OMAHA, Neb. – Junior pitcher Tara Oltman of the Creighton softball team has earned her third All-America honor this year as she has been named to the Easton All-America Second-Team for the third straight season, the sporting goods manufacturer announced Wednesday. Oltman, the winningest pitcher in school and Missouri Valley Conference history, is the first player in Creighton history to earn All-America honors in three seasons.
Oltman, the only three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year in league history, also repeated as a CoSIDA Academic All-American and was named Creighton’s first NFCA All-American since 1991 this spring. The Bluejay ace finished the year 29-11 with a 0.88 ERA, 12 shutouts and 283 strikeouts in 277.1 innings pitched. The right-hander ranks fifth in the NCAA in ERA, 10th in wins, 11th in shutouts and 21st in strikeouts, as she led the MVC in wins, complete games, innings pitched, ERA, batting average against, shutouts and strikeouts. She is already the winningest pitcher in school and league history, with 86 career victories, while her 135 career appearances and 93 complete games are school records.
The Beatrice (Neb.) High School graduate twice shutout top-25 teams this year, blanking the top-scoring offense in the NCAA on its home field (Arizona) and tossing a no-hitter against Valley rival Southern Illinois. Oltman is also a two-time first-team all-region honoree after earning second-team all-region accolades as a freshman. Her 35 complete games and 277.1 innings pitched this season established school records (surpassing her own marks from 2008).
Oltman will begin her senior season already ranked in the MVC career top-10 in ERA, complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts and shutouts. Her 102 career starts are also a school record while she is 86-28 with 12 saves, a 1.01 ERA and 795 strikeouts in 781 career innings pitched.
Her third straight second-team honor marks the sixth straight year a Bluejay has been recognized by Easton as an All-American. In 2006, Lauren Cisneros was tabbed a third-team All-American. Melanie Dorsey earned first-team honors in 2005 and Tammy Nielsen was twice an Easton All-American, earning second-team in 2004 and third-team in 2005. Stacey Rybar also earned third-team All-America recognition in 2004.
Creighton won its third straight MVC regular-season title this year, finishing 19-6 in Valley play and 35-16 overall.
Creighton earns eight of 10 first-place MVC votes, senior All-American pitcher Tara Oltman is tabbed to preseason watch list for USA Softball's... MORE
