Creighton University
Butler
Seeking Postseason Spot, Softball Ends Regular Season At Home Against Butler
5/6/2021 3:30:00 PM | Softball
Bluejays need one victory against the Bulldogs to clinch a spot in the BIG EAST tournament
Game Schedule
Games #1 & 2 • Saturday, May 8 • Butler (16-19-1, 6-11-1 BIG EAST) at Creighton (14-14, 8-7 BIG EAST) • 12 p.m. (DH)
Game #3 • Sunday, May 9 • Butler at Creighton • 11 a.m.
*All times listed are Central and subject to change
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Creighton hosts Butler for the final series of the regular season.
Follow The Game
Live video and live stats will be available for the entirety of the series.
Video will be provided on YouTube.com/GoCreighton, while live stats will be on StatBroadcast.
Links to the video and live stats will be available on the Creighton softball schedule page.
Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.
Scouting Creighton (14-14, 8-7 BIG EAST)
The Bluejays close the regular-season with a three-game home series after playing six of their last seven games on the road.
Creighton needs one win during the series to clinch the final spot in the the four-team BIG EAST tournament.
The Bluejays rank third in the BIG EAST with a .276 team batting average, including a .287 mark during league games only (also 3rd).
Fifth-year senior and lead-off hitter Ashley Cantu ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a .402 batting average and is seventh in the league with 37 hits. Cantu also leads the Bluejays with 16 runs scored and is second on the team and eighth in the conference with a .439 on-base percentage. Cantu is hitting .400 in league contests, which ranks seventh in the BIG EAST, with 20 hits (6th in league) and 11 runs scored (t-6th).
Sophomore Kailey Wilson leads the conference in slugging percentage (.747). She is also sixth in the league for batting average (.398), fifth for on-base percentage (.479) and second for home runs (8) and tied fourth in RBIs (26).
During league games only, Wilson ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with a .773 slugging percentage and is tied for second in RBIs with 15.
Parker Boyd and Mikayla Santa Cruz have logged the bulk of the innings in the circle for the Bluejays. Boyd paces the staff with 84 1/3 innings and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with 83 strikeouts, including 29 strikeouts looking (2nd in league). Santa Cruz owns a 4.73 ERA during 57 2/3 innings.
Freshman Jena Lawrence boasts a 4.16 ERA during 32 innings of work.
Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 28th season at the helm of the Bluejays and owns 804 wins at Creighton, the most by any head coach across all of Creighton athletics.
Scouting Butler (16-19-1, 6-11-1 BIG EAST)
The Bulldogs head to Omaha after being swept last weekend against DePaul.
Butler scored just two runs during three games against the Blue Demons.
The Bulldogs are 1-4-1 in their last six BIG EAST games.
Lead-off hitter Lauren Fey leads the Butler offense. The junior second baseman ranks second in the BIG EAST with a .427 batting average and third in the league with 47 hits. She has also scored 22 times, which ranks fifth in the league.
Mackenzie Griman ranks second on the team with 26 hits and a .243 average.
The Bulldogs rank seventh in the league with a .215 team-batting average as three other players hold average above .200. Butler is third in the league 99 walks.
The Butler pitching staff leads the BIG EAST with a 2.84 ERA in all games and third during league games with a 2.88 mark.
Alyssa Graves (left-handed) leads the staff with a 2.38 ERA during 91 innings of work, while Karli Ricketts (right-handed) ranks second in the league with 113 strikeouts in 95 1/3 innings and owns a 2.72 ERA. Ricketts has also allowed just 81 hits (.223 opponents' average) and walked only 27.
During BIG EAST games, Ricketts holds a 2.82 ERA in 49 2/3 innings with 60 strikeouts and 15 walks, while Graves owns a 3.32 ERA in 46 1/3 innings of league play.
In addition to ranking second on the team in hits, Griman holds a 2.67 ERA during 39 1/3 innings pitched. She leads the staff with a 2.40 ERA in 23 1/3 innings of league action.
Head coach Scott Hall is in his 11th season at the helm of the Bulldogs.
Series History Against Bulldogs
Creighton leads the all-time series against Butler, 11-7.
The Bluejays won two out of three games against the Bulldogs in Omaha during the 2019 season.
Creighton is 5-4 at home against Butler.
Last Time Out
The Creighton softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against South Dakota State on April 30 in Brookings, South Dakota. The Jackrabbits took the first game 9-2 before notching a 11-0 five-inning win in the second contest.
The Bluejays led after the top of the third inning but managed only three hits during the seven-run loss in the first game of the doubleheader.
After falling behind 1-0 on an RBI single in the bottom of the first, Creighton took a 2-1 advantage with two runs in the top of the third. Cayla Nielsen singled up the middle to drive in Victoria Alvarez and tie the game at 1-1. Kailey Wilson followed Nielsen with a double down the right-field line and pushed the Bluejays ahead 2-1.
South Dakota State answered with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the third with a two-run homer to left field with two outs in the frame.
Both teams went down in order during the fourth before the Jackrabbits tallied a pair of RBI doubles and built a 5-2 lead in the fifth.
SDSU extended its edge and the final margin to seven runs with a pair of two-run homers in the bottom of the sixth.
South Dakota State quickly decided the outcome of the second game by scoring nine runs in the first two innings. The Jackrabbits scored three in the first before tallying six on only two hits -- a three-run homer and base-clearing double -- in the second.
Creighton put only one runner on base during game number two as Wilson drew a two-out walk in the top of the first frame.
SDSU's Tori Kniesche did not allow a hit and recorded 10 strikeouts during the five-inning complete game.
Jena Lawrence started the second game in the circle for the Bluejays and pitched 1 1/3 innings before Kate Mullally tossed the final 2 2/3 frames.
Bluejays Seeking BIG EASTÂ Tourney Spot
Creighton enters the weekend needing just one win to secure a spot in the four-team BIG EAST Softball Tournament.
DePaul, Villanova and UConn have clinched the other three spots in the four-team field.
Butler earns the final spot over Creighton with three wins against the Bluejays.
The 2021 BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP is scheduled for May 13-15 in Storrs, Connecticut.
Creighton is seeking its third trip to the BIG EAST tourney since joining the league prior to the 2014 season. The Bluejays qualified for the 2014 (t-3rd) and 2018 (runner-up) tournaments, both held in Rosemont, Illinois.
Creighton At Home
The Bluejays are 8-3 at home this season, including four consecutive wins and seven victories in the last eight games at the Creighton Sports Complex.
Creighton played 10 straight games at home (March 20-April 14) and posted a 7-3 mark during those contests.
The Bluejays are hitting .301 at home this season with 31 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs.
Kailey Wilson is hitting .519 with 14 hits and owns a 1.037 slugging percentage which includes four home runs and two doubles, as well as 11 RBIs. The Colorado native has also walked 10 times and has a .658 on-base percentage during 10 games played at home.
Ashley Cantu leads the team with 15 hits during 11 home games, while Kiara Mills has launched a team-best six home runs at home this season.
Madeline Vejvoda and Cayla Nielsen have scored a team-high eight times at home.
Opponents are hitting .291 with 18 home runs at the Creighton Sports Complex this year.
A total of 34 home runs (16 by CU, 18 by opponents) have been hit during 77 innings of action this season at the Creighton Sports Complex.
The Bluejays did not play a home game last season because of the season ending on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creighton posted 13 wins at home in 2018, the most in a single season since claiming 19 home victories in 2008.
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, the Bluejays own a 52-44 record at home.
Year-by-year home records since 2014:
2021: 8-3
2020: No home games
2019: 5-6
2018: 13-6
2017: 6-6
2016: 7-8
2015: 4-9
2014: 9-6
HRs Hit At CU Sports Complex By Year
HRs (CU HRs) Number of Games Year
34 (16) 11 2021
-- No home games 2020
33 (15) 11 2019
47 (25) 19 2018
29 (13) 12 2017
26 (9) 15 2016
41 (16) 13 2015
29 (17) 15 2014
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Cantu Eyeing Career Runs Mark
Fifth-year senior Ashley Cantu enters the weekend with 129 runs scored during her Bluejay career (175 games played) -- which ranks tied for third all-time in program history -- and needs just three to tie and four to set a new mark as Stacey Rybar holds the program record with 132 (2001-04) in 221 games.
Cantu scored 45 runs during the 2018 season, which ranks fourth for a single-season in program history.
The Frisco, Texas native scored 30 runs in 38 games as a freshman in 2017, 45 in 43 games in 2018, 28 in 44 games in 2019, 10 in 22 games last year and has 16 through 28 games this season.
Creighton Career Runs Scored
No. Name R Years
1. Stacey Rybar 132 2001-04
2. Jean Tierney 130 1980-83
3. Heidi Geier 129 1996-99
Ashley Cantu 129 2017-Pr.
4. Sue Frederick 128 1986-89
6. Christy Lunceford 122 1994-97
7. Renae Sinkler 120 2007-10
8. Bailey Dawson 119 2006-09
9. Liz Dike 118 2012-15
10. Lauren Cisneros 113 2003-06
Bluejays Set To Recognize Seniors
Creighton will recognize seven student-athletes who will be playing their final games at home this weekend.
The Bluejays will recognize fifth-year seniors Parker Boyd, Ashley Cantu and Mikaela Pechar, as well as fourth-year juniors Victoria Alvarez, Courtney Sandell and Jacey Sawyer and sophomore Brittney Manthie (senior academically).
The Senior Day ceremonies will take place following the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.
