VILLANOVA, Pa. – A week after starting the BIG EAST slate on the road, the Villanova Wildcats will make their 2023 home debut this weekend as the Creighton Bluejays (13-11, 0-0 BIG EAST) come to town for a three-game series.

ALWAYS FIND YOUR WAY BACK HOME

It has been exactly 320 days since the Wildcats competed in an official game in their home stadium. That's 10 months and 16 days away from the Villanova Softball Complex, but now, the 'Cats will return to a spot where they own a .562 winning percentage and 144 all-time wins. The last game played on campus was a 5-2 defeat of Seton Hall on May 1 in a matchup where Megan Kern, Ryan Henry and Ally Jones all went yard to power VU to a victory. Last year, Villanova achieved an 11-5 mark in games at home, including sweeps of St. John's and Georgetown. 

'CATS BATS COME ALIVE

After falling to Georgetown in the BIG EAST opener, Villanova's lineup proceeded to score 24 runs over the next two matchups. The second half of Saturday's doubleheader was the start of the awakening, with VU exploding for 13 hits led by Tess Cites' second four-hit game of the season in addition to a pair of base knocks each for Madison Ostrowski and Lilly St. Jean. Sunday then saw a season-high 16 runs scored for the Wildcats, as Dani Dabroski, Jones, Chloe Smith and St. Jean each totaled two hits and Villanova worked seven walks to run-rule the Hoyas in five innings.

EARNING SOME HARDWARE

The Wildcats have cleaned up in the BIG EAST weekly honors, putting players on the list in four of the first five weeks. Freshman Kat Gallant earned the conference's first Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 13, then was named the Freshman of the Week on Feb. 27 after a two-hit shutout of Boston College. Cites earned the league's top player honors and Kelsey White was named the Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 6. Cites, Henry, Smith and St. Jean (twice) have all been selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll in the first five weekends.

HELLO, OLD FRIEND

As BIG EAST foes dating back to 2014 when the Bluejays joined the conference, the Wildcats are quite familiar with Creighton. Villanova owns the edge in the all-time series with a record of 12-9 (.571). The two squads had only met once in nonconference play, as the 'Jays picked up a 9-2 win in a 2006 matchup played in Orlando, Fla. Creighton swept the first ever BIG EAST series between the two sides before the 'Cats won eight in a row stretching from April 1, 2015 to April 8, 2017. This is the earliest the squads have met in conference play as every other VU-CU BIG EAST showdown has come in April or May.

SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS

• Creighton comes in with a 13-11 overall record, boasting a four-game winning streak including a sweep of a doubleheader against Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon. The Bluejays are 1-2 in away games, with the losses coming at Tarleton State and New Mexico State.

• The CU lineup is led by junior outfielder Cayla Nielsen, who has a .393 batting average, and infielder Madeline Vejvoda, who has started in all 24 games and leads the team with 27 hits. Junior Alyssa Gappa and graduate student Kailey Wilson have each belted six home runs to tie for the team lead.

• In the circle, the Jays mainly utilize three pitchers: Payton Akers, Natalia Puchino and Alexis Wiggins. Puchino has started 12 games and owns a 7-4 record with a 2.03 ERA and a .245 batting average against, while Wiggins has started 11 contests and pitched 41.1 innings to this point. Akers has appeared in 16 games mainly in relief, owning the team bests in ERA (1.89), strikeouts (46) and hits allowed (22).