Kansas hosts Creighton in midweek tilt

Game 37
 

Date April 4, 2017
Location Lawrence, Kan.
Notes Game Notes

LIVE COVERAGE
Audio Audio Stream
Stats Live Stats
 LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas softball hosts Creighton in midweek action on Tuesday, April 4 at 6 p.m., at Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park. The game will be broadcast on the Jayhawk Radio Network.     

Leading off for Kansas

  • Kansas and Creighton meet for the 69th time on the diamond in program history. KU leads the series 43-24-1 and has won the last two meetings. Tuesday’s matchup is the first in Lawrence since 2009.
  • With its victory over then-No. 14 Baylor (3/25), Kansas’ streak increased to eight-straight seasons with a win over a nationally-ranked opponent. 
  • The Jayhawks’ last three victories came in walk-off fashion, including a pair of walk-off home runs. Freshman Madison Sykes hit a long ball to end the game against Southeast Missouri State (3/19), while junior Erin McGinley hit a homer to end the game against the Lady Bears (3/25). 
  • Kansas has scored first in 18 of its 36 games in 2017. The Jayhawks have a 12-6 record when putting a run on the scoreboard before their opponent. 
  • Junior infielder Jessie Roane is second in the Big 12 Conference in doubles hit with 12, which also ranks 17th in the country. 

About the Jayhawks
Kansas steps out of Big 12 Conference action for a midweek tilt with Creighton on Tuesday. The Jayhawks are 19-17 on the season with an 18-12 mark in nonconference play. KU has won the last two meetings against the Bluejays, but haven’t hosted CU in Lawrence since the 2009 season. A win against Creighton would snap Kansas’ four-game losing skid before traveling to Lubbock for a three-game series against Texas Tech. 

Kansas’ offense is batting .284 in 2017 with 267 hits, including the second-most home runs (29) in the Big 12, and 93 walks. Six Jayhawks are hitting above .300 after 36 games. Junior utility Jessie Roane is batting .350 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 30 RBIs. Senior infielder Taylor Dodson leads the squad with six home runs and has driven in 16 RBIs in 29 starts. 

The Jayhawks’ pitching staff has posted the fourth-best ERA in the conference with a 2.69 ERA. After a win over No. 14 Baylor (3/25), sophomore Alexis Reid has defeated at  least one nationally-ranked opponent in each of her seasons with the Jayhawks. Reid is 11-10 on the season with 86 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA. She struck out eight batters in the series finale against Oklahoma State (4/1), marking the second time this season to record eight strikeouts. Junior Sarah Miller has made 10 starts in the circle and owns a 3-4 record. She has a 3.50 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 44 innings of work.

Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton owns an 11-20 record in 2017 and is 2-4 in Big East Conference mark. The Bluejays have won three of their last seven games and face Kansas in a midweek game before traveling to Villanova for a three-game series. Creighton has a 10-14 record away from the Creighton Sports Complex.

Offensively, the Bluejays are batting .228 with 178 hits, including 24 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs, and 69 walks. Two players on CU’s roster are hitting above .300. Junior infielder Tash Coffiel is hitting a team-high .352 in 30 starts with a team-best 32 hits. Freshman utility Sam Dellinger leads the team with 19 RBIs and is tied for the most home runs hit with three. 

In the circle, Creighton has posted a 4.45 ERA with 100 strikeouts compared to 119 walks in 199 and two-thirds innings of work. Opposing batters are hitting .300 against the Bluejays’ pitching staff. Junior right-hander Bryana Clark leads the pitching staff with 14 starts. She has posted a 3.80 ERA and struck out a team-high 47 batters in 83 innings of work. 

Following Kansas
Listen to every pitch, home and away, all season long as part of the Jayhawk Radio Network, in partnership with KJHK, the University of Kansas’ student radio station, KLWN and KWOD. All of KU’s contests will be carried live, for free, at KUAthletics.com/radio or by clicking the link on the online schedule. Fans can also get in-game updates via twitter by following @KUsoftball.

The Jayhawk Way
From the moment a student-athlete steps on campus, Kansas head softball coach Megan Smith and her staff begin the process of instilling the Jayhawk Way into their team. The philosophy guides the Jayhawks in competing on the diamond, in the classroom and being a part of the community. There are several core values that the Jayhawks learn to live by while playing at Kansas: family, academics, character and hard work.

Welcome Home
In the spring of 2014, Kansas Athletics unveiled one of the top facilities in collegiate athletics when KU opened Rock Chalk Park. Featured in the multi-sport venue is the new home of Jayhawk softball, a 1,100-seat stadium, which will rival each of the Big 12 schools as one of the premier facilities in the conference. Kansas owns a 34-18 record when playing inside Arrocha Ballpark at Rock Chalk Park.

Up Next
Kansas heads to Lubbock, Texas for a three-game Big 12 series against Texas Tech April 7-9, at  Rocky Johnson Field. All three games will air on the Jayhawk Radio Network.

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