Softball Meets Providence in BIG EAST Tourney Elimination Game With Spot in BIG EAST Final On The Line

BIG EAST Tournament Game #54: Creighton Bluejays (29-24, 15-9) vs. Providence Friars (25-30, 11-13)
Saturday, May 10 • 12:30 p.m. CT • Villanova, Pa. • Villanova Softball Complex
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES

BIG EAST Tournament Championship Game #55: Creighton Bluejays (29-24, 15-9)/Providence Friars (25-30, 11-13) vs. Connecticut Huskies (34-17, 18-6)
Saturday, May 10 • 4 p.m. CT • FS2 • Villanova, Pa. • Villanova Softball Complex
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES

• Fourth-seeded Creighton (29-24) seeks its third trip to the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game needing a win over sixth seeded Providence in an elimination game on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Central at the Villanova Softball Complex in Villanova, Pa.

The winner will advance to the BIG EAST Championship Game against second-seeded UConn (34-17) at 4 p.m. CT in a contest to be aired on FS2.

• Evan Stockton and Gigi Speer will call the game on the BIG EAST Digital Network and FloSports, while live stats will be available via Statbroadcast.

Live stats and live video links for this weekend's tournament can be found on the Creighton Softball schedule on GoCreighton.com.

Scoring updates and infographics will be provided via Twitter at @BluejaySoftball.

• With a win

Creighton would improve to 30-23, capturing the Bluejays 25th 30-win season in program history and its first back-to-back 30-win season since 2009 and 2010.

Creighton would advance to its third BIG EAST Tournament final, set for Saturday at 4 p.m. Central.

Creighton would improve to 3-2 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament as a No. 4 seed.

Creighton would improve to 7-5 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament.

Head coach Krista Wood would collect her sixth BIG EAST Tournament win, the third-most amongst the active coaches in the BIG EAST.

Head coach Krista Wood would improve to 7-6 all-time against Providence, including 5-5 as the head coach at Creighton.

Creighton would improve to 1-0 in the BIG EAST Tournament against Providence.

The Bluejays would improve to 17-16 against the Friars in the all-time series.

Creighton would improve to 66-38 all-time in its 31 conference tournament appearances.

• Creighton and Providence have met 32 times in program history with the all-time series tied at 16-16.

Earlier this season, Providence took two-of-three from the Bluejays, earning a pair of one-run victories, while CU claimed a 6-1 win of their own.

The Bluejays and Friars have never met in the BIG EAST Tournament, but head coach Krista Wood is 6-6 all-time against Providence as a head coach, including a 4-5 record at Creighton.

• Creighton and Connecticut have met 19 times previously, with the Huskies holding an 14-5 edge in the all-time series, following the Huskies 12-1 win on Friday.

The Bluejays won the first two meeting in the series, but had dropped nine consecutive contests before claiming a 2-1 extra-innings win in Storrs and a 10-6 win in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals last season.

The Huskies took two of three from the Bluejays earlier this season in Omaha, including an 22-18 slugfest in the NCAA's highest scoring games this season, before capturing a 12-1 win in the first BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals on Friday.

Creighton is 1-2 against UConn in the BIG EAST Tournament, while head coach Krista Wood is 3-9 all-time against Connecticut as a head coach.

• Facing off against Providence on Friday in an elimination game, Creighton is seeking its third BIG EAST Tournament title game appearance in just its fourth trip to the BIG EAST Tournament in program history.

The Bluejays are 6-5 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament, after earning a pair of wins over Butler (6-3) and St. John's (5-3) on Wednesday and Thursday.

Complete results and Creighton BIG EAST Tournament record can be found later on in the notes packet.

• Creighton is looking to become the first time to win the BIG EAST Tournament through the loser's bracket since Villanova did so in 2021. The Wildcats lost their 2021 opener to UConn, then bounced back to beat DePaul, Butler and UConn (twice) to win the title. Back then, the tournament was just four teams.

The last time a team beat the eventual runner-up twice to win a BIG EAST Tournament with more than four teams was on May 1, 1994, when Providence beat UConn twice.

• Head coach Krista Wood is 5-3 in the BIG EAST Tournament, following Thursday's 5-3 victory over St. John's and Friday's setback to UConn. Wood's five wins are the third-most amongst the active coaches in the BIG EAST, trailing only Villanova's Bridget Orchard (13 - 7 Years) and UConn's Laura Valentino (9 - 6 years).

• While Creighton is searching for its first BIG EAST Tournament title, the Bluejays did win six Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010). CU is 0-2 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament finals.

Creighton owns 12 BIG EAST Tournament titles in 12 years as a league member. Baseball (2019) and Men's Soccer (2022) both have won one, while Volleyball (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) has 10 titles and is Creighton's only women's program to win a BIG EAST Tournament.

• A storied program, Creighton is looking to qualify for its 13th NCAA Tournament in program history, but its first automatic bid into the postseason tournament since 2010.

The Bluejays appeared in the 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010 NCAA Tournament. CU played in the Women's College World Series twice (1982 and 1986) and the AIAW World Series twice (1980 and 1981). The Bluejays are 12-24 all-time in the NCAA postseason.

• Creighton has won 24 of its last 33 conference tournament games decided by two runs or less, dating back to 2000. The Bluejays are 3-0 in such games in the BIG EAST Tournament.

• Creighton had its 10-game winning streak come to an end on Friday, suffering a 12-1 setback to UConn in the first BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.

The Bluejays' 10-game winning streak matched its longest winning streak since 2014, when the Jays collected 10 straight contests between March 13-26, 2014.

• Senior Sydra Seville set Creighton's single season record with her 77th hit to lead off the bottom of the first inning, breaking a mark set by Creighton Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford that had stood since 1997.

Seville's 77 hits this season are tied for the most in the BIG EAST this season and rank tied for ninth most in the NCAA this season.

Additionally, Seville is just the seventh Bluejay in program history to record at least 70 hits in a season.

• Sydra Seville scored her 44th run of the season in the third inning against St. John's on Thursday, tying Allie Matthewson from 2012 for fifth-most runs scored in CU single-season history.

Seville is now one run away from moving into a tie for fourth with Ashley Cantu (44) on Creighton's single season runs scored top 10 list.

• Senior Kenzie Schopfer suffered her first loss since April 1st on Friday against UConn, snapping a nine-game win streak that was the longest by a Creighton pitcher since Tara Oltman in 2009.

After starting the season 0-6, Schopfer recorded nine consecutive victories after reentered the starting rotation on April 4. Over the course of her nine-game winning streak, Schopfer recorded an 9-0 record with a 3.02 ERA and 33 strikeouts in a team-high 69.1 innings of work, before allowing four runs on five hits in 4.0 innings of work in the 12-1 loss to UConn in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.

• Sophomore Ashten Pierson was hit by a pitch for the 12th time this season on Friday, moving into a tie with Jen Daro for the second-most hit by pitches in a single season in program history.

Pierson is now just three hit by pitches shy of tying Alexis Cantu's school record of 15 hit by pitches in 2013.

The Wamego, Kan. native owns 17 career hit by pitches, which is the 10th most by a Bluejay all-time in program history. She enters Saturday's contest against Providence needing one hit by pitch to move into a tie with Liz McKewon for ninth on Creighton's Career Hit by Pitch record list.

• Erika Perez reached base safely for the 13th straight game on Friday, drawing her team-leading 29th walk of the season, while Lily West reached base for the 12th consecutive game and Sydra Seville did so for the 11th straight time against the Huskies.

• 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 164 games of her Bluejay career.

Her 164 consecutive starts are the longest starting streak by a Bluejay since Madeline Vejvoda started the final 174 games in her Bluejay career from 2020- 2024.

• Sophomore Kaelan Schultz blasted a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning of Thursday, recording her 13th home run of the season and moving into a tie for ninth on Creighton's single season home run list.

Schultz is now two home runs shy of moving into a tie for seventh with Sydney Potter (2025) and Amy Baker (2010) on the single season home run top 10 record board.

• Thursday's victory over St. John's captured the Bluejays first 2-0 start in a conference tournament since the Bluejays went 4-0, claiming its sixth Missouri Valley Conference title in 2010. That was also the last time CU won a conference tournament.

Each of the last six times the Jays have started 2-0 in a league tournament (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 ... all in the MVC), it has gone on to win the title.

• Creighton is 399-58 over the last 25 years when scoring five or more runs, following the Bluejays 5-3 win over St. John's on Thursday in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals.

Creighton is also 183-40 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014 and own an 24-4 record this season when scoring five or more runs.

Additionally, Creighton had won 35 straight games when scoring 10+ runs, before March 28th setback to the Huskies. Overall, the Bluejays are 10-1 this season when scoring 10 or more runs.

Milestone Watch

Upcoming Creighton milestones include...

- Sydra Seville has scored 44 runs this season and is one run away from moving into a tie for fourth with Ashley Cantu (45) on Creighton's single season runs scored top 10 list.

- Sydra Seville has stolen 20 bases this season, three stolen bases shy of tying Shelly Esser (1993) for sixth on the single season stolen base record lists.

- Sydney Potter has record 92 career RBI and is now nine shy of collecting 100 RBI in her Bluejay Career.

- Lily West (42) is one RBI shy of moving into a tie for fifth with Emma Rosonke (2022), Bri McMahon (2012) and Abby Johnson (2004) on Creighton's single season RBI record list.

- Lily West has scored 96 runs in her career and now is four runs shy of collecting 100 runs scored in her Bluejay career.

- Ashten Pierson has stolen 16 bases this season, one shy of moving into the top 10 for stolen bases in a single season.

- Ashten Pierson ranks tied for second on Creighton's all-time single season hit by pitch record list with 12 hit by pitches this season. She is now three shy of tying Creighton's single season hit by pitch record, held by Alexis Cantu with 15 in 2013.

- Ashten Pierson has been hit by a pitch 17 times in her career and is now one hit by pitches shy of tying Liz McKewon for ninth on Creighton's career hit by pitch record list.

- Creighton's 51 home runs this season are tied for the fourth-most in a season in school history and just five homers shy of tying the 56 home runs hits during the 2012 for third-most in a single season in school history.

- Lily West owns 26 career doubles and is now eight shy of cracking the Creighton's career doubles top 10 list.

Softball Meets Providence in BIG EAST Tourney Elimination Game With Spot in BIG EAST Final On The Line

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Erika Perez

Ashten Pierson

Sydney Potter

Emma Rosonke

Kenzie Schopfer

Kaelan Schultz

Sydra Seville

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Softball Meets Providence in BIG EAST Tourney Elimination Game With Spot in BIG EAST Final On The Line

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Erika Perez

Ashten Pierson

Sydney Potter

Emma Rosonke

Kenzie Schopfer

Kaelan Schultz

Sydra Seville

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

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