Softball Travels To Lone Star State For Texan Invitational

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Creighton continues its season with its first trip to the lone star state to compete in the Texan Invitational in Stephenville, Texas.

The Bluejays are scheduled to face Akron and the host Tarleton State on Friday before matching up with Northern Colorado and Akron on Saturday. Creighton will wrap up the event with a contest against Texas A&M - Commerce on Sunday.

Game Schedule
Friday, February 17 • Creighton vs. Akron • 9:30 a.m.
Friday, February 17 • Creighton at Tarleton State • 2 p.m.
Saturday, February 18 • Creighton vs. Northern Colorado • 2 p.m.
Saturday, February 18 • Creighton vs. Akron • 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 19 • Creighton vs. Texas A&M - Commerce • 11:15 a.m.
*All times listed are Central Standard Time
LIVE STATS | WATCH

Follow The Games

Live stats for all five of Creighton's game in Stephenville, Texas will be provided via statbroadcast.

All five games this weekend will also feature a live stream through wacinternational.tv.

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.

Bluejays not Blue Jays

Creighton's mascot is the Bluejays or Bluejay, one word. Conversely the MLB Toronto team is the Blue Jays.

Scouting Creighton (2-2)

The Bluejays opened the 2023 season with four games at the DePaul Dome Tournament in Rosemont, Illinois, where Creighton picked up a pair of wins against Detroit Mercy and St. Thomas before falling to Eastern Kentucky and the Tommies.

The Bluejays hit .325 as a team, which included nine extra base hits (six doubles, one triple and two home runs).

Senior Kailey Wilson paced the team offensively with a .500 batting average on six hits, including four doubles, one home run, five RBI and three walks.

Sophomore Sydra Seville also tied for the team lead with six hits, while senior Saren Croker collected a .500 batting average on four hits over the opening weekend.

In the circle, sophomore Alexis Wiggins recorded a new career high with 11 strikeouts in the win over St. Thomas, while freshman Natalia Puchino tossed 9.0 innings of work, capturing her first collegiate win against Detroit Mercy.

The Bluejays return 12 letterwinners from last year's squad, while 10 newcomers enter the program with first year head coach Krista Wood.

Creighton was picked fifth in the preseason BIG EAST Coaches poll.

Scouting Akron (0-0)

The Zips enter the 2023 season with 18 returning letterwinners, including 10 who start at least half of last season's games, after finishing 18-32 overall and 13-16 in MAC play for a seventh-place finish.

Lexi Campbell returns for her sophomore season after leading the Zips' bats with 47 hits on a .313 batting average. She also led the team with 11 doubles and drove in 24 runs while scoring 19 runs herself.

Junior Molly McChesney is also back for the Zips after hitting a team-high .340 from the leadoff spot last season.

Akron lost its top pitcher from last season but returns senior Alexa DiFeo to the circle this season. Last year, DiFeo tossed 55.1 innings, recording a 4.17 ERA with 55 strikeouts.

Craig Nicholson enters 2023 in his first season at the helm of Akron.

Series History Against Zips

Creighton leads the all-time series against Akron, 4-1.

The Bluejays and Zips last met in 2016 at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla., where Creighton claimed a 1-0 win in extra-innings.

Creighton's only loss in the series came in 2015 when the Zip picked up a 5-3 win at the Rebel Spring Games.

Head coach Krista Wood is 0-1 all-time as a head coach against Akron, falling 2-1 to the Zips at the Rebel Spring Games in 2016 while with SDSU.

Scouting Tarleton State (2-3)

The Texans started their 2023 campaign with a 2-3 showing at the Texas A&M Invitational.

Senior Grace Garcia and junior Kennedy Ferguson recorded the two victories in the circle for the Texans, led by Garcia's 3.11 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 9.0 innings of work.

Offensively, Tarleton State returns its entire infield led by All-WAS selection Morgan Medford. Last season Medford hit an impressive .359 with nine home runs and 49 RBI.

Tristyn Trull is also back and led the Texans with a .500 batting average on five hits, while Kelci Hill hit 7-for-17 (.412 BA) during the opening weekend.

Tarleton State was picked to finish sixth in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll as Head Coach Mark Cumpian enters his seventh season at the helm of the Texans.

Series History Against Texans

Friday will mark the first meetings between Creighton and Tarleton State in program history.

Head Coach Krista Wood has never faced Tarleton State as a head coach.

Scouting Northern Colorado (2-3)

The Bears claimed a pair of wins over Stonehill College at the La Jolla Invitational in La Jolla, Calif., during last weekend's season-opener.

Junior Alexsi Barashkoff posted a .417 batting average on a team-leading five hits, while Lauren Strathearn recorded a .400 batting average on four hits during the opening weekend.

Paola Villegas returns for her senior year as the only player to earn All-Big Sky honors after guiding the Bears to a 23-30 overall record last season.

In the circle, Northern Colorado has looked to Erin Caviness and Isabelle DiNapoli to provide a spark this season. Cavines and DiNapoli each sport a 2.33 ERA and have combined to strikeout 38 batters this season.

Northern Colorado was picked to finish sixth in the Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll as Dedeann Pendleton-Helm enters her first year at the helm of the Bears.

Series History Against the Bears

Creighton holds a 10-1 lead in the all-time series against Northern Colorado.

The Bluejays won the first 10 meeting before the Bear captured a 3-1 win in the second game of a doubleheader in 2015.

Overall, Creighton has outscored Northern Colorado, 75-20 in the 11 all-time meetings.

Head Coach Krista Wood is 4-0 all-time against Northern Colorado, picking up all four victories during the 2021 season at SDSU.

Scouting Texas A&M - Commerce (0-5)

In their first season as a Division I program, the Lions opened the 2023 season with five losses at the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas.

Texas A&M - Commerce was outscored 63-6, as the Lions hit .234 as a team over the course of five games.

Freshman Diamond Sefe paced the team offensively with a .455 batting average on five hits, including a double and a home run.

The Lions struggled in the circle last weekend, allowing 63 runs on 63 hits for a 15.35 ERA. Sophomore Julia Sanchez appeared in all five contests, striking out 11 batters in just 7.1 innings of work.

Texas A&M - Commerce was picked seventh in the Southland Preseason Poll. Head coach Brittnay Miller is in her first season at the helm of the Lions.

Series History Against Lions

Sunday will mark the first meetings between Creighton and Texas A&M - Commerce in program history.

Head Coach Krista Wood has never faced the Lions as a head coach.

Walk This Way

Senior Kailey Wilson walked three times during the Bluejays' opening weekend, inching closer to securing her name on Creighton's all-time top-10 career walks list.

Wilson currently sits just outside the top-10 with 65 career walks, two shy of Stacey Rybar's 10th best mark of 67 from 2001-04.

Kailey led the 2022 squad with 24 walks, while a total of four other players earned double-digit walks a season ago.

WALKS

No. Name BB Years

1. Michelle Graner 111 2007-10

2. Alexis Cantu 110 2012-14

3. Amy Baker 104 2010-13

4. Abby Johnson 85 2002-05

5. Renae Sinkler 81 2007-10

6. Jen Daro 80 2014-17

7. Jody Schwartz 78 1985-88

8. Ashley Cantu 70 2017-21

9. Karla Hughes 69 1979-82

10. Stacey Rybar 67 2001-04

- Kailey Wilson 65 2019-pr.

Freshmen Contribution

Creighton started three true freshmen during the season-opener against Detroit Mercy on February 11.

In total, eight first-year players, including seven true freshmen, saw the field during the opening weekend.

Natalia Puchino became the first true freshman to earn the start in the circle for the Bluejays since Becca Changstrom started the season-opener as a freshman in 2011.

Ensley Frame and Lily West also earned the starting nod for the season-opener against Detroit Mercy, becoming just the 10th, 11th, and 12th freshmen to start the opening in the last decade.

Below is a list of Bluejay freshmen to earn a season-opening start since 2013.

Year Name Position

*2023 Natalia Puchino Pitcher

*2023 Ensley Frame Shortstop

*2023 Lily West Catcher

*2019 Kailey Wilson DP

2019 Sam Alm First Base

2017 Ashley Cantu Right Field

2017 Sam Dellinger Left Field

2015 Tash Coffiel Third Base

2014 Jen Daro First Base

2014 Jessica Lewis Second Base

2013 Kelsey Allender Left Field

Current Player in Bold

Making an Entrance

Creighton had eight newcomers make their Bluejay debuts during the opening weekend at the DePaul Dome Tournament.

Of the eight that saw action in the first four games of the season, six recorded the first hit of their collegiate career.

Natalia Puchino and Payton Akers each made their Bluejay debut in the circle, as Puchino earned her first win of her career with a 4-3 victory over Detroit Mercy.

Jordyn Meyer and Elliot Smith could make their regular-season Bluejay debut this weekend at the Texan Invitational.

Below is a look at how Creighton's Current players have done in their Creighton debuts.

Name AB H R 2B HR RBI

Beeson 0 0 1 0 0 0

Seville 1 0 0 0 0 0

Miklesh 0 0 0 0 0 0

Gappa 1 0 0 0 0 0

Rosonke 1 0 0 0 0 0

Mason 1 0 0 0 0 0

Wilson** 2 2 0 0 0 1

Croker 1 1 1 0 0 0

Vejvoda* 4 1 1 0 0 0

Nielsen* 3 1 2 0 0 0

Boston* 2 1 0 0 0 1

Chairez* 3 1 1 0 0 0

Dalton 0 0 1 0 0 0

Frame** 2 0 0 0 0 0

Perez* 3 1 0 0 0 1

West** 3 1 0 0 0 0

Name IP H R ER K BB

Wiggins 3.2 3 0 0 8 1

Lawrence 1.0 4 3 3 1 0

Puchino** 7.0 7 3 3 4 1

Akers 2.0 0 0 0 4 0

* - Started Bluejay Debut

**-Started Bluejay Debut in Season-Opener

Wilson's Always on Base

Senior Kailey Wilson reached base at least once during all four games of the DePaul Dome Tournament.

Wilson tallied six hits and walked three times, ending the opening weekend with a .600 on-base percentage.

Dating back to the end of last season, Wilson has reached base in seven consecutive contests.

Last season, Wilson had a stretch of 19 games that she reached base safely in from March 4 to April 14 on her way to recording a .541 on-base percentage, the second highest single-season on-base percentage in Creighton history.

On The Double

Senior Kailey Wilson finished the opening weekend with a .500 batting average on six hits, including four doubles, a home run and five RBI.

Wilson's four doubles where the most by a Bluejay in the opening weekend of a season since Amy Baker hits four doubles in a four-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to open the 2012 season.

The four doubles also ranked tied for third nationally, behind Clemson's Valerie Cagle's five doubles and Wichita State's Lauren Lucas' six doubles during opening weekend.

Softball Travels To Lone Star State For Texan Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Ensley Frame

Jordyn Meyer

Natalia Puchino

Sydra Seville

Elliot Smith

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

Softball Travels To Lone Star State For Texan Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Ensley Frame

Jordyn Meyer

Natalia Puchino

Sydra Seville

Elliot Smith

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

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