#BIGEASTsb Minute: Unbeaten Streaks On The Rise
NEW YORK - After unruly weather interrupted some of this week’s nonconference games, the BIG EAST teams are gearing up for their third weekend of league play this season. St. John’s and Butler have embarked on win streaks and both teams are looking to solidify their spots at the top of the standings.
On The Rise
St. John’s remains the lone BIG EAST softball team to sport a blemish-free record, showing a 6-0 mark following a pair of sweeps over Creighton and Providence. The Red Storm will look to maintain their perfect record when they face DePaul for a three-game series at home. Close behind is Butler with a 4-1 record in league play. The Bulldogs split a shorten series with DePaul but swept Villanova, 3-0 last weekend. Butler will aim to close in on St. John’s lead, when the Bulldogs visit Providence this weekend.
Heavy Hitters
Amassing a conference-leading 18 doubles this season, Seton Hall currently ranks first in the NCAA in doubles per game at 2.06. The Pirates’ national leading efforts are paced by Alexis Walkden. The junior leads the Hall and the conference with 13 doubles, ranking her eighth among all Division I softball players. She also ranks third in the NCAA with 0.42 doubles per game. Adding strength at the plate for the BIG EAST is Villanova, who ranks fifth in triples per game at 0.45.
Around the League
Butler (16-17, 4-1 BIG EAST)
Last time out, Butler played against Indiana State on Wednesday before weather resulted in an incomplete game. Overall, Butler is 16-17 on the season and holds a five-game winning streak. This weekend, the Bulldogs visit Providence in their first league-road series of the season. Leading Butler is Sarah Dixon, who holds a .525 slugging percentage and 18 RBIs. Across the board, Dixon tallies the highest numbers in doubles, triples and home runs, hitting three long balls. Senior
Brandyce Sallee enters the weekend on a three-game hitting streak and a .397 batting average. Butler pitcher Mikeila Boroff, who went 3-0 against IUPUI and Villanova, was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. Her ERA of 3.89 through 16 appearances is second behind
Kaitlin Doud. Boroff boasts a 5-4 record this season.
Creighton ( 11-20, 2-4 BIG EAST)
Last weekend, Creighton opened its BIG EAST home schedule with three losses against BIG EAST-leading St. John's. The Bluejays look to bounce back at Villanova this weekend.
Tash Coffiel leads the Creighton offense with a .352 batting average and .406 on-base percentage. The junior shortstop has a team-best 32 hits.
Ashley Cantu is also hitting better than .300, as the freshman holds a .304 batting average and leads the team with 18 runs.Freshman
Sam Dellinger paces the Jays with 19 RBIs and eight extra-base hits. In the circle, Dellinger holds a Creighton-low 3.32 ERA in 38.0 innings pitched over 12 appearances, including five starts. The freshman has two complete games, two wins and two saves.
DePaul (16-15, 2-3 BIG EAST)
Last weekend, the Blue Demons dropped a three-game series 1-2 to Seton Hall but recovered with a 2-1 nonconference victory over Loyola on Tuesday. Up next, DePaul travels to New York to face Preseason Favorite, St. John’s. The Blue Demons will look to Megan Leyva to direct their efforts against the Johnnies. Leyva ranks second on the team with a .309 batting average. She has registered a hit in her last nine outings and ranks second with 18 RBI. Leyva is one of 12 Blue Demons to record a multi-hit game this season and one of 10 to notch the stat on more than one occasion
Georgetown (10-20, 3-3 BIG EAST)
Falling to Towson in a midweek matchup, the Hoyas are looking to regain control with a road series against Seton Hall. Both teams are currently tied for third place in the conference with a 3-3 record. Sophomore Mallory Belknap is a prominent player for the Hoyas and among the BIG EAST leaders with a .430 average on the year. Noelle Holiday is GU's top power threat with six home runs along with a .302 average, while Sarah Bennett is batting .291 with five home runs and a team-best 20 RBIs. In the circle, Anna Brooks Pacha holds a 7-8 record with a 3.99 ERA over 101.2 innings.
Providence (10-18, 1-5 BIG EAST)
The Friars are coming off a two game winning streak after defeating Georgetown 9-6 and sweeping Brown University 10-0. Nicole Lundstrom currently leads the team at the plate with a .360 batting average along with 26 runs and four home runs. Emma Lee has also come up big for the Friars with a batting average of .356 as well as contributing 21 runs and 10 RBI's.
St. John’s (18-10, 6-0 BIG EAST)
The Johnnies aim to maintain control of first place and extend their six game win streak against DePaul. Kaitlin Mattera is batting .579 in league contests while Gretchen Bowie paces SJU with 13 RBI. In the circle, St. John’s utilizes BIG EAST Pitcher of the week, Madison Morris, who earned her third Pitcher of the Week nod after tossing 7.0 superb innings in relief picking up two wins and holding Bluejays batters to a .154 average at the plate.
Seton Hall (16-14, 3-3 BIG EAST)
In its last conference series, Seton Hall took two of three from DePaul to win their first series over the Blue Demons in Chicago in program history. This week the Pirates challenge Georgetown for a top-three standing in the BIG EAST.As a team the Pirates are batting .304 with a .395 on-base percentage and .494 slugging percentage. The Hall ranks first in the BIG EAST with 5.9 runs per game and also top the conference with 28 home runs and 44 stolen bases. The Pirates’ offensive charge is directed by Alexis Walkden with a .406 average along with 13 doubles, nine home runs, 28 RBIs, 34 runs scored and seven stolen bases. In the circle Lauren Fischer is The Hall’s top arm, holding a 3.05 ERA in a team-high 55.0 innings.
Villanova (17-12, 2-4 BIG EAST)
Hosting Creighton in its first BIG EAST home series this season, Villanova is looking to pick up a conference series after being swept Butler last weekend in Indiana. The Wildcats currently own a 5-0 record at home this season. Guiding Villanova’s efforts is Nikki Alden, who leads the Wildcats and ranks among the leaders in the BIG EAST with a .418 batting average. She also paces the squad with seven home runs and 28 RBIs. Lauren Herschberg owns a team-best 33 hits, seven doubles and holds a .363 average, while the Wildcats are hitting .308 as a team with six players hitting above the .300 mark. In the circle, Brette Lawrence holds a BIG EAST-best 2.67 ERA in 110.0 innings (21 appearances, 16 starts). Lawrence also has 101 strikeouts to only 20 walks.