The Basics 
The Drake softball team is back in Des Moines for a four-game homestand this week. Drake will first take on Creighton from Buel Field on Wednesday, April 8 and then welcome Southern Illinois to town for a MVC series on Friday and Saturday (April 10-11).
  
Bulldogs by the Numbers 
The Bulldogs will look to start their week with a win and snap out of a recent skid losing four straight, including 13 of their last 15 contests. Drake has an overall record of 8-26 and is 1-4 in home games this season. The Bulldogs are currently in last place in the MVC standings with a league record of 2-12 and will need to make up some ground with less than a month remaining in the regular season in order to make the conference tournament.

Junior utility player Frankie Rita had a solid series against the Bruins last weekend and went 4-for-9 at the dish (.444) with a double, two runs scored, and one RBI. Rita's weekend was highlighted by a 3-for-4 performance on Friday against one the best pitchers in the country, Maya Johnson. It marked the second game for Rita this season in which she recorded three hits in a contest. Rita currently leads the Bulldogs in hitting with a .320 batting average and is tied for the team lead in doubles with eight. She is also tied for second on the team with 32 total hits this season.
 
Scouting Creighton
The Bluejays carry an overall record of 20-20 coming into Wednesday's matchup and are 9-3 in BIG EAST competition this season. Creighton has won eight of its last 11 games and provides an explosive offense that has scored 10 or more runs on nine different occasions.
 
Tara Vandewater has been the top hitter for the Bluejays in 2026 and leads the team with a .368 batting average. Creighton's lineup boasts six players who are hitting over .300 on the year, but Vandewater also provides pop with a seven home runs and 40 RBI. She also proves to be a threat on the base paths with 10 steals in 13 attempts.
 
Audrey Gilman is the No.1 pitcher in the circle for the Bluejays appearing in 27 games with 19 starts. She paces the Creighton pitching staff with a record of 10-8 and an ERA of 4.47. In 117.1 innings of work, Gilman has 60 strikeouts and 68 walks.
 
The all-time series between Drake and Creighton sees the Bluejays hold the lead, 22-16. Drake is 5-10 all-time in games played from Des Moines against Creighton. The two teams played earlier this season at the Bear Down Fiesta back in February with Creighton winning 3-2 in a five inning drop dead contest.
 
Scouting Southern Illinois
SIU currently sits in second place in the MVC standings with a league mark of 10-4 and just swept Indiana State to improve its overall record to 21-13. The Salukis are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon against Evansville before their trip to Des Moines. In road games, Southern Illinois has gone 6-3 this season.
 
At the plate, Maleah Blomenkamp posts a .380 average to lead SIU, but the Saluki's get their power from Sydney Potter and Emily Williams. Potter leads the MVC with 16 home runs and 42 RBI, while Williams ranks fourth in the league in homers (11) and second in RBI (40).
 
The pitching staff for SIU mainly uses a trio of arms in Hailey Lucas, Emily Delgado, and Brooklynn Danielson. Danielson posts the best record of the bunch at 7-1 and has logged 48.2 innings of work with 46 strikeouts and 19 walks. Delgado leads the team with 17 appearances and carries a sub-three ERA of 2.63 with a record of 6-3. Lucas, however, has an ERA of 2.53 and seven complete games with three shutouts to her credit.
 
SIU leads the all-time series over Drake, 29-23, and has beaten Drake in eight of the last 10 meetings. The Bulldogs and Saluki's only met once last season in the MVC Tournament with SIU getting the win 12-4 in five innings. Drake is 7-10 all-time against Southern in games played from Des Moines.
 
Up Next
Drake will face its in-state rival, the UNI Panthers, for a midweek doubleheader from Cedar Falls on Tuesday, April 14. First pitch for game one against UNI is slated for 3:00 p.m. next Tuesday.