Softball Closes Out Regular Season With Must-Win Home Series Against St. John's

Game #51-53: St. John's Red Storm (20-26, 6-12 BIG EAST) at Creighton Bluejays (21-29, 5-16 BIG EAST)
Friday, May 5, 2023 • 4 p.m. • Saturday, May 6, 2023 • 1 p.m. • Sunday, May 7, 2023 • 11 a.m.
Omaha, Neb. • Creighton Sports Complex
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | CU NOTES

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With a trip to the BIG EAST Tournament on the line, Creighton (21-29, 5-16 BIG EAST) closes out the regular season with a must-win three-game home series against St. John's (20-26, 6-12 BIG EAST).

The Bluejays and Red Storm are set to open the series on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., before battling on Saturday at 1 p.m. during the Bluejays first annual Alumni Day. The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a contest on Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Creighton Sports Complex.

Follow The Games

This weekend's three-game series with St. John's will feature both live stats and live video for all three contests.

The live stream will be featured on Flosports, while live stats will be available via StatBroadcast. This weekend's series will feature the broadcast team of Jon Schriner and Jake Ryan for all three contests.

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 (21-27, 5-16 BE)

Creighton enters the final week of the regular season in a must-win situation, as the Bluejays sit a game back in the standing with a three-games remaining. The Bluejays enter the weekend with a 21-29 overall record and a 5-16 record in BIG EAST play.

Offensively, Creighton is hitting .289 with 76 doubles, 39 home runs and 230 runs scored. Junior leadoff hitter Cayla Nielsen leads five Bluejays with a batting average over .300 with a .390 average. She paces the team with 57 hits and 38 runs scored, while also ranking third on the team with 11 doubles and seven home runs this season.

Freshman Lily West has continued her hot hitting ranking second on the team with a .339 batting average. The Choctaw, Okla. native ranks second on the team with 56 base knocks and nine sacrifice hits, including seven sac bunts.

Senior Saren Croker and junior Madeline Vejvoda follow closely behind with .318 and .309 batting averages respectfully. Senior Kailey Wilson also holds a .307 batting average and leads the team with 33 RBI, while tying for the team-lead with 12 doubles and nine home runs.

Junior Alyssa Gappa has also contributed at the plate this season, pacing the team with a with 10 home runs and 12 doubles while hitting at a .280 clip.

In the circle, Creighton owns a 3.96 ERA with 248 strikeouts in 320 innings of work.

Freshman Natalia Puchino (13-14) has been the driving force in the circle for the Bluejays this season. Puchino paces the pitching staff with a 3.52 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 149.1 innings of work. Junior Payton Akers has also pitched significant innings, holding a 4.16 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. Junior Jena Lawrence is another arm out of the pen that has spent addition time in the circle as of late. Lawrence owns a 4.06 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 41.1 innings of work.

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

Scouting St. John's (20-26, 6-12 BE)

The Red Storm enters this weekend's pivotal series with a 20-26 overall record and are coming off a 10-0 win over Stony Brook on Wednesday in Queens.

St. John's currently sits in a three-way tie for sixth in the BIG EAST Conference with a 6-12 record in league play, dropping 10 of their last 12 conference match ups.

Sophomore London Jarrard continues to pace the Red Storm's lineup, as she is hitting a team-high .342 batting average. She also leads the team in hits (41), doubles, (16), triples (2), home runs (6), RBI (24) and runs scored (27).

Freshman Jess Bianco has also provided a solid bat for St. John's this season, as she holds a .317 batting average. Graduate student Peyton Cody follows closely behind with a .292 average with seven doubles and five home runs on 28 hits this season.

As a team, St. John's is hitting .249 with 52 doubles, 27 home runs and 177 runs scored. In the circle, the Red Storm hold a 4.01 ERA with 243 strikeouts in 291.2 innings of work.

Junior Hannah Mearns and sophomore Carolina Zamudio have been the pitchers of record for the Red Storm this season. Mearns owns a 3.91 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 111 innings of work, while Zamudio holds a 3.80 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 84.2 innings pitched. Freshman Loreley Francia has also been a force in the circle this season, owning a team-best 3.40 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 68 innings of work.

Head coach Bob Guerierro is in his fifth season at the helm of St. John's.

Series History Against St. John's

Creighton and St. John's have met 23 times in program history, with 21 meetings happening since the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST in 2014.

St. John's holds a 16-7 lead in the all-time series after the Red Storm took two of three from the Bluejays in Queens last season. The Bluejays are just 3-9 all-time in games played in Omaha but have won two in a row at the Creighton Sports Complex.

Head coach Krista Wood owns an 1-0 record as a head coach against St. John's.

What's At Stake

With a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament on the line, Creighton looks to secure its first trip to the postseason since 2018 with a trio of wins over St. John's.

The Bluejays currently sit a game back of St. John's, Providence and DePaul for sixth in the BIG EAST standings.

Below is the only scenario that can secure a trip to the BIG EAST Tournament for the Bluejays.

- Creighton needs to go 3-0 against St. John's AND needs Providence and DePaul both to drop two games for the Bluejays to earn the sixth seed.

Lily West Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Freshman Lily West was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Monday, May 1, becoming the second Bluejay this season to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors. West, a Choctaw, Okla. native, started all five games behind the plate for the Bluejays and hit 8-of-21 (.381) with four runs scored, three RBI and two doubles to help the Bluejays to a trio of wins over South Dakota and Providence this past week.

West is one of two Bluejays to start all 50 games this season and currently ranks second on the team with a .339 batting average. The Oklahoma native also ranks second on the team in hits with 56, which is also tied for the third most hits in a single season by a freshman in program history. West has also recorded 15 multi-hit games this season, which ranks tied for the second most multi-hit games by a Bluejay freshman in the last 20 seasons.

Cayla Nielsen Earns Spot on BE Weekly Honor Roll

Junior Cayla Nielsen earned BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition on May 1 after recording a team-best 10 hits on .556 hitting (10-of-18). Nielsen scored a team-high six runs, while hitting two doubles and stealing two bases in the Bluejays three wins last week.

The Blair, Nebraska native continues to pace the Bluejays with a .390 batting average. Nielsen also paces Creighton with a .610 slugging percentage and a .489 on-base percentage on a team-best 57 hits this season. She has also scored a team-high 38 runs, while ranking second on the team with 11 doubles.

See You On The Bases

Cayla Nielsen has reached base in 42-of-50 games played this season and leads Creighton with a .489 on-base percentage, a figure that ranks sixth-best in Creighton history for one season.

Three of the four marks above her were accomplished by former Bluejay players and assistant coaches Alexis Cantu and Renae Sinkler, while Kailey Wilson holds two of the top-10 marks in program history.

Best On-Base Percentage, CU History, Season

Rk. OBP% Name Year

1. .547 Alexis Cantu 2012

2. .541 Kailey Wilson 2022

3. .514 Renae Sinkler 2010

4. .492 Renae Sinkler 2009

5. .490 Christy Lunceford 1996

6. .489 Cayla Nielsen 2023

7. .482 Tash Coffiel 2016

8. .479 Kailey Wilson 2021

.479 Ashley Cantu 2018

10. .477 Liz Dike 2015

32nd Anniversary Looms

The 32nd-year anniversary of the longest game in NCAA history is fast approaching. On May 11, 1991, Creighton faced Utah in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Omaha.

In an era when pitching dominated, it's not surprising that Creighton won a 1-0 pitcher's duel. What makes that night so special is that it took 31 innings!

Star Creighton pitcher Kelly Brookhart, who had thrown a complete-game shutout earlier in the day, threw all 31 innings in the longest game in NCAA history. She threw the shutout despite allowing 25 hits and walking eight Utes (all intentional) while stranding an NCAA record 31. Brookhart was no slouch at the plate in that game either, going 6-for-11.

The 31 inning game took 6:24 to complete, and finished at 12:24 a.m. on May 12th.

Making the day even crazier was that the Bluejay win forced the "if necessary" game to be played, and that started just 21 minutes later at 12:45 a.m.

Game two turned out to be the third-longest game in NCAA history, as Utah won a 4-3 game in 25 innings after the teams agreed to go to the international tiebreaker rule and place a runner on second base to start the 25th inning.

Brookhart came on in relief in the nightcap and finished off the final 20.1 innings, part of her 58.1 innings of work in an 18-hour span.

50/50 Club

Junior Cayla Nielsen and freshman Lily West pace the Bluejays in hits this season with 57 and 56 base hits respectfully. It is the first time since 2017 and the 19th time in program history that two Bluejays recorded at least 50 hits apiece in the same season.

West is also just the 10th Bluejay in program history and the first Bluejay since Sam Dellinger in 2017 to record at least 50 hits in her freshman season.

Name Hits Season

Wendy Moon 64 1991

Allie Mathewson 60 2012

Lily West 56 2023

Jody Jenison 56 1980

Christy Lunceford 55 1994

Sam Dellinger 52 2017

Jody Schwartz 52 1985

Amy Baker 51 2010

Heidi Geier 50 1996

Angie Rajtora 50 1981

Bluejays Steal Home For First Time Since 2017

Freshman Ella Dalton helped the Bluejays secure a 7-1 victory over South Dakota in game one of a doubleheader on Tuesday by stealing home in the top of the fifth inning. By stealing home Dalton became the first Bluejay to steal home in a game since Aujanae McCoy stole home against Grand Canyon on March 5, 2017.

Puchino Becomes Fifth Bluejay Freshman to Reach 100 K'S

With nine strikeouts in the three-game series against Connecticut, freshman Natalia Puchino became just the fifth Bluejay in program history to record 100 strikeouts in their freshman season.

Puchino's 111 strikeouts this season are the most by a Bluejay freshman since Kiele Miller posted 138 strikeouts during her freshman season in 2018.

Strikeouts Pitcher Year

212 Tara Oltman 2007

175 Becca Changstrom 2011

138 Kiele Miller 2018

116 Marcia Jacobsen 1981

111 Natalia Puchino 2023

98 Cassidy Nee 2006

98 Shelli Mellegaard 1999

Gappa Earns Spot on Single-Season Hit-by-Pitch Top 10 List, While Eyeing Spot on Single-Season Doubles List

With nine hit-by-pitches this season, junior Alyssa Gappa moved into a tie for sixth on Creighton's single season hit-by-pitch record list. Gappa's nine hit-by-pitches are also the most by a Bluejay since Mileah McKelvy was hit by nine pitches in the 2019 season.

Gappa and senior Kailey Wilson have also hit 12 doubles this season, which is the second most by a Bluejay since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, trailing only Sam Dellinger's 13 doubles in 2017.

Gappa and Wilson enters this weekend's series against St. John's one double shy of entering the Bluejays single-season top-10 list in doubles.

DOUBLES

No. Name 2B Year

1. Frenchy Nix 23 1999

2. Christy Lunceford 19 1997

3. Temple Windhorst 17 1999

4. Renae Sinkler 15 2008

Julie Woodley 15 1993

Kelly Brookhart 15 1991

7. Stacey Rybar 14 2004

DeAnn Kaster 14 2002

Jody Ream 14 1989

10. Sam Dellinger 13 2017

Amy Baker 13 2010

Abby Johnson 13 2005

Sami Herbster 13 2001
Christy Lunceford 13 1996

Erin Fraser 13 1995

Karyn Rice 13 1990

-- Alyssa Gappa 12 2023

-- Kailey Wilson 12 2023

HIT?BY?PITCH

No. Name HBP Year

1. Alexis Cantu 15 2013 2. Jen Daro 12 2014 3. Jen Daro 10 2017

Jen Daro 10 2015 Michelle Graner 10 2008

6. Alyssa Gappa 9 2023

Mileah McKelvy 9 2019

Sam Crowley 9 2018

Michelle Graner 9 2010

Renae Sinkler 9 2010

Michelle Graner 9 2009

Michelle Koch 9 2008

Lauren Cisneros 9 2004

On The Double

Through the first 50 games of the season, Creighton has hit 76 total doubles. That figure currently leads the BIG EAST and ranks second all-time on Creighton's single-season double list.

The Bluejays 76 doubles this season are the most by a Creighton team since the Bluejays hit 79 doubles in the 1993 season.

Doubles

1. 79 1993

2. 76 2023

3. 74 2001

4. 73 1999

5. 71 2004

6. 65 1997

65 1989

8. 64 2005

9. 63 1994

10. 62 2008

Magic Number 5

Creighton is 17-7 this season when scoring five runs or more, outscoring their opponents 181-85 during those 24 games.

In the last 21 seasons, Creighton is 351-53 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 229-388-3 when scoring four runs or fever.

Creighton is also 139-35 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

In that same time frame the Bluejays are 78-4 when scoring eight or more runs, including a perfect 9-0 this season.

Bluejays Capture Programs 1,400 Win

With the Bluejays' 5-3 victory over Omaha on Tuesday, Creighton surpassed 1,400 wins in program history.

The Bluejays currently hold a 1,404-964-3 all-time record and have outscored the opposition 9,526 - 7,014 in 2,371 all-time games in program history.

Below is a list of every game Creighton surpassed any 100 win milestone.

Win # Date Opp. Score

100 3/11/81 vs. Wyoming 3-1

200 4/13/83 Drake 10-0

300 4/11/86 vs. Georgia State 5-3

400 3/19/89 vs. Utah State 4-3

500 4/18/91 Southern Utah 5-1

600 3/15/95 Omaha 4-3

700 5/2/98 Evansville 8-2

800 2/23/02 vs. Oakland 1-0

900 2/25/05 vs. #18 Oregon 4-1

1,000 5/11/07 vs. Wichita State 3-1

1,100 4/15/10 Kansas 8-0

1,200 2/7/14 vs. Western Michigan 9-0

1,300 2/25/18 vs. Grambling State 11-0

1,400 4/11/23 Omaha 5-3

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.

Entering this week, Wilson ranks sixth all-time in BIG EAST history with a .430 career batting average in BIG EAST games.

Over the course of 73 career games, Wilson owns 92 hits (92-of-214), including 19 doubles, 18 home runs, 41 walks and 53 RBI.

BATTING?AVERAGE (minimum 50 at-bats)

No. Avg. Name Years

1. .518 Meghan Murray, ND 1996-97

2. .443 Amber Patton, DPU 2007-09

3. .440 Shari Blackman, UConn 1992-94

4. .437 Lacy Wood, UL 2006

5. .435 Juliette Brooks, RU 1996-99

6. .430 Kailey Wilson, CU 2019-Pr.

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 five different Bluejays have posted on-base streaks of 11 consecutive games or more. Junior Cayla Nielsen leads the way having reached base safely in 42 of the Bluejays 50 games this season. She recently had reached base in a career-long 17 straight contests, before having her streak snapped during the Bluejay's 5-3 win over Omaha on April 11. Earlier this season, Nielsen also had a 13-game on-base streak from Feb. 12 - March 4.

Additionally, Nielsen had recorded at least one hit in 10 consecutive games before going hitless against Drake on March 29. 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 also a career-long hit streak, surpassing a nine-game hit streak she had from Feb. 18 to March 4th earlier this season.

Senior Kailey Wilson had a 13-game on-base streak snapped during the first game of the Bluejays series against DePaul, while junior Madeline Vejvoda had an on-base streak snapped in March after reaching safely in 11 straight contests. Classmate Alyssa Gappa also had her 13-game on-base streak snapped during the series against Butler, while Freshman Lily West had her 13-game on-base streak snapped during the first game of a doubleheader againsr Providence on April 28.

Freshman Phenom Delivering

Freshman Lily West has been dominant at the plate during her first season as a Bluejay. The Choctaw, Okla. native ranks second on the team with 56 hits and holds the second-best batting average on the team at .339.

West has produced 15 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

Lily West 2023 15

Ellen Homan 2011 15

Kiara Mills 2019 13

Sam Dellinger 2017 13

Ashley Cantu 2017 13

Amy Baker 2010 12

Dawson Bailey 2006 11

Walk This Way

With a BIG EAST-best 31 walks this season, senior Kailey Wilson etched her name on Creighton's all-time top-10 list for career walks.

Wilson recorded a trio of walks in the second game of a three-game series against Connecticut on April 22 to move into the top-4 all-time with 93 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. Kailey Wilson 93 2019-pr.

5. Abby Johnson 85 2002-05

6. 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

With a team-high tying 12 doubles this season, senior Kailey Wilson has entered the top-10 for career doubles. The Aurora, Colorado native ranked tied for seventh with 35 career doubles and is just one double away from entering the top-5 all-time.

In the opening weekend of the season, Wilson hit .500 on six hits, including four doubles, a home run and five RBI.

Her four doubles were 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.

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. Kailey Wilson 35 2019-pr.

Bailey Dawson 35 2006-09

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

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 .351 career batting average, while ranking sixth in home runs with 35, fourth in walks with 93, sixth in RBI with 119 and tied for seventh with 35 career doubles.

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. .351 Kailey Wilson 164-467 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 Cayla Nielsen 137-420 2020-pr.

.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. Kailey Wilson 35 2019-pr.

7. Alexis Cantu 33 2012-14

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. Kailey Wilson 119 2019-pr.

Liz Dike 119 2012-15

8. Jody Schwartz 113 1985-88

9. Christy Lunceford 110 1994-97

10. Lauren Cisneros 107 2003-06

Krista vs. The BIG EAST

Throughout her career at South Dakota State, head coach Krista Wood's teams were at their best against BIG EAST competition.

In her eight seasons with the Jackrabbits, Wood's compiled a 21-5 overall record against the BIG EAST, including a 17-1 mark in the past six seasons that featured an 11 straight victories.

In her first season with the Bluejays, Wood's is 5-16, picking up victories over Butler (April 2), DePaul (April 7, twice), Georgetown (April 16) and Providence (April 29).

Below is a breakdown of Wood's record against every BIG EAST team.

Opponent SDSU CU

Butler 3-0 1-2

Creighton 10-4 0-0

DePaul 2-0 2-1

Georgetown 0-0 1-2

Providence 2-1 1-2

Seton Hall 1-0 0-3

St. John's 1-0 0-0

Connecticut 0-0 0-3

Villanova 2-0 0-3

Totals 21-5 5-16

Softball Closes Out Regular Season With Must-Win Home Series Against St. John's

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Jena Lawrence

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Natalia Puchino

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Kailey Wilson

Softball Closes Out Regular Season With Must-Win Home Series Against St. John's

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Payton Akers

Ashley Cantu

Saren Croker

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Jena Lawrence

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Natalia Puchino

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Kailey Wilson

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