Bluejays seek sweep of Nebraska
The roles seem to have reversed the past few seasons in Nebraska and Creighton’s softball rivalry.
After dropping 15-straight games to the Huskers from 2000-2004, Creighton recently has had Nebraska’s number and won five out of the last eight contests.
The Bluejays beat the Huskers 2-1 last year in the NCAA regional at Bowlin Stadium, and crushed the Huskers 7-2 in Omaha two weeks ago.
With a win today in the 6 p.m. showdown between the two teams at Bowlin, the Bluejays could pull off a season sweep of the Huskers for just the second time in school history.
Although it looks probable since Creighton has a 27-13 record, has superior statistics in most categories and beat two-time defending national champion Arizona early this year, head coach Brent Vigness isn’t going to look too hard at Nebraska’s 16-18 record.
“Every year, you can always throw the records out the window,” Vigness said. “I think that is the case this year. Regardless to what happened previously, it is going to be intense game.“
The fact that many players on both squads are from Nebraska and have played against each other throughout their childhoods doesn’t hurt the intensity, either.
Three Bluejays, Renae Sinkler, Bailey Dawson and Mary Egan, are from Lincoln. Michelle Koch and Tara Oltman played at Beatrice High School.
Oltman said it is extra-special when the girls from the Lincoln area get a chance to play at Bowlin against Nebraska.
“It is exciting to play them,” Oltman said. “We always have a lot of fans that come and it’s a really intense feeling.“
Sinkler, who played for Lincoln Northeast in high school, leads the Bluejays with a .323 batting average, while Dawson, a Southeast alum, has driven in a team-best 23 runs.
Oltman has turned into one of the best pitchers in the country at Creighton. Last year, Oltman was named the Missouri Valley Conference pitcher and newcomer of the year.
This year, the sophomore who carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average hasn’t had any kind of a sophomore slump. Oltman again has dominated in the circle and boasts an 18-6 record and a 1.13 ERA. She also has five saves, seven shutouts, and 175 strikeouts in 167 innings of work.
Oltman attributes her even-better sophomore numbers to the way she’s expanded her pitching arsenal.
“I didn’t have a really good curveball last year,” Oltman said. “I didn’t have a very good rise. I wouldn’t say they’re great this year, but I definitely have improved on those pitches.”
Briefly
Nebraska junior starting catcher Amanda Duran will miss the rest of the Huskers’ season. Duran will undergo surgery to fix her hand, which was injured Saturday against Texas Tech.
After dropping 15-straight games to the Huskers from 2000-2004, Creighton recently has had Nebraska’s number and won five out of the last eight contests.
The Bluejays beat the Huskers 2-1 last year in the NCAA regional at Bowlin Stadium, and crushed the Huskers 7-2 in Omaha two weeks ago.
With a win today in the 6 p.m. showdown between the two teams at Bowlin, the Bluejays could pull off a season sweep of the Huskers for just the second time in school history.
Although it looks probable since Creighton has a 27-13 record, has superior statistics in most categories and beat two-time defending national champion Arizona early this year, head coach Brent Vigness isn’t going to look too hard at Nebraska’s 16-18 record.
“Every year, you can always throw the records out the window,” Vigness said. “I think that is the case this year. Regardless to what happened previously, it is going to be intense game.“
The fact that many players on both squads are from Nebraska and have played against each other throughout their childhoods doesn’t hurt the intensity, either.
Three Bluejays, Renae Sinkler, Bailey Dawson and Mary Egan, are from Lincoln. Michelle Koch and Tara Oltman played at Beatrice High School.
Oltman said it is extra-special when the girls from the Lincoln area get a chance to play at Bowlin against Nebraska.
“It is exciting to play them,” Oltman said. “We always have a lot of fans that come and it’s a really intense feeling.“
Sinkler, who played for Lincoln Northeast in high school, leads the Bluejays with a .323 batting average, while Dawson, a Southeast alum, has driven in a team-best 23 runs.
Oltman has turned into one of the best pitchers in the country at Creighton. Last year, Oltman was named the Missouri Valley Conference pitcher and newcomer of the year.
This year, the sophomore who carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average hasn’t had any kind of a sophomore slump. Oltman again has dominated in the circle and boasts an 18-6 record and a 1.13 ERA. She also has five saves, seven shutouts, and 175 strikeouts in 167 innings of work.
Oltman attributes her even-better sophomore numbers to the way she’s expanded her pitching arsenal.
“I didn’t have a really good curveball last year,” Oltman said. “I didn’t have a very good rise. I wouldn’t say they’re great this year, but I definitely have improved on those pitches.”
Briefly
Nebraska junior starting catcher Amanda Duran will miss the rest of the Huskers’ season. Duran will undergo surgery to fix her hand, which was injured Saturday against Texas Tech.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.