If a great pitcher can dominate a softball game, a great pitching staff may be enough to dominate a season.

This is what Creighton softball coach Brent Vigness has been working toward as he compiled a rotation featuring two aces, junior Sammy Snygg and sophomore Becca Changstrom.

“I’m very pleased with our returning pitchers,” Vigness said. “Becca had an amazing freshman season, so we’re expecting a lot out of her. Sammy is throwing the best she has since she’s been on campus.”

The pair have started five of Creighton’s seven games so far, heading a pitching staff with a combined 1.56 ERA.

Snygg and Changstrom are always ready to offer each other words of encouragement.

“Becca came out and threw great for us last year,” Snygg said. “We’re all proud of how she plays and we all have high expectations for this year.”

“Sammy has worked so hard this offseason, we’re so proud of how she’s throwing,” Changstrom said.

While both pitchers are off to good starts now, their stories are very different.

Changstrom spent last season enjoying the success that comes with being a freshman phenom. She tossed a one-hit shutout in her debut, a feat she would repeat twice. Changstrom was also named second-team All-Missouri Valley after leading the Bluejays in pitching appearances with 34.

Snygg’s college career did not start off as well. A talented recruit out of Iowa, Snygg looked to be featured prominently in the rotation. But she was plagued by injuries, resulting in two seasons of mixed results.

Snygg finished her freshman campaign with a 1-5 record. Her sophomore season yielded a record of 1-12. Snygg already has a 2-0 record through two starts this year.

The difference has been her health, and her coaches are noticing.

“Sammy did a tremendous amount of work in the offseason, and I really believe this is the first time she has been healthy at Creighton,” Vigness said. “This is the Sammy that I recruited three years ago.”

However they got to this point, both pitchers are excited about how the team has performed this year.

“We all worked really hard in the offseason,” Changstrom said. “It’s nice to see that it’s paying off.”