OMAHA, Neb. – The Villanova University baseball team will travel to the home of the College World Series to face Creighton in a three-game series this weekend (April 25-27) at Charles Schwab Field.
 
QUICK HITTERS

• The Wildcats are coming off an 11-1 midweek win over Bucknell on Tuesday (April 22).
• Villanova is 4-26 all-time against Creighton. However, the Wildcats have won three of their last four games against the Bluejays, including a 2-1 series win in 2024.
• Shortstop Michael Whooley was named to the 2025 Brooks Wallace Watch List on Friday (April 18). The award is given to the top shortstop in the country. He is the third Wildcat to be named to the watch list.
• Freshman second baseman Brayden Leonard is hitting .444 with a .512 on-base percentage through nine BIG EAST games.
• Reliever Alec Sachais has posted a 2.03 ERA and a team-best .69 WHIP during conference play.

 
WHOOL TO WATCH          
On Friday (April 18), Villanova shortstop Michael Whooley was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list. The award recognizes the best shortstop in the nation, while the top 100 candidates make the watch list. Whooley has had a remarkable season at the plate thus far, slashing .336 with six home runs, 21 RBI and a team-best seven doubles. With a slugging percentage of .573 and an on-base percentage of .433, he is one of two Wildcats with an OPS above 1.000. Whooley is one of five BIG EAST shortstops on the 2025 list, joining Jake Lambdin (Xavier), Ben North (Creighton), Rob Rispoli (UConn) and Blake Schaaf (Georgetown).
 
BIG NUMBERS IN THE BIG EAST     
Freshman Brayden Leonard has been leading Villanova at the plate during conference season. Leonard has 16 hits in nine BIG EAST games. He's batting .444 (16-for-36) while maintaining a .512 on-base percentage. The second baseman has posted two-or-more hits in four conference games. Leonard's hits, batting average and on-base percentage are all team-bests. The Alpharetta, Ga., native became the first Wildcat to record five hits in a game since 2018 against Butler on April 14.
 
CREIGHTON AT A GLANCE
The Bluejays enter the weekend in the midst of a five-game win streak after sweeping St. John's and picking up midweek wins over North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Creighton is tied for first in the BIG EAST with a conference record of 6-3. The Bluejays also have the top overall record in the conference, sitting at 25-12. Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Nolan Sailors leads Creighton at the plate, recording an impressive 54 hits and .388 batting average. Closer Garrett Langrell has been effective on the mound, posting a 2.10 ERA and a team-best nine saves.
 
Game one of the series will be played on Friday night (April 25) at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). All three games will be streamed live on FloSports.