Creighton University
Providence
Softball Steps Up To The Plate For BIG EAST Play At Providence
3/11/2021 11:30:00 AM | Softball
Bluejays did not play a conference game last season
Up Next
Creighton starts conference play with a road trip to Providence, Rhode Island.
Game Schedule
Games #1 & 2 • Friday, March 12 • Creighton (4-4, 0-0 BIG EAST) at Providence (1-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) • 12 p.m. (DH)
Game #3 • Saturday, March 13 • Creighton at Providence • 11 a.m.
*All times listed are Central Standard Time
Follow The Games
Live video and live stats will be provided on Friars.com.
A subscription to Friars All-Access is required to watch the live video.
Links to the video and live stats are available on the Creighton softball schedule page.
Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.
Scouting Creighton (4-4)
The Bluejays head into conference play after a 4-1 showing at the Saluki Invitational in Carbondale, Illinois to even their overall record at 4-4.
Creighton posted a .361 batting average during the weekend and had 10 or more hits during four of the five games (52 total).
Fifth-year senior Ashley Cantu led the way with 12 hits in 20 at-bats (.600 average). Kailey Wilson ended the weekend batting .474 (9-for-19) and posted a double, two home runs and eight RBIs.
The Bluejays also outscored their opponents 31-16.
Graduate transfer Parker Boyd led the pitching staff with 16 2/3 innings of work and recorded a 2.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts.
Creighton returned 17 letterwinners from 2020 and welcomed six newcomers, including five freshman and one graduate transfer.
Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 28th season at the helm of the Bluejays and owns 794 wins at Creighton, the most by any head coach across all of Creighton athletics.
Scouting Providence (1-3)
The Friars opened their season with four games against Boston University.
Providence managed to scored only five runs and posted one win.
The Friars hit .196 as a team, led by Mairead O'Sullivan who went 3-for-8 with a double, RBI and a walk during the opening weekend series.
Freshman pitcher Tori Grifone earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after pitching a complete-game shutout during the second game of the weekend. Grifone led the Friars with 11 2/3 innings pitched and posted a 1.20 ERA, while striking out 11 batters.
Providence returned 13 letterwinners and seven starters and welcomed six newcomers.
Daniela Alvarez, a 2019 BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year and All-BIG EAST First Team selection, returned in the circle for the Friars, but saw only five innings of work in the opening series.
Head coach Jill Karwoski is in her third season at the helm of Providence.
Series History Against Friars
Providence leads the all-time series against Creighton, 9-8.
The Friars posted a three-game sweep in Providence during the 2019 season.
The Bluejays' last victory against the Friars came during the 2018 season in Omaha.
Creighton is 1-8 at Providence, with its lone victory coming during the 2015 finale.
Last Weekend Recap
Creighton played five games in three days at the Saluki Invitational in Carbondale, Illinois.
The Bluejays started the weekend with a run-rule victory over UIC, 10-2, before posting a two-run win over Saint Louis (6-4) and a walk-off victory against Northern Kentucky (4-3).
Creighton's lone loss was against host Southern Illinois (5-3) who is off to a 14-0 start, its best in program history.
The Bluejays closed the trip with an 8-2 win on Sunday against UIC.
Creighton posted a .361 batting average and outscored the opposition 31-16 over the five games.
Wilson, Boyd Listed on BE Honor Roll
Kailey Wilson and Parker Boyd each earned spots on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after their performances at the Saluki Invitational.
Wilson ended the weekend with a .474 batting average and led the Bluejays with a .842 slugging percentage and eight RBIs.
The Colorado native tallied a pair of game-winning home runs, which included a walk-off two-run homer against Northern Kentucky and a go-ahead two-run homer against UIC on Sunday.
Wilson also recorded a hit during each contest, including three in the final game of the trip. She leads the team with a seven-game hitting streak entering Friday.
Boyd led the Creighton pitching staff with a 16 2/3 innings of work.
The graduate transfer posted a 2.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts, while recording three victories and two complete games.
Long Time Since Last BIG EAST Game
Friday's game against Providence will be Creighton's first BIG EAST game since May 5, 2019 (9-7 win vs. SHU).
Friday (March 12) marks exactly one year since the abrupt cancellation of the remainder of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creighton did not play a game against a league opponent or at home last season.
