University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball To Face Georgia Tech In NCAA Tournament
May 18, 2004 | Softball
May 18, 2004
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2004 NCAA Tournament * Region 8 * Athens, Ga.
Thursday:
Game 1: #6 UMass vs. #3 Georgia Tech 10:00 a.m.
Game 2: #2 Eastern Ky. vs. #2 Georgia 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: #4 Texas A&M vs. #5 Michigan St. 3:00 p.m.
Game 4: #8 Chattanooga vs. #1 Washington 5:30 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Gm. 1 vs. Loser Gm. 2 8:00 p.m.
Friday:
Game 6: Loser Gm. 3 vs. Loser Gm. 4 10:00 a.m.
Game 7: Winner Gm. 1 vs. Winner Gm. 2 12:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Gm. 3 vs. Winner Gm. 4 3:00 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Gm. 5 vs. Loser Gm. 8 5:30 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Gm. 6 vs. Loser Gm. 7 8:00 p.m.
Saturday:
Game 11: Winner Gm. 7 vs. Winner Gm. 8 12:00 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Gm. 9 vs. Winner Gm. 10 2:30 p.m.
Game 13: Loser Gm. 11 vs. Winner Gm. 12 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:
Game 14: Winner Gm. 11 vs. Winner Gm. 13 12:00 p.m.
Game 15: Same Teams If Necessary 2:30 p.m.
On The Radio ... Every UMass Softball game from the NCAA Regional Tournament will be broadcast on the radio and Internet for free. Bob Behler, voice of the Minutemen, and Seth Gerard will have all of the action. Day games will be broadcast on WPNI (1430 AM) and the night games will air on WRNX (100.9 FM), the flagship station of the UMass Sports Radio Network. In addition, each game will be broadcast for free on the Internet. Click herefor the link
Live Stats ... Live stats will also be provided for each game of the tournament. You can find the links at www.umassathletics.com.
UMass Projected Starting Lineup
No. Name Pos. Avg. HR RBI SB-ATT
1. Hilary Puglia SS .329 5 28 14-19
2. Candice Molinari LF .259 0 7 21-27
3. Katie Jo Kelley 3B .302 13 39 1-1
4. Jamie Cahalan C .231 4 23 6-8
5. Pam Sulick DP .239 4 15 5-5
6. KC Budrewicz RF .245 3 14 5-6
7. Amanda Morin 1B .276 0 10 9-10
8. Kristi Stefanoni 2B .243 0 9 8-8
9. Aisha Franke CF .308 0 8 13-15
Reserves / Pinch Runners
Denise Denis LF/PH .345 2 17 3-3
Nicole Wilson 1B/3B/PR .071 0 2 4-6
Lesley Ferrara PH/OF .200 0 3 1-1
Amanda Acampora PH .115 0 3 1-1
Michea Holness PR 1.000 0 0 2-5
Shannon Houle PH .400 0 0 0-0
Pitchers
No. Name ERA W-L R ER SO BB
1. Kelli Arnold 1.62 19-6 51 37 114 41
2. Jenna Busa 1.96 13-8 53 39 85 51
3. Barb LaFogg 3.44 1-1 10 10 21 13
What's On Tap ... For the 10th straight year, Massachusetts (33-15, 11-1 A-10) will be in the NCAA Tournament. The Minutewomen are the sixth-seed in Regional No. 8 which is held in Athens, Ga. The Minutewomen will face Georgia Tech (45-16) in the first round at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Joining UMass and the Yellow Jackets will be No. 1 Washington (36-17), No. 2 Georgia (51-14), No. 4 Texas A&M (32-20), No. 5 Michigan State (33-23), No. 7 Eastern Kentucky (41-15) and No. 8 Tennessee-Chattanooga (45-23).
UMass vs. The Field ... This will be the second time that UMass and Georgia Tech have met all-time. The Minutewomen were a 2-0 winner over the Yellow Jackets in the consolation semifinal game last year in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kaila Holtz threw a three-hit shutout and struck out nine. Katie Jo Kelley gave the Minutewomen all the offense they would need with a second-inning home run. UMass also played Chattanooga at last year's NCAA Tournament. The Minutewomen defeated the Mocs, 3-2, to avoid elimination on the second day of the tournament. Hilary Puglia hit a two-out, three-run home run in the fifth inning to start a three-game winning streak that saw UMass advance all the way to the consolation final.
UMass is also 2-1 all-time against Georgia, 2-0 vs. Texas A&M, 5-5 vs. Michigan State, 1-1 vs. Tennessee Chattanooga and 0-8 against Washington. The only team in the regional that UMass has played this year is Washington. The Huskies were a 5-2 winner on Feb. 15 in the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Tucson, Ariz. The Minutewomen are 7-8 against the field of 64 this year.
UMass in the NCAA Tournament ... UMass is making its 14th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including trips every year since 1995. Overall, the Minutewomen are 21-28 (.429) in NCAA postseason play. UMass has advanced to the College World Series three times, most recently in 1998. The WCWS will be held May 27-31 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
No. 6 Isn't So Bad ... UMass does not have to look back too far in its history to see how dangerous a No. 6 seed can be. Last year as a No. 3 seed, Massachusetts was upset by sixth-seeded Southern Illinois. The Salukis advanced all the way to the championship game against eventual regional winner and host-school Alabama. UMass lost again to SIU in the loser's bracket championship game. Since the field expanded to 64 teams last year, No. 6 seeds have an 11-16 record all-time. They are 1-7 in the first game, but five of the seven went on to win their first game of the loser's bracket.
It's Becoming A Habit ... UMass is making its 10th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. This ranks as the sixth-longest string in the nation. Here is a look at the top eight active streaks. Three of these teams are hosting a regional this year.
1. Fresno State 23 1982-present
2. California 19 1986-present
3. Arizona 18 1987-present
4. Washington 11 1994-present
Oklahoma 11 1994-present
6. Massachusetts 10 1995-present
Michigan 10 1995-present
Nebraska 10 1995-present
2003 Regional Flashback ... UMass, the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Regional #8 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., went 3-2. The Minutewomen were upset by sixth-seeded Southern Illinois on the first day, but bounced back to win three straight games to advance to the loser's bracket championship game. Trailing 2-0, Hilary Puglia hit a two-out, three-run home run in the fifth inning to give UMass a 3-2 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga. Later that night, the Minutewomen overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat Illinois, 5-4. UMass then shut out Georgia Tech, 2-0, behind a three-hitter by Kaila Holtz setting the stage for a rematch against Southern Illinois. The Salukis jumped all over Holtz and the Minutewomen to end UMass' season with a 6-1 triumph.
What Happened? ... After not losing a game at home since April 30, 2000, UMass was stunned by Saint Joseph's, 3-0, and Temple, 4-3, as it was eliminated from the Atlantic 10 Tournament last Saturday. The Minutewomen failed to make the championship game for the first time since 1985. In the three games last weekend, UMass hit just .213. The Minutewomen made five errors in three games and five of the seven runs they allowed were unearned. Massachusetts was just 3-23 (.130) with runners in scoring position. It left a total of 23 runners on base and hit into two double plays. UMass had 17 hits while Fordham, Saint Joseph's and Temple combined for just seven.
Arnold No-Hits Fordham ... One of the few positive things for UMass at last weekend's A-10 Tournament was Kelli Arnold's eight-inning no-hitter against Fordham in a 1-0 UMass win to start the tournament. Arnold struck out two in what was just the third no-hitter in A-10 Tournament history. The only two base runners she allowed were on hit batsman. It was the first no-no in the tournament since Virginia Tech's Ashlee Dobbe did it against Dayton on May 11, 2000. Danielle Henderson also accomplished this feat against Temple on May 2, 1997. Arnold's no-no, which was the longest one in the history of the tournament, was the fourth in UMass postseason history. It also marked the second solo no-hitter of her career and 61st in UMass history. Arnold was an All-Conference selection this year for the first time and also one of three Minutewomen to earn Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team honors.
A-10 Dominance ... UMass just won its 14th consecutive and 17th overall Atlantic 10 regular season title. The Minutewomen have now won 80 of their last 82 league contests in the regular season. It had reeled off 52 in a row until Dayton snapped that string with a 5-4, 12-inning win on April 19, 2003, in Dayton. UMass pitchers have allowed just 26 earned runs in regular season conference games since the 2002 season. That is 296.2 innings for a 0.61 ERA.
Heading For A Grand ... UMass' 6-0 win over Vermont on March 26 was the 900th win in school history. Head Coach Elaine Sortino has been here for 857 of the programs 923 (93 percent) wins. She is 857-370-3 overall (.698). The overall record of the program is 923-397-4 (.699). This is the 30th season of softball at UMass.
Headin' To The Polls ... Massachusetts debuted in both the ESPN.COM/USA Softball and NFCA/USA Today top 25 polls receiving votes. The Minutewomen had six and eight votes, respectively. In this weeks' editions, UMass is receiving two votes in the ESPN.COM/USA Softball top 25 poll.
14 In A Row ... 14 was the magic number the first weekend in May. With a doubleheader sweep of Fordham on May 1, UMass wrapped up its 14th straight A-10 regular season title. Then in a doubleheader sweep of Quinnipiac on May 2, the Minutewomen clinched their 14th season in a row of at least 30 wins.
Home Field Advantage... UMass' stunning losses to Saint Joseph's and Temple on May 14 in the A-10 Tournament snapped the nation's longest home winning streak at 73 games. Its last loss at home prior to this was a 3-1 setback to Dayton on April 30, 2000. Since its opening in 2000, Massachusetts is 85-5 (.944) at the UMass Softball Complex. The last time the Minutewomen lost two games in a row at home was May 7, 1996, when they were swept by Princeton, 1-0 and 4-2. Here is a look at the numbers for UMass against its opponents in the 90 games played at the UMass Softball Complex.
AVG. - .332 (713-2148)
Opp. AVG.- .165 (345-2092)
Runs - 525 (5.8/game)
Opp. Runs - 80 (0.89/game)
Home Runs - 49 (0.54/game)
Opp. Home Runs - 8 (0.09/game)
Birthday Girls ... Both UMass starting pitchers have now hurled shutouts on their birthdays. Jenna Busa tossed a three-hit shutout over URI April 29 on her 20th birthday. On April 15, Kelli Arnold pitched a three-hit shutout while celebrating her 21st birthday in a 4-0 home win over Boston College. So who's next? Well senior Nicole Wilson will celebrate her birthday on May 28 which just happens to be the second day of the College World Series.
What Sophomore Jinx? ... After a solid freshman campaign in which she hit .308 with eight home runs and 27 RBI, sophomore Katie Jo Kelley has already topped that this year. Kelley, who has played third base, designated player and catcher, is fourth on the team batting .302. She has a team-high 13 home runs and 39 RBI. She also has five doubles and a triple while compiling a .659 slugging percentage and a .432 on-base percentage. She batted .750 (6-8) at the A-10 Tournament with two doubles, a RBI and three walks (two intentional). Kelley earned her second straight All-Conference nod this year and was one of three Massachusetts players selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team.
Deja Vu ... For the second straight year, UConn snapped a double-digit win streak for UMass with a one-run victory in Storrs. With the 4-3, nine-inning win, the Huskies snapped UMass' 15-game winning streak. On April 15, 2003, UConn scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to win 1-0 and end UMass' 14-game winning streak.
Huskies Pound Them Out ... In its 4-3, nine-inning win on April 21, UConn pounded out 18 hits. That is the most hits that UMass has ever given up in a single-game. The previous record was 17 set by Louisiana-Lafayette on May 16, 2002 in the NCAA Tournament. UMass was a 5-3 winner in 13 innings. against UL-L.
Ms. Clutch ... Sophomore Denise Denis continues her torrid pace over the last 14 games despite making just one start. Denis is hitting .565 in that stretch (13-23) with seven runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one home run, 16 RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage. For the season, Denis is now hitting .345 to lead the team. She also has 13 runs scored, two home runs, 17 RBI and a .636 slugging percentage this year. As a pinch hitter, the Middle Grove, N.Y., native is hitting .455 (5-11). Denis was one of three Massachusetts players to be named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament team.
Climbing The Charts ... Katie Jo Kelley continues to hit home runs and is steadily moving up the school's power charts. Kelley, who is just a sophomore, has hit 21 home runs already in her career including 13 this year which is a single-season record. She had eight last year as a freshman. Her 21 career home runs ranks third. UMass is 11-1 this year and 18-1 overall when Kelley hits a home run.
Quite A Day ... Freshman Amanda Morin found the cold day at Harvard to her liking. The Worcester, Mass., native raised her batting average from .210 to .275 by going 6-7 in a pair of games in Cambridge on April 6. Morin now stands fifth on the team hitting at a .276 clip. She has three doubles, a triple, 10 RBI and is 9-10 (.900) in stolen bases.
Solid At The Top ... Hilary Puglia has reached base safely in 30 of her last 32 games (recording at least one hit 23 times), posting a .381 (40-105) average over that stretch. The 2004 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year has all five of her home runs, 23 RBI and a .634 slugging percentage as well in that time period. For the season, the Stoneham, Mass., native is second on the team with a .329 batting average. She also has nine doubles, two triples, five home runs, 28 RBI, 30 runs scored and is 14-19 (.737) in stolen base attempts. She has compiled a .513 slugging percentage and a .377 on-base percentage.
Hitting The Long Ball ... UMass hit a school- record four home runs in game two of a doubleheader against La Salle on March 27 and have been hitting the ball out of the park ever since then. In the last 26 games, the Minutewomen have hit 24 home runs, but they not clubbed a long ball in the last nine games. Katie Jo Kelley leads the team with 13 home runs, a single-season record. UMass has now hit 31 home runs this season. The school record is 36 by last years' team.
They're All Thieves ... After setting a school record with 103 stolen bases last year, the 2004 Minutewomen are off and running again this year. UMass is 93-for-115 (.809) in stolen base opportunities this year. Unlike last season where just a few players would try to steal, there are nine players with at least four thefts this year. Candice Molinari leads the way with 21 stolen bases (21-27; .778). Hilary Puglia is 14-19 (.737), while Aisha Franke is 13-15 (.867). Amanda Morin has nine (9-10; .900), Kristi Stefanoni has eight (8-8; 1.000) and Jamie Cahalan is 6-8 (.750). KC Budrewicz is 5-6 (.833) and Pam Sulick is 5-5 (1.000). Nicole Wilson has four thefts as well, going 4-6 (.667).
Break-Out Weekend ... Freshman Candice Molinari picked a great weekend to show that she deserves a spot in the every day starting lineup. The Glendora, Calif., native hit .375 in six games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. She also scored three runs, drew a pair of walks and stole three bases en route to Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. For the season, Molinari is sixth on the team with a .259 batting average and is 21-for-27 (.778) in stolen base opportunities. The 21 thefts this year rank in a seventh-place tie for the most in a UMass single-season.
No-No and Three Near No-No's For Busa ... With UMass needing a win against Virginia Tech on March 13 to advance into the championship game of the FIU Blue & Gold Coca-Cola Classic, sophomore Jenna Busa turned in her best pitching performance in a UMass uniform. The Lexington, Mass., native threw her first career no-hitter against the Hokies. Busa allowed just one walk in the game while striking out four. There were four UMass errors however. In her next two starts, Busa just missed a no-hitter. She threw consecutive one-hitters against La Salle (March 27) and Central Connecticut (March 30). Both times, she gave up a two-out single in the fifth inning. Then she mirrored this performance against St. Bonaventure on April 18. The only thing keeping Busa from her second no-hitter of the year was a two-out single in the fifth inning by Joelle Brunetto. Busa had gone 31 straight innings without allowing an earned run before giving up a solo home run to Harvard with two outs in the sixth inning April 6. For the season, she is 13-8 with a 1.96 ERA. Busa has 85 strikeouts in 139.0 innings pitched. Since starting the season 1-4, Busa has gone 12-4 with a 1.55 ERA and a save.
Solid In Home Debut ... Pitching in front of family and friends, junior Barb LaFogg turned in a dominating performance against Quinnipiac in her first start of the season at home May 2. LaFogg, who hails from Williamsburg, Mass., pitched a one-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and two walks. She took a one-hitter into the fifth inning before giving up a walk and a bunt single. LaFogg is now 1-1 this season with a 3.44 ERA. She has 21 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.
Complete Turn-Around ... After starting the season slowly, junior pitcher Kelli Arnold has worked out the kinks and is pitching like she was last season when she went 13-6 with a 1.58 ERA. In her first five outings this year, the Kalama, Wash., native went 0-2 and allowed 19 earned runs. Since then, she has gone 19-4 with a 0.88 ERA and a save. Arnold has had two separate stretches this year where she has gone 35-plus innings not allowing an earned run. Arnold established a new career-high by striking out 10 La Salle batters in an 8-1 UMass win on March 27.
Love The Shutout ... Of Massachusetts' 33 wins this year, 17 have come via the shutout. The Minutewomen have shut out Ohio State (8-0), Central Michigan (1-0), Army (8-0), Virginia Tech (4-0), Vermont (6-0), La Salle (2-0), Central Connecticut State twice (13-0 and 6-0), Dayton (8-0), Boston College (4-0), St. Bonaventure (8-0), Rhode Island twice (8-0 and 5-0), Fordham twice (1-0 and 1-0) and Quinnipiac twice (5-0 and 3-0). UMass has also been shut out on seven occasions as well (by Fresno State, Cal State Northridge, DePaul, Oklahoma, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Saint Joseph's). Jenna Busa has thrown seven shutouts. Kelli Arnold has five, while Arnold and Barb LaFogg combined for four as well. LaFogg also has one solo.
Combined No-No ... In game one of a doubleheader at Central Connecticut, Kelli Arnold and Barb LaFogg combined for a five-inning no-hitter in a 13-0 UMass rout. It was the 60th no-hitter in UMass history. Arnold worked the first three innings and struck out four batters, while LaFogg came in and struck out all six batters she faced.
Turning Two ... Through its first 48 games, UMass has already turned a school-record 21 double plays while hitting into just eight of its own. The Minutewomen had just seven twin-killings all of last season in 54 games.
Head Coach Elaine Sortino ... Later this year, Elaine Sortino will be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame. She will be the 32nd member of this prestigious group. With a 4-0 win over La Salle in game one of a doubleheader on March 28, 2003, UMass head coach Elaine Sortino became the 16th coach in NCAA history, 13th in Division I, to reach the 800-win plateau. In 24-plus years at the helm of the Minutewomen, Sortino has compiled an 857-370-3 (.697) record. She is ninth among active NCAA coaches in wins and 10th in winning percentage. She has led UMass to 16 Atlantic 10 titles, 13 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 league.
Slugging Away ... After an off season at the plate last year, senior catcher Jamie Cahalan has shown signs of getting her swing back. The Mesa, Ariz., native has slugged .534 over her last 22 games. For the season, she is hitting .231 with six doubles, a triple, four home runs, 23 RBI and a .397 slugging percentage. She hit a home run in three straight at bats from March 27 vs. La Salle until March 30 at CCSU. With 13 career home runs, Cahalan is now in fifth place on the schools' all-time charts. Cahalan, who has a 3.34 GPA in Exercise Science, was a member of both the A-10 All-Academic Team as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District second team selection.
NFCA All-Time #34 ...Prior to the start of the season, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced its all-time top 50 poll and ranked Massachusetts 34th. The poll was compiled using weekly ranking from the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll from the 1995 season through the completion of the 2003 season. The top 10 included Arizona at No. 1, followed by UCLA, Washington, Fresno State, Oklahoma, Michigan, California, Arizona State, LSU and Stanford. The Minutewomen were the only Atlantic 10 team in the poll.
Preseason Watch List ... Senior center fielder Aisha Franke was named to the initial top 40 watch list for the 2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Last year, Franke led the conference and was 40th in the country with a .403 batting average. On April 7, USA Softball shrunk the list down to 25 finalists and Franke was not included. After a slow start, Franke has bounced back to over the .300 mark. She has hit .424 in her last 26 games to raise her season average up to .308, good for third on the team. Franke also has scored 27 runs and driven in eight runs while going 13-15 (.867) in stolen base attempts. She is fifth all-time with 53 career stolen bases.