University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball Game Notes For NCAA Regional Tournament
May 13, 2002 | Softball
May 13, 2002
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Region No. 3: Lafayette, La. ... No. 4 seed Massachusetts travels to Lafayette, La., to take on host and No. 3 seed Louisiana-Lafayette (48-11) in the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament on Thursday, May 16, at 5:00 p.m. (Central). Other teams competing in region No. 3 are No. 1 LSU (53-9), No. 2 Arizona State (40-18), No. 5 Mississippi State (35-29) and No. 6 Northwestern State (45-23). The winner of the regional tournament will advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., May 23-27. UMass has made three appearances in the WCWS, with the most recent occurring in 1998.
Scouting the Lady Cajuns... No. 3 seed and host Louisiana-Lafayette enters the NCAA Tournament with an impressive 48-11 record and a No. 19 national ranking. The Lady Cajuns, who have won the last three Sun Belt Conference titles, are making their fourth straight NCAA trip and their 12th in the last 13 years. Hitting .299 as a team, Louisiana-Lafayette is led by SBC Player of the Year Becky McMurtry and SBC Freshman of the Year Brooke Mitchell. McMurtry is hitting .409 with 22 doubles, three triples and 14 homers. Mitchell led the UL-Lafayette pitching staff with a 19-5 record, including five shutouts. She has a 1.62 ERA and led the team with 154 strikeouts in 147 innings. The Lady Cajuns' pitching staff also brings veterans Melissa Coronado and Michael Parrott to the mound with a combined 29-6 mark and 166 strikeouts in 210 innings of work. UL-Lafayette is 1-8 against Top 25 teams with a 6-3 win over then-No. 24 Notre Dame, March 1.
UMass In The NCAA Tournament... Massachusetts is making its 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including trips every year since 1995. UMass has a record of 17-24 in those games. The Minutewomen have advanced to the WCWS three times, most recently in 1998, when they placed seventh.
Consecutive NCAA Appearances... UMass' eight consecutive regional appearnaces ties for the sixth longest active string in NCAA softball. Here's a look at the top eight active streaks:
1. Fresno State 21 1982-present 2. California 17 1986-present 3. Arizona* 16 1987-present 4. Washington* 9 1994-present Oklahoma 9 1994-present 6. Massachusetts 8 1995-present Nebraska* 8 1995-present Michigan 8 1995-present * denotes No. 1 seed in 2002
Massachusetts vs. Tournament Teams... UMass has a 6-5 record vs. teams in this year's NCAA field, having played Arizona, Boston University, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Illinois-Chicago, Minnesota, Stanford and Texas. Three of those teams, Arizona, Cal State Fullerton and Texas, are No. 1 seeds.
2001 Regional Recap... The Minutewomen entered the 2001 NCAA Regional Tournament in Norman, Okla., as the No. 4 seed. Massachusetts won its first round game against No. 3 North Carolina 4-2 before falling twice to No. 1 Washington, 8-0 and 7-1.
Perfect A-10 Regular Season Again... With its 13-0 romp over Fordham on May 5, UMass finished the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season with a perfect 21-0 mark for the second consecutive season. It is the fifth time the Minutewomen have gone through the A-10 regular season slate without a blemish, as they also did it in 1991 (12-0), 1992 (10-0), 1996 (14-0) and 2001 (21-0). It is the 12th straight Atlantic 10 regular season title for the Minutewomen. In conference play this season, Massachusetts outscored its opponents, 154-9. The Minutewomen smacked 40 doubles, nine triples and 11 home runs, and allowed just 10 extra-base hits (seven doubles, two triples and one home run). The pitching staff hurled 13 shutouts in 21 A-10 games, including a no-hitter by junior Kaila Holtz (North Vancouver, British Columbia) against Rhode Island on April 14.
Holtz Wins A-10 Pitcher Of The Year Award... Junior Kaila Holtz was honored as the 2002 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and was also selected to the A-10 all-conference team as both a pitcher and designated player. In addition, Holtz was named the A-10 Tournament MVP. On the mound, she has gone 23-6, including a 10-0 mark in A-10 regular season play. Holtz has maintained a 0.87 ERA to rank second in the conference behind teammate and 2001 A-10 Pitcher of the Year Jennifer Hadley (Bristol, Conn.). Holtz' ERA ranks 23rd in the nation. She has been the cornerstone of the Massachusetts pitching staff, which ranks fourth in the country in ERA (0.83). Holtz has struck out 156 batters in 193 innings of work this season, while walking just 42 batters. In 29 appearances, Holtz has thrown 13 shutouts, including eight blankings in 10 league games. In the Verizon A-10 Tournament, Holtz recorded a 0.00 ERA in three games, scattering seven hits over 19 innings and striking out 11. In Saturday's do-or-die game against Rhode Island, Holtz hit a two-out bases loaded double to score three runs and put the Minutewomen on top, 3-1. It would be all the scoring UMass needed as it ran away with the game, 6-1.
Rooney Named A-10 Player Of The Year... Senior co-captain and center fielder Teri Rooney (Visalia, Calif.) was named 2002 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and was selected to the all-conference team. She leads the league with a .385 batting average, 47 runs scored, 75 hits and seven triples. Rooney ranks third in the league with 38 runs batted in and a .427 on-base percentage. In the 1-0 extra-inning loss to then-No. 1-ranked Arizona on Feb. 10, Rooney had two of UMass' three hits against 2001 Honda Award winning pitcher Jennie Finch and made a game-saving pick at the plate from center field to keep the game scoreless through seven innings.
Nifty 50... UMass' 52-11 record marks the first time in the program's storied history that it has won 50 games in a season. Massachusetts' previous record for single-season wins was 45, set in 1998. That was the same team that advanced to the Women's College World Series. The 52 victories is also the most of any sport ever to compete for UMass.
20-20 Vision... The Minutewomen have won 52 games this season with Jennifer Hadley recording 24 victories and Kaila Holtz earning 23. It marks the first time in UMass softball history that two pitchers have both picked up 20 wins in the same season.
The Streak... By virtue of its 3-0 win over Connecticut on April 24, UMass set the school record with 25 consecutive wins. Massachusetts continued to build on the streak, as it strung together eight more wins to run the string to 33 games before losing on May 9 to Rhode Island, 1-0, in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. UMass' 33 straight wins tied the 1992 UCLA team for the eighth-longest win streak in NCAA softball history. The Minutewomen have won 41 of their last 43 games. For the top 20 win streaks in NCAA history, see the table on page 2.
Simply The Best... UMass head coach Elaine Sortino was named the 2002 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, her seventh career award. Her seven awards is one more than Penn State volleyball coach Russ Rose won during his league tenure, and two more than Temple men's basketball coach John Chaney has earned.
UMass Is .600 Against The Top 25... Massachusetts is 3-2 against opponents currently in the NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Poll. The Minutewomen defeated No. 8 Stanford, 3-1, No. 13 Texas, 9-1 and No. 21 Florida State, 3-2. UMass dropped games to No. 2 Arizona, 1-0 in eight innings, and No. 9 Cal State Fullerton, 6-0.
Wheeler Sets Career RBIs Record... Senior Scooter Wheeler's (Kingsburg, Calif.) RBI single against Saint Joseph's on April 7 brought her career total to 132, setting the school's all-time record. Wheeler has 38 RBIs this season, bringing her career total to 148 runs batted in.
Bakken Steals Her Way Into the Record Books... Senior Ashley Bakken (Phoenix, Ariz.) has 16 stolen bases this season to rank third in the Atlantic 10 and second on the UMass all-time list with 88 career steals. She also ranks second on the school's single-season steal chart with 29 bags swiped in 2000.
Sortino Earns #750... Head coach Elaine Sortino hit the 750-win milestone March 24 as UMass swept Temple in the opening weekend of Atlantic 10 action, and in the process became only the 11th active Division I coach to amass 750 career victories. Sortino, who is ranked 12th in the NCAA for total wins and 14th for winning percentage, owns a 784-338-3 (.701) mark in 23 seasons. In her 23 years at UMass, Sortino has never had a losing season and her teams have posted 30-win seasons in 16 of the past 17 years. She has led UMass to each of its 15 Atlantic 10 Conference championships, 12 NCAA appearances as well as its only three WCWS appearances in 1992, 1997 and 1998. She was honored last weekend as the 2002 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, her seventh such honor.
Hitting the Books... Massachusetts had four players named to the Verizon Academic All-District I first team and one selected to the second team. First team members included junior Brandi Cross (Diamond Bar, Calif.), Jennifer Hadley, Kaila Holtz and Teri Rooney, while Ashley Bakken was selected to the second team. All five boast GPAs well above a 3.0. The four first team honorees will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Bakken & Wheeler Also Earn All-Conference Honors... Seniors Ashley Bakken and Scooter Wheeler join teammates Kaila Holtz and Teri Rooney on the Atlantic 10 all-conference team. Bakken, UMass' starting second baseman, ranks third on the team in batting average with a .336 (50-for-149) clip. She led the Minutewomen with a .445 (25-for-55) batting average in league games. Bakken has hit four doubles and two triples, recorded 10 multiple-hit games and drove in 16 runs. On the base path, she is 16-for-18 in stolen bases, which ranks second on the school's all-time list. At second base, Bakken has a .959 fielding percentage, committing just 10 errors in 241 chances.
Wheeler, the 2001 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, is hitting .299 (50-for-167) overall and hit .415 (27-for-65) in conference games this season. She led the league with nine home runs, tying the single-season school record, and ranked second in RBIs (38) and on-base percentage (.435). Wheeler had 14 multiple-hit games, including a three-hit, five-RBI performance against Dayton on April 28. She also hit back-to-back home runs against Rhode Island on April 14 for the second time in her career. Wheeler is also the school's all-time leader in RBIs (148) and home runs (26).
Franke Is Phenomenal In A-10 Tournament... Sophomore Aisha Franke (Philadelphia, Pa.) led the Minutewomen to their eighth consecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament title with a team-best .571 (8-for-14) batting average. She was also 4-for-6 in stolen base attempts and maintained a 1.000 fielding percentage in left field. Franke ranks second among the UMass starters with a .340 (49-144) batting average and 10 RBIs. She is 16-for-22 in stolen base attempts and is the only starter to keep a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through 62 games.
Rooney Approaches Single-Season Hit Record... Teri Rooney leads the Atlantic 10 with 75 hits this season, just one shy of the all-time UMass single-season record of 76 set by Barb Marean in 1992.
Home Field Advantage... The Minutewomen have won 40 consecutive home games, including an unblemished 15-0 mark this season at the UMass Softball Complex. Massachusetts outscored its opposition, 98-7, in Amherst, and out-hit its foes, 122-51. The UMass pitching staff maintained a 0.44 ERA on its home turf, threw nine shutouts and allowed only three extra-base hits against 329 batters faced. The Minutewomen hit .341 (122-358) at home with 38 extra-base hits and 82 runs batted in.
Regular-Season Championships... With a 21-0 record, Massachusetts claimed the 2002 Atlantic 10 regular-season championship. It marked the 15th crown for the Minutewomen in 17 seasons, including each of the last 12.
UMass has captured A-10 regular-season titles in... 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1989 1988 1986 Atlantic 10 Tournament Championships... UMass has claimed 15 Atlantic 10 Tournament titles (14 outright, one shared with Temple in 1990). The Minutewomen have captured eight-straight A-10 Tournament titles, and 13 of the last 14 overall (Rutgers captured the 1994 event after UMass won the regular season crown). UMass is 52-12 (.813) all-time in A-10 softball tournament action, 41-4 (.911) since 1989. Massachusetts' all-time A-10 Tournament results can be found below...
UMass Year by Year in A-10 Softball Tournament...
2002 (First) 2001 3-0 (First) 2000 3-0 (First) 1999 3-0 (First) 1998 3-0 (First) 1997 3-0 (First) 1996 2-0 (First) 1995 3-0 (First) 1994 3-2 (Second) 1993 3-0 (First) 1992 3-0 (First) 1991 3-0 (First) 1990 2-0 (First*) 1989 3-1 (First) 1988 2-2 (Second) 1987 3-0 (First) 1986 3-0 (First) 1985 1-2 1984 1-2 1983 1-2 * Tie w/ Temple
Wilson Comes Through In A Pinch... Sophomore Nicole Wilson (Gaithersburg, Md.) is UMass' top pinch hitter with a .308 average (4-for-13), including a double and three runs batted in.
Running Bases Around The Opponent... The Minutewomen have outscored their opponents 307-79 this season. UMass has scored more runs than its opponent in every inning combined with the largest run differential occurring in the third inning (UMass 59- Opp. 4).
Stretching The Double... The Minutewomen lead the Atlantic 10 with 21 triples this season. Teri Rooney leads the team with seven three-baggers and ranks seventh in the nation in triples per seven innings (8.88). Rooney has now moved into a tie for fourth place all-time at UMass with 19 career triples. Sophomore Jamie Cahalan ranks second in the A-10 with six triples this season. Against La Salle, sophomore KC Budrewicz (Buckland, Mass.) and freshman Denise Denis (Middle Grove, N.Y.) each hit their first collegiate triples. It was Budrewicz' first UMass and Denis' first two RBIs.
Crowding The Plate... Massachusetts ranks first in the Atlantic 10 with 37 hit batsmen this season. Senior Scooter Wheeler leads the conference with 15 plunkings. Last season, she was hit 17 times to lead the A-10. She's been pegged 43 times in her career as a Minutewoman.
Untouchable... Kaila Holtz has thrown two no-hitters this season, including a 6-0 victory over Rhode Island on April 14 and a 2-0 no-no against Southern Mississippi on Feb. 24. Holtz also held Temple hitless in 2000 with a 1-0 win on April 16, in Amherst.
2002 Individual Highlights
#2 Aisha Franke Sophomore * Left Field * Philadelphia, Pa.
Played in 62 of 63 games, starting in 61 of those in left field ... Tied for first on the team with 16 stolen bases (16-for-18) and ranks second in batting average with a .340 clip (49-for-144) ... Named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team as she led the Minutewomen with a .571 (8-for 14) performance at the plate and stole four bases ... The only Massachusetts starter not to commit a fielding error all season in 22 chances ... Has 10 multiple hit games, including 3-for-3 performances against Saint Joseph's and Rhode Island in the A-10 Tournament ... Stole two bases in games against Temple (March 23), Connecticut (April 24) and Saint Joseph's (May 10) ... Recorded her only extra-base hit of the season against Vermont on April 9 with a RBI double.
#3 Anna Perey Junior * Right Field * Chino Valley, Ariz.
Started all 63 games, 61 of those in right field ... Named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team as she hit .467 (7-for-15) ... Ranks fourth among starters in batting average with a .319 clip (53-for-166) ... Hit a double against Fordham on May 4 and a triple against Saint Joseph's on May 10 ... Has 15 multiple hit games, including a 3-for-3 performance against Dayton on April 28 ... Stole three bases against Maine on April 4.
#4 Ashley Bakken Senior * Second Base * Phoenix, Ariz.
Played in 61 games, starting 59 of those at second base ... Atlantic 10 All-Conference second baseman ... Second team Academic All-District I selection ... Tied for first on the team with 16 stolen bases and ranks second on the school's all-time chart with 78 career stolen bases ... Ranks third on the team with a .333 (50-for-149) batting average ... Hit four doubles, two triples and drove in 16 runs ... Has a .959 fielding percentage, making only 10 errors in 141 chances ... Has 10 multiple hit games ... Went 2-for-2 in win against Connecticut on April 24 ... Hit two triples in the Fordham series (May 4-5) ... Scored three runs in victories over Temple (March 24), La Salle (March 30) and Fordham (May 5).
#5 Jessica Bartlett Junior * catcher* Turners Falls, Mass.
Played in 17 games as a pinch hitter ... Has three hits in 17 at-bats (.176) with one run batted in ... Recorded lone RBI against Illinois-Chicago on March 19.
#6 Denise Denis Freshman * Outfield * Middle Grove, N.Y.
Played in 36 games, making four starts in left field ... Hit .250 (4-for-16) with and triple and three RBIs ... Recorded first career hit against Illinois-Chicago on March 19 ... Went 1-for-2 with two runs batted in against La Salle on March 30 ... Hit 1-for-3 with a RBI in win over Vermont on April 9 ... Stole three total bases against Kansas on Feb. 8, Missouri-Kansas City on March 17 and Illinois-Chicago on March 19 ... Scored 13 runs.
#7 Jennifer Hadley Senior * Pitcher * Bristol, conn.
Started 30 games as pitcher, completing 25 of those for a 24-5 record ... Named Atlantic 10 All-Tournament ... First team Verizon All-Academic District I pick ... Led the Atlantic 10 in ERA (0.68) and wins (24) ... Struck out 143 batters, while walking just 39 in 185 innings of work ... Allowed only 13 extra-base hits in 669 at-bats ... Limited opponents to a .172 batting average ... Tossed eight two-hitters and nine shutouts ... Struck out 11 in extra-inning victory over Harvard on April 11 ... Fanned a season-high 12 batters in win over Connecticut on May 3 ... Recorded two shutout victories at the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament.
#8 Emily Robustelli Junior * Shortstop * Stamford, Conn.
Started 62 games at shortstop ... Hitting .259 (50-for-193) ... Ranks second on the team with 41 runs scored ... Second on the team with 11 doubles ... Fourth on the team with 32 RBIs and 10 stolen bases ... Had triples against Vermont and Temple on April 9 and May 13 ... Hit a home run against Texas Tech on Feb. 9 ... Had nine multiple hit games ... Went 3-for-3 with two RBIs in the victory over Boston College on April 17.
#9 KC Budrewicz Sophomore * Middle Infield * Buckland, Mass.
Appeared in 54 games, making four starts for the Minutewomen at second base ... Hitting .222 (2-for-9) ... Scored 15 runs ... Was 2-for-6 in stolen base attempts ... Hit a triple in the victory over La Salle on March 30 for her first collegiate hit ... Had a double in the victory over Fordham on May 5.
#11 Kelli Arnold Freshman * Pitcher * Kalama, Wash.
Appeared in 11 games, making five starts on the mound ... Hitting .200 (2-for-10) on the season ... Went 1-for-1 with one RBI in the victory over Illinois-Chicago on March 19 ... Scored a run in the victory over Vermont on April 9 ... Pitched 43.1 innings, striking out 36 batters and walking only 14 ... Allowed only four extra-base hits ... Boasts a 1.29 ERA ... Struck out seven batters in wins over Fordham and Maine on March 16 and April 4 ... Pitched shutouts against Providence on March 9, Vermont on April 9 and St. Bonaventure, April 21.
#12 Scooter Wheeler Senior * Third Base * Kingsburg, Calif.
Started all 63 games at third base ... Hitting .299 (50-for-167) ... Leads the team in home runs with nine, tying the school record for single-season dingers ... Ranks second on the team with 38 RBIs ... Scored 25 runs ... Has 14 multiple hit games ... Scored multiple runs on six different occasions... Had multiple RBI games 11 times ... Went 3-for-3 with five runs batted in against Dayton on April 28 ... Had two home runs in the victory over Rhode Island on April 14 to tie the UMass single-game record for the second time in her career ... Earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Honors on March 18 ... Named Atlantic 10 All-Conference third base and Atlantic 10 All-Tournament.
#13 Brandi Cross Junior * First Base * Diamond Bar, Calif.
Started in 62 games this season at first base ... Hitting .264 (48-for-182) ... Leads the team with 41 RBIs ... Has a team-high 13 doubles ... Second on the team with four home runs ... Scored 25 runs ... Has 10 multiple hit games ... Went 3-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored in the victory over Harvard on April 11 ... Had four RBIs in the victory over St. Bonaventure on April 20 ... Went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in against Fordham on May 4 ... Earned Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Honors ... Named to the Verizon Academic All-District I first team.
#15 Teri Rooney Senior * Center Field * Visalia, Calif.
Started 61 games in center field ... Leads the team in batting average with a .385 mark (75-for-195), 47 runs and seven triples ... Second on the team with 38 RBIs ... Stole seven bases this season ... Third on the team with nine doubles ... Has 24 multiple hit games ... Went 3-for-4 and scored three runs in the victory over St. Bonaventure on April 20 ... Was 3-for-4 and had two RBIs against Harvard on April 11 ... Named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year ... Earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors ... Named to the Verizon Academic All-District I first team ... Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on April 1.
#17 Kim Harrigan Freshman * Outfield * Reading, Mass.
Appeared in 10 games this season ... scored four runs.
# 20 Hilary Puglia Freshman * Middle Infield * Stoneham, Mass.
Appeared in 42 games, making two starts at shortstop ... Hitting .286 (4-for-19) ... Scored nine runs ... Tallied two RBIs ... Went 1-for-3 with one run batted in against both Florida International on March 17 and Harvard on April 11.
# 21 Pam Sulick Freshman * Third Base * Mission Viejo, Calif.
Appeared in 13 games, making one start at third base ... Hitting .333 (2-for-6) on the season ... Went 1-for-1 with one RBI and one run scored in the victory over Fordham on May 5 ... Scored a run against Vermont on April 9.
#24 Jamie Cahalan Sophomore * Catcher * Mesa, Ariz.
Started all 63 games behind the plate ... Hitting .274 (46-for-168) on the season ... Scored 23 runs... Has 19 RBIs, nine doubles, six triples and four home runs ... Went 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts ... Has seven multiple hit games ... Had multiple RBIs on four occasions ... Had three RBIs against St. Bonaventure on April 21 and Fordham on May 4 ... Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on May 6 ... Earned Atlantic 10 All-Tournament honors.
#27 Kaila Holtz Junior * Pitcher * North Vancouver, B.C.
Appeared in 62 games, making 61 starts ... Hitting .258 (42-for-163) on the season ... Has nine doubles and one home run ... Has 28 RBIs ... Scored 10 runs ... Pitched 193 innings ... Owns a 23-6 record ... Has 156 strikeouts ... Ranks second in the league with a 0.87 ERA, good enough for 23rd in the nation ... Had a season-high 12 strikeouts in the extra-inning victory over Dayton on April 28 ... Had nine strikeouts in the victory over Harvard on April 11 ... Was 2-2 against teams in the Top 25, including wins over Stanford and Florida State ... Earned Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Honors ... Named MVP of the Atlantic 10 Tournament ... Named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week on April 1, April 15 and April 29 ... Earned a spot on the Verizon Academic All-District I First Team ... Tossed two shutouts and allowed no earned runs in three games at the Atlantic 10 Tournament, posting a 2-1 record.