Softball Opens BIG EAST Play With Three-Game Set at Providence

Game #16-18: Creighton Bluejays (9-6, 0-0 BE) at Providence Friars (2-12, 0-0 BE)
Friday, March 7, 2025 • 2 p.m. • Saturday, March 8, 2025 • 1 p.m. • Sunday, March 9, 2025 • 10 a.m.
Providence, R.I. • Glay Field
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF)

This Weekend

The Creighton Softball (9-6, 0-0 BIG EAST) team opens its 12th season in the BIG EAST with a three-game road series at Providence (2-12, 0-0 BIG EAST) this weekend.

The league slate opens on Friday as the Bluejays and Friars meet at 2 p.m., before a Saturday battle at 1 p.m. The two teams will then close out the series with a 10 a.m. matchup on Sunday morning. All three games will take place at Glay Field in Providence, R.I.

Live Stats Information

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.

Scoring updates and infographics will beprovided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.

Broadcast Information

Friday's league opener against Providence will be broadcasted live on the BIG EAST Digital Network, while Saturday and Sunday's matchups will be streamed on Flo Sports.

The Creighton Softball schedule page at gocreighton.com has direct links to each broadcast, which even more specifics provided at http://GoCreighton.com/flosports. If you sign up via a "@creighton.edu" address, it costs $6.99 per month. If you don't have one of those, click on the video webcast link on the Creighton Softball schedule page and it will cost (and automatically renew) at $14.99 per month.

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 (9-6, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Creighton is off to a 9-6 start to the season, claiming wins away from home against Purdue Fort Wayne, Northern Kentucky, Kennesaw State and Morehead State, while also picking up a pair of victories over UC Santa Barbara and Saint Mary's last weekend at the UCSB Tournament in California.

Offensively, Creighton is hitting .283 with 22 doubles, seven home runs and 62 RBI, while scoring 68 runs on 22 stolen bases.

The Bluejays are led offensively by junior Lily West with a .400 batting average. She owns a team-best 20 hits, including one triple, while driving in eight RBI and scoring 10 runs of her own.

Senior Sydra Seville is another top offensive weapon for the Jays, hitting an impressive .365 on 19 hits, including two doubles, a home run and nine runs scored this spring.

Five other Bluejays are currently hitting over .250; Hannah Poole (.310 BA, 9 H, 9 R), Erika Perez (.286 BA, 5 2B, 3 HR, 13 RBI), Ashten Pierson (.273 BA, 9 H, 7 SB), Kenzie Nakasawa (.258 BA, 8 H), while Sydney Potter owns a .286 batting average with a team-leading 14 RBI on five doubles and two home runs.

Sophomore's Brooke Shifflett and Brooklyn Patchen have led the Bluejays pitching staff through the early portion of the schedule. Shifflett owns a 5-1 overall record with a 2.54 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work, while Patchen has logged a team-best 2.53 ERA with 25 punchouts in 36.0 innings pitched this season.

Freshman Abby Rusher has also provided a spark in her relief outing this spring, collected a 2.62 ERA with eight strikeouts during 18.2 innings. As a staff, the Bluejays ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with a 2.83 ERA but have held its opponents to a league-low 75 hits so far this season.

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 575-377 career record, including a 67-58 mark at Creighton.

Scouting Providence (2-12, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Providence opened the season with nine straight losses before picking up victories over North Florida (15-4) and George Mason (6-1) last weekend to move to 2-12 on the season.

The Friars are hitting .238 as a team with 17 extra-base hits and 38 RBI while collecting 2.86 runs scored per game.

Junior Elisa Smith leads the team with a .378 average on 17 hits, including a team-best three triples. Senior Hanna Aldrich is also hitting at a .344 clip, while sophomore Cameron Dunn has drove in a team-high 11 runs on a team-high three doubles and three home runs.

Senior Jessica Walter anchors the Friars pitching staff with a 2.02 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 17.1 innings of work, while graduate student Tori Grifone has contributed 13 strikeouts and recorded a 5.37 ERA in 30 innings pitched this season.

As a staff, Providence owns a 6.04 ERA with 41 strikeouts in 84.2 compete innings, while their defense ranks second in the BIG EAST with a .970 fielding percentage, committing just 10 total errors in 14 games.

Providence was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' poll as head coach Kelsey Christensen is in her second season at the helm of the Friars.

Series History Against The Friars

Creighton is 15-14 all-time against Providence and has won three of the last four meetings in the series.

The Bluejays are a 4-11 in Providence, R.I. against the Friars all-time, including 3-3 in the last two trips to Friartown. Creighton has posted a shutout in three of their four wins in Providence, outscoring the Friars 21-3 in those four victories.

Head coach Krista Wood owns a 5-4 record as a head coach against Providence, including a 3-3 mark at Creighton.

Milestone Watch

- Hannah Poole owns 97 career hits and is three shy of 100 career hits between Radford (30), Furman (58) and Creighton (9).

- Kenzie Schopfer enters this weekend with 97 career strikeouts, three shy of recording 100 in her collegiate career.

- Sydney Potter owns 47 career RBI and is three shy of driving in 50 runs for her Bluejay career.

- Sydney Potter has record 43 career hits, needing just seven more hits to record 50 for her career.

- Lily West is 12 hits shy of becoming the 17th Bluejays to record at least 150 career since 1999.

League Opener History

Including last year's 3-0 win at St. John's, Creighton owns a 24-14 record all-time in conference openers, including a 1-1 record under Krista Wood.

Creighton is 6-4 in BIG EAST openers and have won 13 of its last 18 conference opening-games, including wins in the final seven Missouri Valley Conference lid-lifters.

In the 24 seasons that Creighton has won its conference opener, it has finished .500 or better in league play 21 times and owns a combined .647 (299-163-1) winning percentage during league contests.

In the 14 years in which Creighton lost its league opener, the Bluejays have finished with a losing record on eight occasions and owns a combined .445 (114-142) during league games.

In league road openers, Creighton is 25-13 overall and 1-1 under Wood, including last spring's 3-0 shutout at St. John's.

Krista vs. The BIG EAST

Throughout her career, head coach Krista Wood's teams played some of their best softball against BIG EAST competition.

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

Entering her third season with the Bluejays, Wood's currently owns a 25-28 record in the BIG EAST with at least one victory over every team in the league.

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

Opponent SDSU CU

Butler 3-0 4-3

Creighton 10-4 0-0

DePaul 2-0 5-1

Georgetown 0-0 4-2

Providence 2-1 3-3

Seton Hall 1-0 1-5

St. John's 1-0 4-3

Connecticut 0-0 2-6

Villanova 2-0 2-5

Totals 21-5 25-28

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

One-Hit Wonder

Sophomore Brooke Shifflett nearly tossed the Bluejays' 29th no-hitter since 1994 on March 1 in Creighton's 4-0 win over Saint Mary's.

The Missouri native threw all 7.0 innings, striking out a career-high six batters while allowing just one hit in the fourth inning on the way to earning the first complete-game shutout of her Bluejay career.

Below is a list of Creighton one-hitters since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

Date Opponent Pitcher

3/1/25 Saint Mary's Brooke Shifflett

2/16/24 Bethune-Cookman Jena Lawrence

Alexis Wiggins

Natalia Puchino

3/8/23 vs. Penn Natalia Puchino

3/25/22 Providence Kate Mullally

3/6/20 LIU Kiele Miller

2/28/20 Purdue Fort Wayne Mikayla Santa Cruz

3/17/19 South Dakota State Kiele Miller

2/15/19 Ark.-Pine Bluff Laura Roecker

3/5/18 Villanova Kiele Miller

Bryana Clark

3/9/16 Holy Cross Sydnee Eck

3/6/16 Akron Sydnee Eck

4/13/14 Seton Hall Becca Changstrom

3/13/14 Siena Becca Changstrom

4/8/14 South Dakota State Mac Millspaugh

Brittany Telecky

Bluejay Thieves

Creighton collected a season-high seven stolen bases last Sunday against UC Santa Barbara. The Bluejays seven steals were two shy of the school record and tied for the second-most in a single game in program history.

The seven stolen bases were its most in a single game since also collecting seven stolen bases against Bradley on March 31, 2001.

Through 15 games this season, Creighton has recorded 22 stolen bases, including 14 last weekend at the UC Santa Barbara Tournament.

Last season, the Bluejays stole a total of 24 bases in 58 total games. Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, the Bluejays have only recorded more than 30 stolen bases three times.

Below is a breakdown of the stolen bases totals since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

Year SB SB Att. SB%

2025 22 25 88.0

2024 24 29 82.8

2023 20 26 75.9

2022 22 29 75.9

2021 14 18 77.8

2020 18 23 78.3

2019 29 40 72.5

2018 21 25 84.0

2017 22 34 64.7

2016 43 50 86.0

2015 30 39 76.9

2014 39 52 75.0

West Nearing 150 Career Hit Milestone

Junior catcher Lily West has been consistent at the plate throughout her Bluejay career, collecting 138 career hits through her first 126 career games.

The Choctaw, Okla. native is now 17 hits shy of becoming the 17th Bluejay since 1999 to record 150 career hits.

Creighton Players with 150 Career Hits Since 1999

No. Name H Years

1. Ashley Cantu 218 2017-21

2. Cayla Nielsen 209 2020-24

3. Ellen Homan 203 2011-14

4. Renae Sinkler 201 2007-10

5. Melanie Dorsey 198 2002-05

6. Stacey Rybar 194 2001-04

7. Amy Baker 191 2010-13

8. Bailey Dawson 183 2006-09

9. Liz Dike 180 2012-15

10. Abby Johnson 172 2002-05

11. Jessica Wakasugi 171 2006-09

12. Kailey Wilson 168 2019-23

13. Lauren Flores 165 2003-06

14. Jamie Reiss 164 2004-07

15. Madeline Vejvoda 162 2020-24

16. Michekke Koch 161 2007-10

- Lily West 138 2023-Pres.

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 126 games of her Bluejay career.

Her 126 consecutive starts are the longest starting streak since Madeline Vejvoda started 174 consecutive games from 2020- 2024.

West Hitting Way Into Top-10

Currently 15 games into her junior season, Lily West is continuing her climb up the Bluejay ranks in career batting average.

After the first three weekends of play, West currently ranks sixth all-time with a .339 career batting average. The Choctaw, Okla. native is pacing the Bluejays offensive with a team-best .400 batting average on a team-high 20 total hits this season.

The standout junior now owns 138 hits in her Bluejay career and is closing in on becoming just 17th Bluejays since 1999 to record 150 career base hits.

West ended her sophomore season with 118 career hits, a total that ranked 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. .339 Lily West 138-407 2023-pr.

7. .336 Renae Sinkler 201-599 2007-10

8. .333 Cayla Nielsen 209-627 2020-24

9. .331 Kiara Mills 123-372 2019-22

10. .328 Melanie Dorsey 198-604 2002-05

Seville Gone Streaking, AGAIN!

Earlier this season senior 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.

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.

In addition to having her 18-game hit streak snapped, Seville also had an 18-game on-base streak broken when failing to reach base safely on Feb. 8th. 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 senior, however, has restarted a new on-base streak, reaching base safely in each of the last 11 contests.

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

Fast Starts Leads to Success

Creighton has jumped out to early leads and that has paid dividends as the Bluejays are 6-3 when scoring first and 3-2 when scoring in the first inning this season.

In addition, CU has manufactured some big scoring innings to help secure those victories, outscoring its opponents 28-7 in the first and second innings this season.

The Bluejays have scored four or more runs in a single inning seven times this year, including five runs in the first inning of the Bluejays 10-0 run-rule victory over Northern Kentucky and the Jays 10-8 win over Kennesaw State on Feb. 15.

Below is a list of BIG scoring innings for the Bluejays this season.

Date Opponents Runs Inn.

2/7 Purdue Fort Wayne 4 2nd

2/7 Purdue Fort Wayne 4 4th

2/15 Northern Kentucky 5 1st

2/15 Northern Kentucky 4 2nd

2/15 Kennesaw State 5 1st

2/16 Morehead State 4 5th

3/1 Saint Mary's 4 4th

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 five wins when scoring at least five runs.

Over the last 25 seasons, Creighton is 380-54 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 245-416-3 when scoring four runs or fever.

Creighton is also 164-36 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

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.

During that same time frame the Bluejays are 97-4 when scoring eight or more runs, which included a perfect 15-0 record in 2024. Including the Jays four wins this season and the 15 wins they had last year, Creighton has now won 28 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 36 straight games when scoring 10+ runs. The last such loss was a 13-10 setback to South Dakota on April 27, 2017.

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 15 relief appearances this season, the Bluejay bullpen has a combined 2.68 ERA and a 4-1 record.

The CU pen has tossed 31.1 innings and struck out 19, while limiting foes to a .197 batting average. Brooklyn Patchen and Kenzie Schopfer have allowed just one earned run in three relief appearances this season.

Below is a breakdown of the Bluejays starting pitching stats vs. the Bluejays relief pitching stats.

Category Starters Relief

Record 5-5 4-1

ERA 2.90 2.68

IP 67.2 31.1

Hits 52 23

Runs 36 15

ER 28 12

SO 48 19

Double Trouble

Over the last two seasons Creighton has consistently been able to snag extra-bases, and that has been the case once again this season.

Through the first 15 games of the year, the Bluejays have recorded 22 doubles, including five in CU's season-opening win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 7 and five more in the Jays win 10-8 win over Kennesaw State on Feb. 15.

The 22 doubles are the Bluejays most through the first 15 games of a season since the Jays hit 23 of their 77 doubles in the first 15 games of the 2023 season.

CU has recorded 77 doubles each of the last two seasons, 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

RBI Queens

Junior Erika Perez and sophomore Sydney Potter have both delivered in a big way early on for the Bluejays this season.

The duo has combined for 27 of the teams 62 RBI this season, while slugging 10 doubles (five each) and five home runs (Potter-2, Perez-3.

Potter and Perez currently own a team-best five doubles apiece, while Potter leads the team with 14 RBI. Perez is not far behind with 13 RBI of her own as the tandem have generated eight multi-RBI games already this season.

In total, Potter has collected 47 career RBI in 61 career games on 14 doubles and 11 home runs. In comparison, Amy Baker, the Bluejays all-time RBI leader, recorded 46 RBI in her first 58 games as a Bluejay back in 2010.

Lily West Named BIG EAST Player of the Week

Junior Lily West was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Feb. 17 after guiding the Bluejays to a 4-1 record at the Kennesaw State Tournament.

West, a Choctaw, Okla. native, started all five games for Creighton, pacing the Bluejays with a .556 (10-of-18) batting average with a triple and 12 total bases, while collecting five RBI, six runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.

The junior standout opened the weekend with a 2-3 showing in a setback to Northern Kentucky, before delivering a pair of base hits, including a go-head RBI single back up the middle in the fifth inning to help the Jays to a 3-1 win over Morehead State.

West followed that performance by going 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored in the Bluejays 10-0 run-rule victory over Northern Kentucky. She then capped off the second day of competition going 3-for-5 with a triple, two RBI and three runs scored as the Bluejays held on for a 10-8 win over Kennesaw State, before recording a single and a run scored in the Bluejays finale win (6-2) over Morehead State Feb. 16.

This marks the second BIG EAST Player of the Week honor for West as she also garnered the award on April 29 last spring.

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 is tied for the team-lead with five doubles and a pair of home runs, while owning a team-best 14 RBI on a .510 slugging percentage this season.

In just 61 career games, Potter has recorded 14 doubles and 11 total home runs, while driving in 47 total runs. In fact, 25 of her 43 career hits have been extra-base hits.

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 homerun 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. PDW 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.

Free Softball

Creighton played its 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 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.

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 during opening 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.

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

Fullerton 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%)

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.