Creighton Softball Earns Highest BIG EAST Preseason Ranking Since 2019
The BIG EAST announced its preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday and the Creighton softball program earned its highest preseason ranking since 2019.
Coming off a second-consecutive finals appearance and the first back-to-back 30-win seasons since 2009-10, the Bluejays are predicted to finish second.
It's just the second time in 13 years that Creighton has been picked second, but this time the Bluejays earned two first-place votes. St. John's received six first-place votes and a total of 61 points and the defending conference champion UConn Huskies earned one first-place vote. UConn's 51 points force a second-place tie with Creighton.
Checking in at #2⃣ in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) January 16, 2026
📰https://t.co/m4FNepoLqZ#GoJays pic.twitter.com/xjy8tUk2nK
2026 BIG EAST Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. St. John's (6) - 61
2. Creighton (2) - 51
3. UConn (1) - 51
4. Villanova - 50
5. Providence -32
6. Butler - 31
7. Seton Hall - 24
8. DePaul - 15
9. Georgetown -9
Only the top four finishers in the BIG EAST regular-season standings will qualify for the BIG EAST Championships presented by JEEP, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Regionals. The tournament for those four teams will take place on May 7-9 at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill.
Previewing the Bluejays
Creighton returns 12 letter winners from last year's squad, including Lily West, Kaelan Schultz, and Ella Dalton. All three have earned All-BIG EAST Second Team selections in their careers.
West has been a force in the Creighton lineup for three years. Last season was the best of her career; she started and played in all 55 contests. She hit .339 and set new career-highs in just about every statistical category. She collected 67 hits, including six doubles, two triples, four home runs, 44 runs batted in, and 39 runs scored in 189 at-bats.
Schultz launched 14 home runs last season and drove in 39 runs in 40 games last season. She started 39 contests and finished with a .342 batting average and .772 slugging percentage.
Hard at work 🚧#GoJays pic.twitter.com/UM31JXpIBR
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) January 14, 2026
Dalton was an All-BIG EAST selection in 2024 as a freshman who only started half of Creighton's games. In her sophomore campaign, she became a full-time starter but saw her offense dip a little.
Junior Ashten Pierson, a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, will be back in the middle infield this spring. She is just the second player in conference history to earn the award twice.
Pierson was just one of four Bluejays to start 55 games. She was ranked second in the BIG EAST with 95 assists and nine double plays.
A key addition to the lineup will be Tara Vandewater, a transfer from Oklahoma State. She appeared in 31 games a pinch runner for the Cowgirls.
Who's Pitching?
The only returning arm in the circle for Creighton is Brooklyn Patchen. She led the Bluejays with an 11-8 record. She finished the year with a 4.18 earned run average and 96 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched.
Happy Birthday @PatchenBrooklyn!! 🥳🎂#GoJays pic.twitter.com/TMuddq3vCv
— Creighton Softball (@BluejaySoftball) January 12, 2026
Two transfers will join the pitching staff in Landrie Harris from McLennan Community College and Gracie Maloney from North Texas.
Creighton also has two freshman arms in Ava Drehs and Audrey Gilman who are expected to throw some innings this season.
The Bluejays open the 2026 season at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas, on Feb. 6-8 against Central Arkansas, Sam Houston and South Dakota.
More From Creighton On SI
feed
Stay up to date with the BlueJays by bookmarking Creighton On SI and follow us on Twitter.
Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016.