University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball Hosts Dartmouth Wednesday In Home Opener
March 28, 2006 | Softball
March 28, 2006
Minutewomen Host Dartmouth In Home Opener; Also face La Salle & Fordham
• After opening Atlantic 10 Conference play with a pair of shutouts against George Washington (9-0, 6-0) last Friday, Massachusetts (11-11, 2-0 A-10) hosts Dartmouth (7-10) Wednesday in the home opener.
• UMass is 28-2 all-time in home openers and has won its last 20. The last UMass loss in a home opener came on April 3, 1984. UMass lost to Providence, 8-2.
• After Wednesday's games with the Big Green, the Minutewomen hit the road again this weekend for two A-10 series'. UMass will play a twinbill at La Salle on Friday and then head to the Bronx for a showdown with Fordham on Sunday.
• UMass will be looking to avenge last season's sweep by the Rams in the Bronx.
• There will be a free live audio broadcast on Wednesday and Sunday's games on www.umassathletics.com. Gametracker will have live stats of every games this weekend.
• UMass is 1-0-1 all-time against Dartmouth. The first-ever meeting between these two school was last season. UMass won game one 7-0 and game two was called after seven due to darkness and the score tied at one. UMass pitchers Barb LaFogg and Jenna Busa combined for 29 strikeouts. The 15 k's by LaFogg, a current assistant coach, is a UMass Softball Complex record. • The Minutewomen are 23-0 all-time against La Salle and 25-2 vs. Fordham. UMass beat La Salle 15-1 and 3-0 last year.
Dominant In The Circle
• So far in 2006, freshman Brandice Balschmiter is proving to be a dominant pitcher.
• The Newark, N.Y., native is currently 9-5 with a miniscule 0.96 ERA. She has 112 strikeouts in 116.2 innings pitched and three shutouts.
• Balschmiter has two double-digit strikeout games, including a career-high 13 in UMass' 4-0 upset win over #24/25 North Carolina March 17.
• She just missed her first career no-hitter March 24 at George Washington. She had a one-hit shutout. An infield single to the first batter of the game was the only hit. In fact, only one ball left the infield and that was a pop-up to right field.
• Balschmiter has won the A-10 Pitcher of the Week award three times and is also a one-time recipient of the Rookie of the Week honor.
• Balschmiter currently ranks first in the A-10 in both ERA and strikeouts.
Mollica Eases Right In
• UMass freshman Whitney Mollica wasted no time to show that she belongs in the starting line-up.
• The Windham, N.H., has settled into the middle of the order and leads the team in batting average (.377), hits (26), doubles (5), triples (2), RBI (20), total bases (44), slugging percentage (.638) and on-base percentage (.427).
• Mollica has been a two-time A-10 Player of the Week and a three-time Rookie of the Week.
• Mollica has also proven to be on the most clutch performers on the team. She is hitting .517 (15-29) with runners in scoring position and .571 (4-7) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
• Mollica is hitting .429 (12-28) with two outs and leads the team with 11 two-out RBI.
• Mollica tallied the game-winning hits in consecutive games. She hit the game-winning, two-run home run in UMass win over #24/25 North Carolina on March 17. The next day, her two-run single was the only scoring in UMass' 2-1 win over Michigan State.
• Mollica began her career by hitting the game-winning, two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning against Sacramento State Feb. 10. That was just her second career game.
• Mollica also leads the team with seven multiple-hit games and six multi-RBI games.
It All Began In The Same Place
• UMass freshman Whitney Mollica made her collegiate debut in San Diego, Calif., at the Campbell/Cartier Classic.
• Mollica, the granddaughter of legendary Major League Baseball player and manager Don Zimmer, has more than blood to relate the two.
• Zimmer actually began his 14-year managerial tenure with the San Diego Padres in 1972.
• Zimmer, the 1989 National League Manager of the Year (with the Chicago Cubs), also managed the Red Sox and Rangers.
• Zimmer was also a player for 12 years with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets, Reds and Washington Senators.
Kelley Looks To Add On
• UMass senior KJ Kelley set the UMass home run record on April 13 at UConn with her 27th all-time shot. Kelley actually hit two dingers in UMass' come-from-behind victory that day over the Huskies.
• Kelley finished the season by breaking her own school record with 14 home runs and now has 38 for her career with three this season.
• She recently hit a pair of home runs in UMass' 6-0 win at George Washington March 24. That tied a school record and was the fifth time in her career, that she hit a pair of dingers in one game. It was the 15th time overall in school history that it has been done.
• Each of Kelley's three single-season home run tallies at UMass rank in the all-time top seven.
• Kelley is also seventh in school history with 121 RBI and needs 27 more this season to tie Scooter Wheeler atop of the all-time charts.
• Kelley also ranks third all-time with a .617 slugging percentage.
Sortino Gets No. 900
• UMass head coach Elaine Sortino won career game number 900 with UMass' 6-0 win over Jacksonville on March 11 in the adidas Invitational.
• She became the ninth active coach to reach this plateau and the 11th ever.
• Sortino is now 906-399-4 all-time record. In wins, she ranks ninth all-time among active coaches and 11th all-time. Percentage wise, Sortino is 15th among active coaches and 12th all-time.
• Sortino is the fifth-fastest coach to reach 100 wins in NCAA history. She accomplished this feat in her 135th game as UMass beat Vermont 5-1 on April 13, 1984.
• UCLA head coach Sue Enquist is the fastest as she topped the century mark in her 109th game.
Belting Them Out
• UMass tied a school record by hitting four home runs in the second game of a doubleheader March 24 against George Washington.
• It was the fourth time in school history that UMass hit four round-trippers in a game. The Minutewomen accomplished this feat twice last year (at UConn and vs. La Salle) and once in 2002 (at La Salle).
• KJ Kelley hit two home runs, while Whitney Mollica and Samantha Salato also hit one.
• The two home runs for Kelley also tied a school record. It was the 15th time in school history that a player has hit two home runs and the fifth time for Kelley alone.
Program Nears 1,000
• UMass needs 28 more wins this season to reach the 1,000th win in program history. The Minutewomen are 972-426-5 all-time.