From a pitcher’s standpoint, Saturday could not have been much better for Creighton’s ace : junior pitcher Tara Oltman.

Oltman not only threw her first collegiate no-hitter, but she also set the Bluejay’s record for wins in a career. The win was Oltman’s 77th career victory as a Bluejay. Oltman did this against the number 24-ranked Salukis of Southern Illinois in a 5-0 Creighton victory.

Oltman has been the arm behind 22 of Creighton’s 27 wins, leading the team to a 27-12 (15-4) record, which places the Bluejays first in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

Oltman passed former record-holder Tammy Nielsen, but she found her no-hitter to be a more exciting feat.

“In the end, throwing the no-hitter was probably more exciting,” Oltman said. “I’ve had several one-hitters throughout my career, so throwing a no-hitter was fun because it was the next step.”

While Saturday ended up being Oltman’s first collegiate no-hitter, the feeling should not have been too uncommon. Oltman pitched an amazing 13 hitless games in her junior and senior year at Beatrice High School, which is a high school state record in Nebraska.

Oltman added the 78th win of her career Tuesday night with a complete game at Drake. Oltman will have more opportunities to add to her impressive record, but her goals are more team-oriented.

“I also know that, God willing, I have an opportunity to add a lot more wins onto the record, which is cool,” she said.

“More than setting a personal record, I want the team to win conference and regional championships. The entire team has been working extremely hard, and without their efforts and the efforts of the teams the last two years, I wouldn’t even be in a position to set a record.”

Student assistant coach Megan Reynolds believes Oltman possesses both the mental and physical qualities that work together to create a great pitcher.

“Tara is a good pitcher because she has it all,” Reynolds said. “She has the mental toughness to get out of the toughest of situations and the confidence to take control and leader. Physically, she has the speed and movement to hang with the best, she has a killer defense behind her, a great ability to get ground balls and she knows when and how to make the adjustments she needs to get people out.”

Oltman certainly has great focus, which is a must for a great pitcher. She recognized that Saturday’s outing was a big one, not for herself, but for her team.

“I really had not thought about the record at all on Saturday,” Oltman said.

“I was much more focused on how big the win would be for the team for conference standings, so it wasn’t necessarily another game, but I definitely was not concerned about setting a record.”

Oltman will certainly go down as one of the greatest pitchers in Creighton and Missouri Valley Conference history, but she is not slow to give credit to others.

“Everybody deserves credit – my parents, my teammates, my coaches, the fans – there is no way I could have set this record on my own,” Oltman said.