Softball Continues East Coast Road Trip With BIG EAST Series Against UConn

Download PDF of Notes

Up Next

Creighton (14-14, 4-6 BIG EAST) returns to the East coast this weekend for another BIG EAST Conference three-game series against UConn (20-13, 10-2).

This weekend's games will be the first meeting between the Bluejays and Huskies in Storrs, Conn. in the history of the two teams.

The series is set to begin Friday at 5 p.m. before an 1 p.m. start time on Saturday. The Bluejays and Huskies wrap up their three-game series on Sunday at 10 a.m. on Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex in Storrs, Conn.

Game Schedule
Game #29 • Friday, April 8 • Creighton (14-14, 4-6 BIG EAST) at UConn (21-13, 10-2 BIG EAST) • 5 p.m.
Game #30 • Saturday, April 9 • Creighton at UConn • 1 p.m.
Game #31 • Sunday, April 10 • Creighton at UConn • 10 a.m.
*All times listed are Central Standard Time

Follow The Games

Live stats for the entire series will be available via StatBroadcast and live video will be provide throughout the weekend via FloSports.

Links to the live video and live stats can be found on the Creighton Softball schedule page at GoCreighton.com.

Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.

Scouting Creighton (14-14, 4-6 BE)

After dropped two out of three last weekend at St. John's, the Bluejays enter their second trip to the East coast sporting a 14-14 overall record and a 4-6 record in BIG EAST play.

Creighton continues to rank atop the BIG EAST with a .310 team batting average while scoring 5.46 runs per game.

The Bluejays also lead the conference in Slugging percentage (.480), On-base percentage (.397) and RBI (142) while ranking second in runs scored (153), hits (230), doubles (42) triples (6), total bases (356) and hit by pitches (24).

Junior Kailey Wilson and sophomore Emma Rosonke each lead the Bluejays with a .375 batting average, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST.

Wilson leads the Bluejays and the league with a .485 on-base percentage while ranking third in the conference with 17 total walks.

Rosonke, the BIG EAST leader with 37 RBI, ranks third in the country with 1.42 RBI per games. Rosonke also leads the conference with a .792 slugging percentage, while hitting a team-best eight home runs this season.

Three other Bluejays are currently hitting better than .325 led by sophomore Cayla Nielsen (.359). Nielsen has scored a team-high 30 runs this season while also hitting a team-best eight doubles. Junior Kiara Mills is hitting .356 with a league-leading three triples, while sophomore Madeline Vejvoda is respectfully hitting .326 for the Bluejays.

Alyssa Gappa (.294), Saren Croker (.286), Sam Alm (.284) and Brittney Manthie (.262) are not far behind the .300 line.

The Bluejays pitching staff owns a 4.36 ERA with 139 strikeouts during the first 28 games of the season.

Junior Kate Mullally paces the Bluejays with a 2.98 ERA and 39 strikeouts during 54.0 innings of work, while Mikayla Santa Cruz owns a team-high 56 strikeouts in 63.0 innings for a 4.56 ERA. Alexis Wiggins has also tossed 37.2 innings and struck out 33 batters for a 4.65 ERA this season.

Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 29th season at the helm with 818 victories, the most of any coach across all sports in Creighton athletics history.

Scouting UConn (21-13, 10-2 BE)

UConn is 21-13 this season, including a 10-2 mark in BIG EAST play. The Huskies have won eight of their last ten games and are just 4-1 at home this season, dropping their lone contest Boston University on March 30.

Briana Marcelino paces the Huskies with a .352 batting average, a .565 slugging percentage and a .437 on-base percentage as one of five Huskies to start all 34 games this season. Marcelino is also very dangerous on the basepaths, stealing 21 times on 21 attempts.

Three other Huskies hold a batting average above .305 lead by Lexi Hastings (.347). Sami Barnett and Reese Guevarra holds .326 and .306 batting averages respectfully.

Rosie Garcia, Jana Sanden, Olivia Sappington and Marcelino share the team lead with five home runs each, while Sanden has driven in a team-best 23 RBI this season.

As a team, the Huskies are hitting .281 with a league-best 243 hits and 159 runs score. UConn currently leads the conference with 72 stolen bases, 35 more than second ranked Butler's 37.

Elise Sokolsky and Meghan O'Neil have shared the bulk of the pitching duties for the Huskies this season. Sokolsky owns a 2.74 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 87.0 innings of work, while O'Neil has struck out 63 batters in 71.0 innings for a 3.85 ERA. Dalaney Nagy and Marybeth Olson have also have also tossed sufficient innings and hold 3.62 and 3.82 ERAs respectfully.

The UConn pitching staff ranks third in the BIG EAST with a 3.36 team ERA with 199 strikeouts in 210.1 innings of work.

Head coach Laura Valentino is in her third season at the helm of UConn.

Series History Against Huskies

Creighton and UConn are tied 2-2 in the all-time series.

The Bluejays and Huskies first met back in 1991 when Creighton claimed a 5-1 win at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.

UConn won two of the three meetings in Omaha last season. The Bluejays opened the series with a 2-1 win before the Huskies captured 9-1 and 10-5 victory in the final two contests.

This weekend's three-game series will be the first ever meetings between the two programs in Storrs, Conn.

Give Me Four

Emma Rosonke went 4-for-4 in the series opener against St. John's on April 1, becoming the ninth Bluejay since joining the BIG EAST 2014 to record 4-hits in a single game.

Rosonke was the first person to collect four hits in a game since Ashley Cantu had four hits against Illinois Chicago on March 7, 2021.

Rosonke has seven multiple-hit games this season, but this was her first career game as a Bluejay with four hits.

Speaking of four, Rosonke also leads the Bluejays with six, four-RBI games this season. She is the only Bluejay since at least 1999 to have at least five four-RBI games in a single season.

Wilson's Always On Base

Junior Kailey Wilson has reached base in 16 straight games dating back to March 4, which is Creighton's Longest streak this season.

During her 16-game on-base streak, Wilson is hitting .419 (18-of-43) with three doubles, three home runs, 12 walks and 12 RBI.

The Colorado native has started all 28 games this season as the designated player and owns a team-leading .375 batting average with six doubles, five home runs and 17 walks, while also driving in 19 runs this season.

RBI Queen

Sophomore Emma Rosonke collected her sixth four RBI game of the year with a perfect 4-for-4 outing in the Bluejays 7-1 win over St. John's on April 1. She also collected four-RBI in all three games against Providence.

The Omaha native ranks third in the country with 1.42 RBI per game and leads the BIG EAST with 37 RBI this season, including 20 during conference action.

Rosonke is the only Bluejay since at least 1999 to have at least five four-RBI games in a season. The last person to have four-games of 4+ RBI was Jen Daro during the 2016 season.

Rosonke currently has 10 multi-RBI games which is also the most in a season since Kiara Mills had 11 multi-RBI games in 2019.

Magic Number 5

Creighton is 12-4 this season when scoring five runs or more, outscoring their opponents 129-71 during those 16 games.

In the last 20 seasons, Creighton is 333-43 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 225-357-3 when scoring four runs or fever.

Creighton is also 121-25 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

In that same time frame the Bluejays are 68-4 when scoring eight or more runs, having a 12-game streak snapped following a 9-8 loss to St. John's on April 2.

Rosonke Earns BE Player of the Week

Sophomore Emma Rosonke earned BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week honors, the league announced on March 28. Rosonke was the second Bluejay this season to earn the BIG EAST Player of the Week honor, joining Cayla Nielsen (March 7).

Rosonke continued her dominance at the plate, collected 12 RBI over the three-game weekend against Providence to extend her league-leading total out to 33 RBI on the season. The Omaha native finished the series with a .444 batting average (4-of-9) with a pair of three-run home runs and a grand slam.

She started the weekend by going 2-for-2 with a grand slam home run in the bottom of the fourth to power the Jays to a 10-0 run-rule win. It was the Bluejays first grand slam home run since Jayci Foster hit one at Georgetown on March 23, 2019.

Rosonke then collected four more RBI on a three-run home run and a groundout on Saturday, March 26, as she went 1-for-3 from the plate in the 6-7 win, before capping off the weekend with her second three-run home run of the series and another four RBI in the game on March 27.

One-Hit Wonder

Junior Kate Mullally nearly tossed the 25th no-hitter under head coach Brent Vigness on March 25 in Creighton's 10-0 run-rule win over Providence. Mullally allowed just one hit in the top of the fifth with one out, to break up the no-hitter.

The Sward native tossed all 5.0 innings and struck out four batters while earning her first career shutout and her second win in as many games.

The last Bluejay to allow just one hit or less was Kiele Miller against LIU on March 6, 2020. That same season, junior Mikayla Santa Cruz also tossed a five inning one-hitter against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 28.

Rosonke's Grand Day

Sophomore Emma Rosonke powered the Bluejays to a 10-0 win over Providence on March 25 with a grand slam home run over the right field wall.

It was the first grand slam for Rosonke in her career and it was the first grand slam for the Bluejays since Jayci Foster hit one at Georgetown on March 23, 2019.

Rosonke's Home Run Derby

Emma Rosonke leads the team in home runs this season with seven and hit a home run in three straight games after driving in 12 runs on two three-run home runs and a grand slam last weekend against Providence.

Since joining the BIG EAST there has only been five Bluejays to hit home runs in three straight games. Rosonke is the first to do so since Kiara Mills hit home runs in three straight game last season.

The other three Bluejays hit home runs in three consecutive game during the 2014 season. Bri Lingl hit a home run in three straight games from April 8 to April 12 and Liz Dike hit home runs in three straight games from March 19 to March 22, while Alexis Cantu hit home runs in four straight games from April 8 to April 12.

Vejvoda Earns Spot on BE Honor Roll

Sophomore Madeline Vejvoda earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on March 21 after posting a .500 (6-of-12) batting average with six hits, one double and three RBI to help the Bluejays to their first BIG EAST win of the season at Seton Hall.

Vejvoda went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while also drawing a walk to lead the Bluejays offense in the second game of a doubleheader on March 19. She wrapped up the weekend with another two hits including an RBI and a run scored as the Jays took down Seton Hall 4-2 in extra-innings.

Mullally Shines in Circle At Seton Hall

Junior Kate Mullally entered the matchup with Seton Hall have thrown 8.0 total innings this season and just 31.0 innings for her whole career in 17 appearances.

The Nebraska native shined throughout the weekend in South Orange though, firing 19.2 innings while striking out 12 batters over the three-game series.

Mullally came in for relief in the first game of the doubleheader and tossed 5.0 innings and allowed just one run. She came back in during game two of the doubleheader and provided 5.1 innings of relief while striking out a then career-high five batters.

Her performances on Saturday, March 19 gave her the starting nod on Sunday, March 20, where she tossed a career-high 9.0 innings, collected a career-high six strikeouts, and earned her first career win as a Bluejays.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Junior Kiara Mills etched her name into the top 10 of Creighton's hit by pitch record list at Seton Hall on March 20.

Mills was hit by a pitch in each of the three games against Seton Hall, pushing her into 10th on the all-time hit by pitch record board with 14.

The West Covina, Calif. native is also currently tie for sixth with a .336 batting average and is four home runs away from entering the top 10 list for home runs.

(Career charts listed on page 6)

Home Runs Tell The Tale

Creighton is 9-3 this season when not allowing a home run but is just 5-10 when allowing a long ball.

The Bluejays are also 10-7 when hitting at least one home run and 4-6 when not hitting a homer.

During Creighton's 14 wins this season, the Bluejays have hit 14 home runs and have allowed just seven.

Comparatively, Creighton has allowed 16 home runs during its 14 losses this season.

Walking Off With Victories

The Bluejays have had three walk-off wins this season, including this past Saturday's 7-6 win of Providence.

Junior Kiara Mills lifted the Bluejays to their third walk off win of the season by following a lead-off double by Kailey Wilson with an RBI double of her own.

The Bluejays have two more walk-off wins this season as 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 Abilene Christian (Feb. 13).

Junior Sam Alm added another walk-off hit on March 5 in the Bluejays 14-6 run-rule victory over Oakland at the Evansville Softball Invitational.

Alm laced a single into right field, which allowed Cayla Nielsen to score from third as the Bluejays captured the victory and their second walk-off win of the season.

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 and 2022 season.

Score Play (player) Date

7-6 vs. Providence RBI-2B (Mills) 3/26/22

14-6 (6) vs. Oakland RBI-Single (Alm) 3/5/22

9-1 (5) vs Abilene Christian 3-RBI HR (Rosonke) 2/13/22

10-2 (6) vs. UIC RBI-1B (Gappa) 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

*Bold Indicates happened this year.

Free Softball

Creighton has played three extra-inning contests so far this season.

The Bluejays have gone 2-1 in those three contests, including a 3-1 eight inning win over Abilene Christian (Feb. 12) and a 4-2 nine inning win over Seton Hall (March 20).

Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 13-9 in extra-inning games, including a 5-3 mark in conference contest. The Bluejays are 67-93-2 all-time in extra-inning games.

Nielsen Named BIG EAST Player of the Week

Sophomore Cayla Nielsen earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors, the league announced on Monday, March 7. The Blair, Nebraska native hit 9-of-18 (.500) from the plate with four RBI, two doubles and one home run to help the Bluejays to a 3-2 record at the Evansville Softball Invitational on March 4-6.

Nielsen led the BIG EAST in runs scored and tied for the BIG EAST lead in hits with nine, while extending her on-base streak out to 13-games.

The sophomore started all five games in centerfield for Creighton and scored the Bluejays lone run in the Evansville Softball Invitational opener against Bowling Green when she launched her third home run of the season over the left field wall.

She finished the opening day of the tournament by going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored to help Creighton to a 11-2 win over Green Bay. She then went 2-for-5 and scored three runs in the Jays 14-6 triumph over Oakland on Saturday afternoon, before capping off the second day of competition by going 3-for-3 from the plate with three runs scored as the Bluejays run-ruled Green Bay 8-0 in five innings.

Nielsen has started all 18 games this season and currently leads the Bluejays in multiple offensive categories. The Nebraska native paces the team with a .379 batting average, while also leading the Bluejays with 22 hits, 23 runs, five doubles and two triples.

League-Opener History

Creighton is 5-3 in BIG EAST openers and has won 12 of its last 16 conference opening-games , including wins in the final seven Missouri Valley Conference lid-lifters.

The last time Creighton opened conference play at home was in 2016 when they hosted Providence for a three-game set. The Bluejays won two games as the third was cancelled due to inclement weather in the Omaha area.

The Bluejays are 23-13 all-time in their first conference game of the season during stints in the HCAC (2-3), WAC (1-1), MVC (15-6) and BIG EAST (5-3).

Nielsen's On-Base Streak Reached 13

Sophomore Cayla Nielsen reached base in 13 consecutive games entering March 6th game against Evansville, which was the longest since Ashley Cantu reached base safely in 21 consecutive games in 2019.

During her 13-game on-base streak, Nielsen was hitting .457 (19-for-42) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 12 RBI and scored 19 runs.

Nielsen also had a seven-game hit streak that was snapped on Feb. 27 against South Dakota State.

The Nebraska native has started all 21 games in center field this season and owns a team-high 24 hits, 24 runs scored, five doubles and two triples while collecting a team-best 42 total bases.

Offensive Outburst

The Creighton offense produced 11 runs on 13 hits during a six-inning victory over Green Bay (March 4).

Cayla Nielsen, Sam Alm and Emma Rosonke each scored a pair of runs, as Nielsen and Rosonke each went 3-for-4 from the plate.

Rosonke set new career-highs with three hits while also collecting four of the Bluejays 10 RBI.

Creighton followed their performance against Green Bay up with a slug-fest against Oakland on March 5.

The Bluejays set season-highs in hits (15), runs (14), RBI (13), doubles (5) and total bases (23).

Nielsen and Kiara Mill each crossed the plate three times, while Alm and Kailey Wilson each scored two runs.

Nine different Bluejays posted at least one hit while Mills and Shayna Dahlen led the Bluejays offense with three hits apiece.

Mills drove in a season-high three runs while launching her third home run of the season.

The Bluejays' output against the Golden Grizzles marked the most runs scored in a single game since February 8, 2020, when Creighton set the single-game record with 24 runs scored against Toledo.

Hit Parade

Creighton's 15 hits against Oakland (March 5) marked a new season-high and was the most hits in a single game by the Bluejays since February 8, 2020, when the Jays had 18 in their 24-1 win over Toledo.

Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton has recorded 15 or more hits in a single game just four times.

Date Opponent Hits

3/5/22 vs. Oakland 15

2/8/20 vs. Toledo 18

4/17/18 Kansas City 15

3/23/16 Providence 16

Creighton At Home

Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, the Bluejays own a 52-47 record at home.

The Bluejays are 2-4 at home this season after going 2-1 last weekend against Providence.

Creighton is hitting .308 at home with nine doubles, two triples and six home runs.

Kiara Mills leads the Bluejays offense with a .571 batting average, while Kailey Wilson (.471), Emma Rosonke (.467), Madeline Vejvoda (.438) and Alyssa Gappa (.417) are all hitting above .400 at home.

Rosonke has launched three of the Bluejays six home runs and has collected 13 of the 27 RBI thus far, while Mills and Wilson have scored a team-high eight runs at home this season.

Opponents are hitting .323 with 11 home runs and eight doubles at the Creighton Sports Complex.

A total of 17 home runs (6 by CU, 11 by Opponents) have been hit during 37 innings of action.

The Bluejays were 8-3 at home last season, including a stretch of four consecutive wins and seven victories in 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 finished the season hitting .301 at home with 31 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs.

The Bluejays did not play a home game in 2020 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.

Year-by-year home records since 2014:

2022: 2-4

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

17 (6) 6 2022

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

Playing At Home In February

Creighton was originally scheduled to open play at home on March 11 against Georgetown, but due to inclement weather in Texas the Bluejays had to adjust their plans.

Those plans and above average temperatures in Omaha, brought South Dakota State to the CU Sports Complex for a rare February home contest for the Bluejays.

It was just the fourth time in Creighton softball history that the Bluejays played a home game in February.

February 27th doubleheader with South Dakota State was also the first February home game since the Bluejays hosted Nebraska on February 24, 1996, in the season opener.

Creighton is 4-6 all-time in home games played in February.

Home Opener History

Creighton is 12-3 during its last 15 home-openers, and 17-11 overall under head coach Brent Vigness.

Creighton owns a 30-15 record (.667) in home openers, including wins in 12 of the last 16 years (includes 2020 when Creighton did not play a home game).

The Bluejays are slated to play 7 more home games this season, including BIG EAST series against Villanova and DePaul.

Rosonke Listed on BE Honor Roll

Sophomore Emma Rosonke earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 21 after her performances at the Cardinal Classic.

Rosonke tied for the most RBI in the BIG EAST with eight, while hitting .400 at the Cardinal Classic with two home runs and two doubles while amassing 14 total bases to help Creighton to a 4-1 weekend.

She led the Bluejays by going 2-for-4 with four RBI, a double and a towering 2-run home run over the left center field fence in the weekend opener against Ohio.

She followed the opening game performance by delivering an RBI double, a run and a walk in the Jays back-and-forth 8-7 win over host Lamar.

The Omaha native continued her well-rounded performance by going 2-for-4 with a three-run home run to straight away center field during Creighton 9-8 victory over Ohio.

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.

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 Feb. 11 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 circle, tossing a pair of complete games with 17 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work, while Wiggins also pitched 13.0 innings, posting a 0.69 ERA with 17 strikeouts. The freshman collected her first win as a Bluejays, tossing all five innings in a 9-1 win over Abilene Christian on Feb. 13. 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 Feb. 14.

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 in the afternoon of Feb 12 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.

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 Feb. 13. 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 Feb. 11 before earning her first collegiate start on Feb. 12 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.

The 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).

Manthie 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 Feb. 12. 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 Feb. 13. 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.

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 Feb. 11.

It was the first time that two Bluejays hit consecutive triples 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 at the UTEP Invitational 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.

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.

Vigness Reaches 800 Creighton Wins

Head coach Brent Vigness owns an 817-622-4 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.

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 4/6/22)

Brent Vigness, Softball 817*

Ed Servais, Baseball 602*

Mary Higgins, Softball 564

Tom Lilly, Men's & Women's Tennis 493*

Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 414*

Jim Flanery, Women's Basketball 379*

Ed Hubbs, Men's & Women's Tennis 347

Dana Altman, Men's Basketball 327

* still active coaching at Creighton

Bluejays Picked 4th In Preseason Poll

The Creighton softball team earned the fourth position with 41 points in the 2022 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on January 20..

Villanova, the reigning BIG EAST champions, 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 58 points.

UConn took the third spot with 48 points while Creighton came in behind the Huskies with 41. Butler (39), St. John's (26), Seton Hall (22), Providence (20) and Georgetown (8) rounded out the bottom half of the 2022 edition of the preseason coaches' poll.

Creighton finished 2021 with an 8-7 record in league play to place fourth (14-14 overall). A bulk of the Bluejays 2021 team, including All-BIG EAST First Team selection Kailey Wilson returns to the lineup this season.

Five true freshmen, one graduate transfer and a Division II transfer joined the program for the 2022 season.

For just the third time since Creighton joined the BIG EAST prior to the 2014 season, this year's conference schedule will include three-day weekend's with one game on each day. The Bluejays' first BIG EAST series is set for March 11-13 as Creighton hosts Georgetown in their home-opener.

2020 BIG EAST Softball

Preseason Coaches' Poll

1. Villanova (6) - 62

2. DePaul (3) - 58

3. UConn - 48

4. Creighton - 41

5. Butler - 39

6. St. John's -26

7. Seton Hall - 22

8. Providence - 20

9. Georgetown - 8

() - First-place votes

Softball Continues East Coast Road Trip With BIG EAST Series Against UConn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Shayna Dahlen

Alyssa Gappa

Brittney Manthie

Kiara Mills

Kate Mullally

Cayla Nielsen

Emma Rosonke

Mikayla Santa Cruz

Madeline Vejvoda

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

Softball Continues East Coast Road Trip With BIG EAST Series Against UConn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Shayna Dahlen

Alyssa Gappa

Brittney Manthie

Kiara Mills

Kate Mullally

Cayla Nielsen

Emma Rosonke

Mikayla Santa Cruz

Madeline Vejvoda

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

Related Videos