Photo Courtesy of DePaul Athletics
NEW YORK, N.Y. – It came down to the final four games of the regular season but the 2014 BIG EAST Softball Championship field has been set, with DePaul the top seed, followed by No. 2 seed St. John’s, No. 3 Georgetown and No. 4 Creighton. The BIG EAST Semifinals are Friday, May 9, with the Blue Demons and Bluejays kicking things off at 2 p.m. (ET), followed by the Red Storm and Hoyas at 4:30 (ET). All games will be played at The Ballpark at Rosemont, located just outside Chicago, Ill.
The Semifinal games will air live on the FOX Sports Go app and will be televised via tape delay on FOX Sports 2 at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. (ET). The winners will square off for the BIG EAST’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championship on Saturday, May 10, at noon (ET). The BIG EAST Final will be aired live on FOX Sports 1. Daron Sutton will handle play-by-play duties while Brooke Wiesbrod will serve as the analyst for all three BIG EAST Championship tilts.
The Blue Demons (39-9, 18-1 BIG EAST), under the direction of head coach Eugene Lenti, are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the BIG EAST Championship and will look to claim their second league crown. The regular-season champs fell just short of an undefeated conference season as Butler, which had been battling for a spot in the tournament field, managed to split the doubleheader with DePaul on Saturday. The Blue Demons are the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in league postseason history and are 11-7 (.611) in BIG EAST Championship games, including 2008’s title run.
St. John’s (27-22, 12-8) and Georgetown (26-21, 12-8) finished in a tie for second place in the league standings but the Red Storm won 2-of-3 against the Hoyas in their regular-season series to take the No. 2 seed and push GU to No. 3.
St. John’s, coached by Amy Kvilhaug, is making its eighth trip to the BIG EAST Championship and will look to win its first league trophy. The Red Storm are 3-10 at the league tournament, advancing to the Semifinals in their most recent appearance in 2012. The Hoyas, guided by Pat Conlan, are making their second consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Championship in what is also their second appearance in program history. GU fell to DePaul, 1-0, in tCreighton (29-23, 10-10) finished in a tie for fourth with Butler in the regular-season standings but swept the Bulldogs (24-28, 10-10) during conference play to earn the tiebreaker and final slot in the tournament. The Bluejays, coached by Brent Vigness, are in their inaugural season in the BIG EAST Conference and will look to become the ninth different team to win the tournament title.
Tickets for the BIG EAST Championship in Rosemont, Ill., are now available for purchase. Ticket prices per day are $5 (Age 13 and Over) and free admission is available for those 12 and under. BIG EAST students can also receive complimentary game tickets by showing a valid school I.D. at the box office. To reserve tickets in advance, call the DePaul University Ticket Office at (773) 325-SLAM (7526). Tickets will also be available on game days at The Ballpark at Rosemont box office.
BIG EAST Softball Championship Schedule
All Games Played at The Ballpark At Rosemont
Semifinals – Friday, May 9
No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 4 Creighton, 2 p.m. (ET) – FOX Sports Go (tape delay on FS2 at 7:30 p.m.)
No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 3 Georgetown, 4:30 p.m. (ET) – FOX Sports Go (tape delay on FS2 at 9:30 p.m.)
Final – Saturday, May 10
Semifinal Winners, Noon (ET) – FOX Sports 1
he opening game of last season’s tournament.
