Softball Returns Kicks Off Homestand With PC On Tuesday, BU on WednesdayUMass softball to play Providence and Boston University before hosting George Washington this weekend.
Brandice Balschmiter needs one to victory to become the winningest pitcher in UMass history.
AMHERST, Mass. -
Coming off a 3-0 roadtrip, and 11-straight wins, the #22/17 UMass softball team returns home this week to host four games at the UMass Softball Complex. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a pair of non-conference regional rivals come to Amherst in Providence and Boston University. Both mid-week game are slated for 5 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the Atlantic 10 leading Minutewomen host George Washington in a two-game conference series. Friday's game begins at 3 p.m., while Saturday's first pitch is set for noon. Tickets to all games can be purchased in advance by calling 1-866-UMASS-TIX.
Senior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter enters the week with 108 career wins, tied with UMass legend and Olympic gold medalist Danielle Henderson for most victories in school history.
The Minutewomen continue their dominance in Atlantic 10 play, starting the season 8-0 and mercy ruling their opponents four times. So far in 2009, UMass has swept Dayton, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, and Saint Joseph's, outscoring its A-10 opponents by a combined score of 54-6.
UMass is in the midst of a 46-game Atlantic 10 winning streak. The streak includes perfect A-10 marks in the 2007 (18-0) and 2008 seasons (20-0).
UMass 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. On Feb. 20-22, UMass went 2-3 at the Cathedral City Classic, including a 1-0 win over national champion Arizona State. UMass finished tournament play by going 2-0 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic and 3-2 at the USF Under Armour Showcase. Since returning north, the Minutewomen have won 11-straight games.
BROADCAST INFO
Streaming video of all four of UMass' games will be available on All-Access at UMassAthletics.com. Tuesday and Wednesday's games will be broadcast live on WMUA 91.1 FM with Matt Goldstein and Mike Walsh calling the action. Gametracker will also be available free of charge for all games.
HAWK HUNTING
Freshman Kyllie Magill delivered with a solo home run and the game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning in game one, while the big bats of Sarah Reeves, Jessica Serio, and Michelle Libby provided the power in game two, to lead #22/17 UMass softball to a pair of victories, 4-3 and 8-0, over Saint Joseph's on last Friday afternoon at La Salle's Good Shepherd Field.
Balschmiter (16-4) pitched all 10 innings of game one, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out seven.
Sara Plourde (6-0) pitched UMass to the shutout victory in game two, allowing just one hit and scattering four walks while striking out eight. She carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning but allowed a leadoff single to right field by Monica Aguilar before striking out the next three batters to end the game after six innings, 8-0. Plourde, who no-hit Dayton on March 22, was bidding to become the first pitcher in UMass history to record two no-hitters as a freshman.
Centerfielder Carly Normandin was 4-for-9 on the day to improve her conference-best batting average to .424 and extend her hitting streak to 15 games.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
After the first seven home games, UMass maintains a perfect 7-0 record at the UMass Softball Complex. In their last home game, the Minutewomen defeated the Big Green 5-0, riding Balschmiter's season-high 13 strikeouts.
In the doubleheader against Vermont, Balschmiter notched her 1,000th career strikeout, becoming just the second player in UMass history and the third active player in the country to achieve such a feat. Freshman Sara Plourde pitched game two, striking out 11 batters in six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk. Carly Normandin had the best day for UMass at the plate, going 5-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored, and two RBI. Sam Salato was the top run-producer, hitting a home run in each game and driving in four runs.
In a battle of Atlantic 10 softball unbeatens against Saint Louis, UMass took first in the standing with a doubleheader sweep, 8-0 and 3-1. Balschmiter recorded a 12-strikeout, two-hitter in game one, while Plourde kept a perfect record with a victory in game two. Normandin went 5-for-7 with a home run and three doubles on the day.
The Minutewomen opened their A-10 conference schedule with two wins 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 found themselves up a spot to #22 in the USA Today/NFCA Poll last 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 17th last 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.
ROOKIES RAKE IN AWARDS
After an outstanding week on the diamond, a pair of UMass softball freshmen earned honors on Monday as Kyllie Magill was named UMass/Dinn Bros. Athlete of the Week and Sara Plourde was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week. Magill led the Minutewomen to three road wins by batting .462 (6-13) for the week with a home run and three RBI. Plourde was dominant against Saint Joseph's, throwing a complete game one-hit shutout.
Magill, a Seekonk, Mass. native, led UMass to a victory in game one of a doubleheader at Saint Joseph's by homering in the fourth inning to put the Minutewomen on the scoreboard. Magill had a sacrifice bunt, and later drove in the winning run in the 10th inning. The second baseman went 3-for-5 and drove in a run in a 4-3 win against Boston College. Magill also singled and stole a base in an 8-0 win in game two at Saint Joseph's.
Freshman right-hander and Bristol, Conn. native, Plourde improved her perfect record to 6-0 on the season against Saint Joseph's. Plourde had eight total strikeouts in the game and struck out the final three batters. Plourde holds a team best 1.12 ERA.
HOME COOKIN'
The Minutewomen maintain a 162-13-1 at the UMass Softball Complex for a .923 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 46-game win streak.
In the Atlantic 10, UMass dominates, holding an 83-4 (.954) regular season 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 .323 so far in 2009. UMass players have crossed the plate 1023 times and blasted 117 home runs. At the UM Softball Complex, the squad has held their opponents to a .159 batting average in 2009. All-time, UMass has allowed only 198 runs to come in and 22 balls to leave the park.
SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
The Minutewomen maintain a 28-3 all-time record against Providence, but have not faced the Friars since March 9, 2002 at the Florida State Tournament. Before that, the two teams had not met since April 26, 1994. The Minutewomen won all three of those games by scores of 8-0 (2002), 3-2 (1994, game one), and 6-5 (1994, game two).
In 1994, then-freshman Kelli Arnold threw her first career shutout in her second-ever start as Scooter Wheeler went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the 8-0 victory. Kelli Arnold would go on to become a 2004 Easton Third Team All-American with 38 wins and 12 shut outs.
PC enters the week with a 12-23 overall record with a 4-5 record in Big East play. Centerfielder Mary Rose Sheehy leads the Friars with a .368 average four home runs and 23 RBI. Providence has used six different pitchers in 2009. Junior Danielle Bertolette has seen the most starts (18), posting a 4-13 record with a 3.22 ERA. Senior Jennifer Maccio has started 10 games, going 3-4 with a 4.38 ERA.
SCOUTING BOSTON UNIVERSITY
UMass comes into the game with a 7-2 record all-time against Boston University, winning the last six in a row. The squad's last loss to the Terriers came on May 18, 1996 in the NCAA Tournament by a score of 1-0. Since that game, the Minutewomen have outscored the Terriers 38-16.
Balschmiter threw her sixth straight shutout last season in a 6-0 Minutewomen win against BU. Balschmiter gave up just three hits on 10 strikeouts. Carly Morin, Whitney Mollica, Sarah Reeves, and Lindsay Maroney all recorded multiple hits as UMass dropped 12 singles, a triple and a home run on the Terriers.
BU comes into the week with a 26-12 record and 6-3 mark in America East. Sophomore outfielder April Setterlund leads BU at the plate with a .409 average, six home runs, and 24 RBI. Senior Melissa Dubay has been the top run-producer, driving in 32 to go along with a .352 average and four home runs. Cassidi Hardy and Megan Currier have split up most of the pitching duties for the Terriers. Hardy is 13-4 with a 1.39 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched. Currier is 7-6 with a 2.67 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 76 innings.
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
In the all-time series against the Colonials, UMass remains perfect, winning each of the ten games the two teams have played. After spending one year in the Atlantic 10 in 2003, GW rejoined the conference in 2005. Over those five years, the Minutewomen have outscored the Colonials 90-5, shutting out GW six times.
Last season, Brandice Balschmiter threw a perfect game in this first match-up between the teams, as the Minutewomen rolled 8-0 in six innings. The hurler struck out 13 batters, including nine of the last ten faced, allowing no GW runners to reach base. Bailey Sanders got the nod in game two, giving up just one run on two hits with three K's for a 10-1 victory in six innings. Carly Normandin had the best day, as the center fielder went 3-for-5 with a home run and six RBI. Four Minutewomen (Williams, Salato, Reeves and Normandin) left the park in the series, with Williams homering in each game.
This year, GW holds a 12-25 record overall, including a 3-9 mark in A-10 play. Sophomore third baseman Katie Terrazas is the Colonials top hitter thus far in 2009, posting a .269 batting average with three home runs and 15 RBI. Junior pitcher Amanda Gabriel has been GW's top pitcher with a 7-13 record and 3.05 ERA while striking out 144 batters in 132 2/3 innings. Freshman Cara Klauss has started 10 games, going 4-5 with a 3.63 ERA.
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MINUTEWOMEN A "10" IN CONFERENCE PLAY
The maroon and white extended their conference winning streak to 46 games against Saint Joseph's 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 53 games.
UMass has won 13 of the last 14 Atlantic 10 Championships and boasts a 302-38 (.888) record all-time in A-10 games.
Massachusetts leads the league in team batting, pitching, and fielding. Boasting a team batting average of .297 and a team ERA of 1.36, UMass bests Fordham for first place in the Atlantic 10. With a percentage of .972 and only 24 errors, the Minutewomen also stand first in team fielding.
INDIVIDUALS TOP A-10
Carly Normandin sits atop the Atlantic 10 in individual batting with an average of .424. In 29 games, Normy has recorded 42 hits, 17 RBI, and 26 runs scored. The centerfielder has nine doubles, two triples, and five home runs.
Sam Salato is second in the A-10 for most home runs with seven. She also ranks fourth in the league with 27 RBI.
UMass hurlers are a one-two punch in the Atlantic 10, with senior Brandice Balschmiter ranking second and freshman Sara Plourde sitting in atop the conference in ERA with 1.23 and 1.12 respectively.
BALSCHMITER REACHING MILESTONES
Balschmiter won the 108th game of her career on April 10 at Saint Joseph's, tying her with UMass legend and Olympic gold medalist Danielle Henderson for the most victories in UMass history. Win #109 will not only give Balschmiter the UMass record, but tie her with Arizona's Jennie Finch for25th on the NCAA's all-time list.
Senior hurler Brandice Balschmiter earned her 1,000th career strikeout vs. Vermont on April 2, becoming just the second UMass pitcher to ever reach the 1,000-strikeout plateau (Danielle Henderson - 1,343). Balschmiter became just the third active pitcher in the country to reach 1,000 strikeouts.
Balschmiter has won 23 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week awards, including four this season. The Newark, N.Y. native earned her most recent award on April 6. She was dominant over three starts and one relief appearance, not allowing a single run in 18 innings pitched. Balschmiter fanned 37 batters, not issuing a single walk, and keeping her opponents to a .103 batting average. She one-hit Dartmouth, tying a season-high mark of 13 strikeouts in a 5-0 win. Against Vermont, she allowed just three hits, while sitting down 12 in a 6-0 victory. In game one against Saint Louis, Balschmiter struck out 12, her third straight game with 12 K's or more, in a two hit, 8-0 win. In game two, she pitched a perfect seventh inning for a save in the 3-1 defeat of the Billikens.
This season, she has beaten three ranked opponents (#8 Michigan, #3 Arizona State, #13 DePaul).
Overall, Balschmiter ranks second at UMass in appearances (157), innings pitched (950), wins (108), complete games (120), shutouts (57), and strikeouts (1,030). Realistically, she can pass Olympian Danielle Henderson in four of those categories.bBalschmiter also ranks third all-time at UMass in ERA with 1.03 (Henderson, 0.70).
Thus far in 2009 (as of last week), Balschmiter ranks fifth in the nation in shutouts (11) and 19th in ERA (1.12). She sits atop the Atlantic 10 with a 1.12 ERA and ranks second in strikeouts with 140.
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. She currently sits fourth on the team in batting average at .337. During the last homestand, Mollica batted .385, scoring five runs on five hits with two doubles and two RBI.
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 140, needing 14 to break KJ Kelley's record of 153. Mollica ranks fifth in home runs (24), fifth in slugging percentage (.552), tied for 10th in batting average (.343), and eighth in extra-base hits (65). Always doing what is best for the team, Mollica also ranks second in sacrifices with 52, needing 12 to break Stephanie Mareina's record of 63.
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).
THAT'S SALATO POWER
Senior Samantha Salato started the last two seasons in right field, but makes the switch to left field this season. During the last homestand, the Toms River, N.J. native drove in 13 RBI with two triples, three home runs, and a .950 slugging percentage. She hit two of those home runs in back-to-back games against Vermont.
In Columbus (Feb. 27-28), 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 27.
Salato holds the team home run title with seven. She hit one in back-to-back games against Vermont. 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 35 opportunities to come up big with runners in scoring position. She has produced a hit 13 times, giving her a .371 average with runners on second and/or third. She leads the team in batting average with two outs with a .429 average (12-28).
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.
ABOVE THE NORM
Centerfielder Carly Normandin has been UMass' top table-setter all season. Batting leadoff most of the year, she also leads the team in batting average (.424), slugging percentage (.707), runs (26), steals (9), and total bases (70). She has excelled as a leadoff batter, reaching base at a .500 clip (21-42) when leading off an inning. Currently, Normandin is on a 15-game hitting streak.
In Atlantic 10 play, Normy is 17-for-30 (.567) with .833 slugging percentage. She has scored eight runs, stolen three bases, recorded 10 RBI, and hit one home run. Against Saint Louis, the Gardner, Mass. native sizzled, as she was 5-for-7 with three doubles, a home run, and three RBI.
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.
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 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, Normy 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 (1,040) and number 11 on the highest active winning percentage list (.703). 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 all-time, Sortino holds a .703 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 stands third on the team in batting average (.338), going 24-for-71 with 15 RBI, eight doubles, three home runs, and 12 walks. Libby maintains a .577 slugging percentage and has stolen three bases. In Atlantic 10 play, Libby loves the two-bagger, hitting four doubles in nine hits with five RBI.
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 (Feb. 20-22), 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. She currently stands undefeated with six wins in as many starts this season. In nine appearances, the right-hander has a 1.12 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. She has struck out 65 batters, while walking just 15. Plourde has allowed just six extra-base hits (one home run) and has held opposing batters to a miniscule .132 batting average.
Plourde earned her first Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week award for her effort against Saint Joseph's last week, throwing a complete game one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.
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. It was the 73rd time a pitcher threw a no-hitter and would have been just the ninth perfect game in UMass history. For that effort, Plourde was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.
Plourde recorded her third double-digit strikeout game against Vermont with 11. She gave up two runs, one earned, while only allowing one walk. 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.
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 28 of UMass' 29 games. Batting .355, Magill ranks second on the team and has driven in 14 runs this season. In conference play, Magill sizzles, batting .478 with two doubles, two homers, and six RBI. The Seekonk, Mass. native continues to improve, with 18 runs and five stolen bases. She boasts a .500 slugging percentage and a .395 on-base percentage.
Magill was named UMass Athlete of the Week on April 13 for batting .462 in three games with a home run and three RBI, including the 10th inning game-winner at Saint Joe's.
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.
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.
MINUTEWOMEN TAKE OUT THE WOLVERINES IN FLORIDA
UMass finished off its season-opening tournament, the FAU Kickoff Classic, with a bang, defeating top-10 ranked Michigan, 1-0, in Boca Raton, Fla. on Feb. 8. Michigan came into the game ranked fifth in the NFCA poll, while ranking 8th in the USA Softball poll.
The Minutewomen jumped on Wolverine's starter Jordan Taylor early. Normandin set the tone by leading the game off with a double to the right field corner. Then with one out, Mollica laced a single up the middle to score Normandin for the game's lone run.
Brandice Balschmiter pitched a complete game shutout, scattering six hits while striking out six and walking one.
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.
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).
