Softball Squares Off With Omaha At Connie Claussen Field On Tuesday

Game #36: Creighton Bluejays (21-14) at Omaha Mavericks (25-7)
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 • 5 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • Connie Claussen Field
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF)

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Creighton (21-14, 6-3 BIG EAST) steps away from BIG EAST play for a midweek contest against crosstown foe Omaha (25-7) on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Connie Claussen Field in Omaha.

Follow The Games

Live video and live stats will be available for Tuesday's contest at Omaha.

Live stats will be provided through Sidearm stats, while live video can be accessed through midcosportsplus.

Links to 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 (18-13, 3-3 BE)

Coming off its first BIG EAST series sweep since 2021, Creighton enters Tuesday's crosstown battle at Omaha with a 21-14 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the BIG EAST.

The Bluejays fell to Drake in a midweek contest last Wednesday, before sweeping Georgetown in a three-game series over the weekend.

Offensively, Creighton is hitting .272 with 45 doubles, four triples and 18 home runs while pushing across 147 runs at the plate for an average of 4.2 runs per contest.

The Bluejays are led by fifth-year senior Cayla Nielsen and her .348 batting average, which includes team-highs in hits (40, doubles (9) and on-base percentage (.409). Fellow senior Madeline Vejvoda follows closely behind with a .327 batting average on 33 hits and 19 runs scored.

Sophomore Lily West is also hitting better than .300 with a .313 batting average with eight doubles and a team-high 22 runs scored, while sophomore Ella Dalton has provided a .297 batting average at the plate and a team-high four stolen bases.

Senior Emma Rosonke is right behind with .280 average on 21 base hits, including two doubles, a triple and two home runs, while freshman Sydney Potter has also provided some power to the Bluejay lineup this season. Potter has collected a team-high 26 RBI on a team-best eight home runs and seven doubles.

In the circle, Creighton has posted a 3.41 ERA with 172 strikeouts to just 100 walks in 219.2 innings of work.

Sophomore Natalia Puchino has thrown a team-high 99.2 innings for the Bluejays this season, while owning a 14-2 overall record with three saves. The Colorado native has been dominant, owning a BIG EAST leading 1.83 ERA and 93 strikeouts in the circle thus far.

Meanwhile, junior Kenzie Schopfer is coming off throwing the first Bluejay perfect game since 2006, having logged a respectable 3.56 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 59.0 innings pitched this season.

Senior Jena Lawrence has also posted a 2-3 record with a 4.14 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched, while junior Alexis Wiggins holds a 4.10 ERA with nine strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work.

Head coach Krista Wood is in her second season with the Bluejays and holds a 551-364 career record, including a 43-45 mark at Creighton.

Scouting Omaha (25-7)

Omaha enters Tuesday's crosstown rivalry with a 25-7 overall record, having won 14 straight contests dating back to an 8-4 loss against James Madison on March 1.

The Mavericks 14-game winning streak is the second longest active winning streak in the country, only behind Oklahoma's 16-game winning streak.

Led by graduate Kamryn Meyer in the circle, Omaha owns a 3.59 ERA with 188 strikeouts in 208.1 innings of work this season. Meyer paces the Mavericks with 127 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA in 95.1 innings, while senior Sydney Nuismer owns a team-best 2.95 ERA with 42 punchouts in 79.1 innings of work.

Offensively, the Mavericks have five regular starters hitting over .300, led by junior Maggie O'Brien (.371) and graduate student Lynsey Tucker (.370).

Fellow graduate student Sydney Ross follows closely behind with a .358 average but has recorded a team-high 10 doubles and 29 RBI this season. Veterans Alex Olson and Sydney Thomason are also hitting .308 and .306 respectfully for the Mavericks this season.

As a team, Omaha is hitting .292, with 48 doubles, 10 triples and 18 home runs while scoring 168 runs.

Omaha was picked to finish second in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll as head coach Mike Heard is in his third season with the Mavericks.

Series History Against Mavericks

Creighton leads the all-time series against Omaha, 29-12.

The Bluejays and Mavericks split a pair of contests last season, with Omaha earning a 2-1 win on March 22, before Creighton recorded a 5-3 win over the Mavericks on April 11.

The Bluejays are 6-5 all-time in games at Omaha, including losses in each of the last two road meetings.

Krista Wood's Success Against The Mavericks

Head coach Krista Wood is 24-11 all-time against Omaha as a head coach.

Wood's complied a 19-8 record against the Mavericks while at SDSU, which including wins in 13 of her last 15 meetings. She also recorded a 4-10 record against Omaha while serving as the head coach at Wayne State College. Coach Wood is 1-1 against the Mavericks as the head coach at Creighton.

Wood's Returns To Alma Mater

One of the greatest pitchers in Omaha softball history, makes her return to the field on Tuesday when head coach Krista Wood takes the Bluejays across town to battle her alma mater Omaha.

Wood's, a 2003 graduate of Omaha, helped the Mavericks to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2001 as a sophomore and still holds Maverick career records in wins (106), appearances (147), games started (124), complete games (110) and innings pitched (858.1).

She also owns or shares single-season school records in win (32 in 2002), ERA (0.76 in 2001), saves (5 in 2003) and shutouts (15 in 2022) and was recently inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2020.

Home-Grown Talent

A combined 22 players on Tuesday's rosters hail from the state of Nebraska. Creighton has 10 players from Nebraska, while Omaha has 12. Of the 22, 13 are from the Omaha metro area.

Milestone Watch

- Cayla Nielsen is two runs shy of tying Sue Frederick (128) for fifth on Creighton's all-time runs scored list.

- Cayla Nielsen is also just six runs shy of becoming Creighton's all-time runs scored leader in program history.

- Cayla Nielsen owns 182 career hits and is 16 base hits shy of moving into a tie with Melanie Dorsey for 10th on Creighton's all-time career hits list.

- Nielsen owns 33 career doubles and is one doubles shy of tying Erin Fraser and Dede Pendleton (34) for ninth on Creighton's all-time career doubles list.

- Nielsen needs just nine walks to tie Karla Hughes (69) for 10th on Creighton's all-time career walks list.

- Alyssa Gappa owns 19 career hit-by-pitches, two shy of moving into a tie with Sami Herbster for sixth all-time for hit-by-pitches in a career.

Schopfer's Simply Perfect

Junior Kenzie Schopfer was perfect in last Friday's game against Georgetown, becoming just the third Bluejay in the last 30 years to toss a perfect game.

The Savannah, Mo. native retired all 15 batters she faced, striking out five hitters to become the first Creighton player since Laura Fonda in 2006 to fire a perfect game. Fonda recorded the last perfect game with a five-inning, 10-strikeout performance against LaSalle on March 7, 2006.

Previous perfect games and no-hitters are listed on page 5 of the notes.

Bluejays Trio Named to BE Honor Roll

Senior Madeline Vejvoda, junior Kenzie Schopfer and freshman Sydney Potter each earned a spot on the BIG EAST honor roll this week after their performances against Georgetown last week.

Vejvoda hit .500 (5-of-10) with six RBI, four runs scored, three doubles, and a homerun as Creighton swept BIG EAST competitor Georgetown.

Schopfer posted a 1.11 ERA with a 1-1 record while tossing the first Bluejay perfect game since 2006 in a five-inning, five-strikeout victory over Georgetown on Friday.

Potter hit .364 with two doubles, two home runs, and four RBI as Creighton swept BIG EAST opponent, Georgetown. Following last week's outings, the freshman leads Creighton with a team-best eight home runs and 26 RBI.

We're Going Back-To-Back

Madeline Vejvoda and Sydney Potter hit back-to-back home runs in the first innings vs. Georgetown on March 29.

It's the first time Creighton has hit back-to-back home runs since Lily West and Vejvoda homered consecutively in the fifth innings against Kansas City on March 15, 2023.

Creighton has now hit back-to-back homers at least once in three consecutive seasons, which includes back-to-back-to-back home runs from Sam Alm, Emma Rosonke and Shayna Dahlen against Villanova on April 16, 2022.

Bring the BIG EAST Broom

Creighton completed its first BIG EAST series sweep of the season this past weekend against Georgetown, recording a trio of run-rule victories over the Hoyas.

The last time Creighton swept a BIG EAST series was against Seton Hall on April 2-3, 2021. In fact, it was just the eighth time since joining the BIG EAST in 2014 and the seventh time at home that CU has swept a three-game BIG EAST series. Below is a list of all the series sweeps Creighton has had since 2014.

BIG EAST Series Sweeps

Opponents Date

Georgetown March 28-30, 2024

Seton Hall April 2-3, 2021

Villanova May 5-6, 2018

at Seton Hall April 21-22, 2018

Seton Hall April 14-15, 2017

Georgetown April 9-10, 2016

Providence May 3-4, 2014

Villanova April 5-6, 2014

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 her final six seasons that featured 11 straight victories.

In her second season with the Bluejays, Wood's currently owns a 12-21 record in the BIG EAST with victories over Butler, DePaul, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John's.

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 4-2

Providence 2-1 1-2

Seton Hall 1-0 1-5

St. John's 1-0 3-3

Connecticut 0-0 0-3

Villanova 2-0 0-3

Totals 21-5 12-21

Puchino Surpasses 200 Career Strikeouts

With a strikeout in the first inning against Georgetown on Thursday, sophomore Natalia Puchino become just the 12th Bluejays in the last 25 years to record at least 200 career strikeouts.

Puchino's 206 career strikeouts are the most since Kiele Miller recorded 334 punchouts from 2018-2020. Last season, Puchino became just the fifth Bluejay to record 100 strikeouts in their freshman season.

Career Strikeouts Since 1999

Strikeouts Pitcher Year

1086 Tara Oltman 2007-10

914 Tammy Nielsen 2003-05

860 Becca Changstrom 2011-14

495 Shelli Mellegaard 1999-02

334 Kiele Miller 2018-20

282 Sydnee Eck 2015-16

278 Kristan Melton 2000-03

249 Stephanie Cortese 2003-06

243 Abby Johnson 2002-05

234 Micaela Whitney 2015-16

211 Amanda Hess 2007-08

206 Natalia Puchino 2023-Pr.

Nielsen Etches Name In CU Record Book

Senior Cayla Nielsen has been a fixture in the Bluejays lineup since arriving on campus in 2020. On March 2 against St. Thomas, Nielsen scored three runs to etch her name in Creighton history, surpassing Lauren Cisneros for 10th on Creighton all-time career runs scored list with 115 career runs scored.

The Blair, Neb. native has since climbed into sixth, passing Liz Dike, Bailey Dawson, Renae Sinkler-O'Gorman and Christy Lunceford, to up her total runs scored to 126. The fifth-year senior is just seven runs away from becoming the all-time runs scored leader in Creighton Softball history.

Nielsen also ranks tied seventh on Creighton's all-time career batting average list with a .333 average, while sitting just one doubles shy of becoming the newest member of the Top-10 club for 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. .353 Kailey Wilson 168-476 2019-23

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

7. .333 Cayla Nielsen 182-546 2020-Pr.

8. .331 Kiara Mills 123-372 2019-22

9. .328 Melanie Dorsey 198-604 2002-05

10. .326 Christine Fukumoto 110-337 2004-05

11. .325 Mary Yori 176-542 1980-82

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. Cayla Nielsen 126 2020-pr.

7. Christy Lunceford 122 1994-97

8. Renae Sinkler 120 2007-10

9. Bailey Dawson 119 2006-09

10. Liz Dike 118 2012-15

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 2019-23

Bailey Dawson 35 2006-09

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

- Cayla Nielsen 33 2020-pr.

Leadoff Power

Senior Cayla Nielsen has batted leadoff for the Bluejays in 31-of-the-35 game this season, providing a big bat for the Bluejays at the top of the order.

The Blair, Neb. native leads the Bluejays with 40 hits this season, which includes a team-high nine doubles and three home runs.

In CU's home opener against Rider, Nielsen opened the bottom of the first with a solo shot to deep center, becoming the first Bluejay since Ashley Cantu in 2021 to lead off a game with a home run.

Just two days later, Nielsen did it again, launching a leadoff home run over the right center field wall in the Bluejays 2-1 win over Northern Colorado.

Sophomore Lily West took over the leadoff spot this past weekend against Georgetown. In her first plate appearance against the Hoyas, West blasted a leadoff home run to left center to put the Jays out in front 1-0.

It was the third time this season Creighton has led off a game with a home run.

Saving the Day

Not only is sophomore Natalia Puchino a dominant starting pitcher, she also has been a force in relief for the Bluejay pitching staff this season.

On Friday, March 22, Puchino recorded her third save of the season, tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to becoming the first Bluejay to record at least three saves in a single season since Tara Oltamn also recorded three saves in 2010.

Puchino's three saves are also tied for the sixth most in a single season in program history.

SAVES

No. Name SV Year

1. Candi Letts 9 1982

2. Tara Oltman 7 2008

3. Candi Letts 6 1981

Holly Hesse 6 1981

5. April Trupp 4 1987

6. 13 Times 3

last by Natalia Puchino 2024

Puchino Circle Dominance

After guiding the Bluejays pitching staff to 13 wins in the circle last season, sophomore Natalia Puchino has been red hot for the Bluejays in 2024.

The Milliken, Colo. native is 14-2 with three saves in the circle for the Bluejays this season. She currently leads the BIG EAST with a 1.83 ERA and 93 total strikeouts in 99.2 innings of work this season.

In Creighton's home opener against Rider on March 13, Puchino recorded a season-high nine strikeouts, while allowing just three hits in the complete game effort to secure her third shutout of the season.

Durable Vejvoda

Senior infielder Madeline Vejvoda continues to be a fixture in the Creighton starting lineup. Not only has she started every game this season, but she's reaching uncharted territory as she has now started in each of Creighton's last 150 consecutive games dating back to March 7, 2021.

Her 150 straight starts are the longest streak by a Bluejay since Kelsey Allender started 185 consecutive games from 2013-2016.

Over the course of her Bluejay career, Vejvoda has started 161 of the 174 games she has played in.

Lead Generally Safe

Creighton has done an excellent job protecting leads this season, recording a 17-3 record when scoring first. The Bluejays had won 13 straight games when scoring first before suffering a 9-3 loss at Seton Hall on March 24 in South Orange, N.J.

Creighton is 14-1 when leading after four innings, 13-1 when leading after five innings and 14-1 when leading after six innings this season.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Senior Alyssa Gappa continued her climb up the Bluejay ranks when she was hit by a pitch in the Bluejays' 9-1 victory over North Dakota on March 17.

With the hit-by-pitches, Gappa moved into a tie with Mileah McKelvy for seventh on Creighton's all-time career hit-by-pitch record list with 19 career hit-by-pitches.

CREIGHTON CAREER HIT BY PITCH LIST

No. Name HBP Years

1. Jen Daro 39 2014-17

2. Michelle Graner 34 2007-10

3. Alexis Cantu 29 2012-14 4. Michelle Koch 25 2007-10

Lauren Cisneros 25 2003-06

6. Sami Herbster 21 2000-03

7. Alyssa Gappa 19 2021-pr.

Mileah McKelvy 19 2016-20

9. Liz McKewon 18 2008-11

10 Renae Sinkler 16 2007-10

Bluejays Keeping it Close

Through the first 35 games of the season, Creighton has played 13 games decided by two or less runs, including nine one-run contests.

The Bluejays are 9-4 overall during games decided by two runs or less this season. CU has posted one-run victories over Northwestern State (2-1), Kennesaw State (2-1), Colgate (3-2), Pacific (5-4), Northern Colorado (2-1) and Seton Hall (3-2).

Last season, Creighton played 20 games decided by two or less runs, posting a 7-13 overall record, while recording a 4-9 record in one-run contests.

Magic Number 5

Since the turn of the century, Creighton has had tremendous success when scoring five or more runs. The Bluejays have continued that success this spring, improving to 13-0 when scoring at least five runs in a game. In those 13 games, Creighton has outscored their opponents, 111-27.

Over the last 24 seasons, Creighton is 365-54 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 237-402-3 when scoring four runs or fever.

Creighton is also 150-36 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

During that same time frame the Bluejays are 87-4 when scoring eight or more runs, which included a perfect 9-0 record this season.

CU Sports Complex Turns Into Launching Pad

Creighton has also produced some big hitters throughout its powerful lineup over the years and that trend continues this season for the Bluejays. CU has blasted 18 home runs this season, with 12 of those coming from within the confines of the CU Sports Complex.

Freshman Sydney Potter leads the way with five home runs this season at home, while both Cayla Nielsen and Emma Rosonke have each recorded two homers at the CU Sports Complex this spring.

In 2023, a total of 41 home runs were hit during 16 Creighton home games. Through the first eight home games in 2024, Creighton is on pace to shatter this figure after hitting five Bluejay bombs in a BIG EAST series sweep over Georgetown last week.

Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, the most home runs a Creighton team has hit during a single season at home is 25 (2018).

Here's a look at the home runs totals at the CU Sports Complex since joining the BIG EAST.

HRs Hit At CU Sports Complex By Year

HRs (CU HRs) Number of Games Year

14 (12) 8 2024

41 (22) 16 2023

41 (19) 13 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

Creighton At Home

Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, the Bluejays own a 65-65 record at home.

The Bluejays are 7-1 this season, which includes victories over Rider, Northern Colorado, North Dakota and a BIG EAST series sweep over Georgetown. Through the first eight home games, Creighton is hitting .367 with 17 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 49 RBI, while the Bluejay pitching staff owns a 1.07 ERA with 42 strikeouts and is hold opponents to a .154 batting average.

Last season Creighton finished 5-11 at the Creighton Sports Complex with a pair of wins over Kansas City, and single victories over Butler, Omaha and St. John's.

The Bluejays hit .283 at home with 18 doubles, two triples and 22 home runs. Senior Cayla Nielsen paced the Bluejay returners with a .362 batting average with one double, one triple and six home runs and a team-high 16 RBI, while Lily West (.333) led the team with three doubles.

Opponents finished the year hitting .318 with 19 home runs and 16 doubles at the Creighton Sports Complex.

A total of 41 home runs (22 by CU, 19 by opponents) were hit during 102 innings of action.

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:

2024: 7-1

2023: 5-11

2022: 3-10

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

Free Softball

Creighton has played two extra-inning games this season, recording a 5-4 10-inning win over Pacific on Feb. 23 in the Libby Matson Tournament, before suffering a 4-3 loss in 8-innings last weekend at Seton Hall.

Senior Cayla Nielsen lifted the Bluejays to the victory over Pacific, launching a two-run home run to straight away center in the top of the 10th innings to give Creighton a 5-3 lead.

The 10-inning game was the Bluejays longest game by innings since dropping a 3-2 10-inning contest to Omaha on April 21, 2021.

Overall, Creighton is 90-96-2 all-time in extra innings games, including a 14-14 mark since joining the BIG EAST in 2014. Amongst the extra-inning games is the Bluejays NCAA record 31-inning contests against Utah on May 11, 1991, as well as the third longest game in NCAA History in the 25-inning affair against Utah just 21-minutes later on May 12, 1991.

Nielsen Reaches 150 Hit Milestone

Fifth-year senior outfielder Cayla Nielsen reached the 150-hit plateau on Feb. 17 against Colgate at the Hatter Classic in Florida.

The Blair, Neb. native recorded her 150th hit with an RBI single down the left field line during the bottom of the fourth inning in the Jays' 3-2 win over the Raiders.

Nielsen is just the 15th Bluejay player since 1999 to record 150 hits in their career. Overall, Nielsen currently has recorded 182 career hits, including 33 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs.

See You On The Bases

Since joining the Bluejays in 2020, senior Cayla Nielsen has been a fixture on the base paths for the Bluejays. In her five years at Creighton, Nielsen has reached base safely in 139 of her 183 career games, recording a .408 on-base percentage, which ranks as the 12th-best percentage by a Bluejays since 1999.

Last season, Nielsen reached base in 44-of-53 games played 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.

This season we have seen Nielsen reach base safely in 29 out of the first 35 games, while recording a team-high 40 hits and a .409 on-base percentage.

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

Softball Squares Off With Omaha At Connie Claussen Field On Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Jena Lawrence

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Sydney Potter

Natalia Puchino

Emma Rosonke

Kenzie Schopfer

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

Softball Squares Off With Omaha At Connie Claussen Field On Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sam Alm

Ashley Cantu

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Jena Lawrence

Kiara Mills

Cayla Nielsen

Sydney Potter

Natalia Puchino

Emma Rosonke

Kenzie Schopfer

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Alexis Wiggins

Kailey Wilson

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