Softball Resumes BIG EAST Play With Home Series Against Butler

Game #33-35: Butler Bulldogs (12-19, 6-0 BIG EAST) at Creighton Bluejays (13-19, 0-6 BIG EAST)
Friday, March 31, 2023 • 1 p.m. • Saturday, April 1, 2023 • 1 p.m. (Senior Day) • Sunday, April 2, 2023 • 12 p.m.
Omaha, Neb. • Creighton Sports Complex
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | CU NOTES | BUTLER NOTES

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Creighton (13-19, 0-6 BIG EAST) closes out its seven-game home stand with a three-game series against Butler (12-19, 6-0 BIG EAST) at the Creighton Sports Complex.

The two teams will kick off the series on Friday at 1 p.m., before meeting on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Creighton's senior day. The Bluejays and Bulldogs will wrap up the series on Sunday with a contest at 11 a.m.

Follow The Games

This weekend's three-game series against Butler will feature live video and lives.

Live video will be provided through FloSports while live stats will be provided via StatBroadcast. Friday's broadcast team features Jake Ryan and Jon Schriner, while Saturday and Sunday's contest will be called by Ryan and Josh Peterson.

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

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 (13-19, 0-6 BE)

Struggling as of late, Creighton enters this weekend's series with a 13-19 overall record and a 0-6 mark in league play after dropping their last eight games.

Creighton continues to be one of the top offensive teams in the BIG EAST, ranking second with a .285 batting average. The Bluejays, however, lead the way in runs scored (142), hits (240), RBI (133), doubles (50), home runs (24) and slugging percentage (.434).

Junior leadoff hitter Cayla Nielsen lead four Bluejays with a batting average over .300 with a .405 average. She ranks second in the BIG EAST with 34 hits, while her 22 runs scored tops the league.

Freshman Lily West has continued her hot hitting ranking second on the team with a .350 batting average. The Choctaw, Okla. native leads the BIG EAST with 36 base knocks and seven sacrifice hits, including five sac bunts.

Senior Saren Croker and junior Madeline Vejvoda have also provided a significant help at the plate with .324 and .313 batting averages respectfully.

In the circle, Creighton owns a 3.37 ERA, the second-best ERA in the BIG EAST, while ranking second in strikeouts with 155 in 203.1 innings of work.

Junior Payton Akers (4-5) and freshman Natalia Puchino (7-8) have been the driving force in the circle for the Bluejays this season. Akers paces the pitching staff with a 2.94 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 50 innings, while Puchino follows closely behind with a 3.13 ERA in 85 innings of work with a team-best 54 strikeouts. Sophomore Alexis Wiggins (2-4) has also provided depth, holding a 3.52 ERA with 42 K's in 47.2 innings of work this season.

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

Scouting Butler (12-19, 6-0 BE)

After opening the season with a 4-18 record, Butler has found its stride, winning eight of their last nine contests to bring a 12-19 overall record into Omaha.

Six of the Bulldogs last eight wins have come in BIG EAST play, as Butler has swept preseason favorite DePaul and Providence in three-game series.

Sophomore Paige Dorsett leads the team with a .350 average, including a .467 clip during BIG EAST play (10-for-21).

Sophomore Kaylee Gross paces Butler with 30 hits, 20 runs scored and 12 stolen bases, while ranking second on the team with a .337 batting average.

The Bluejays are hitting .257 as a team and averages 3.84 runs per game. In their perfect 6-0 start to league play, Butler is hitting .352 with 48 runs scored (8 runs per game).

In the circle, Butler ranks last in the league with a 5.68 ERA but have dropped their ERA to 2.28 during league play.

Senior Mackenzie Griman leads the pitching staff with 84.1 innings pitched and a 3.57 ERA. She has stuck out a team-best 38 batters this season, while graduate student Sydney Cammon owns a 6.58 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 50 innings of work.

Head coach Scott Hall is in his 13th season at the helm of the Bulldogs.

Series History Against Bulldogs

Creighton leads the all-time series against Butler, 11-10.

The Bulldogs swept all three games in Indianapolis last season, while the Bluejays two of three from Butler in the last meeting during the 2021 season in Omaha.

Head Coach Krista Wood is 3-0 all-time against Butler.

Bluejays Set To Recognize Seniors

Creighton will recognize two student-athletes on Saturday during the Bluejays senior day festivities.

The Bluejays will recognize graduate student Kailey Wilson and senior Saren Croker following Saturday's game against Butler.

Wilson's Among The BIG EAST Best

Not only is graduate student Kailey Wilson one of the most dynamic hitters in Creighton softball history, but she is also one of the greatest hitters in BIG EAST history.

Enter this weekend, Wilson ranks second all-time in BIG EAST history with a .450 career batting average in BIG EAST games, behind only Notre Dame's Meghan Murray's .518 career batting average from 1996-97.

Over the course of 61 career games, Wilson owns 77 hits (77-of-171), including 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 30 walks and 42 RBI.

BATTING?AVERAGE (minimum 50 at-bats)

No. Avg. Name Years

1. .518 Meghan Murray, ND 1996-97

2. .450 Kailey Wilson, CU 2019-Pr.

3. .443 Amber Patton, DPU 2007-09

4. .440 Shari Blackman, UConn 1992-94

5. .437 Lacy Wood, UL 2006

6. .435 Juliette Brooks, RU 1996-99

7. .427 Stephanie Brown, ND 2004-07

8. .427 Katie Marten, ND 1996-97

9. .420 Ricci Lugo, VU 2003-04

10. .418 Melissa Roth, VU 2009-10

The Bluejays are Always On Base

This season four different Bluejays have posted on-base streaks of 10 consecutive games or more. Junior Cayla Nielsen leads the way having reached base safely in 27 of the Bluejays 32 games this season. She has currently reached base in 11 straight contests but had a career-long 13-game on-base streak earlier this season.

Additionally, Nielsen had recorded at least one hit in each of the past 10 games before going hitless against Drake. During Nielsen's 10-game hit streak, she racked up a .516 (16-of-31) batting average with two doubles, three home runs and nine runs batted in.

Her 10-game hit streak was a career-long hit streak, surpassing a nine-game hit streak she had from Feb. 18 to March 4th earlier this season.

Junior Madeline Vejvoda also had an on-base streak snapped earlier this month after reaching safely in 11 straight contests, while classmate Alyssa Gappa has currently reached base safely in 13 consecutive games.

Senior Kailey Wilson had a nine-game on-base streak earlier this season and is currently on another 10-game on-base streak.

Freshman Phenom Delivering

Freshman Lily West has been dominant at the plate during her first season as a Bluejay. The Choctaw, Okla. native leads Creighton with 36 hits and holds the second-best batting average on the team at .356.

West has produced 11 multi-hit games this season, becoming the eighth freshman since 2003 to record at least 10 multi-hit games in a season. Allie Mathewson recorded 18 multi-hit games during her freshman season in 2012, the most in the past 20 seasons by a freshman.

Below is a list of Freshman with at least 10 multi-hit games in a season.

Name Year Multi-Hit Games

Allie Mathewson 2012 18

Ellen Homan 2011 15

Kiara Mills 2019 13

Sam Dellinger 2017 13

Ashley Cantu 2017 13

Amy Baker 2010 12

Lily West 2023 11

Dawson Bailey 2006 11

Walk This Way

With a BIG EAST-best 19 walks this season, senior Kailey Wilson etched her name on Creighton's all-time top-10 list for career walks.

Wilson recorded her 19th walk of the season in the series finale against Seton Hall on March 25th, moving into the top-5 all-time with 81 career walks.

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. Kailey Wilson 81 2019-pr.

5. Renae Sinkler 81 2007-10

7. Jen Daro 80 2014-17

8. Jody Schwartz 78 1985-88

9. Ashley Cantu 70 2017-21

10. Karla Hughes 69 1979-82

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.

Wilson has added five addition doubles since then, inching her closer to the all-time top-10 list for career doubles. She heads into this week's contests with 32 career doubles, one double shy of entering Creighton career doubles top-10 list.

DOUBLES

No. Name 2B Years

1. Christy Lunceford 51 1994-97

2. Frenchy Nix 47 1998-01

3. Stacey Rybar 43 2001-04 4. Kelly Brookhart 40 1988-91

5. Abby Johnson 36 2002-05

Jody Schwartz 36 1985-88

7. Bailey Dawson 35 2006-09

8. Erin Fraser 34 1995-98 Dede Pendleton 34 1991-95

10. Wendy Moon 33 1991-94

- Kailey Wilson 32 2019-pr.

Wilson's Rewriting Record Book

Senior Kailey Wilson entered her fifth year with the Bluejays as one of the most dominant hitters in school history.

Wilson currently ranks fifth in Bluejay history with a .354 career batting average, while ranking seventh in home runs with 32, tied for fifth in walks with 81 and tied for ninth in RBI with 107.

Wilson is also on the verge of entering the Top-10 list for doubles (3 shy).

BATTING?AVERAGE (minimum 250 at-bats)

No. Avg. Name H-AB Years

1. .404 Anne Timmermann 116-287 1977-79

2. .382 Ashley Cantu 218-570 2017-21

3. .379 Christy Lunceford 245-646 1994-97

4. .358 Heidi Geier 243-678 1996-99

5. .354 Kailey Wilson 146-413 2019-pr.

6. .336 Renae Sinkler 201-599 2007-10

7. .331 Kiara Mills 123-372 2019-22

8. .328 Melanie Dorsey 198-604 2002-05

9. .326 Christine Fukumoto 110-337 2004-05

10. .325 Mary Yori 176-542 1980-82

HOME?RUNS

No. Name HR Years

1. Amy Baker 58 2010-13

2. Renae Sinkler 50 2007-10

3. Liz Dike 39 2012-15

4. Lauren Cisneros 37 2003-06

Stacey Rybar 37 2001-04

6. Alexis Cantu 33 2012-14

7. Kailey Wilson 32 2019-pr.

8. Bailey?Dawson 30 2006-09

Abby Johnson 30 2002-05

10. Michelle Graner 27 2007-10

TJ?Eadus 27 2007-08

RUNS?BATTED?IN

No. Name RBI Years

1. Amy Baker 167 2010-13

2. Renae Sinkler 146 2007-10

3. Abby Johnson 144 2002-05

4. Bailey?Dawson 121 2006-09

Stacey Rybar 121 2001-04

6. Liz Dike 119 2012-15

7. Jody Schwartz 113 1985-88

8. Christy Lunceford 110 1994-97

9. Kailey Wilson 107 2019-pr.

9. Lauren Cisneros 107 2003-06

Softball Resumes BIG EAST Play With Home Series Against Butler

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Alyssa Gappa

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Natalia Puchino

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

Softball Resumes BIG EAST Play With Home Series Against Butler

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Alyssa Gappa

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Natalia Puchino

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

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