Creighton’s Lily West Delivers Historic Performance in Big East Softball Tournament

In what could have been the final at-bat of her collegiate career, Creighton senior catcher Lily West made program history on Saturday when she ripped her 246th hit in the 5-1 win over UConn.

The single broke Bluejay Hall of Famer Christy Luceford’s program record of 245 career hits, a record that has stood since 1997. 

West tied the record straight away in the first inning when her RBI double put the Bluejays on the board first. Her performance on the day forced a Game 2 of the BIG EAST Tournament championship, as the Huskies suffered their first loss in the double-elimination format. 

The record-breaking hit came in the top of the seventh inning when the Bluejays were on a rally, roping in two major insurance runs to down their most heated rival. 

West has been a staple in the Bluejays' starting lineup since she walked in as a rookie in 2024. She has started all 224 games of her career and is now rocking a 21-game on-base streak. That breaks her earlier 20-game on-base streak she set earlier in the 2026 season. 

Across those 21 games, the catcher is hitting .328 with five doubles, two homers, 11 walks, and 15 runs scored. She’s reached base safely in 51 of 58 games this season, while reaching safely in each of the last 39 games against BIG EAST competition. 

Additionally, her 224 games played rank fifth in Creighton history and are the most by a Bluejay since Beth Herod's 233 games from 1989-93.

This phenomenal senior season only follows one heck of a career behind her. The Oklahoma native was one of just four Bluejays to start all 55 games (50 as catcher and five as designated player) as a junior. She ranked third on the team with a .339 batting average, while ranking second and eighth in the conference with 64 hits. She became just the seventh player in program history to record at least 50 hits in three seasons. 

With West’s success, the Bluejays have one more attempt at grabbing their first-ever BIG EAST Tournament Title and an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Softball Championship.

After losing to UConn in the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament championship and two more in 2026, including once in April, and a 9-3 defeat in the first round of the Tournament on Thursday, the revenge has certainly been mounting for the Bluejays.  

Creighton is playing in the BIG EAST Tournament Finals for the third straight year and for the fourth time in program history.

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