University of Massachusets Athletics
Four Players Named To NFCA All-Region Team
May 17, 2002 | Softball
May 17, 2002
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts softball team had four players named to the NFCA Division I All-Region Team. Senior pitcher Jennifer Hadley (Bristol, Conn.) and senior center fielder Teri Rooney (Visalia, Calif.) were first team selections, while senior second baseman Ashley Bakken (Phoenix, Ariz.) and junior pitcher Kaila Holtz (North Vancouver, British Columbia) were second team picks.
Rooney was recently named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as she has paced the Minutewomen, who ranked 17th in the country, with a .299 batting average. Rooney hit a league leading .385, including nine doubles and seven triples. Her 77 hits and 200 at-bats set new single-season records at UMass. She was also a Verzion Academic All-District I selection.
Hadley ranks second in the country with a 0.83 ERA and is part of a pitching staff that is 13th best in the nation. She leads the league with 25 wins which ties for third all-time at UMass. Hadley was also an A-10 all-tournament selection and a Verizon Academic All-District I honoree.
Bakken was an A-10 all-conference and all-tournament award winner. She ranks third on the team with a .331 batting average and led the Minutewomen in league play with a .345 clip. Bakken stole a team-high 16 bases to bring her career total to 78 and rank second on the school's all-time chart.
Holtz was named A-10 Pitcher of the Year and ranks 13th in the nation with a 0.89 ERA. Holtz leads the team with 166 strikeouts and a .171 opponent batting average. She was also named A-10 Tournament MVP, all-conference pitcher and designated hitter and Verizon Academic All-District I.
The Minutewomen are in the midst of the NCAA Regional Tournament in Lafayette, La. No. 4 seed UMass defeated No. 3 seed and host Lafayette-Louisana, 5-3, last night in a 13 inning nail-biter. Massachusetts will face No. 2 seed Arizona State on Saturday, May 18, in a second round game beginning at approximately 11:30 a.m. CDT.
