The Basics
The Bulldogs are slated for plenty of action this week as they head to Omaha for a midweek doubleheader on Tuesday, March 11 against Creighton followed by a weekend trip to Nashville for their first conference series of 2025 against Belmont.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake was down in Kansas City last weekend and participated in the Kansas City Roos Invitational. The Bulldogs played five games against host institution Kansas City and St. Thomas (MN) going 2-3 defeating the Roos twice, but falling to the Tommies three times. Through the first month of the season, Drake owns an overall record of 6-13.
Freshman
Ava Curry has been a standout in her first collegiate season for the Bulldogs leading the team with a .410 batting average. The Pella, Iowa, native has started in all 16 games she's appeared in and is slugging .462 to go along with six RBI. Senior
Emma Dighton has continued to provide some pop at the plate leading the Bulldogs in home runs (3) and RBI (12). Last weekend, Dighton went a perfect 5-for-5 with three RBI leading Drake to a one of its victories over Kansas City.
Paige Bedsworth has been steady in the circle for the Bulldogs and earned her second win after tossing her second complete game of the season on Sunday against the Roos. The senior leads Drake's pitching staff with an ERA of 1.84.
Molly Hoekstra has tallied the most innings on the season with 32.2 and the most strikeouts (29).
Scouting Creighton
Game one's first pitch against Creighton is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with game two to follow 30 minutes after the completion of game one from the Creighton Sports Complex.
Creighton is 10-8 this season after opening Big East play with a 1-2 showing at Providence last weekend. The Bluejays have played their first 18 games away from home claiming victories over Purdue Fort Wayne, Northern Kentucky, Kennesaw State, Morehead State, UC Santa Barbara and Saint Mary's.
The Bluejays are led offensively by senior Sydra Seville who is hitting at a clip of .410 on a team-high 25 hits, including three doubles, two triples and a home run, while driving in 10 RBI and scoring a team-best 12 runs of her own.
Sophomore's Brooke Shifflett and Brooklyn Patchen have led the Bluejays pitching staff through the first month of play. Shifflett owns a 6-2 overall record with a team-best 2.39 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 41 innings of work, while Patchen has logged a 2.50 ERA with 26 punchouts in 42.0 innings pitched this season.
Creighton leads the all-time series against Drake, 60-33. In games played from Omaha, the Bluejays have defended their home turf against the Bulldogs going 29-15.
Scouting Belmont
Drake opens its conference slate with a three-game series from the Music City taking on the Bruins of Belmont. The Bruins, who were picked second in the MVC preseason poll, own a record of 16-7 coming into the week. Belmont begins its conference season with a midweek contest against Murray State on Wednesday before its battle with the Bulldogs.
The duo of Emily Cockrill and Nicole Hughes have been dangerous at the plate for Belmont as they lead the team with 25 hits each, respectively. Cockrill is slashing .373/.537/.427 with seven doubles, two triples, and 20 RBI. Meanwhile, Hughes posts numbers of .368/.471/.470 with seven doubles and 17 RBI.
Maya Johnson has been dominant in the circle for the Bruins. In 60.1 innings of work, she has racked up 106 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a hitting clip of .095. Johnson's efforts have led her to an 8-1 record on the year and an ERA of 0.81.
Drake leads the all-time series over Belmont, 4-2. In games played in Nashville, the Bulldogs have gone 2-1 against the Bruins. Drake won the series last year from Des Moines taking two of the three contests.
Up Next
Drake stays on the road for another MVC weekend series against Bradley, March 21-23.