Courtesy of Creighton Athletics
OMAHA, Neb. – Creighton softball head coach Brent Vigness announced the addition of former Bluejay two-way player Alexis Cantu as an assistant coach on the 2016 staff Wednesday afternoon.
A year after completing a stellar career at Creighton in 2014, Cantu spent the past season at Arkansas Tech as a graduate assistant to head coach Kristina McSweeney. While in Russellville, Cantu earned a Master’s degree and assisted the Golden Suns’ pitching staff. She helped the team to claim its first selection to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship.
The 2015 Golden Sun pitching staff posted 67 more strikeouts and added six saves while allowing five fewer hits despite playing five more games when compared to the previous season. Overall, the Tech squad became just the third team in program history to win 40 or more games. Last year’s team attained important firsts with a national ranking, an NCAA tournament bid and a tourney victory.
Cantu, a former Bluejay two-way player, will assist the CU pitchers beginning this fall leading up to the 2016 campaign. Cantu has plenty of experience in the circle as well as the batter’s box.
In her third and final season in a Bluejay uniform Cantu achieved 2014 All-BIG EAST First Team honors as a pitcher/utility player. The Frisco, Texas native was also named the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Newcomer of the Year while earning All-MVC First Team honors in her first season in Omaha, a year after starting her career at UT Arlington.
Cantu led the CU squad with a batting average, walks and on-base percentage in her senior season. She also ranked second on the squad with 10 home runs, 30 RBI and 69 total bases. Her 2014 season total of 32 walks is tied for sixth all-time at CU. The utility player also finished fourth in the BIG EAST with 10 round trips and placed fifth in the league with a .448 on-base percentage.
A 2014 BIG EAST All-Tournament team member, Cantu finished her final campaign in the circle with career bests in ERA, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, runs allowed, opposing batting average, walks allowed and strikeouts.
“It is truly an honor to be the assistant softball coach at Creighton University,” said Cantu. “As a former player here, I understand the values, traditions and level of expectations that come with this opportunity and look forward to helping build a championship softball program at Creighton. I would like to thank Bruce Rasmussen, Athletic Director, and Brent Vigness, Head Softball Coach, for allowing me to become a part of the Bluejay family again.”
“I am excited to welcome Alexis back,” said Vigness. “As a former player here she is extremely familiar with our program’s goals. The experience she gained at Arkansas Tech last year was invaluable to see the game from a different vantage point with more responsibilities. This is the next logical step in her development to become an outstanding young coach.”
During her playing career at CU, Cantu set single-season records for walks and hit-by-pitch at the plate. She earned 46 free passes in 2012 to set her first mark. Cantu took the brunt of 15 pitches in 2013 to set the hit-by-pitch record.
A prolific home run hitter, Cantu blasted a career-high of 17 homers in 2012 leading to a career total of 33 that stands fifth all-time in Creighton history. Additionally, her career walk total of 110 ranks one shy of the all-time CU mark.
Cantu earned her bachelor’s degree from Creighton in psychology in 2014.
