Thursday, May 13
Storrs, Conn.
11 A.M. CT
DePaul University
vs
Butler
DePaul Begins Quest For Fourth Consecutive BIG EAST Title
5/12/2021 5:11:00 PM | SOFTBALL
Blue Demons meet Butler at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday
CHICAGO – The Blue Demons hit the road for Storrs, Conn. as the No. 1 seed in the 2021 BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep. The four-team, double-elimination tournament begins Thursday, May 13 with a champion crowned on Saturday, May 15.
Joining DePaul in the field include, No. 2 Villanova, third seed and host Connecticut and No.4 Butler.
First round action is set to get underway from the Burrill Family Field at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday as DePaul will meet Butler. Live coverage can be found on the BIG EAST Digital Network via the BIG EAST Conference's YouTube Channel. John Fanta (play-by-play) and Adam Giardino (analyst) are set to be on the call.
Led by the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, as announced on Wednesday, DePaul enters the weekend with a 25-9 record and 13-1 mark in conference play. The Blue Demons won the 2021 regular season BIG EAST title, their seventh in program history.
2021 marks DePaul's 15th appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament since joining the league for the 2006 season. The Blue Demons have won five tournament titles (2008, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019) and have finished runner up on one occasion (2009).
The Blue Demons will look to extend their nine-game win-streak and go for its fourth-consecutive conference ring.
Butler enters the BIG EAST Championship meeting at 6-11-1 mark in the BIG EAST and 16-19-1 overall on the 2021 campaign. The Bulldogs have relied on a deep pitching staff with Mackenzie Griman, Alyssa Graves and All-BIG EAST First Team selection Karli Ricketts combining for a 2.59 ERA and 236 strikeouts on the season. Lauren Fey leads the Butler offense with a .519 on-base percentage. Fey, a 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team honoree, has recorded 47 hits and is batting .427. The Bulldogs are making their third appearance at the BIG EAST Championship and first since 2017.
DePaul boasts a balanced and veteran-laden lineup including six seniors who all contribute on the offensive and defensive ends. Jessica Cothern, a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection, leads the way with a team-high .354 batting average, 34 hits and .446 on-base percentage. All-BIG EAS Second Team honorees Brooke Johnson and Kate Polucha follow closely behind in offensive production. The duo is tied for the team lead in RBI with 23 while Polucha ranks third in hits with 32 and Johnson fourth with 31. Polucha paces the squad in homers with seven while Cothern and Johnson have five apiece. In the leadoff spot, senior center fielder Angela Scalzitti has recorded 33 hits including eight doubles and three triples, both DePaul bests. Scalzitti is a stout base runner and has stolen 10 bases on 12 attempts in 2021.
In the circle, DePaul is led by seniors Krista Dalgarn and Natalie Halvorson. The duo has combined to compile a 22-5 record in 2021 in 194 of DePaul's 233 innings played this season. The tandem led DePaul to a 13-1 BIG EAST record in 2021 with the lowest ERA of any staff in the league at 1.94. The pair only allowed one home run apiece in a combined 21 appearances across 14 conference contests. Halvorson was a perfect 7-0 with a 1.89 ERA while Dalgarn went 5-1 with three shutouts to her credit.
Including three-regular season victories over Butler, DePaul leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs 18-6 and have won four in a row. In the regular season series in Indianapolis, DePaul outscored Butler, 10-2. The two programs have only met once in the conference tournament. In 2016, the four seed Bulldogs knocked off top-seeded DePaul in the semifinals 10-6. The Bulldogs went on to win their first BIG EAST title since joining the league in 2013.
Villanova and UConn are set to face off at 2 p.m. (CT) with the losers of both matchups meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Joining DePaul in the field include, No. 2 Villanova, third seed and host Connecticut and No.4 Butler.
First round action is set to get underway from the Burrill Family Field at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday as DePaul will meet Butler. Live coverage can be found on the BIG EAST Digital Network via the BIG EAST Conference's YouTube Channel. John Fanta (play-by-play) and Adam Giardino (analyst) are set to be on the call.
Led by the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, as announced on Wednesday, DePaul enters the weekend with a 25-9 record and 13-1 mark in conference play. The Blue Demons won the 2021 regular season BIG EAST title, their seventh in program history.
2021 marks DePaul's 15th appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament since joining the league for the 2006 season. The Blue Demons have won five tournament titles (2008, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019) and have finished runner up on one occasion (2009).
The Blue Demons will look to extend their nine-game win-streak and go for its fourth-consecutive conference ring.
Butler enters the BIG EAST Championship meeting at 6-11-1 mark in the BIG EAST and 16-19-1 overall on the 2021 campaign. The Bulldogs have relied on a deep pitching staff with Mackenzie Griman, Alyssa Graves and All-BIG EAST First Team selection Karli Ricketts combining for a 2.59 ERA and 236 strikeouts on the season. Lauren Fey leads the Butler offense with a .519 on-base percentage. Fey, a 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team honoree, has recorded 47 hits and is batting .427. The Bulldogs are making their third appearance at the BIG EAST Championship and first since 2017.
DePaul boasts a balanced and veteran-laden lineup including six seniors who all contribute on the offensive and defensive ends. Jessica Cothern, a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection, leads the way with a team-high .354 batting average, 34 hits and .446 on-base percentage. All-BIG EAS Second Team honorees Brooke Johnson and Kate Polucha follow closely behind in offensive production. The duo is tied for the team lead in RBI with 23 while Polucha ranks third in hits with 32 and Johnson fourth with 31. Polucha paces the squad in homers with seven while Cothern and Johnson have five apiece. In the leadoff spot, senior center fielder Angela Scalzitti has recorded 33 hits including eight doubles and three triples, both DePaul bests. Scalzitti is a stout base runner and has stolen 10 bases on 12 attempts in 2021.
In the circle, DePaul is led by seniors Krista Dalgarn and Natalie Halvorson. The duo has combined to compile a 22-5 record in 2021 in 194 of DePaul's 233 innings played this season. The tandem led DePaul to a 13-1 BIG EAST record in 2021 with the lowest ERA of any staff in the league at 1.94. The pair only allowed one home run apiece in a combined 21 appearances across 14 conference contests. Halvorson was a perfect 7-0 with a 1.89 ERA while Dalgarn went 5-1 with three shutouts to her credit.
Including three-regular season victories over Butler, DePaul leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs 18-6 and have won four in a row. In the regular season series in Indianapolis, DePaul outscored Butler, 10-2. The two programs have only met once in the conference tournament. In 2016, the four seed Bulldogs knocked off top-seeded DePaul in the semifinals 10-6. The Bulldogs went on to win their first BIG EAST title since joining the league in 2013.
Villanova and UConn are set to face off at 2 p.m. (CT) with the losers of both matchups meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Players Mentioned
C/3B
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P/1B
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P
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RHP/ 1B
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OF
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OF
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