Tara Vandewater
Softball Adds Oklahoma State Transfer Tara Vandewater
5/28/2025 12:30:00 PM | Softball
Vandewater was the No. 10 ranked recruit in the class of 2024 by Extra Innings Softball
OMAHA, Neb. – The Creighton Softball team made its second major splash in the transfer portal, adding Oklahoma State transfer and former top 10 ranked prospect Tara Vandewater on Wednesday.
Vandewater, a catcher/utility player, will have three years of eligibility remaining after spending the 2025 season at Oklahoma State. With the Cowgirls, Vandewater appeared in 20 games, scoring a total of eight runs on one hit, serving primarily as a pinch runner.
Hailing from Winterset, Iowa, Vandewater joined the Cowgirls program after playing four years of club softball for the Nebraska Gold under coaches Beth Singleton and Craig Boyer. While with Nebraska Gold, Vandewater helped lead her team to a co-championship at the Tulsa Elite Summer Invite, as well as two third-place finishes at the Easton Rawlings Invitational Showcase and the Top Club National Championship.
During her 2022 club season, Vandewater boasted a .429 batting average with 15 home runs, tallying 55 hits, including 11 doubles and 44 RBI while maintaining a .978 fielding percentage.
Her success on the field garnered her an invited to the 2022 Sparkler All-Star Game, as well as to the IDT All-Star Game in 2021. Vandewater also earned USA Softball All-America recognition in 2018 and was a USA Elite Select Futures All-American in 2016.
In addition to her top-10 ranking from Extra Innings Softball, Vandewater was also ranked in the top 50 for the class of 2024 by Legacy and Legends (No. 36), Softball America (No. 43) and Perfect Game Softball (No. 49).
Additional to her success locally, Vandewater also has four years of international experience playing for the Israel National Team, where she helped lead her country to gold at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. She also guided her team to a sixth-place finish at the U-22 European Softball Championships, collecting a team-high 14 RBI in tournament play.
Vandewater is the second player to sign with Creighton this summer, joining McLennan standout pitcher Landrie Harris.
Creighton finished its 2025 season with a 30-25 overall record and a runner-up finish at the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season, while posting its first back-to-back 30-win season since 2009 and 2010.
Vandewater, a catcher/utility player, will have three years of eligibility remaining after spending the 2025 season at Oklahoma State. With the Cowgirls, Vandewater appeared in 20 games, scoring a total of eight runs on one hit, serving primarily as a pinch runner.
Hailing from Winterset, Iowa, Vandewater joined the Cowgirls program after playing four years of club softball for the Nebraska Gold under coaches Beth Singleton and Craig Boyer. While with Nebraska Gold, Vandewater helped lead her team to a co-championship at the Tulsa Elite Summer Invite, as well as two third-place finishes at the Easton Rawlings Invitational Showcase and the Top Club National Championship.
During her 2022 club season, Vandewater boasted a .429 batting average with 15 home runs, tallying 55 hits, including 11 doubles and 44 RBI while maintaining a .978 fielding percentage.
Her success on the field garnered her an invited to the 2022 Sparkler All-Star Game, as well as to the IDT All-Star Game in 2021. Vandewater also earned USA Softball All-America recognition in 2018 and was a USA Elite Select Futures All-American in 2016.
In addition to her top-10 ranking from Extra Innings Softball, Vandewater was also ranked in the top 50 for the class of 2024 by Legacy and Legends (No. 36), Softball America (No. 43) and Perfect Game Softball (No. 49).
Additional to her success locally, Vandewater also has four years of international experience playing for the Israel National Team, where she helped lead her country to gold at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. She also guided her team to a sixth-place finish at the U-22 European Softball Championships, collecting a team-high 14 RBI in tournament play.
Vandewater is the second player to sign with Creighton this summer, joining McLennan standout pitcher Landrie Harris.
Creighton finished its 2025 season with a 30-25 overall record and a runner-up finish at the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season, while posting its first back-to-back 30-win season since 2009 and 2010.
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