University of Massachusets Athletics
No. 25 Softball Game Notes For Leadoff Classic
February 19, 2003 | Softball
Feb. 19, 2003
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What's On Tap ... The 25th-ranked Massachusetts softball team (2-3) will participate in this weekend's NFCA Leadoff Classic. Massachusetts enjoyed a week off after a successful 2-3 showing at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Arizona, Feb. 7-9. In pool play, the Minutewomen will play Oregon State (12:00 p.m.) and Pacific (2:00 p.m.) on Friday and then Florida State on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Bracket play will commence Saturday afternoon and continue through Sunday. This marks the eighth consecutive season in which the Minutewomen have been invited to this prestigious tournament. Massachusetts is 15-25 (.375) all-time in this tournament.
Inside the Leadoff Classic ... The NFCA's eighth annual Leadoff Classic, Feb. 21-23 in Columbus, Ga., will feature 24 of the nation's top collegiate softball teams, including defending Women's College World Series champion California. The Golden Bears are one of six squads playing in the Leadoff Classic after ending last season at the Women's College World Series. Nebraska, the 2002 Leadoff Classic champ, is poised to defend its title. Joining the Huskers will be other 2002 WCWS participants Arizona State, Florida State, Michigan and Oklahoma. Of the 24 teams in the field, 19 competed in NCAA postseason play in 2002, 17 of which finished in last year's final USA Today/NFCA Top 25, including 13 teams ranked in the top 15. Nebraska became the sixth Leadoff Classic champion in seven years to go on to compete in that year's Women's College World Series. California's appearance marks the third time in the last five years the Leadoff Classic field has included the defending national champion.
The tournament format consists of six, four-team pools. Following pool play, the top team from each pool, along with two at-large teams, will advance to the gold championship bracket. The remaining four second-place teams along with four at-large teams will be placed in the silver championship bracket and the remaining eight teams will be assigned to the bronze championship bracket. All brackets will be single elimination/consolation. Each team will play a minimum of five games (three pool, two bracket) regardless of pool or bracket assignments. Saturday bracket play will be at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday's bracket play is scheduled for 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Scouting the Beavers ... No. 18 Oregon State comes into the tournament with an 11-4 record. After starting the season off with eight straight wins and nine victories in their first 10 games, the Beavers went 2-3 at last weekend's UNLV Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. Second baseman Brynnen Guthrie leads the team with a .420 batting average. Catcher and third baseman Shelly Prochaska is hitting at a .400 clip and leads the team with four home runs and 15 RBIs. On the mound, Monica Hoffman is already 9-3 with a 1.20 ERA. She has yielded 49 hits in 72.1 innings and struck out a team-high 63 batters. Amy Klever has recorded the squad's other two wins (2-0), while compiling a 1.20 ERA and fanning 18 batters.
Last Game vs. Oregon State ... Friday afternoon's game will be the first time that these two teams have played.
Scouting the Tigers ... 20th-ranked Pacific is 6-3 on the season. Most recently, they swept Saint Mary's in a doubleheader on Monday. The Tigers began the season splitting a doubleheader with then 10th-ranked Stanford (1-3, 15-2). Infielder Kristen Allen leads the team with a .478 batting average. Infielder Brandy Thurman has provided the power for the Tigers thus far with a team-high two home runs and eight RBIs. Cathie Hacker leads the pitching staff with a perfect 3-0 record on the mound. She has compiled a 1.40 ERA, while striking out 11 batters. Natalie King is 2-1 with a team-low 1.24 ERA and 18 k's, while Jennifer Dacre is 102 with a 1.91 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
Last Game vs. Pacific ...This will be the first meeting between UMass and the University of Pacific on the softball field.
Scouting the Seminoles ... 11th-ranked Florida State is 10-3 thus far in 2003. Jess van der Lind, last week's national player of the week, leads the team with a .636 batting average. She is also tied for the team lead with seven RBIs. On the mound, she has tallied a 3-1 record with a 1.96 ERA and 42 strikeouts. Casey Hunter is already 7-2 with a team-low 0.92 ERA. She has fanned 67 batters and tossed her first career no-hitter Tuesday against Florida A&M.
Last Game vs. Florida State ... Florida State leads the all-time series with UMass, 11-4. The Minutewomen defeated the Seminoles, 3-2, March 9, 2002, in the Seminole Classic. It was a 1-1 game in the bottom of the fifth inning until the Minutewomen were able to plate two runs and take the lead for good. Both Brandi Cross and Anna Perey tallied RBI hits in the inning to give UMass the victory. On the mound, Kaila Holtz gave up one unearned run while scattering five hits over seven innings for the win.
The Rest Of The Field ... After the completion of pool play Saturday morning, the Minutewomen could play any one of these teams in bracket play: Alabama, California, Illinois State, Notre Dame, Cal State Fullerton, LSU, Oklahoma, Villanova, Arizona State, DePaul, Liberty, Ohio State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Stanford, Michigan, South Carolina, Temple and Washington.
Nearing a Milestone (Again) ... UMass head coach Elaine Sortino is just 13 wins shy of becoming the 16th coach in NCAA history to reach the 800-win plateau. In 23 years at the helm of the Minutewomen, Sortino has compiled a 787-343-3 (.696) record. She is tenth among active NCAA coaches in wins and 11th in winning percentage. She has led UMass to 15 Atlantic 10 titles, 12 NCAA regional appearances and three trips to the College World Series. Sortino has been named the A-10 Coach of the Year seven times, the most of any coach in any sport in the conference.
Fiesta Bowl Recap ... The 2003 edition of the Massachusetts softball team opened the season Feb. 7-9 at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. The Minutewomen opened up the first day falling to No. 14 Stanford (2-1) and No. 10 Cal State Fullerton (3-1). Day two of the tournament was a little nicer to UMass. The Minutewomen began the day by taking fourth-ranked Nebraska into extra innings before falling 4-2, but finished with a 5-2 win over Texas Tech. Senior Brandi Cross recorded two home runs and three RBIs on the day, while junior Nicole Wilson drove in one of her own. Sophomore pitcher Kelly Arnold earned the win over the Red Raiders scattering six hits over seven innings. Both runs she gave up were earned and she fanned two batters. In the final day, Massachusetts stunned No. 13 Arizona State, 5-2 in eight innings. Senior Emily Robustelli, Cross and freshman Katie Jo Kelley each recorded RBIs in the three-run top of the eighth inning. Robustelli's proved to be game-winner as senior Kaila Holtz did not allow a run in the bottom of the frame. She gave up five hits and two earned runs, while striking out four in picking up her first win of the season. She also helped out her own cause by hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning giving UMass a 2-0 lead at the time.
She's Back ... There were a lot of positives to come out of the Minutewomen's Arizona trip earlier this month, but none are more encouraging than the performance by senior first baseman Brandi Cross. The 2000 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and third team All-American has seen decreased production at the plate the last two seasons, but exploded in the Grand Canyon State. Cross recorded a .353 batting average and added two home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored while compiling a .706 slugging percentage. She was named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week for her efforts. Cross has now taken over the No. 2 two spot on the all-time UMass home run chart with 17 dingers. She is now nine behind 2002 graduate Scooter Wheeler for the top spot.
RBI Machine ... Coming into the Fiesta Bowl Tournament, sophomore second baseman Hilary Puglia had just two career RBIs and four hits, but the Stoneham, Mass., native exploded for four hits and three RBIs in the five games. She drove in one run against Stanford, Nebraska and Arizona State.
Success At The Bottom ... Junior center fielder Aisha Franke provided the Minutewomen with good production out of the nine hole in Arizona. The Philadelphia product, who led the team with a .340 batting average last year, hit a team-high .444 in the season-opening weekend in Arizona. She tallied four hits in nine at bats, while compiling a .545 on-base percentage.
They're All Thieves ... UMass base runners stole 11 bases during the Fiesta Bowl Tournament two weeks ago. The Minutewomen were successful 73 percent (11-15) of the time. Senior Emily Robustelli and junior Nicole Wilson led the way with three swipes apiece, while sophomore Aisha Franke and senior Anna Perey each stole two bases. Perey is currently in seventh place all-time with 43 career stolen bases.
Home Field Advantage... The Minutewomen have won 40 consecutive home games, including an unblemished 15-0 mark last 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. Since its opening in 2000, Massachusetts is 52-3 at the UMass Softball Complex, with all three losses caming in the 2000 season.
Preseason A-10 No. 1 ... The Massachusetts softball team has been selected to finish first in the A-10 by the conference's coaches. The rest of the conference, in order of prediction is: Temple, Saint Joseph's, Dayton, Rhode Island, Fordham, La Salle, St. Bonaventure and George Washington. Last year, UMass won its eighth straight conference crown and 15th overall.
Regular-Season Championships ... With a 21-0 record for the second consecutive year, 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 now reeled off 46 straight A-10 regular-season victories since a 3-1 set-back at home to Dayton on April 30, 2000.
A-10 Tournament Championships... Massachusetts has now 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 had its streak of 20 straight conference tournament victories snapped by host-school Rhode Island in the first round of last year's event, May 9, but it bounced back to win four games in the next two days to win. UMass is 52-12 (.813) all-time in A-10 softball tournament action.
Stepping In ... Sophomore Kelli Arnold will step into the No. 2 slot in this year's pitching rotation. The Kalama, Wash., native went 5-0 in limited action as a freshman last year. She started and completed five games, while limiting opponents to eight earned runs in 43.1 innings for a 1.29 ERA. She fanned 36 batters, while walking just 14. Opponents hit .171 against Arnold. She tossed two shutouts on the year and limited the opposition to just one hit in two of her five starts. In 2003, she is 1-1 with a 2.69 ERA and three strikeouts.
The New Edition ... The 2003 edition of the Maroon & White features seven newcomers, including six freshmen. Barbara LaFogg transferred to UMass from Seton Hall and will sit out the 2003 season. Two months before the new season began, UMass head coach Elaine Sortino announced the freshman class of 2007. Candice Molinari (Glendora, Calif.), Amanda Acampora (Orange, Conn.), Jackie Teman (Downington, Pa.) and Amanda Morin (Worcester, Mass.) have all signed national letters of intent to play for the Minutewomen beginning in the 2004 season.
Any Team, Any Place, Any Time ... Once again this season, the Massachusetts softball team has taken on a difficult schedule. In fact, according to head coach Elaine Sortino, this year's schedule is the most difficult that she has put together in her 23 years in Amherst. Before even stepping foot on their home field for a regular-season game, the Minutewomen will have played at least 10 teams who are currently ranked in the USA Today/National Fast Pitch Coaches Association top 25 poll, including three participants from the 2002 College World Series. UMass has the potential to play several other ranked teams in bracket play of its four preseason tournaments. Thus far, the Minutewomen are 1-3 against ranked competition.
The Road Goes Through Amherst ... UMass will be playing for its unprecedented ninth consecutive A-10 Tournament title this year on its home field. The UMass Softball Complex will be the site of the 2003 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship, May 8-10. This marks the fifth time that the A-10's have come to Amherst and second since the UMass Softball Complex opened. Overall, Massachusetts is 10-0 (1.000) in tournament games played in Amherst. The last time that UMass hosted the championship was in 2000. That year, the Minutewomen scored three victories over Temple and Virginia Tech (2).
From Here ... Massachusetts will take a week off before returning to action, March 6-9, at the Speedline Invitational in Plant City, Fla. UMass will play games against North Carolina, Washington, Hofstra, Ball State and Northwestern before single elimination bracket play begins. The Minutewomen will not make their 2003 debut at the UMass Softball Complex until Wednesday, April 2, when they host Maine for a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m.
