Softball Continues Homestand Against Dartmouth, Vermont, & Saint Louis#23/18 Minutewomen take on Darmouth on Wednesday, Vermont on Thursday, and Saint Louis on Sunday.
Kyllie Magill is batting .778 (7-9) in four A-10 games this season.
AMHERST, Mass. -
After starting the season with 19 games on the road, the #23/18 UMass softball team will host the final five games of their seven-game home stand against the Dartmouth Big Green on Wednesday, the Vermont Catamounts on Thursday, and the Saint Louis Billikens on Sunday. The Dartmouth game, originally a doubleheader, has been changed to one game Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Minutewomen will then host a doubleheader with Vermont at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Finally, the Billikens come to town on Sunday, for a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m.
The Minutewomen continued their dominance in Atlantic 10 play, starting the season 4-0 and mercy ruling their opponents three times. After two dominating performances at Dayton, winning 16-0 (five innings) and 11-0 (six innings), the Minutewomen shut out St. Bonaventure 4-0 and defeated the Bonnies 10-2 (five innings).
UMass is in the midst of a 42-game Atlantic 10 winning streak. The streak includes perfect A-10 marks in the 2007 (18-0) and 2008 seasons (20-0).
Elaine Sortino's Minutewomen opened the season 4-1 at the FAU Kickoff Classic (Feb. 6-8), including a 1-0 win over #5 Michigan, for the program's best start in 22 years. The Minutewomen started the 1987 season 5-0. On Feb. 20-22, UMass went 2-3 at the Cathedral City Classic, including a 1-0 win over defending national champion Arizona State. UMass played four out of the top 10 ranked teams in the country in California. On Feb. 27-28, UMass went 2-0 at the rain-shortened NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., including a 2-0 win over #13 DePaul. Tournament play concluded at the USF Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Fla. on Mar. 13-15 where the Minutewomen posted a 3-2 record.
BROADCAST INFO
Streaming video of both games will be available on All-Access at UMassAthletics.com. Live stats will also be on GameTracker at UMassAthletics.com.
HOME COOKIN'
The Minutewomen maintain a 157-13-1 at the UMass Softball Complex for a .921 winning percentage. UMass has been perfect at home during the regular season since April 9, 2006, when they fell to Charlotte, 2-1, maintaining a 41-game win streak.
In the Atlantic 10, UMass dominates, holding a 81-4 (.953) record at home. In the 12 A-10 Tournament games hosted in Amherst, ten have gone in UMass' win column.
UMass' offense explodes at home, as the Minutewomen boasted a .340 batting average coming into the year and maintain a .302 so far in 2009. UMass players have crossed the plate 993 times and blasted 109 home runs. At the UM Softball Complex, the squad has held their opponents to a .171 batting average in 2009. All-time, UMass has allowed only 195 runs to come in and 21 balls to leave the park.
Against the Big Green, UMass is 7-0-1 at home.
UMASS SWEEPS ST. BONAVENTURE IN A-10 HOME OPENER
The Minutewomen continued their A-10 winning streak over the weekend against the Bonnies. The maroon and white swept both games, 4-0 and 10-2 (five innings).
In game one, Brandice Balschmiter threw her 55th career shutout, allowing four hits while striking out nine, for a 4-0 victory over the Bonnies. Michelle Libby went 3-for-3 with three RBI to produce most of the scoring for the Minutewomen.
Freshman Sara Plourde got her third start in game two, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out 12. At one point, the rookie fanned six-straight and finished the game with another streak of four-straight. Samantha Salato led the Minutewomen offensively, driving in five runs on a bases-loaded triple and a two-run home run.
MINUTEWOMEN IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Minutewomen find themselves down a spot to #23 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll this week. UMass has ranked as high as tied for 19th (3/3) following the 2-0 weekend in Columbus, Ga. UMass broke into the rankings on Feb. 10 in the #22 spot.
UMass is also in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll, ranking 18th this week. The Minutewomen opened the season ranked #24 and rose to as high as #14 (3/3) after the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
UltimateCollegeSoftball.com has UMass ranked #17 this week, up one notch from last week.
BEATING THE BIG GREEN
The Minutewomen dominate Dartmouth in the all-time series, never losing in the teams' eight meetings. UMass tied the Big Green 2-2 on March 31, 2005 in the second game of a double header. Overall, the Minutewomen have outscored the Big Green 71-13. The most runs Dartmouth has ever scored against the Minutewomen in a game is six in 2007, when UMass won 14-6.
Last season, the maroon and white defeated Dartmouth twice in a double header on March 26, 7-0 and 7-5. Balschmiter pitched a complete one-hit game in the first, striking out 13, while Bailey Sanders started game two, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks. Balschmiter finished the game, allowing two more runs on three hits while striking out seven.
Dartmouth is off to a 10-11 record in 2009, splitting a doubleheader with Penn and sweeping Columbia to be 3-1 in Ivy League play. Two freshmen lead the Big Green. Rookie Molly Khalil leads the team offensively, batting at a .311 clip with nine runs scored, 15 RBI, and a .557 slugging percentage. Freshman pitcher Hillary Barker maintains a 3.44 ERA, earning half of the Big Green's wins with five. Barker has two saves on the season, striking out 34 batters in 59 innings.
PERFECT AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS
UMass comes into the game a perfect 42-0 against Vermont, 36 of those wins coming under Coach Elaine Sortino.
The Minutewomen have not played UVM since March 25, 2004, when UMass blanked the Catamounts 6-0. Pitcher Kelli Arnold threw a four-hit shutout for the 900th win in school history. The Minutewomen now stand at 1098 wins and could earn the 1100th win in school history with two wins this week. Previous to that, the Minutewomen defeated Vermont in a double header on April 9, 2002 by scores of 3-1 and 10-0.
The Catamounts have struggled to a 3-21 record in 2009. Away from home, UVM has only earned one win. Leading the team offensively, junior catcher Rachelle Boone maintains a .280 batting average with three RBI and four walks. In the circle, sophomore pitcher Jocelyn Abaray holds a 3.10 ERA, winning two games in nine starts. In 70 innings, she has fanned 41 batters.
UMass all-time home run and RBI leader KJ Kelley now assists on the coaching staff at Vermont. Kelly, an Easton All-American, All-New England honoree and member of the NCAA All-Regional Tournament Team, graduated in 2006.
RETURN TO ATLANTIC 10 PLAY VS. THE BILLIKENS
Since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2006, Saint Louis has fallen to UMass six of the seven times the two teams have faced. The Minutewomen dropped the first ever meeting in game one of a doubleheader on April 23, 2006 by a score of 1-0. UMass won the next game 13-3 and has not looked back since, winning the six games in a row to outscore the Billikens 58-6.
Last season, the Minutewomen shut out Saint Louis, 14-0 and 9-0, clinching the regular season A-10 title and the No. 1 seed in the A-10 Tournament. Catcher Jess Serio led the way, going 3-for-4 with four RBI in game one. Lauren Proctor went 3-for-4 with three runs scored in game two for the Minutewomen.
Brandice Balschmiter started both games, allowing two hits while striking out four in the first three innings of work in game one. In game two, she went four innings, striking out six while only allowing three hits. Bailey Sanders finished both games, pitching a perfect two innings, striking out six of the nine batters she faced. To end game two, Sanders struck out the side in the final inning.
This year, Saint Louis holds a 11-17 record, but remains perfect in Atlantic 10 games, sweeping doubleheaders with St. Bonaventure and Dayton. Junior Nicki Jost and freshman Erin Cejka produce offensively for the Billikens. Jost hits at a .333 clip with 13 runs scored, 21 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Cejka maintains a .342 batting average with nine runs scored, 16 RBI, and .434 slugging percentage. Cejka also earned A-10 Rookie of the Week on March 30.
MINUTEWOMEN A "10" IN CONFERENCE PLAY
The maroon and white extended their conference winning streak to 42 games against St. Bonaventure over the weekend. The Minutewomen have not lost an A-10 regular season game in the last two seasons, going 18-0 in 2007 and 20-0 in 2009.
UMass' last conference loss came on May 5, 2006, 5-3, at St. Bonaventure in the A-10 regular season finale that season. The game was the back end of a doubleheader in which the Minutewomen won game one, 12-0, in five innings.
Including A-10 Tournament games, UMass' winning streak against conference opponents is currently at 51 games.
UMass has won 13 of the last 14 Atlantic 10 Championships and boasts a 298-38 (.887) record all-time in A-10 games.
BALSCHMITER REACHING MILESTONES
Senior hurler Brandice Balschmiter enters the week with 977 career strikeouts, just 23 from becoming the second UMass pitcher to ever reach the 1,000-strikeout plateau (Danielle Henderson - 1,343).
Senior hurler Brandice Balschmiter won the 103rd game of her career last weekend against St. Bonaventure. She is just the second UMass pitcher to ever reach the milestone. Her 100th victory came on March 13 in a 6-0 win over Central Michigan. She is currently 103-31 (.767) in her career.
Balschmiter earned her 22nd Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week for her outstanding effort at the NFCA Leadoff Classic Feb. 27-March 1. At the tournament, Balschmiter was virtually unhittable, shutting out Nebraska, 3-0, and #13 DePaul, 2-0. On the weekend, she allowed just five hits, while striking out 13 and walking three. Against DePaul, a team coming into the came batting .342, Balschmiter had a no-hitter through 6.2 innings before allowing an infield single with two outs in the seventh. This season, she has beaten three ranked opponents (#8 Michigan, #3 Arizona State, #13 DePaul).
Overall, Balschmiter ranks second at UMass in appearances (151), innings pitched (913), wins (103), complete games (116), shutouts (55), and strikeouts (977). Realistically, she can pass Olympian Danielle Henderson in four of those categories. Balschmiter needs 11 appearances, 51 2/3 innings (just over seven games), six wins, and 16 complete games to pass the UMass legend. Balschmiter also ranks third all-time at UMass in ERA with 1.04 (Henderson, 0.70).
Thus far in 2009, Balschmiter ranks sixth in the nation in shutouts (9) and 42nd in ERA (1.34).
In 2008, Balschmiter ranked fifth in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings with 3.64 hits per seven innings pitched. The leader of this category, Angela Tincher of Virginia Tech, allowed only 2.65 per game. Balschmiter fell just below UCLA's Anjelica Selden (3.56), who the Minutewomen scored one run against.
With 31 wins last season, Balschmiter tied for 11th in the NCAA in victories during the 2008 campaign. Of the top 10, the Minutewomen faced Morgan Melloh of Fresno State (42), Missy Pena of Stanford (37), and Becca Heteniak of DePaul (33) in 2008. Balschmiter's ERA of 0.66 was second in the nation to only Tincher's 0.63.
MOLLICA MAKING AN IMPACT
A first team ECAC All-Star, second team NFCA All-Northeast Region honoree, and first team Atlantic 10 All-Conference player, Whitney Mollica is looking to lead the Minutewomen further than they have ever traveled in postseason play. Against St. Bonaventure, Mollica went 1-for-5, scoring two runs and moving Williams to second with a sacrifice bunt.
Mollica was magnificent at the USF Under Armour Showcase. The senior third baseman batted .444 (8-18) for the weekend with a home run, a triple, a double, four RBI, four runs, a walk, and a stolen base. Her efforts were rewarded by being named to the All-Tournament Team.
She opened the season with a bang, going 7-for-15 with a double, grand slam and five RBI at the FAU "Kick-Off" Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. (2/6-8).
Currently, Mollica is near the top of the charts in many UMass career batting records. In the RBI category, she stands fourth with 138, needing 16 to break KJ Kelley's record of 153. Mollica ranks fifth in home runs (24), fifth in slugging percentage (.560), 10th in batting average (.344), and tied for ninth in extra-base hits (63). Always doing what is best for the team, Mollica also ranks tied for second in sacrifices with 51.
• In 2006, Mollica became the first player in Atlantic 10 history to earn Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same season. As a freshman, she broke the A-10 RBI with 61. Also as a rookie, she ranked seventh in the nation in RBI per game (1.07), 20th in slugging percentage and 30th in doubles per game (0.30).
SALATO COMFORTABLE ANYWHERE IN OUTFIELD
Senior Samantha Salato started the last two seasons in right field, but makes the switch to left field this season. The Toms River, N.J. native batted .333 against St. Bonaventure with five RBI, a triple and a home run for a 1.167 slugging percentage.
In Columbus, Salato drove in the game-winning run in both games, with a 3-0 win over Nebraska and a 2-0 win over #13 DePaul. She currently leads the team in RBI with 19.
Salato holds the team home run title with five. She hit three against some of the nation's best in back-to-back-to-back games against #9 Tennessee, #6 UCLA, and #8 Oklahoma at the Cathedral City Classic. Salato has had 23 opportunities to come up big with runners in scoring position. She has produced a hit nine times, giving her a .391 average with runners on second and/or third. She stands second on the team in batting average with two outs, producing a hit nine times for a .450 batting average.
During her 2008 campaign, Salato recorded career highs in multiple categories. The outfielder set personal bests in hits (43), RBI (32), homeruns (7), and runs scored (32). Of her 32 RBI, 12 came with two outs.
NORMANDIN LEADS ON OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
Centerfielder Carly Normandin has been UMass' top table-setter all season. Batting leadoff most of the year, she also leads the team in runs (19), steals (6), and total bases (40). Normy ranks second in batting average (.377) and slugging percentage (.580). She has excelled as a leadoff batter, reaching base at a .517 clip (15-29) when leading off an inning. Currently, Normandin is on a seven-game hitting streak.
In Atlantic 10 play, Normy is 8-for-14 with .643 slugging percentage. She has scored six runs and recorded five RBI as well as one stolen base.
Normandin earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on March 3, after going a perfect 4-for-4 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, including two home runs with two sacrifice bunts and a walk. Normy drove in three of the five total runs scored on the weekend to lead the squad to a pair of wins. She is not batting .308 on the season and leads the club with 12 hits.
The center fielder got her season off to a great start at the FAU Kickoff Classic, hitting .353 (6-17) with a double and five runs scored.
Not just a threat at the plate, Normandin's defense has proven it can alter games as well. Her diving catch during the third inning vs. DePaul kept Balschmiter's no-hit bid alive. Her catch of a low liner in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on base ended a Michigan threat and helped lead the Minutewomen to a 1-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Wolverines.
The centerfielder Carly Normandin burst on the scene last season and established herself as a game-changer on offense and defense. After seeing just 25 at-bats as a freshman, the Gardner, Mass. native won the starting job in centerfield as a sophomore and posted a .324 batting average, 14 doubles, six home runs, 36 RBI, and a .592 slugging pct (1st on team).
SORTINO ASCENDS ACTIVE WIN LIST
Head Coach Elaine Sortino currently ranks number seven on the most active wins list (1,032) and number 11 on the highest active winning percentage list (.702). In 2008, she earned her 1,000th win on April 13 against the Temple Owls and went on to finish the season with 1,017 total wins. With only 437 losses and five ties, Sortino holds a .702 career winning percentage.
On Feb. 8, Sortino's Minutewomen defeated Carol Hutchins' Michigan Wolverines, 1-0, in Boca Raton, Fla. The game pitted two coaching legends with a combined 2,084 wins at the time. On Feb. 28, UMass defeated Eugene Lenti's DePaul Blue Demons, 2-0, in Columbus, Ga. That game featured a combined 2,016 coaching victories. On March 13, the Minutewomen defeated Margo Jonker's Central Michigan Chippewas, 6-0. The coaches combined for 1,997 wins in that match-up.
LIBBY FINDING HER STRIDE
Junior infielder Michelle Libby has had an outstanding 2009 season thus far. She leads the team in batting average (.388), going 19-for-49 with 12 RBI, seven doubles, a home run, and eight walks. Libby maintains a .592 slugging percentage and has stolen three bases. Against St. Bonaventure, Libby was a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, and two walks. She maintained a 1.750 slugging percentage and reached base every time she came to the plate. For her contributions, Libby was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week, the fifth Minutewomen to earn A-10 honors this season.
In a 6-0 win over Central Michigan on March 13, Libby blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence for the first round-tripper of her career.
At Cathedral City, Libby went 5-for-12 with two runs scored and four RBI. Her most impressive game came in the 4-2 loss to #6/6 UCLA, where she hit .667 with an RBI. Libby's best performance came in her first start of the season, vs. Long Island (2/7) in Boca Raton, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and a run scored.
Libby came into 2009 with one career hit, but started 2009 with a breakout performance at the FAU Kickoff Classic. Starting one game at third base and two at designated player, she hit .625 (5-8) with three doubles, two RBI, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
PLOURDE-ING IT ON
Freshman pitcher Sara Plourde has quickly proven herself as a more than capable pitching option for the Minutewomen. In just her second start for the Minutewomen, Plourde recorded a no-hitter against Dayton, just missing a perfect game. Plourde hit her first batter, but went on to retire the next 18, striking out nine.
Against St. Bonaventure, the Bristol, Conn. native earned her third career victory, allowing three hits for two runs in five innings while striking out 12.
In six appearances, the right-hander has a 1.36 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. She has struck out 42 batters, while walking just seven. Plourde has allowed just two extra-base hits and has held opposing batters to a miniscule .098 batting average.
Plourde got the first start of her career on March 14 against Jacksonville. She was dominated the Dolphins hitters throughout, striking out 13 while allowing just one run on two hits. Her strikeout total was the most by a UMass pitcher other than Brandice Balschmiter since Barb LaFogg fanned 15 Dartmouth batters on March 31, 2005.
ROOKIE MAGILL STEPS INTO ROLE
Freshman Kyllie Magill has made an immediate impact with the Minutewomen this season. Stepping in at second base, Magill has started in 20 of UMass' 21 games. Batting .375, Magill ranks third on the team and has driven in nine runs this season. In game two against St. Bonaventure, Magill moved up to the number two spot, where she blasted a home run, was hit by a pitch, and sacrificed to move a runner over. Currently, Magill is on a seven-game hitting streak.
The Seekonk, Mass. native continues to improve, batting .778 in Atlantic 10 play. Magill is 7-for-9 with three RBI, seven runs scored, and a stolen base. She boasts a 1.222 slugging percentage and an .800 on-base percentage.
In Clearwater, at the USF Under Armour Showcase, she hit .333 for the weekend (4-12) with a .429 on-base percentage and two runs scored.
The highlight of her young career is when she drove in the winning run in a 1-0 victory over national champion Arizona State on Feb. 22. Also in Cathedral City, she hit a bases loaded triple in a 2-for-4, four-RBI performance vs. NC State.
SARA(H)S HONORED BY ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE
A pair of UMass softball players were honored by the Atlantic 10 Conference on March 23 for their contributions in the sweep against Dayton. Sarah Reeves was named Co-Player of the Week, while Sara Plourde was named Rookie of the Week.
Reeves batted .800 on the weekend, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and nine RBI. In game one, Reeves was 2-for-2 with two RBI and one walk. In game two, Reeves smashed the ball, sending two balls out of the park in three at bats for seven RBI.
In just the second start of her career, freshman Sara Plourde threw the 73rd no-hitter in UMass history. As UMass rolled, 11-0, in game two, Plourde hit her first batter, and then went on to retire the remaining 18 for a near-perfect game. Had she achieved it, it would have been just the ninth perfect game in UMass history. In six innings, she struck out nine of 19 batters.
UMASS BEATS THE NATIONAL CHAMPS IN CALIFORNIA
UMass played their second tournament of the season in Cathedral City, Calif., starting the weekend off with a 14-0 romp of NC State. That was followed by a 6-1 loss to the #9/10 Lady Vols of Tennessee. On day two, the Minutewomen fell to #6/6 UCLA by a score of 4-2. The Minutewomen opened the last day of the tournament with a 5-3 loss to Oklahoma, yet closed the day with a 1-0 upset over defending national champ and #3/7 Arizona State.
Against #3/7 Arizona State, Brandice Balschmiter was dominate in the circle against the defending national champions, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing two singles. Davina Hernandez delivered a one-out double to left that allowed freshman Kyllie Magill to step up and deliver with a single that brought the senior home for the game's only run in a 1-0 UMass win.
BALSCHMITER WATCHED BY NATION
The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) named senior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter to its initial "Watch List" for the 8th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award.
This is the third year in a row that Balschmiter has been named to the preseason watch list of 50.
On April 1, a list of 25 finalists for the award will be released by the ASA.
UMASS TABBED TO WIN A-10 TITLE
The Minutewomen were selected to win the 2009 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship after capturing four consecutive titles and going undefeated in Atlantic 10 play in the last two seasons.
UMass enters the 2009 season with a 38-0 A-10 regular season record. The Minutewomen's last loss in league play was to St. Bonaventure, 5-3, on May 5, 2006. This season, the Minutewomen are looking for their 14th league crown in the last 15 years.
MINUTEWOMEN FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Minutewomen always play a challenging schedule against the nation's best and this season is no different. UMass will play 10 NCAA Tournament teams from last season, highlighted by national champion Arizona State, as well as perennial powers Alabama, UCLA, Michigan, and Oklahoma.
Seven ranked teams from the 2009 NFCA preseason poll can be found on UMass' schedule (Arizona State, Alabama, UCLA, Michigan, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Georgia).
Five out of the top six teams in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Poll can be found on UMass' schedule (#2 Alabama, #3 Arizona State, #4 UCLA, #5 Michigan, and #6 Oklahoma).
