Softball Continues BIG EAST Tournament Play Against Top-Seeded St. John's on Thursday Afternoon

BIG EAST Tournament Game #52: Creighton Bluejays (28-23, 15-9) vs. St. John's Red Storm (39-15-1, 19-5)
Thursday, May 8 • 11 a.m. CT • Villanova, Pa. • Villanova Softball Complex
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES

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Creighton (28-23, 15-9 BE) continues play at the 2025 BIG EAST Softball Championships presented by JEEP in the winners' bracket against top seeded St. John's (39-15-1, 19-5 BE) on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT at the Villanova Softball Complex in Villanova, Pa.

The Bluejays began play in the double elimination tournament on Wednesday by taking down fifth-seeded Butler, 6-3, behind a 3-for-4 showing from senior Sydra Seville.

Follow the Games

Thursday's second round contest against St. John's will be broadcasted live 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.

Scouting Creighton (28-23, 15-9 BIG EAST)

Fresh off a 6-3 win over Butler in the opener of the BIG EAST Tournament, Creighton gets right back to work squaring off against top seeded St. John's on Thursday afternoon.

Holding a 28-23 overall record, the Bluejays have nine straight and are seeking their first BIG EAST Tournament title since joining the league in 2014.

Offensively, Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST with a .305 batting average with 67 doubles, 11 triples, 51 home runs and 277 RBI, while scoring 6.00 runs per contest.

The Bluejays are led offensively by senior Sydra Seville, who is hitting an impressive .397 on a team-high 75 hits, including a BIG EAST record 44 during league play. Seville also ranks second on the team with nine doubles, two triples and two home runs, while scoring a team-best 43 runs and driving in 23 RBI of her own.

Junior Lily West follows with a .343 batting average with 61 hits, including six doubles and four home runs while ranking second on the team with 40 RBI and 38 total runs scored.

Sophomore Kaelan Schultz has provided a spark of power to the Bluejays lineup, owning a .333 average on 12 home runs and five doubles, while sophomore Sydney Potter has driven in a team-high and a school record 59 RBI on seven doubles and a team-best 15 home runs while hitting at a .307 clip.

Junior Erika Perez boasts a .323 batting average of her own on 41 hits, including a team-high 11 doubles and 27 walks, while graduate transfer Hannah Poole hits at a .289 average with six doubles and five home runs.

Senior Kenzie Schopfer has emerged as the Bluejays go-to pitcher, owning a 4.19 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 123.2 innings of work. Sophomore Brooklyn Patchen paces the Creighton staff with 11 victories in the circle while owning a team-best 3.56 ERA and a team-high 92 strikeouts in 118.0 innings pitched this season.

Sophomore Brooke Shifflett has also been a reliable option, owning an 8-7 overall record and a 4.43 ERA with 60 punchouts in 72.2 innings of work, while freshman Abby Rusher has provided 34.2 innings of relief this spring, collecting a 5.25 ERA.

As a staff, the Bluejays rank second in the BIG EAST with a 3.99 ERA and 241 strikeouts in 349 innings this year.

Head coach Krista Wood is in her third season with the Bluejays and holds a 594-394 career record, including an 86-76 mark at Creighton.

Scouting St. John's (39-15-1, 19-5 BIG EAST)

St. John's, the BIG EAST regular season champion, enters its 15th BIG EAST Tournament appearance with a school record 39-15-1 record and are coming off a thrilling series win at UConn, where they clinched the outright BIG EAST title.

The Johnnies have thrived in the circle this season, owning a BIG EAST-best 2.32 ERA, allowing only 146 runs in 367.1 innings pitched. The Red Storm leads the country in strikeouts with 492, recording a nation-leading 9.38 strikeouts per seven innings.

Junior Ana Serafinko, the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, ranks second in the NCAA this season individually with 276 strikeouts, while posting a 19-8 record and a 2.40 ERA with 14 complete games in 183.2 innings pitched. Fellow junior Loreley Francia joined Serafinko on the All-BIG EAST First Team ranks first in the league, and 23rd in the country with a 1.81 ERA, upholding a 19-6 record with 11 complete games and 187 strikeouts in 154.1 innings of work this spring.

Offensive, the Johnnies are hitting .298 with 69 doubles, 39 home runs, and 256 RBI, while scoring 5.02 runs per game.

St. John's is led by senior London Jarrard, the 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, who ranks third in the BIG EAST with a .415 batting average. Jarrard, a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week recipient, ranks Second in the league in on-base percentage (.521), fourth in the league in hits (71), third in RBI (57) and second in total bases (122), while owning a BIG EAST-best 14 hit-by-pitches.

Classmate Jess Bianco following closely behind and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with a .393 batting average at the plate, while pacing the league with 72 hits and 53 runs scored.

Series History Against Red Storm

Creighton and St. John's have met 32 times previously, with 31 meetings happening since the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST in 2014.

St. John's holds an 21-12 edge in the all-time series, posting a 2-1 series win over the Bluejays in Omaha earlier this season. The series opener was one for the books as the two teams battled 12 scoreless innings before the Red Storm claimed the 1-0 victory.

The Bluejays, however, are 2-0 against the Red Storm in the BIG EAST Tournament, including a 2-1 win last year. In addition, Creighton is 3-1 all-time against St. John's in neutral site contests.

Head coach Krista Wood is 6-5 all-time against St. John's as a head coach.

Milestone Watch

Upcoming Creighton milestones include...

- Sydra Seville (75) is one hit shy of tying Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford (1997) for the Creighton single season hits record.

- Sydra Seville has scored 43 runs this season and is one runs away from moving into a tie for fifth with Allie Mathewson (44) 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 (40) is two RBI shy of entering Creighton's single season RBI top 10 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 third on Creighton's all-time single season hit by pitch record list with 11 hit by pitches this season. She is one shy of moving into a tie with Jen Daro (12) for second in a single season.

- Ashten Pierson has been hit by a pitch 16 times in her career and is now two 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.

CU in the BIG EAST Tourney

Creighton opened their fourth appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament with a 6-3 victory over Butler on Wednesday, advancing into the winners' bracket for the third time since joining the league in 2014.

Creighton is 5-4 all-time in the BIG EAST Tournament, after going 3-2 on the way to a runner-up finish during the 2024 BIG EAST Softball Championships. With Tuesday's win, CU has now won a conference tournament game in consecutive season for the first time since 2011 and 2012 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

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

Conference Tournament History

Creighton made their 31st postseason conference tournament appearance on Wednesday afternoon earning a 6-3 victory over Butler.

The Bluejays are a combined 65-37 in the 31 conference tournament appearances, claiming nine league tournament tiles.

Seeking the first BIG EAST Tournament Title in program history, the last time the Bluejays punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament was in 2010 when the Jays claimed their sixth Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

Below is a breakdown of Creighton's postseason appearances and record by conference.

Conf. App. Record Titles

HCAC 5 16-6 3

WAC 2 6-4 -

MVC 20 38-23 6

BE 4 5-4 -

Creighton Athletics in the BIG EAST Tournament

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.

The Big Dance

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.

#Winning

Wednesday's victory over Butler means that Creighton has now won its opening round game in 13 of its 17 conference tournament appearances since 2000. Creighton has now also won at least one conference tournament game in 15 of its last 18 conference tournament appearances.

CU has reached the finals of the BIG EAST Tournament in two of its three previous appearances, including in each of its last two trips in 2018 and 2024.

Going Two & O

Creighton is seeking its first 2-0 start in the conference tournament since the 2010 Bluejays went 4-0, claiming its sixth Missouri Valley Conference title. That was also the last time CU won a conference tournament.

In fact, 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.

Bluejays Extend Winning Streak to Nine

Creighton recorded it nine consecutive victories on Wednesday with a 6-4 win over Butler in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

The Bluejays nine-game winning streak is its longest since a nine-game win streak from March 8-13, 2015.

Should Creighton win on Thursday, CU's 10-game winning streak will be the teams longest since winning 10 straight games from March 13-26, 2014.

Wire-To-Wire

Creighton opened the scoring in the first innings and led wire-to-wire in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Butler. The Bluejay's only other previous wire-to-wire win at the BIG EAST Tournament had been its 8-1 rout of St. John's in the BIG EAST Tournament opener on May 11, 2018.

Potter Breaks CU RBI Single Season Record

Junior first baseman Sydney Potter racked up her 59th RBI of the season with a single in the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday, breaking Creighton's single season RBI record, held previously by Bluejay Hall of Famer Renae Sinkler in 2010.

Potter has recorded a team-best 15 multi-RBI games, including eight such games with three or more RBI, while her 59 RBI are tied for the 28th most in the NCAA this season.

In total, Potter has collected 92 career RBI in 97 career games on 16 doubles, one triple and 24 home runs. In fact, 41 of her 80 career hits have been extra-base hits.

In comparison, Amy Baker, the Bluejays all-time RBI leader, recorded 74 RBI in her first 97 games as a Bluejay back in 2010-11.

Single Season RUNS BATTED IN

No. Name RBI Year

1. Sydney Potter 59 2025

2. Renae Sinkler 58 2010

3. Alexis Cantu 48 2012

4. Amy Baker 46 2012

Amy Baker 46 2010

6. Emma Rosonke 43 2022

Bri (Lingl) McMahon 43 2012

Abby Johnson 43 2004

8. Sam Dellinger 42 2017

Amy Baker 42 2013

TJ Eadus 42 2007

Stacey Rybar 42 2004

Jean Conrad 42 1978

Sydney Clutch Potter

Sophomore Sydney Potter has come up clutch for the Bluejays all season long and did so again on Wednesday lining an RBI single into left in the first inning to give the Jays a 2-0 lead.

With her RBI against Butler on Wednesday, Potter recorded her sixth career BIG EAST Tournament RBI, tying Alyssa Gappa for the most in the BIG EAST Tournament in program history.

Seville Eyes Single Season Hits Record

Senior Outfielder Sydra Seville tied Creighton's single-game BIG EAST Tournament record, collecting three hits in the Bluejays opening round matchup against Butler on Wednesday.

With her three hits on Wednesday, Seville has now recorded 75 hits this season, which is tied for the second-most in a single season in program history and tied for 13th most in the NCAA this season.

Sitting atop the BIG EAST, Seville is just one hit shy of tying Hall of Famer Christy Lunceford (76)and two hits away from setting a new single season hits record.

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

CREIGHTON SINGLE SEASON HITS

No. Name H Year

1. Christy Lunceford 76 1997

2. Sydra Seville 75 2025

Heidi Geier 75 1999

4. Melanie Dorsey 70 2005

Melanie Dorsey 70 2004

Heidi Geier 70 1997

Kelly Brookhart 70 1991

8. Sue Frederick 69 1989

Sue Frederick 69 1987

10. Stacey Rybar 68 2004

Jody Ream 68 1989

Schopfer Catching Fire

Senior Kenzie Schopfer earned the win on Wednesday, firing her fifth complete game of the season, but her first 7+ complete game when throwing under 100 pitches (92).

Schopfer has won eight straight decisions after starting the season 0-6. She is the first CU pitcher to win eight straight decisions since BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year Natalia Puchino recorded eight straight decisions between Feb. 23-March 15, 2024.

Since moving back into the starting rotation on April 4th, Schopfer has recorded an 8-0 record with a 3.03 ERA and 32 strikeouts in a team-high 62.1 innings of work.

50/50/50 Club

Senior Sydra Seville (75), junior Lily West (61) and sophomore Sydney Potter (51) pace the Bluejays in hits, having each recorded 50+ hits this season.

They are just the 13th Bluejay trio in program history and just the second group since 2012 to each record 50 or more hits in a single season.

Additionally, West became just the seventh Bluejay in program history to record at least 50 hits in three seasons and the first since Renae Sinkler in 2010.

Below is a list of every Bluejay to record at least 50 hits in three seasons.

Player Years Hits

Lily West 2023-25 58-60-53

Renae Sinkler 2008-10 64-51-64

Heidi Geier 1996-99 50-70-75

Christy Lunceford 1994-97 55-62-52-76

Dede Pendleton 1993-95 51-52-50

Kelly Brookhart 1989-91 57-63-70

Sue Frederick 1987-89 69-50-69

West Extends Hitting Streak to Nine

Junior Lily West, one of the most consistent hitters in the Bluejays lineup, extend her hit streak out to nine with an RBI single in the first inning on Wednesday during the Jays' 6-3 win over Butler.

During her nine-game hitting streak, the Choctaw, Okla. native is hitting .324 with 11 hits, nine RBI and a team-high 11 runs scored.

West's nine-game hitting streak is the longest of her Bluejay career and the teams longest since Sydra Seville recorded a Bluejay best 18-game hitting streak earlier this season.

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 162 games of her Bluejay career.

Her 162 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.

Magic Number 5

Since the turn of the century, Creighton has had tremendous success when scoring five or more runs and the Bluejays have continued that success this spring.

Over the last 25 seasons, Creighton is 398-58 when scoring five or more runs. In the same time span Creighton is 246-429-3 when scoring four runs or fever.

Creighton is also 182-40 when scoring five or more runs in a game since joining the BIG EAST in 2014 and own an 23-4 record this season when scoring five or more runs.

During that same time frame the Bluejays are 108-5 when scoring eight or more runs, which included a perfect 15-0 record in 2024. Prior to Creighton's 22-18 loss to Connecticut on March 28, Creighton had won 29 consecutive games when scoring eight 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.

Runners High

Creighton has scored a school record 306 runs this season, surpassing the previous high of 294 set in 2012. Creighton, which averages 6.00 runs per game and is a hefty 23-2 when scoring five or more runs this season, including the Bluejays' 6-3 win over Butler on Wednesday.

Single Season Team Runs

1. 306 2025

2. 294 2012

3. 282 2004

4. 281 1981

5. 269 1989

6. 265 2010

Unlimited Power

Creighton ranks fourth in the BIG EAST and fourth all-time in a single season in school history with 51 home runs this season.

The Bluejays 51 home runs are the most hit by a Bluejay squad since 2012 and are the most since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

Creighton enters Thursday's BIG EAST Tournament matchup with St. John's needing five home runs to tie the 56 home runs hit by the 2012 squad for the third-most homers in a single season in school history.

Of the 51 home runs CU has hit this season, 23 have been solo shots while seven have been grand slams.

Creighton's seven grand slams are the second-most in the BIG EAST this season, one shy of Villanova's eight. In addition, the Bluejays seven grand slams are the most in a single season since at least 1999. CU's previous high was three grand slams in 2023.

The Bluejays have blasted two grand slams in the same game twice this season, including once last weekend in the series finale against Butler.

The Jays have now qualified for the conference tournament each of the last eight times Creighton has slugged 40 round-trippers in a season.

Single Season Team Home Runs

1. 66 2010

2. 57 2007

3. 56 2012

4. 51 2025

5. 48 2013

6. 47 2008

Potter Bombs Away

Sophomore first baseman Sydney Potter recorded five home runs last week, giving her a team-high 15 home runs for the season.

Potter's 15 blasts are tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history and are the most since Liz Dike smashed 16 homers during the 2014 season. She is just three home runs shy of moving into a tie for second with Bluejay legend Amy Baker.

Last week, Potter homered in four straight contests, becoming the first Bluejay to homer in four straight games since Baker did it as a freshman in April of 2010.

HOME RUNS

No. Name HR Year

1. Renae Sinkler 24 2010

2. Amy Baker 18 2011

3. Amy Baker 17 2013

Alexis Cantu 17 2012

5. Liz Dike 16 2014

TJ Eadus 16 2007

7. Sydney Potter 15 2025

Amy Baker 15 2010

9. Renae Sinkler 13 2009

Lauren Cisneros 13 2006

Stacey Rybar 13 2004

- Kaelan Schultz 12 2025

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.

The Bluejays currently rank tied for fifth in the BIG EAST with 67 doubles, trailing UConn (83), Seton Hall (82), Villanova (76) and St. John's (69).

Creighton's 66 doubles this season are the seventh-most in a single season in program history and are now five shy moving into a tie for sixth.

Junior Erika Perez paces the Bluejays with 11 doubles this season, while Sydra Seville and Ella Dalton follow closely behind with nine doubles apiece.

This marks the third straight season Creighton has recorded at least 60 doubles as CU 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 221 doubles hit over the last three years are the most doubles in a three-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. 66 2025

8. 65 1997

65 1989

10. 64 2005

Seville Swipes

Senior Sydra Seville paces the team with 20 stolen bases this year, ranking seventh on Creighton's single season stolen bases list.

The New Lenox, Ill. natives is the first Bluejay to record 20 stolen bases in a season since Melanie Dorsey collected 24 stolen bases in 2005.

Seville is now just three stolen bases shy of tying Shelly Esser (1993) for sixth on the single season top 10 stolen bases list.

In total, Seville has collected 27 stolen bases in her career and is now five stolen bags shy of enter the Bluejays career top 10 list.

STOLEN BASES

No. Name SB Year

1. Shelly Esser 29 1995

Tiffany Strnad 29 1991

3. Heidi Geier 25 1997

4. Melanie Dorsey 24 2005

Heidi Geier 24 1999

6. Shelly Esser 23 1993

7. Sydra Seville 20 2025

8. Heidi Geier 19 1996

9. Danai Martin 18 2011

Jean Tierney 18 1980

- Ashten Pierson 16 2025

Bluejay Thieves

Creighton has recorded 67 stolen bases this season, a total that currently ranking fourth in the BIG EAST behind only Butler (82), St. John's (74) and UConn (70).

The Bluejays 67 stolen bases are the most in a single season since joining the BIG EAST in 2014 and the most since swiping 82 bags in 2005.

By comparison, the Bluejays stole a total of 24 bases in 58 total games last season. Prior to this season the Bluejays had only recorded more than 30 stolen bases in three seasons since joining the BIG EAST in 2014.

The Jays collected a season-high seven stolen bases against UC Santa Barbara on March 2. The Bluejays seven steals were two shy of the school record and were tied for the second-most in a single game in program history and the most since also collecting seven stolen bases against Bradley on March 31, 2001.

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

Year SB SB Att. SB%

2025 67 79 84.8

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

Happy Anniversary

Saturday marks the 34th anniversary of two of the three longest games in NCAA history, both of which involved Creighton. On May 11, 1991, Creighton faced Utah in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament in Omaha.

In an era when pitching dominated, it's not surprising that Creighton won a 1-0 pitcher's duel. What makes that night so special is that it took 31 innings!

Star Creighton pitcher Kelly Brookhart, who had thrown a complete-game shutout earlier in the day, threw all 31 innings in the longest game in NCAA history. She threw the shutout despite allowing 25 hits and walking eight Utes (all intentional) while stranding an NCAA record 31. Brookhart was no slouch at the plate in that game either, going 6-for-11.

The 31-inning game took 6:24 to complete and finished at 12:24 a.m. on May 12th.

Making the day even crazier was that the Bluejay win forced the "if necessary" game to be played, and that started just 21 minutes later at 12:45 a.m.

Game two turned out to be the third-longest game in NCAA history, as Utah won a 4-3 game in 25 innings after the teams agreed to go to the international tiebreaker rule and place a runner on second base to start the 25th inning.

Brookhart came on in relief in the nightcap and finished off the final 20.1 innings, part of her 58.1 innings of work in an 18-hour span.

Softball Continues BIG EAST Tournament Play Against Top-Seeded St. John's on Thursday Afternoon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Brooklyn Patchen

Erika Perez

Ashten Pierson

Hannah Poole

Sydney Potter

Natalia Puchino

Emma Rosonke

Abby Rusher

Kenzie Schopfer

Kaelan Schultz

Sydra Seville

Brooke Shifflett

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

Softball Continues BIG EAST Tournament Play Against Top-Seeded St. John's on Thursday Afternoon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ella Dalton

Alyssa Gappa

Brooklyn Patchen

Erika Perez

Ashten Pierson

Hannah Poole

Sydney Potter

Natalia Puchino

Emma Rosonke

Abby Rusher

Kenzie Schopfer

Kaelan Schultz

Sydra Seville

Brooke Shifflett

Madeline Vejvoda

Lily West

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