Softball to Host 2025 DePaul Dome Tournament

CHICAGO – DePaul softball is set to open the 2025 season when they host the DePaul Dome Tournament at the Dome at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Des Plaines, Illinois. DePaul will welcome six teams to the three-day event, including Valparaiso, St. Thomas, Western Illinois, Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, and BIG EAST opponent Butler.

Single-game tickets and all-access passes can be purchased here. The event will not be streamed, but live stats can be followed through the links found here.

The Blue Demons will play two games each day of competition, opening their 2025 season at 2:30 p.m. on Friday against Detroit Mercy, and playing again at 5 p.m. when they take on St. Thomas. Saturday begins with a second matchup against St. Thomas at 3:00pm, followed by a 5:30 p.m. face-off with Valparaiso. Sunday sees the conclusion of the tournament, as DePaul tackles Green Bay at 11:30 a.m., and plays their final tilt of the weekend at 2:00 p.m. against Western Illinois. The tournament central, including the full schedule for all teams, can be found here.

"We take immense pride in the hard work we've dedicated to our preseason preparation," said head coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski.

"We are excited for what lies ahead in the upcoming tournament. Our commitment to success has transformed our culture into one of positivity and resilience, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of a berth to the NCAA tournament."

BLUE DEMON BITS

Head coach Liz Bouck-Jagielski is in her first season at the helm of her alma mater, helping guide DePaul to four NCAA tournament berths and the program's second Women's College World Series during her tenure on the squad
The Blue Demons welcome nine newcomers to the squad under Bouck-Jagielski, including three transfers and six freshmen
The class of six freshmen represents the largest for DePaul since 2021, including Hannah Messer, Chelsea Parker, Zoe Levine, Addi Burdick, Ava Gusel, and Maya Wondaal
Associate Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe also opens her first season in Lincoln Park, contributing 12 years of head-coaching experience from her time at Northern Illinois
DePaul returns three members of its 2024 pitching staff who started 33 combined games, including junior Bella Nigey, senior Katey Pierce, and sophomore Lydia Ettema

ABOUT DETROIT MERCY

The Titans return All-Horizon League honorable mention Jenna Holt, who recorded four multi-hit games in 2024
Dan Vitale enters his second season guiding the Detroit Mercy squad, after leading them to their first Horizon League series win since 2019, when they took two of three from Green Bay in March 2024
Detroit Mercy welcomes 13 freshmen to the Motor City, with 12 of them hailing from 11 different Michigan cities

ABOUT ST. THOMAS

The Tommies were selected to finish fourth in the Summit League preseason poll, after posting an 8-9 mark in league play in 2024
Senior pitcher Christina Crawford was tabbed as a player to watch after recording 14 complete games and 68 strikeouts last spring
Junior outfielder Avery Wukawitz was another key contributor for St. Thomas, with 14 stolen bases on 15 attempts, seven home runs, and a .304 batting average

ABOUT VALPARAISO

Valparaiso also welcomes a first-year head coach in Mike Armitage, who was officially tabbed as the leader of the Beacons on June 6, 2024 after a stint at Minnesota State University Moorhead
2025 marks the fourth time in the last five years that Valparaiso has made the trek to Rosemont to open their season
The Beacons return 13 of 21 letterwinners from 2024, but list only two seniors on their 2025 roster

ABOUT GREEN BAY

Green Bay returns All-Horizon League honorable mention selection Paige Hanson, who was one of six Phoenix to eclipse 100 at-bats, and finished the season with a .248 batting average
Phoenix softball introduces 12 newcomers to the mix for 2025, including eight true freshmen and four transfers
Sara Kubuske embarks on her sixth season leading Green Bay, with two Horizon League Player of the Year selections and four All-Region awards under her belt

ABOUT WESTERN ILLINOIS

Junior Rylee Boone was marked a player to watch in the Ohio Valley conference preseason release, after posting the highest batting average on the squad at .314
The Leathernecks posted a 16-34 overall record in 2024, including five wins in conference play
Head coach Alisa Goler has been at the helm since 2020, and was recently named an assistant to USA Softball's Elite team

SERIES STUFF

DePaul holds the series edge 4-3 against Detroit Mercy, but the sides have not competed since 1988, when the Blue Demons took a narrow 4-3 victory
The Tommies and Blue Demons met for their first and only meeting at the 2022 DePaul Dome Tournament, with DePaul earning an 8-3 win
DePaul is a near-perfect 46-1-1 all-time against Valparaiso, with their lone loss coming in 2016
The Blue Demons are 19-8 when facing Green Bay, last taking a 10-1 win in 2019
Against Western Illinois, the Blue Demons also hold the series at 25-6, with a current ten-game winning streak when facing the Leathernecks

UP NEXT
Upon conclusion of their opening weekend, the Blue Demons will travel to the Skyhawk Classic in Martin, Tennessee, for another three-day tournament that features matchups against Murray State, Purdue Fort Wayne, and host UT Martin.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Softball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Addi Burdick

Lydia Ettema

Ava Gusel

Zoe Levine

Hannah Messer

Bella Nigey

Chelsea Parker

Katey Pierce

Maya Wondaal

DePaul University Athletics