Softball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- alexiscantu@creighton.edu
- Phone:
- (402) 280-5806
After three seasons as a standout player for Creighton (2012-14), Cantu began her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Arkansas Tech during 2015. With one year of experience Cantu returned to the Bluejay bench in the fall of 2015 as an assistant coach. Cantu, a former two-way player, will assist the Bluejay pitchers for a second consecutive season in 2017.
During her first season as an assistant at her alma mater, the Creighton’s pitching staff posted a 3.55 ERA, and led the BIG EAST with 328 strikeouts compared to a league-low 102 walks.Â
Micaela Whitney ended the season third in the BIG EAST with a 2.74 ERA and fifth in the league in strikeouts (140), while Sydnee Eck posted the third-most strikeouts in the conference (169) and set the Creighton single-season mark for strikeouts per seven innings (9.17), good enough for the 13th-best mark nationally. Whitney and Eck also became just the third tandem in Creighton history to each have 100 or more punchouts in the same season. Â
During her year at Arkansas Tech, Cantu earned a master’s degree and assisted the Golden Suns’ pitching staff. She helped the team to claim its first selection to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship. The 2015 Golden Sun pitching staff posted 67 more strikeouts and added six saves while allowing five fewer hits despite playing five more games when compared to the previous season. Overall, the Tech squad became just the third team in program history to win 40 or more games.Â
In her third and final season in a Bluejay uniform as a player, Cantu achieved 2014 All-BIG EAST First Team honors as a pitcher/utility player. The Frisco, Texas native was also named the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Newcomer of the Year while earning All-MVC First Team honors in her first season in Omaha, a year after starting her career at UT Arlington.
Cantu led the CU squad in batting average, walks and on-base percentage in her senior season. She also ranked second on the squad with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs and 69 total bases. Her 2014 season total of 32 walks is tied for sixth all-time at CU. The utility player also finished fourth in the BIG EAST with 10 round trippers and placed fifth in the league with a .448 on-base percentage.
A 2014 BIG EAST All-Tournament team member, Cantu finished her final campaign in the circle with career bests in ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, runs allowed, opposing batting average, walks allowed and strikeouts.
“It is truly an honor to be the assistant softball coach at Creighton University,” Cantu said when she was hired. “As a former player here, I understand the values, traditions and level of expectations that come with this opportunity and look forward to helping build a championship softball program at Creighton. I would like to thank Bruce Rasmussen, Athletic Director, and Brent Vigness, Head Softball Coach, for allowing me to become a part of the Bluejay family again.”
“I am excited to welcome Alexis back,” said Vigness. “As a former player here she is extremely familiar with our program’s goals. The experience she gained at Arkansas Tech (in 2015) was invaluable to see the game from a different vantage point with more responsibilities. This is the next logical step in her development to become an outstanding young coach.”
During her playing career at Creighton, Cantu set single-season records for walks and hit-by-pitch at the plate. She earned 46 free passes in 2012 to set her first mark. Cantu took the brunt of 15 pitches in 2013 to set the hit-by-pitch record.
A prolific home run hitter, Cantu blasted a career-high of 17 homers in 2012 leading to a career total of 33 that stands sixth all-time in Creighton history. Additionally, her career walk total of 110 ranks one shy of the all-time CU mark.
Cantu earned her bachelor’s degree from Creighton in psychology in 2014. Her sister Ashley is in her first season as a Bluejay outfielder.Â
