#BIGEASTsb Championship Field Set
NEW YORK - The field for the 2018 BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by Jeep was solidified on Sunday as DePaul, Creighton, St. John’s and Villanova closed out the regular season as the top four teams in the conference. With DePaul serving as host, the BIG EAST Championship is set for May 11 and 12 at The Ballpark at Rosemont, located in suburban Chicago. The winner of the conference tournament receives the league’s automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Softball Championship.
Top-seeded DePaul will match up against No. 4 seed Villanova in the first semifinal on Friday, May 12 at 1 p.m. ET, while No. 2 seed Creighton will play No. 3 seed St. John’s in the 4 p.m. semifinal. Winners will meet in the title game on Saturday, slated for a 2 p.m. start. Both the semis and the final will air on FS2.
Reigning BIG EAST Champion and top-seeded DePaul secured the regular season title with a 5-2 win in the series finale at Providence on Sunday to finish BIG EAST play with a 15-3 record. Following a series sweep over the Friars, the Blue Demons are riding an eight-game conference winning streak into the postseason.
DePaul will challenge fourth-seeded Villanova in the semifinals for the second straight season. In 2018 regular season, the teams met in March, when the Blue Demons swept the Wildcats in the second weekend of league play. After opening the season 0-5, the Wildcats went on a 10-game winning streak, finishing the conference regular season at 10-8.
No. 2 Creighton and No.3 St. John’s will square off for the first time this season after weather conditions over the first weekend of conference play cancelled the three-game series. The Bluejays enter the postseason after sweeping its series over Villanova to finish BIG EAST play with a 12-3 mark. Needing to win at least one game against the Bulldogs to lock up a spot in the BIG EAST Championship, the Johnnies claimed all three games to lock up the No. 3 seed with a 12-6 conference record.
Tickets for the 2018 BIG EAST Conference Championship are on sale now, and can be
purchased here.
BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by Jeep
The Ballpark at Rosemont
Chicago, Ill.
Semifinals - Friday, May 11
No. 1 DePaul vs. No.4 Villanova at 1 p.m. #
No. 2 Creighton at No. 3 St. John’s at 4 p.m. #
Final – Saturday, May 12
Semifinal Winners, at 2 p.m. #
All Times Eastern
# FS2