Softball Opens 2024 Campaign at Texas State Tournament
2/6/2024 3:35:00 PM | Softball
Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 • 10 a.m. ||  LIVE STATSÂ
Game #2: Creighton Bluejays vs. Northwestern State Lady Demon'sÂ
Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 • 12:15 p.m. ||  LIVE STATSÂ
Game #3: Creighton Bluejays at Texas State Bobcats
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 • 4:45 p.m. ||  LIVE STATSÂ
Game #4: Creighton Bluejays vs. UTSA Roadrunners
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 • 7 p.m. ||  LIVE STATSÂ
Game #5: Creighton Bluejays vs. Kennesaw State OwlsÂ
Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 • 12:15 p.m. ||  LIVE STATSÂ
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Up Next
Creighton travels to the Lone Star state to open the 2024 season with five games at the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas.Â
The Bluejays open the season against former Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois at 10 a.m. before facing off against Northwestern State at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9.
Creighton will return to the field on Saturday, matching up with host Texas State at 4:45 p.m. before meeting UTSA at 7 p.m.Â
The Bluejays will then wrap up their stay with a contest against Kennesaw State at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday.Â
Follow The Games
Live stats for each game of the Texas State Tournament will be available via StatBroadcast.Â
Unfortunately, there will not be a video stream for any of the Creighton games.Â
Links to live stats can be found on the Creighton Softball schedule page or by visiting http://creighton.statbroadcast.com.Â
Scoring updates and infographics will beprovided 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
Picked sixth in the 2024 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, Creighton returns seven starters, including four infielders from last season's team that finished 22-31 overall and 6-18 in league play.Â
Returning the bulk of its 2023 roster, Creighton has the key pieces to make a deep return to postseason play led by Unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection, Cayla Nielsen'sÂ
Nielsen led the Bluejays with a .395 average at the dish, while also leading Creighton in hits (62), slugging percentage (.650), on-base percentage (.486), runs scored (43) and stolen bases (6). She also finished the season ranked second on the team in doubles (11), walks (24) and RBI (33) and third with nine home runs.Â
Sophomore Lily West also returns to the Bluejays lineup this season after a standout freshman season behind the plate. The Choctaw, Okla. native was one of only two Bluejays to start all 53 games last season, where she recorded 58 hits, the third most in a single season by a freshman in program history. West also ranked second on the team with a .335 batting average, while racking up 10 doubles and 26 runs scored.
Other returning starters include Madeline Vejvoda (.302 BA, 31 runs, 8 doubles), Emma Rosonke (.283 BA, 32 RBI, 10 doubles), Ella Dalton (.278 BA), Alyssa Gappa (.265 BA, 12 doubles, 10 home runs) and Ensley Frame (.219 BA).
In the circle, the Bluejays return Natalia Puchino, Alexis Wiggins and Jena Lawrence to anchor the rotation. Puchino is Creighton's leading returner with a 3.89 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 151 innings. Wiggins logged a 3.52 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 47.2 innings, while Lawrence added 33 strikeouts and a 4.80 ERA in 54 innings of work.Â
The Bluejays welcome in 10 newcomers to the team this season, which includes eight true freshman and two transfers from South Dakota State and Wichita State.Â
Head coach Krista Wood is in her second season with the Bluejays and holds a 530-349 career record, including a 22-31 mark at Creighton.Â
Scouting Southern Illinois
The Salukis enter the 2024 season following a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship and a NCAA Tournament berth a season ago. Â
Southern Illinois posted a 36-20 overall record and a 13-14 mark in the MVC during 2013 and returns First Team All-Conference and D1Softball Freshman All-American selection Jackie Lis to the diamond this season.Â
Lis is coming off a historic freshman season, where she set a total of five SIU records, including single-season records for home runs (17), RBI (57) and total bases (125). She also ranked second on the team with a .356 batting average and scored a team-best 55 runs.Â
Defensively, the Salukis are led by senior pitcher Madi Eberle, who earned a 3.52 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 187 innings of work, while sophomore Elliott Stinson added 67 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA in 69.1 innings last season.
Head coach Jen Sewell is in her third season at the helm of Southern Illinois and holds a 57-33-1 record as a head coach.
Series History Against The Salukis
Creighton is 36-26 all-time against Southern Illinois.Â
The Salukis have won three of the last four meetings, with the Bluejays last victory coming via a 2-1 triumph on Feb. 24, 2019.Â
The first meeting between the two teams was in 1981 at the Missouri State Tournament and the teams met annually from 1993-2012 as both owned membership in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Head Coach Krista Wood has never coached against Southern Illinois in her coaching career.
Scouting Northwestern State
Under the direction of first-year head coach Lacy Prejean, the Lady Demon's look to rebuild a team that finished 2023 with a 25-27 overall record.Â
Northwestern State returns a load of experienced players up and down the roster, including preseason All-Southland Conference selections in Maggie Darr, Laney Roos and Ashlyn Walker.Â
Darr headlines the Lady Demon's pitching staff  in 2024 after earning Second Team All-Southland Conference honors in 2023. Darr tossed 127.1 innings, striking out 126 batters and posting a 3.30 ERA in 36 appearances a season ago.Â
Offensively, Roos' held a .296 batting average with 11 doubles and a team-best 35 runs scored, while Walker recorded a .228 average with seven doubles a season ago.Â
Head coach Lacy Prejean is in her first season at the helm of Northwestern State after serving the previous five season as an assistant coach at UL-Lafayette.
Series History Against The Lady Demon
Creighton leads the all-time series against Northwestern State, 2-1.Â
The teams last met during the 2019 Mean Green Classic, with the Bluejays picking up a 5-2 win. The Lady Demon's lone win in the series was a 2-1 extra-inning victory on March 1, 2014, at the Tulsa Invitational in Oklahoma.Â
Head Coach Krista Wood has never coached against Northwestern State in her coaching career.
Scouting Texas State
The Bobcats closed 2023 with a 35-25-1 record and a fifth-place finish (13-9-1) in the Sun Belt Conference
Texas State returns 21 players from last year's NCAA Tournament squad, including All-Sun Belt performers Jessica Mullins, Sara Vanderford, Ciara Trahan and Hannah Earls.Â
Mullins' guides a pitching staff that is returning 100 percent of its production from a season ago. Mullins' led the Bobcats with a 1.88 ERA with 176 strikeouts in 201.1 innings of work, while Tori McCann returns to circle after recording a 2.23 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 100.1 innings last spring.Â
At the plate, Earls' finished 2023 with a team-best .328 batting average on 60 hits, while Vanderford posted a .317 average with a team-high 16 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBI a season ago.Â
In addition, Trahan is also back in the lineup after scoring a team-high 33 runs and recording a .290 batting average, while Piper Randolph also brings back a .282 batting average with five doubles, three triples and one home run from 2023.
Head coach Ricci Woodard is in her 24th season at the helm of Texas State and enters the season with 797 career victories, the 28th most wins among active Division I coaches.Â
Series History Against The Bobcats
Creighton leads the all-time series against Texas State, 7-3.Â
The two teams first met in 1986 at the Baylor Invitation in Waco, Texas with Texas State claiming a 0-1 victory.Â
The Bobcats and Bluejays last met in 2010 at the Embassy Suites Invitational in Tulsa, Oklahoma with Creighton picking up an 2-0 extra-innings win.
Creighton is 3-1 all-time against Texas State in San Marcos, Texas.Â
Head Coach Krista Wood has never coached against UTSA in her coaching career.
Scouting UTSA
UTSA enters the 2024 season with a new coaches and new energy as first-year head coach Vann Stuedeman looks to rebuild a UTSA team that finished the 2023 season with a 8-41 record.Â
The Roadrunners return 14 letterwinners from last year's team, led by senior infielder Taylor Jensen, who posted a .276 batting average with a team-high seven home runs. Â
Junior's Emily Dear and Camryn Robillard are the only other players returning that recorded a batting average high than .225 last season.Â
Serving primarily as a pinch hitter last season, Dear recorded a .281 batting average, while Robillard held a .237 average with seven doubles and four home runs.Â
In the circle, UTSA returns three pitchers who saw action last year, including top-returner Reagan Smith. Smith led the Roadrunners with a 4.55 ERA in 107.2 innings of work last spring.Â
Series History Against Roadrunners
The Bluejays and Roadrunners have split two previous meetings, with both contests being played in 1994.Â
Creighton claimed a 6-1 win in the first overall meeting, while UTSA captured a 3-0 shutout win that same afternoon.Â
Head Coach Krista Wood has never coached against UTSA in her coaching career.
Scouting Kennesaw State
Kennesaw State returns six regular starters, including all four pitchers and welcomes 10 newcomers to a team that closed 2023 with a 20-32 overall record.
Among the starters returning is sophomore Stella Henry, who represented the Owls on the 2024 All-Atlantic Sun Preseason Team.Â
Henry ended last season with Second Team All-Atlantic Sun honors after ranking second on the team in batting average (.310), runs (22), hits (45) and on-base percentage. Â
Sophomore Kenley Hilleary and graduate Melanie Bennett are the top-2 returning pitcher from last year's squad. Hilleary held a team-high 3.13 ERA with 137 strikeouts in 29 appearances and 132.1 innings, while Bennett owned a team-high 10 victories and a 4.10 ERA with 129 K's in 145 innings of work in the circle last season.Â
Kennesaw State is coached by Tripp MacKay. She enters the year with an 117-120 career record in six seasons with the Owls.
Series History Against the Owls
Sunday will mark the first meetings between Creighton and Kennesaw State in program history.Â
Head Coach Krista Wood has never battled the Owls in her coaching career.
Season Opener History
Creighton is 22-25 all-time in season-openers, including last year's 4-3 walk-off win over Detroit Mercy at the DePaul Dome Tournament in Chicago.
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is just 3-7 in season-openers.Â
The Bluejays, however, have outscored foes by an average of 4.28 to 4.13 runs per game in the 47 season-openers.Â
Head coach Krista Wood is 13-4 all-time in lid-lifters, including a 6-3 mark at the Division I level. Wood also sported a 7-1 record in season-openers at Wayne State.Â
Date   School   Opponent   Result
3/4/07   Wayne St.   Dominican College   W, 6-1
3/3/08   Wayne St.   St. Anselm (N.Y.)   W, 2-0
2/20/09   Wayne St.   Colorado Mines   W, 3-2
2/26/10   Wayne St.   Washburn   L, 2-3 (8)
2/18/11   Wayne St.   Regis   W, 8-0
3/3/12   Wayne St.   Gannon   W, 6-4
3/3/13   Wayne St.   W. Virgina Wesleyan   W, 5-4
2/21/14   Wayne St.   Nebraska-Kearney   W, 11-2
2/7/15   SDSU   Utah State   W, 6-4
2/12/16   SDSU   Green Bay   L, 7-10
2/10/17   SDSU   Montana   L, 5-6
2/9/18   SDSU   Kansas City   W, 5-3
2/8/19   SDSU   Saint Louis   W, 6-0
2/7/20   SDSU   DePaul   W, 4-1
2/12/21   SDSU   Iowa State   L, 2-4
2/11/22   SDSU   Northern Iowa   W, 2-1 (9)
2/11/23   Creighton   Detroit Mercy   W, 4-3
Mix of Old and New
Creighton returns 15 letterwinners from last season's squad, but also welcomes in 10 new players to the Bluejay program.Â
Of this season's 10 new faces, eight are freshmen and two are incoming transfers from Wichita State and South Dakota State.Â
By comparison, the Bluejays have had 10 newcomers in each of the last two seasons, the most since Creighton had 11 newcomers join the program in 2018.Â
Making an Entrance
Creighton has 10 players that could make their Bluejay debuts this weekend at the Texas State Tournament; Aiyana Curry, Lynn Davis, Kenzie Nakasawa, Brooklyn Patchen, Ashten Pierson, Sydney Potter, Kenzie Schopfer, Kaelan Schultz and Brooke Shifflett.
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton has only had 12 true freshmen start the season opener. Last season, Ensley Frame and Lily West got the starting nod at shortstop and catcher, while 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. Â
Below is a look at how Creighton's Current players have done in their Creighton debuts.Â
Name   AB   H   R   2B   HR   RBI
Beeson   0   0   1   0   0   0
Seville   1   0   0   0   0   0
Gappa   1   0   0   0   0   0
Rosonke   1   0   0   0   0   0
Vejvoda*Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0
Nielsen*Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0
Chairez*Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0
Dalton   0   0   1   0   0   0
Frame**Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0
Perez*Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1
West**Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0
Smith   0   0   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**Â Â Â 7.0Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1
* - Started Bluejay Debut
**-Started Bluejay Debut in Season-Opener
Omaha ConnectionsÂ
Creighton assistant coach Ryan Wieligman makes his return to the Lone Star state this weekend to play at his previous school Texas State.Â
Wieligman served as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas State during the 2022 season under Ricci Woodard.Â
In addition to Wieligman's connections, Creighton will face three teams with players from the Omaha/Council Bluffs area.Â
Southern Illinois features freshman sisters Rylinn and Maddia Groff who went to Marian High School, as well as Millard North graduate and current freshman Katherine Johnson.Â
UTSA features sophomore Madi Hayes, who graduated from Bellevue West in 2022, while Texas State features Riverside, Iowa native Dani Laughlin.Â
Magic Number 5
Creighton was 18-8 last season when scoring five runs or more, outscoring their opponents 195-102 during those 26 games.
In the last 22 seasons, Creighton is 352-54 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 229-389-3 when scoring four runs or fever.Â
Creighton is also 140-36 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.Â
During that same time frame the Bluejays are 78-4 when scoring eight or more runs, which includes a perfect 9-0 last season.Â
See You On The Bases
Cayla Nielsen reached base in 44-of-53 games played last season and lead Creighton with a .489 on-base percentage, a figure that ranked 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.Â
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.   .486   Cayla Nielsen   2023
7.   .482   Tash Coffiel   2016
8.   .479   Kailey Wilson   2021
   .479   Ashley Cantu   2018
10.   .477   Liz Dike   2015
Nielsen On Quest To Top-10
Entering her final season with the Bluejays, senior Cayla Nielsen looks to climb the Bluejay ranks in several career stat categories.Â
Nielsen currently ranks eighth all-time with a .329 career batting average. She is also on the verge of entering the Top-10 list for runs scored (seven shy) and doubles (10 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.   .353   Kailey Wilson   168-476   2019-23
   6.   .336   Renae Sinkler   201-599   2007-10
   7.   .331   Kiara Mills   123-372   2019-22
   8.   .329   Cayla Nielsen   142-431   2020-pr.
   9.   .328   Melanie Dorsey   198-604   2002-05
   10.   .326   Christine Fukumoto   110-337   2004-05
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RUNS SCORED
   No.   Name   R   Years
   1.   Stacey Rybar   132   2001-04
   2.   Jean Tierney   130   1980-83
   3.   Heidi Geier   129   1996-99
      Ashley Cantu   129   2017-21
   5.   Sue Frederick   128   1986-89
   6.   Christy Lunceford   122   1994-97
   7.   Renae Sinkler   120   2007-10
   8.   Bailey Dawson   119   2006-09
   9.   Liz Dike   118   2012-15
   10.   Lauren Cisneros   113   2003-06
Durable Vejvoda
Senior infielder Madeline Vejvoda is reaching uncharted territory as she has started in each of Creighton's last 115 consecutive games dating back to March 7, 2021.Â
Her 115 straight starts are the longest streak since Jen Daro started 129 consecutive games from 2015-2017.Â
Over the course of her Bluejay career, Vejvoda has started 126 of the 139 games she has played in.Â
Production Returns
Creighton returns seven players who started at least half of the games from last spring's team that finished 22-31 and 6-18 in the BIG EAST Conference.Â
All told, CU returns 79.7 percent of its starts, 78.8 percent of its hits, 83 percent of its runs, 81.8 percent of its doubles, 68.2 percent of its home runs, 74.2 percent of its RBI and 71.2 percent of its walks off last year's squad.
The Bluejays also return 74.4 percent of its innings pitched, 71.5 percent of its strikeouts, 77.3 percent of its pitching wins and 75.3 percent of its putouts from last year's squad.Â
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Starts   380 (79.7%)   97 (20.3%)
Hits   323 (78.8%)   87 (21.2%)
Runs   205 (83.0%)   42 (17.0%)
Doubles   63 (81.8%)   14 (18.9%)
Home Runs   30 (68.2%)   14 (31.8%)
RBIÂ Â Â 173 (74.2%)Â Â Â 60 (25.8%)
Walks   116 (71.2%)   47 (28.8%)
IPÂ Â Â 252.2 (74.4%)Â Â Â 86.1 (25.6%)
K's   188 (71.5%)   75 (28.5%)
Wins   17 (77.3%)   5 (22.7%)
POÂ Â Â 766 (75.3%)Â Â Â 251 (24.7%)
Starting On The Right Foot
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton has finished the first weekend of the season with more than one win just six times.
2023: 2-2 in Rosemont, Ill.
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.
Tough Sledding
Creighton has never shied away from playing a tough schedule, and that is no different in 2024. The Bluejays will play six different teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including Preseason Top-25 ranked Nebraska on March 16.
Bluejays Slotted Sixth In Preseason Poll
The Creighton softball team was picked sixth in the 2024 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Villanova was picked to claim the regular-season title with four first-place votes and 59 points overall. The defending BIG EAST regular-season champions, UConn, was picked second with 58 points and three first-place votes, while the reigning BIG EAST Tournament champions, Seton Hall, claimed the final two first-place votes and 53 points for third. DePaul came in fourth with 40 points, while Butler and Creighton rounded out the top six with 37 and 27 points respectfully. St. John's is predicted to finish in sixth place with 21 points, followed by Georgetown (15 points) and Providence (14 points).
Creighton opens the 2024 season at the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas on Feb. 9-11. The Bluejays play former Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois on Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. to begin the new campaign. The home portion of the schedule begins on March 13 when the Bluejays welcome Rider to the CU Sports Complex for a midweek doubleheader.Â
BIG EAST play gets rolling on March 8 when Creighton travels to Queens for a three-game weekend series at St. John's. The top six finishers in the BIG EAST regular-season standing will qualify for the BIG EAST Championships presented by Jeep, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.Â
2024 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Villanova (4) - 59
UConn (3) - 58
Seton Hall (2) - 53
DePaul - 40
Butler - 37
Creighton - 27
St. John's - 21
Georgetown – 15
Providence - 14
KJ Murphy Named As Assistant Coach
Kjirstyn "KJ" Murphy has been named an assistant coach with the Creighton softball program, head coach Krista Wood announced on Friday, June 30.Â
Murphy comes to Creighton after spending the 2023 season as a graduate assistant coach at The University of Texas at Arlington under the direction of head coach Kara Dill, after playing five seasons for the Mavericks. In her one season as a graduate assistant, Murphy served as the director of operations and was in charge of scheduling flights, hotels and buses for away games while serving as the point of contact for future recruits and potential student-athletes.Â
A native of Baytown, Texas, Murphy capped off her illustrious five-year playing career at UTA as an NFCA All-Region and All-Sun Belt First Team honoree, while guiding the Mavericks to 117 wins. She finished her career ranked tied for ninth with 16 career home runs and just outside the top-10 with 27 career doubles.Â
Murphy posted the best offensive number of her career as a senior in 2021, recording a .405 batting average, the fifth best single season mark in UTA softball program history, while pacing the Mavericks in hits (62), doubles (13), home runs (6), RBI (31) and walks (21).Â
In the classroom, Murphy became just the sixth UTA softball player to earned CSC Academic All-District First Team honors in program history while earning her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice in 2021. Murphy also earned her master's degree in criminology and criminal justice from UTA in May of 2023.
Christian Lunceford Joins Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame
Bluejay softball alumni Christian Lunceford was inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame as part of 55th class in school history.Â
Lunceford starred as a member of the Creighton Softball program from 1994-98, becoming the first female student-athlete in Creighton history to be named a College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-American in 1997.
One of Creighton's greatest hitters, Lunceford closed her career as the Bluejays' all-time hits leader with 245 base knocks, including a single-season program record 76 hits as a senior.Â
A three-time First Team All-MVC outfielder, Lunceford also owns the school record for career doubles with 51, a total that ranked atop the career totals in the MVC at the time. Lunceford ranks third in school history with a .379 career batting average while continuing to rank in Creighton's career top-10 in total bases (fourth, 349), runs (sixth, 122), triples (seventh, 10), RBI (ninth, 110), at-bats (ninth, 646) and stolen bases (10th, 32).Â
A three-time First Team All-Midwest Region and Academic All-MVC honoree, Lunceford is one of only three Bluejays in program history to hit better than .400 in two seasons, including a career-high .419 as a junior. During her junior season (1996), she earned all-conference honors after leading the Bluejays in six offensive categories, including batting average (.419), on-base percentage (.490), doubles (13), hits (52) and tied for the team lead in home runs (3) and runs scored (27), while her 23 runs batted in ranked second.