coach Brent Vigness enters his 28th season at the helm of the Bluejays and owns 790 wins at Creighton, the most by any head coach across all of Creighton athletics.

Creighton's full 2021 schedule is expected to be released at a later date.

2021 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Villanova         62 (6 first-place votes)
2. DePaul             55 (3)
3. St. John's        43
   UConn             43
5. Creighton        40
6. Butler               30
7. Seton Hall       26
8. Providence     17
9. Georgetown   8

Players Mentioned

Ashley Cantu

Mikaela Pechar

Mikayla Santa Cruz

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