Creighton University
Ohio
Softball Returns To Lone Star State For Cardinal Classic
2/16/2022 5:30:00 PM | Softball
Creighton will play Ohio, Lamar and New Mexico in Beaumont, Texas
Up Next
Creighton returns to the Lone Star State for the second time this season as the Bluejays will compete in the Cardinal Classic hosted by Lamar in Beaumont, Texas.Â
The Bluejays will play five games in three days starting with Ohio on Friday at 10 a.m.
The Jays will return to the field later that afternoon for as they match up with Lamar at 3 p.m.
Creighton will meet up with Ohio again at 4 p.m. on Saturday before taking on New Mexico at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
The Jays wrap up the Cardinal Classic with a second meeting with Lamar at 11:30 on Sunday.
Game Schedule
Game #6 • Friday, Feb. 18 • Creighton vs. Ohio • 10 a.m.
Game #7 • Friday, Feb. 18 • Creighton at Lamar • 3 p.m.
Game #8 • Saturday, Feb. 19 • Creighton vs. Ohio • 4 p.m.
Game #9 • Saturday, Feb. 19 • Creighton vs. New Mexico • 6:30 p.m.Â
Game #10 • Sunday, Feb. 20 • Creighton at Lamar  • 11:30 a.m.Â
*All times listed are Central Standard Time
Follow The Games
Live stats will be available throughout the Cardinal Classic via SIDEARM Sports.
A live stream will be provided for only Friday's game against Lamar at 3 p.m.
Links to live stats and the live stream can be found on the Creighton Softball schedule page.
Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.
Scouting Creighton (3-2)
Creighton started its season with a 3-2 showing at the UTEP Invitational in El Paso, Texas.Â
Junior Brittney Manthie paced the offense going 9-for-14 from the plate for a .643 batting average and scored seven runs.Â
Sam Alm led the team with 10 RBI, while Kailey Wilson and Cayla Nielsen each hit two home runs. Nielsen also led the team with eight runs scored.
The Bluejays hit .326 as a team with 43 hits, three doubles, three triples eight home runs and 30 RBI.
Mikayla Santa Cruz, the reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week, led the Jays with 15.2 innings pitched and recorded 17 strikeouts while posting a 1.15 ERA.
The BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Alexis Wiggins also tossed 13.0 innings and struck out 17 batters for a 0.69 ERA while earning her first win as a Bluejay in a 9-1 win over Abilene Christian last Sunday.Â
Creighton ended the weekend with a 2.53 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 32.0 innings of work.Â
Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 29th season at the helm with 807 victories, the most of any coach across all sports in Creighton athletics history.
Scouting Ohio (0-0)
The Bobcats will open the 2022 season on Friday against Creighton. The Bobcats were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after finishing last season with an 21-26 overall record and an 17-21 record in league action.Â
Ohio returns All-Mid-American Second Teamers Allie Englant and Caroline Spacek after both started all 47 games a season ago.
Englant paced the Bobcats with a .364 batting average and 35 runs scored, while Spacek posted a .288 average with 11 doubles and 23 RBI.
The Bobcats hit .289 with 63 doubles 35 home runs and 199 RBI as a team last season.Â
Mackensie Kohl returns after leading Ohio in the circle with a team-best 4.32 ERA in 146.0 innings a season ago. Kohl posted a 11-13 record while recording 84 strikeouts during her junior season.
Head coach Kenzie Roark is in her fourth season at the helm of Ohio.
Series History Against Bobcats
Friday will mark the first meeting between Creighton and Ohio.
Scouting Lamar (1-4)
The Cardinals opened the new season with a 1-4 record at the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. Â
Lamar topped Memphis 3-1 in the season-opener before falling to No. 7 Washington, Rutgers and Long Beach State.
Six different Cardinals recorded two hits over the first weekend of play with Brooke Davis leading the way with a .200 batting average.Â
Audry Fleming led Lamar with a pair of home runs and five RBI.
Lamar hit .118 with 13 hits and 10 runs scored over five games.
The Cardinals posted a 5.60 ERA during the first weekend of competition. Aaliyah Ruiz tossed 16.1 innings and struck out six batters while holding a 2.14 ERA.
Lamar was picked 11th in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.
Head coach Amy Hooks is in her fourth year as head coach of thee Cardinals.
Series History Against Cardinals
Creighton and Lamar are tied 1-1 in the all-time series.
The Cardinals and the Bluejays only two meeting came in 2013 at the UTA Maverick Invitational in Arlington, Texas.
The Bluejays took down the Cardinals, 10-3, during the first day of the UTA Maverick Invitational, but Lamar responded with a 3-2 victory over the Bluejays the next day.Â
Scouting New Mexico (2-2)
The Lobos opened the 2022 season with a 2-2 showing at the Candrea Classic in Tucson, Arizona.
New Mexico took down Oregon State (3-2) and Southern Utah (8-0, 6 inn.) before falling to softball powerhouse No. 2 Alabama and No. 9 Arizona.
Junior Leslie Romero leads the offense with a .400 average and a team-high four hits.
Janae Cameron, Andrea Howard and Taryn Young each pace the team with one home run, while Howard and Peyton Robinson have scored three runs.Â
The Lobos hit .204 as a team with 20 hits, three doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI.
Emma Guindon leads the pitching staff with 12 innings pitched. Guindon owns a 0.58 ERA, while the entire staff holds a 2.80 ERA with 25 strikeouts.
New Mexico was selected to finish seventh in the Mountain West Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Head coach Paula Congleton is in her sixth season at the helm of New Mexico.
Series History Against Lobos
Creighton leads the all-time series against New Mexico 14-12.
The last meeting between the two teams came during the 2019 season at the New Mexico State Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M. as the Bluejays suffer an 8-0 loss.
The Bluejays last win in the series came during the 2013 season-opener at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona as the Bluejays secured a 5-1 victory.
Creighton and New Mexico were both members of the HCAC from 1986-1990 before each moved to the WAC for the 1991 and 1992 seasons.
Alm, Manthie, Santa Cruz and Wiggins Make UTEP Invitational All-Tournament Team
Sam Alm, Brittney Manthie, Mikayla Santa Cruz and Alexis Wiggins each earned spots on the UTEP Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Alm led the Bluejays with 10 RBI, while posting a .400 batting average with six hits. She also scored twice and stole a base.Â
Manthie led the Bluejays with nine hits, a .643 batting average and scored seven runs.
The junior went 3-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base to lead the Bluejays to a 6-2 win over Idaho State on Friday before adding a pair of hits and another run scored in the night cap against UTEP to finish opening day with a .833 batting average (5-for-6).
Santa Cruz went 2-1 in the cirlce, tossing a pair of complete games with 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work.Â
Wiggins also pitched 13.0 innings, posting a 0.69 ERA with 17 strikeouts.Â
The freshman collected her first win as a Bluejays, tossing all five innings in a 9-1 win over Abilene Christian last Sunday. Wiggins struck out five while allowing just three total hits in the win.
Santa Cruz Nabs BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Mikayla Santa Cruz was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career, the league announced on Monday.Â
Santa Cruz tossed a pair of complete game to post a 1.15 ERA, while allowed just two earned runs in 15.2 innings of work and struck out 17 batters during three appearances to earn a spot on the UTEP Invitational All-Tournament team in El Paso, Texas.
The Tucson, Arizona native went the distance, allowing an earned run on five hits while notching six strikeouts in a 6-2 win over Idaho State to open the 2022 season.
The Bluejay junior returned to the circle on Saturday afternoon when she tossed her second complete game of the season. Santa Cruz gave up just one run on six hits and struck out nine as the Jays captured an eight-inning 3-1 victory over Abilene Christian.
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Wiggins Secures First BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Honor
Alexis Wiggins captured the first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week award following her performance at the UTEP Invitational in El Paso, Texas.
Wiggins posted a BIG EAST-best 0.69 ERA over 13 innings of work while also striking out 17 batters.
The Nebraska native collected her first win as a Bluejays, tossing all five innings in the 9-1 win over Abilene Christian on Sunday morning. Wiggins struck out five while allowing just three total hits in the win.
She did not allow a run in 3.2 innings of work and struck out eight batters in her first collegiate appearance against UTEP on Friday night before earning her first collegiate start on Saturday night against UTEP.
Wiggins struck out four and allowed just one earned run on six hits over 4.1 innings of work, before having to leave the game after taking a liner off her leg in the bottom half of the fifth inning.
Mathie Earns Spot on BIG EAST Honor Roll
Junior Brittney Manthie earned BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition after collecting a BIG EAST-best nine hits on 9-for-14 hitting (.643 batting average) and scoring seven runs to also earn All-Tournament honors at the UTEP Invitational last weekend.
The Annandale, Minnesota native started the weekend by going 3-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base to lead the Bluejays to a 6-2 win over Idaho State. Manthie added a pair of hits and another run scored in the night cap to finished opening day with a .833 batting average (5-for-6).
Mathie continued her dominance at the plate by going 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored in a 3-1 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon. Manthie went just 1-for-4 in the night cap against UTEP but did draw another walk and added another run to her impressive performance.
She ended the weekend by going 1-for-2 and scored two more times as Creighton run-ruled Abilene Christian, 9-1, on Sunday morning. Manthie also drew her fourth walk of the weekend and reached base on a fielder's choice during her lone plate appearance without a hit.
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Walking Off With Victories
The Bluejays ended their time at the UTEP Invitation in walk-off fashion to run-rule Abilene Christian 9-1.Â
Sophomore Emma Rosonke belted her first home run and the Jays first walk-off of the season with a three-run home run over the right centerfield wall to give Creighton a 9-1 win over the Wildcats.
The Bluejays owned five walk-off wins in 2021, including three walk-off home runs. Below is a list of Creighton's walk-off wins during the 2021 season.
Score   Play (player)   Date
10-2 (6) vs. UICÂ Â Â RBI-1B (Gappa)Â Â Â 3/5/21
4-3 vs. Northern Kentucky   2-RBI HR (Wilson)   3/6/21
6-5 vs. Seton Hall   Reach on E (Rosonke)   4/3/21
4-3 vs. St. John's   Solo HR (Mills)   4/10/21
12-9 vs. St. John's   3-RBI HR (Wilson)   4/11/21
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Mills and Gappa Hit Back-to-back Triples
Kiara Mills and Alyssa Gappa hit back-to-back triples in the season-opener against Idaho State on last Friday.
It was the first time that two Bluejays hit consecutive triple since at least 1999.
The Bluejays have hit two triples in the same game just 11 times since the 1999 season. During those 11 game, only two other time have both triples came in the same inning.
Below is a list of all the times Creighton has hit two triples in a game since 1999.
No.   Opponent   Date
2* !   vs. Idaho State   2/11/22
2   vs. Niagara   3/11/20
2   vs. Kansas City   4/17/18
2*   vs. Weber State   2/25/17
2   vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff   2/11/12
2   vs. Detroit   2/13/09
2   vs. Alcorn State   2/23/08
2   at Northern Colorado   3/10/07
2   vs. Texas-Arlington   2/22/04
2   at Kansas City   3/31/99
4*   at Bellevue   2/8/99
* - Indicates happened in same inning
! - Indicates happened consecutively
Starting On The Right Foot
Creighton opened the season with a 3-2 record during the opening weekend for the fifth time since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.
The four other years the Jays posted a winning record during the opening weekend were in 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
Creighton qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament during both the 2014 and 2018 season and were on pace to make their third BIG EAST Tournament before ending their season early due to Covid.
2022: 3-2 in El Paso, Texas
2021: 0-3 at Wichita State
2020: 3-2 in San Antonio, Texas
2019: 1-4 in Las Cruces, N.M.
2018: 3-2 in Las Vegas, Nev.
2017: 1-4 in Tempe, Ariz.
2016: 1-4 in Tempe, Ariz.
2015: 3-2 in Tempe, Ariz.
2014: 3-2 in Tempe, Ariz.
The last time Creighton finished with fewer than two losses in the opening weekend of the season was in 2012 when the Bluejays swept a four-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Arkansas. Creighton started the 2012 season with seven consecutive
victories.Â
The last time Creighton opened the year with a perfect showing at a tournament was in 2007 when Creighton went 5-0 at the UCA Spring Clash in Conway, Arkansas.
This year marked the fourth time the Bluejays are in Texas for the opening weekend since 2004. Creighton opens the 2022 season with three straight five-game tournaments in Texas, the most tournaments in a single state to start the year in school history.
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Vigness Reaches 800 Creighton Wins
Head coach Brent Vigness owns an 807-610-4 record at the helm of the Bluejays and is the only Creighton coach to reach the 800-win mark during a coaching tenure.
He earned his 800th win at Creighton last season with a 6-5 win over Seton Hall on April 3.
Vigness is one of five active Creighton coaches with more than 350 wins as a Bluejay head coach.Â
A Central College (Iowa) grad, Vigness took over for the Bluejays prior to the 1994 season after spending five years as head coach at Assumption College in Worchester, Massachusetts.
Coach, Sport     Wins (as of 2/16/22)
Brent Vigness, Softball   807*
Ed Servais, Baseball    587*
Mary Higgins, Softball    564
Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis    483*
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball    414*
Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball    374*
Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis    347
Dana Altman, Men's Basketball    327
* still active coaching at Creighton
