Creighton University
Northern Kentucky
Softball Travels to Peach State for Kennesaw State Tournament
2/12/2025 10:22:00 PM | Softball
Kennesaw State Tournament • Kennesaw, Ga. • Bailey Park
Game #6: Creighton Bluejays vs. Northern Kentucky Norse
Friday, Feb. 14, 2024 • 9 a.m. || LIVE STATS | CU NOTES
Game #7: Creighton Bluejays vs. Morehead State Eagles
Friday, Feb. 14, 2024 • 12 p.m. || LIVE STATS | CU NOTES
Game #8: Creighton Bluejays vs. Northern Kentucky Norse
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2024 • 9 a.m. || LIVE STATS | CU NOTES
Game #9: Creighton Bluejays at Kennesaw State Owls
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2024 • 3 p.m. || LIVE STATS | CU NOTES
Game #10: Creighton Bluejays vs. Morehead State Eagles
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2024 • 10 a.m. || LIVE STATS | CU NOTES
This Week
Creighton softball returns to the diamond this weekend, traveling to the Kennesaw State Tournament in Kennesaw, Ga. The Bluejays are scheduled to play five games beginning on Friday.
Creighton (3-2) opens play on Friday against Northern Kentucky (4-1) at 9 a.m., followed by a contest against Morehead State (0-5) at 12 p.m.
On Saturday, CU faces Northern Kentucky for a second time at 9 a.m., before battling Kennesaw State (0-5) at 3 p.m. The Jays conclude the tourney on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. against Morehead State.
Follow The Games
Live stats for each game of the Kennesaw State Tournament will be available via StatBroadcast.
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing. Stats to all home games can also be followed at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Unfortunately, this weekend's Kennesaw State Tournament will not be streamed on any platforms.
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 (3-2)
Creighton is 3-2 on the young season after picking up a trio of victories over Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C.
Three Bluejay upperclassmen with a wealth of experience guided Creighton through the opening weekend of play at Coastal Carolina. Senior Sydra Seville was CU's top offensive weapon, hitting an impressive .444 (8-of-18) with two doubles, a home run, two walks, four RBI and four runs scored.
Graduate transfer Hannah Poole owned a .364 batting average of her own with a pair of doubles, while junior Lily West has continued her consistency at the plate, hitting .313 on five hits with three runs scored.
Sophomore Lynn Davis also impressed during the opening weekend, hitting .353 with six hits, two doubles and two RBI.
As a team, Creighton is hitting .287 with nine doubles, five home runs, 13 walks and 21 runs driven in.
Sophomore Brooklyn Patchen led the Bluejays in the circle with a pair of wins last week, recording a 2.55 ERA with eight strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work, while classmate Brooke Shifflett struck out nine in 9.2 innings for a 2.90 ERA. Freshman Abby Rusher added in five punch outs of her own and collected a 1.62 ERA with 8.2 innings pitched.
Creighton returns six regular starters from last season's 36-22 squad that posted the programs first 35-win season since 2010 and finished runner-up in both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament. The Bluejays were picked to finish fourth in the BIG EAST by the league coaches in 2025.
Head coach Krista Wood is in her third season with the Bluejays and holds a 569-373 career record, including a 61-54 mark at Creighton.
Scouting Northern Kentucky (4-1)
Northern Kentucky went 4-1 last weekend, defeating George Washington (5-2, 9 inn.), Presbyterian twice (10-2, 11-4) and Morehead State (11-0) before falling to George Washington (0-3) at the Pinnacle Blue Hose Invitational in Clinton, S.C.
Senior Alicia Flores and sophomore Brooklyn Ballis anchored the Norse in the circle last week, as Flores owned two wins with a 1.70 ERA and eight strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work, while Ballis collected a pair of wins of her own and a 2.63 ERA with seven punchout in 16 innings pitched.
As a team, NKU owns a 2.06 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 34.0 compete innings. On the offensive side, the Norse are hitting .301 with 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs.
True freshman Campbell Beatty leads the NKU offensively with a .450 batting average with three doubles and a team-high eight RBI. She's followed closely by 2024 First Team All-Horizon League honoree Olivia Pastin, who hit 438 with a double, a home run and five walks during the opening weekend.
Northern Kentucky finished 27-22 last season, advancing to the Horizon League Tournament title game for the second time in program history, before falling to Cleveland State.
NKU was picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Coaches' poll as head coach Morgan Gerak is in her first season at the helm of the Norse.
Series History Against The Norse
Creighton is 1-1 all-time against Northern Kentucky, having split a pair of contests against the Norse in Carbondale, Ill. in 2020 and 2021.
NKU won the first ever meeting, 7-1, in 2020, before the Bluejays responded with a 4-3 win at the Saluki Invitational on March 6, 2021.
Head Coach Krista Wood has never faced Northern Kentucky as a head coach.
Scouting Morehead State (0-5)
Morehead State is 0-5 on the season, falling to George Washington, Presbyterian and Northern Kentucky last weekend.
Iowa native Kendra Lewis paces the Eagles offense with a .500 batting average on seven hits, including a pair of doubles, while sophomore Maddy Christopher boasts a .429 batting average on six hits and two runs scored.
Freshman Victoria Spencer (.385) and senior Darlene Montoya (.353) as also hitting at a better than .350 clip.
As a team, the Eagles are hitting .292 with six doubles and 18 runs scored, while their pitching staff owns a 6.77 ERA as opponents are hitting at a .372 average.
Junior Rylie Burney has handled the majority of the load, recording a 4.32 ERA with six strikeouts in 22.2 innings of work.
The Blue and Gold return five letter winners, all starters, along with two other players who saw limited action, from a team that went 12-28 last season, including a 6-21 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Morehead State was picked to finish ninth in the OVC Preseason Coaches' Poll, as head coach Megan Griffith enters her third season at the helm of the Eagles.
Series History Against The Eagles
Creighton owns a 1-0 record all-time against Morehead State, winning the only meeting between the two schools, 5-0, back on March 12, 1996.
Head coach Krista Wood will be matching up against the Eagles for the first time in her coaching career on Friday.
Scouting Kennesaw State (0-5)
Kennesaw State is 0-5 this season, falling short in tight battles with No. 21 Northwestern (5-4), Iowa (5-0), Penn State (9-1), Pittsburgh (3-0) and No. 13 Texas Tech (3-0) last weekend at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
Sophomore Hannah Harvey posted a .286 batting average with a team-high tying four hits, including a double, while senior Ty Hardeman and freshman Ana Gore hit at a .273 and .267 clip respectfully.
The Owls hit just .154 as a team with three doubles and 11 walks, while the pitching staff logged a 4.30 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work.
Sophomore Emma Friedel paced the Owls staff with a 2.63 ERA and six punchouts in 8.0 innings of work. Junior Kenley Hilleary contributed a 3.28 ERA with five strikeouts in 10.2 innings pitched last weekend.
KSU returned 14 players from last year's team that finished the year with a 16-37 overall record and ninth in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Kennesaw State was picked to finish 10th in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll, as head coach Tripp MacKay enters her seventh season at the helm of the Owls.
Series History Against The Owls
Creighton holds a1-0 record in the all-time series against Kennesaw State, claiming the victory in the only meeting between the two schools, 2-1, at the Texas State Tournament on Feb. 11 last spring.
Head coach Krista Wood is 1-0 as a head coach against the Owls, winning the aforementioned game in the Creighton dugout.
Milestone Watch
- Hannah Poole owns 92 career hits and is eight shy of 100 career hits between Radford (30), Furman (58) and Creighton (4).
- Kenzie Schopfer enters this weekend's tournament with 94 career strikeouts, six shy of recording 100 in her collegiate career.
- Lily West owns 49 career RBI and is two shy of 50 for her Bluejay career.
Walking Off With Victories
Creighton ended their stay at the Kickin' Chicken Classic with some late game heroics as sophomore Sydney Potter delivered a two-run, two-out walk-off home run to straight center to give Creighton a 4-3 win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
Potter's walk-off blast was the Bluejays first walk-off home run since Emma Rosonke launched a three-run home run in a 9-1 run-rule victory over Abilene Christian on Feb. 13, 2022.
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Creighton has recorded a total of five victories via walk-off home runs.
The Bluejays owned five walk-off wins in 2021, including three walk-off home runs, three walk-offs in 2022, zero in 2023 and three more in 2024.
Below is a list of Creighton's walk-off wins since 2021.
Score Play (player) Date
4-3 vs. PFW 2-RBI HR (Potter) 2/9/25
12-4 vs. Villanova RBI-Single (Gappa) 4/6/24
8-7 vs. VIllanova RBI-2B (Rosonke) 4/5/24
9-1 vs. North Dakota RBI-Single (Gappa) 3/17/24
7-6 vs. Providence RBI-2B (Mills) 3/26/22
14-6 (6) vs. Oakland RBI-Single (Alm) 3/5/22
9-1 (5) vs Abilene Christian 3-RBI HR (Rosonke) 2/13/22
10-2 (6) vs. UIC RBI-1B (Gappa) 3/5/21
4-3 vs. Northern Kentucky 2-RBI HR (Wilson) 3/6/21
6-5 vs. Seton Hall Reach on E (Rosonke) 4/3/21
4-3 vs. St. John's Solo HR (Mills) 4/10/21
12-9 vs. St. John's 3-RBI HR (Wilson) 4/11/21
*Bold Indicates happened this year.
Potter Bombs
Sophomore Sydney Potter worked her way into the Bluejays starting lineup last season, in large part of her power at the plate.
The Runnells, Iowa native currently leads the team with a pair of home runs, six RBI and a .733 slugging percentage this season.
In just 51 career games, Potter has recorded 11 total home runs, driving in 39 runs. In fact, 21 of her 33 career hits have been extra-base hits, including 10 doubles to go along with her 11 home runs.
Free Softball
Creighton played it first extra inning game of the season this past Sunday, picking up a 4-3 8-inning win over Purdue Fort Wayne in the finale at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C.
Sophomore Sydney Potter lifted the Bluejays to the victory, launching a two-run home run to straight away center in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Potter's two-run walk-off blast was the Bluejays first walk-off home run since Emma Rosonke launched a three-run home run in a 9-1 run-rule victory over Abilene Christian on Feb. 13, 2022.
Last season the Bluejays played seven extra-inning games, recording a 6-1 record. Overall, Creighton is 95-96-2 all-time in extra innings games, including a 19-14 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.
Seville Gone Streaking!
Sydra Seville had her career-best hitting streak snapped at 18 straight games on Feb. 8 after recording the longest hit streak by a Bluejays since at least 1999 on her first career out of the park home run in an 10-2 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.
In addition to recording a having her 18-game hit streak snapped, Seville also had and 18-game on-base streak broken on Saturday when failing to reach base safely. Seville's 18-game on-base streak was the longest by a Bluejay since Kailey Wilson reached base safely in 19 straight games back in 2022.
The New Lenox, Ill. native hit a blistering .517 (30-of-58) with 30 hits, nine RBI, 12 runs scored and four stolen bases over her 18-games hitting streak, dating back to last season, where Seville earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors and a spot on the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team.
Below is a list of Creighton's top hitting streaks since 1999 and the Bluejays top on-base streaks since 2010.
Longest Creighton Hitting Streaks Since 1999
Hit Streak Player Year
18 Sydra Seville 2024-25
17 Renae Sinkler 2008
17 Jamie Reiss 2007
14 Liz Dike 2015
14 Marie Gieron 2001
13 Ashley Cantu 2019
13 Jayci Foster 2018
13 Ellen Homan 2012
Longest Creighton On-Base Streaks Since 2010
OB Streak Player Year
37 Amy Baker 2013
28 Alexis Cantu 2012
21 Ashley Cantu 2019
20 Anna O'Gorman 2017
20 Kelsey Allender 2015
19 Kailey Wilson 2022
18 Sydra Seville 2024-25
18 Cayla Nielsen 2024
17 Cayla Nielsen 2023
17 Alexis Cantu 2013
16 Michelle Trulin 2016
15 Amy Baker 2012
Seville Lands on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Senior Sydra Seville earned a spot on the BIG EAST's first weekly honor roll on Feb. 10 after hitting an impressive .444 (8-of-18) with two doubles, a home run, two walks, four RBI and four runs scored as the Bluejays opened the season with a trio of victories over Purdue Fort Wayne at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C.
The New Lenox, Ill. native opened her senior year with a career day, recording three hits and a career-high two doubles and two RBI in the Jays' 8-4 season-opening win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday afternoon. Seville then collected a pair of hits and a run against Coastal Carolina in the night cap to extend her hit streak to 17 straight games dating back to last season.
The senior lefty then became the first Bluejay since at least 1999 to record a hit in 18 straight games after recording a pair of base knocks, including her first out of the park home run, in Creighton's 10-2 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday morning.
Seville's hit streak came to an end in a loss to Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon, before closing the weekend with a game-tying RBI single and a run scored in the Bluejays walk-off 4-3 win on Sunday over Purdue Fort Wayne.
Bluejay Bullpen
While relief pitching in softball doesn't play a huge role in the game, Creighton's relievers are making sure it doesn't get overlooked. In six relief appearances this season, the Bluejay bullpen has a combined 0.95 ERA and a 2-0 record.
The CU pen has tossed 14.2 innings and struck out 10, while limiting foes to a .212 batting average. Brooke Shifflett, Brooklyn Patchen and Kenzie Schopfer have not allowed any earned runs in a combined 6.0 innings of relief this season.
Below is a breakdown of the Bluejays starting pitching stats vs. the Bluejays relief pitching stats.
Category Starters Relief
Record 1-2 2-0
ERA 4.34 0.95
IP 19.2 14.2
Hits 20 11
Runs 16 5
ER 12 2
SO 15 10
Double Trouble
Over the last two season's Creighton has consistently been able to snag extra-bases, and that has been the case once again this season.
Through the first five games of this year, the Bluejays have recorded nine doubles, including five in CU's season-opening win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 7.
The Bluejays nine doubles are its most through the first five games since CU also collected nine doubles during the first five games in 2020.
CU has recorded 77 doubles each of the last two season, tying for the second most in a single season and falling two shy of the school record 79 hit during the 1993 season.
Overall, the 154 doubles hit over the last two years are the most doubles in a two-year span in program history.
Rank Doubles Year
1. 79 1993
2. 77 2024
77 2023
4. 74 2001
5. 73 1999
6. 71 2004
7. 65 1997
65 1989
9. 64 2005
10. 63 1994
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, opening the season with a pair of wins when scoring at least five runs.
Last spring, the Bluejays went an impressive 23-0 record when scoring at least five runs in a game. In those 23 contests, Creighton outscored their opponents, 192-66.
Over the last 25 seasons, Creighton is 377-54 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 242-412-3 when scoring four runs or fever.
Creighton is also 161-36 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.
During that same time frame the Bluejays are 95-4 when scoring eight or more runs, which included a perfect 15-0 record in 2024. Including the Jays two wins this season and the 15 wins they had last year, Creighton has now won 26 consecutive games when scoring eight or more runs dating back to a 9-8 loss at St. John's on April 2, 2022.
Additionally, Creighton has won 34 straight games when scoring 10+ runs. The last such loss was a 13-10 setback to South Dakota on April 27, 2017.
West Staying Durable
Junior catcher Lily West has been a fixture in the Bluejays starting lineup since stepping foot on campus in 2023 and is reaching uncharted territory as she has started in all 116 games of her Bluejay career.
Her 116 consecutive starts are the longest starting streak since Madeline Vejvoda started 174 consecutive games from 2020- 2024.
West Hitting Way Into Top-10
Entering her junior season with the Bluejays, Lily West looks to continue her climb up the Bluejay ranks in career batting average.
After the first weekend of play, West currently ranks ninth all-time with a .330 career batting average. The Choctaw, Okla. native has five hits this season and 123 hits in her Bluejays career.
West ended her sophomore season with 118 career hits, a total that ranks second-most for a career through two seasons in program history.
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 209-627 2020-24
8. .331 Kiara Mills 123-372 2019-22
9. .330 Lily West 123-373 2023-pr.
10. .328 Melanie Dorsey 198-604 2002-05
It Gets Earlier Every Year
Creighton's season-opener at the Kickin' Chicken Classic against Purdue Fort Wayne took place on February 7, tied for the third-earliest start date for a season-opener in Creighton softball history.
The only earlier starts in program history came in 2015 (Feb. 5) and 2014 (Feb. 6), while the Bluejays also debuted on Feb. 7 in both 2013 and 2020.
In comparison, Creighton's season-opener in 1997, its first season as a program, didn't take place until March 28.
Season Opener History
Creighton opened the 2025 campaign with an 8-4 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 7, lifting the Bluejays to 23-26 (.469) all-time record in season-openers, including a 4-8 mark in lid-lifters since joining the BIG EAST in 2013.
The Bluejays, however, have outscored foes by an average of 4.27 to 4.10 runs per game in the 49 season-openers.
Head coach Krista Wood is 14-5 all-time in lid-lifters, including a 7-5 mark at the Division I level. Wood also sported a 7-1 record in season-openers at Wayne State College.
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
2/9/24 Creighton Southern Illinois L, 0-3
2/7/25 Creighton Purdue Ft. Wayne W, 8-4
Making Opening Statements
Despite holding a 23-26 record in season-openers, Creighton has outscored its opponents 209-201 in 49 season-opening contests.
In the Bluejays' 23 victories, they averaged an impressive 7.00 runs per game, including five or more runs on 12 different occasions. The Bluejays have also held its opponents to just 1.39 runs per contests in its 23 lid-lifting victories.
Creighton, however, has only averaged 1.85 runs per game and has allowed 6.04 runs per contests during its 26 season-opening losses.
CU Season-Opener Run Differential
CU Runs Scored Runs Allowed
Overall 209 (4.27) 201 (4.10)
In Wins 161 (7.00) 32 (1.39)
In Losses 48 (1.85) 169 (6.04)
Mix of Old and New
Creighton returns 12 letterwinners from last season's squad that posted its first 35-win season since 2010 but welcomes in nine new players to the Bluejay program.
Of this season's nine new faces, six are freshmen and three are incoming transfers from, Furman, Nebraska and Wichita State.
By comparison, the Bluejays have had at least nine newcomers in each of the last three seasons.
Making an Entrance
Creighton had seven players make their Bluejay debut last weekend at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C. Of those seven players who made their debut, three of them made their Bluejay debut while in the Jays starting lineup.
The Bluejays do have three players; Annika Dugenske, Mazie Flud and Cydney Fullerton; that could make their Bluejay debuts this weekend at the Kennesaw State Tournament.
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton has only had 14 true freshmen start the season opener. Last season, Ashten Pierson got the starting nod at shortstop and went on to become the first freshman in league history to earn BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Sydney Potter earned the start as designated player.
Below is a look at how Creighton's Current players have done in their Creighton debuts, as well as a list of Bluejay freshmen to earn a season-opening start since 2013.
Name AB H R 2B HR RBI
Seville 1 0 0 0 0 0
Dalton 0 0 1 0 0 0
Perez* 3 1 0 0 0 1
West** 3 1 0 0 0 0
Smith 0 0 0 0 0 0
Potter** 2 0 0 0 0 0
Pierson** 2 0 0 0 0 0
Schultz** 2 0 0 0 0 0
Davis 0 0 1 0 0 0
Patchen 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nakasawa** 3 1 0 0 0 0
Smetter** 4 2 1 0 0 1
Barnard 1 0 0 0 0 0
Poole* 3 0 0 0 0 0
McCutcheon 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ramos 1 0 0 0 0 0
Name IP H R ER K BB
Schopfer** 6.0 4 3 3 5 2
Shifflet 0.0 1 0 0 0 0
Rusher 3.2 3 3 1 4 1
* - Started Bluejay Debut
**-Started Bluejay Debut in Season-Opener
Bluejay True Freshman to Start Season Opener Since 2013
Year Name Position
*2024 Ashten Pierson Shortstop
*2024 Sydney Potter DP
*2023 Lily West Catcher
2023 Natalia Puchino Pitcher
2023 Ensley Frame Shortstop
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
Starting On The Right Foot
Creighton opened the 2025 season with a 3-2 showing at the Kickin' Chicken Classic on Feb. 7-9. It was the seventh time since joining the BIG EAST in 2014 that Creighton has finished the first weekend of the season with exactly three wins.
2025: 3-2 in Conway, S.C.
2024: 3-2 in San Marcos, Texas
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 wins in the opening weekend of the season was in 2021 when the Bluejays were swept in a three-game series at Wichita State. On the flip side, the last time Creighton finished the opening weekend with fewer than two losses was 2012 when the Bluejays swept a four-game series against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and started the season 7-0.
Additionally, 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 2025. The Bluejays will play five different teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as well as Preseason Top-25 ranked Nebraska on April 9.
Coaching is Key
After leading the Bluejays to a 36-win season, its first 35-win season since 2010, and a runner-up finish in both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament, the Creighton Softball coaching staff was named the BIG EAST Co-Coaching Staff of the Year.
In just two seasons as the Creighton head coach, Krista Wood has engineered one of the nation's greatest turnarounds, improving the Bluejays by 21 wins over the past two years.
She has coached five first team and twosecond team All-BIG EAST picks, while also recruiting and coaching the 2024 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year (Natalia Puchino) and the 2024 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year (Ashten Pierson). In addition, Wood has also coached four NFCA All-Great Lakes Region, seven College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and 27 NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete members during her first two seasons.
Production Returns
Creighton returns six regular starters from last spring's team that finished 36-22 and capped off the year as the runner-up in both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament.
All told, CU returns 51.7 percent of its starts, 51.7 percent of its hits, 53.0 percent of its runs, 42.9 percent of its doubles, 57.7 percent of its home runs, 48.0 percent of its RBI and 46.7 percent of its walks off last year's squad.
The Bluejays, however, only return 33.5 percent of its innings pitched, 33.2 percent of its strikeouts, 19.4 percent of its pitching wins and 60.8 percent of its putouts from last season's team.
Below is a breakdown of the production that is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Starts 300 (51.7%) 280 (48.3%)
Hits 215 (51.7%) 201 (48.3%)
Runs 131 (53.0%) 116 (47.0%)
Doubles 33 (42.9%) 44 (57.1%)
Home Runs 15 (57.7%) 11 (42.3%)
RBI 109 (48.0%) 118 (52.0%)
Walks 72 (49.7%) 73 (50.3%)
IP 126.3 (33.5%) 250.5 (66.5%)
K's 96 (33.2%) 193 (66.8%)
Wins 7 (19.4%) 29 (80.6%)
PO 690 (60.8%) 445 (39.2%)
Bluejays Tabbed Fourth In Preseason Poll
Coming off the programs most successful season in over a decade, the Creighton softball team was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced on Friday, January 17.
Creighton received one first-place vote and a total of 43 points, falling three points shy of St. John's who was picked third with 46 points. Defending BIG EAST regular-season and tournament champion Villanova was tabbed the preseason favorite by the league coaches, earning six first-place votes and 61 points overall, while UConn generated two first-place votes and 57 points to finish second.
Seton Hall checked in at fifth with 39 points, while Butler (28) edged out Providence (27) by one point for fifth. DePaul (14) and Georgetown (9) rounded out the poll in the eighth and ninth position respectfully.
The home portion of the Bluejays schedule begins on March 11 when the Jays welcome in former Missouri Valley Conference rival Drake.
BIG EAST play begins on March 7 when Creighton travels to take on Providence in Rhode Island. The top six finishers in the BIG EAST regular-season standings will qualify for the BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Regionals.
2024 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Villanova (6) - 61
UConn (2) - 57
St. John's - 46
Creighton (1) - 43
Seton Hall - 39
Butler - 28
Providence - 27
DePaul - 14
Georgetown – 9
Bluejay To Be Feature Six Time on 2025 TV Schedule
The Creighton softball team will be featured a total of seven times this season on the BIG EAST 2025 Television Schedule, the league announced on January 28.
In addition to Creighton playing four home games and two road contests on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN), the Bluejays game against UConn on March 29 will be highlighted on FS1.
Creighton softball's first BEDN appearance comes against Providence on March 7 at 2:00 p.m., followed by a contest at Villanova on March 16 at 10 a.m. The Bluejays' home games on BEDN begin against UConn on March 28 at 4 p.m. and on March 31 at 10 a.m., followed by a contest with St. John's on April 17 at 5:30 p.m. and capped off by a May 5 contest against Seton Hall at 11:00 a.m.
The BIG EAST Softball Championship follows on FS2, with the second semifinals on May 9 at 5 p.m., while the BIG EAST Championship will be aired live on FS1 on Saturday, May 10 at 3 p.m., with the if-necessary game scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on FS2. The Softball Championship is set to be hosted by Villanova at the Villanova Softball Complex.
Furnal and Vejvoda Join Bluejay Coaching Staff
Garrett Furnal was named an assistant coach on August 15, while former Bluejay Madeline Vejvoda rejoined the Creighton softball program on July 17 as a graduate assistant coach.
Furnal comes to Creighton after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa, during which time the Panthers went 104-42 overall and won a pair of Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles after compiling a 66-9 record in league play.
Serving as the Panthers outfield and hitting coach, Furnal was part of UNI's 2022 and 2023 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year who helped develop nine NFCA All-Region and 18 All-MVC selections, including two MVC Players of the Year and two MVC Freshmen of the Year selections.
Under Furnal's guidance, UNI rewrote the Panthers record book, setting seven single-season team records, including batting average (.323), slugging percentage (.572), on-base percentage (.420), runs scored (348), doubles (97), home runs (73) and stolen bases (90). In addition, the Panthers led the MVC in batting average, runs, walks, total bases and hits, while established new MVC records with 97 doubles and 330 RBI in 2023.
Furnal's hitters also led the MVC in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS each of the last three years, while ranking in the top-10 nationally in doubles per game (1st), OPS (2nd), total doubles (4th), slugging percentage (4th), scoring (5th), on-base percentage (6th) and home runs per game (7th) in 2023.
Furnal joined the UNI coaching staff after spending three seasons at Ohio University two years at UNC Wilmington, two years at Presbyterian College and one year at the University of Monroe.
Vejvoda joins Wood's staff as a graduate assistant after spending the previous five seasons (2020-2024) in a Bluejay uniform, where she made 184 starts and appeared in 197 games. The La Vista, Neb. native posted a .293 career batting average, collecting 162 hits, 29 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 79 RBI while scoring a total of 100 runs.
Vejvoda, a 2024 unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team second baseman, guided the Bluejays to its first 35-win since 2010 while leading the team with 32 runs scored and a .404 on-base percentage as a senior. She also ranked second on the team in batting average (.353), hits, (61), doubles (12) and walks (17), while recording a team-high six of the Bluejays new school record 20 sacrifice flies in 2024.
In the classroom, Vejvoda was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree and a three-time NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete. She was also a five-time member of the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and a nine-time honoree on the Creighton honor roll.
