University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball Set To Host NCAA Tournament Beginning Friday At Noon
May 16, 2006 | Softball
May 16, 2006
UMass Set To Host NCAA Softball Amherst Regional
• After winning its 18th Atlantic 10 Championship last weekend in Philadelphia, UMass (37-14) will host the NCAA Softball Amherst Regional May 19-21 at the UMass Softball Complex.
• This marks the ninth time that Amherst has hosted a regional and first since 1999. This is also the first time that the UMass Softball Complex will play host to the event. UMass is 14-12 (.538) all-time in Amherst Regional play.
• Overall, the Minutewomen are making their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance. It is UMass' 12th consecutive appearance which is tied for the sixth-longest streak in the nation. UMass is 22-32 (.407) all-time in the NCAA Tournament and has also made three trips to the Women's College World Series, most recently in 1998.
• Massachusetts is the number two seed in the Amherst Regional. The top seed is Texas A&M (33-17). The Aggies are the tournament's No. 13 overall seed and earned an at-large bid out of the Big 12 Conference. The Aggies are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fifth straight under Head Coach Jo Evans. Texas A&M advanced to the Super Regional round last season. Megan Gibson, a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection, has a 16-4 record as a pitcher, plus owns a .320 batting average with 11 homers and 34 RBI.
• Albany (36-11-1) is the No. 3 seed in Amherst after winning its second consecutive America East Conference championship with a 5-2 victory against Boston University on May 13. The Great Danes, who set a single-season standard for victories, were also in the NCAA field one year ago. Casey Halloran, the America East pitcher of the year, established school records with her 27-8 mark on the mound and 246 strikeouts. Halloran, the conference championship's most outstanding player, won three of four starts in tournament play. Maegan Larsen, one of five Great Danes on the all-league first team, is batting .411 with 10 home runs, 50 runs scored and 34 RBI.
• Lehigh (41-12) rounds out the field as the No. 4 seed after punching its ticket with a third straight Patriot League championship. Lisa Sweeney, the league tournament MVP, has a 26-4 record with a 0.89 ERA. Julie Sterrett is batting .373 with 37 RBI.
Against The Field
• UMass has never faced either Lehigh or Albany in postseason or regular season play.
• The Minutewomen are 2-1 all-time against Texas A&M, all in the regular season. The Aggies won the last meeting, 8-0, on Feb. 13, 2005, in Phoenix, Ariz.
• UMass won the two previous match-ups against Texas A&M; 4-2 on March 14, 2003 in Miami, Fla., and 3-0 on March 1, 1997, in Columbus, Ga.
UMass Wins 18th A-10 Title
• Second-seeded UMass won three games in three days for its 18th Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
• Brandice Balschmiter was named the Tournament MVP after going 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA in the circle. She pitched all 19 innings of the tournament and struck out 20 batters. Balschmiter had a two-hit shutout against Fordham in the opening game and then fired a one-hitter against the Rams two days later in the championship game.
• Joining Balschmiter on the All-Tournament team were Candice Molinari, Amanda Morin, Lauren Proctor, Stacy Cullington and KJ Kelley.
• Molinari led all players with a .600 batting average. She had six hits, a double, two runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. Morin was 5-for-10 (.500) with five runs scored.
Dominant In The Circle
• So far in 2006, freshman Brandice Balschmiter is proving to be a dominant pitcher, both regionally and nationally.
• The Newark, N.Y., native is currently 28-7 with a miniscule 0.71 ERA. She has 266 strikeouts in 247.1 innings pitched and 11 shutouts. Balschmiter also has eight, one-hitters. In five of those games, the only opponent hit has come via an infield single in the first inning.
• Balschmiter currently ranks first in the A-10 in ERA, wins, opponents batting average and strikeouts. Nationally, she ranks fifth in ERA and seventh in wins.
• Balschmiter has seven double-digit strikeout games, including a career-high 13 in UMass' 4-0 upset win over #24/25 North Carolina March 17 and then again March 31 at La Salle.
• Balschmiter was the A-10 Pitcher of the Year as well as the A-10 Tournament MVP.
The First Of Many
• The first of what could be many school records to be broken by freshman pitcher Brandice Balschmiter occurred March 31 at La Salle.
• Balschmiter established a new school record by striking out 13 batters in a five-inning game.
• Danielle Henderson held the previous high of 12 on April 13, 1997, against Virginia Tech.
• Balschmiter is also moving up the UMass single-season ranks. She is currently tied for second in appearances (43), fourth in complete games (32), fourth in innings pitched (247.1), fourth in strikeouts (266), ninth in shutouts (11) and tied for second in wins (28).
• With eight k's against Fordham in the A-10 Championship game May 13, Balschmiter cracked the all-time strikeouts list at UMass. Her 266 career strikeouts are 10th.
• In addition, Balschmiter has allowed just nine earned runs in the last 136.2 innings pitched, a 0.46 ERA.
Not To Be Outdone. . .
• On the other side of the ball, Balschmiter's classmate is making her presence felt on the record books as well.
• With one swing of the bat April 15 against Temple, Mollica left her mark on two records. Her two-run home run in game two against the Owls broke the all-time, single-season RBI record at UMass.
• Kim Gutridge held the previous mark of 45 which she did in 1998 in 59 games. Mollica tallied 47 in just 35 games.
• A couple of weeks later. Mollica broke the A-10 RBI record. She had a two-run single May 5 at St. Bonaventure running her season tally up to 58 and now stands at 59. Fordham's Laura Klaiber had 56 RBI in 54 games in 2005. Mollica did it in 46 games this year.
• The home run against Temple, her second of the day and ninth of the season, also tied Brandi Cross for the most by a freshman. Cross did this in 2000.
• Mollica hit record home run number 10 on April 26 at Central Connecticut and currently sits at 11, tied for the third-most in a UMass single-season and is also tied for eighth all-time.
• Mollica is also creeping up many other single-season lists. She ranks fifth in batting average (.417), tied for fifth in doubles (16), second in extra-base hits (31), second in slugging percentage (.795) and fourth in on-base percentage (.483).
• Mollica was recently named both the A-10 Player and Rookie of the Year. She became the first freshman in A-10 history to earn Player of the Year honors.
• Nationally, she ranks fifth in RBI per game (1.16), 15th in slugging percentage (.795), 25th in batting average (.417) and 25th in doubles per game (0.31).
• For a power hitter, Mollica is tough to strikeout. She has fanned just 10 times all year and has a 1.80 walk to strikeout ratio. She strikes out just once every 15.1 at bats.
• Mollica leads the team with 19 multi-hit and 18 multi-RBI games this year and enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak earlier this season.
Walk This Way
• With a pair of walks April 26 at Central Connecticut, senior KJ Kelley broke the all-time walks record at UMass.
• Kelley now has been issued a free pass 109 times, surpassing the previous mark of 101 held by Samantha Cardenas (1994-97).
• Kelley walked 33 times in 2005, tied for the most in a single-season with Cardenas (1996) Kelley's 31 walks in 2004 are the third-most in a school single-season while her 26 free passes this year are tied for the fourth-most.
Top Of The Order Is On Fire
• There would be no one for Mollica and clean-up hitter KJ Kelley to drive in without the ability to get on base by the top of the order.
• In the leadoff spot, Amanda Morin has been on a tear of late and is now second on the team and third in the A-10 with a .412 batting average.
• Morin was a .284 career hitter coming into this season, but is batting .412.
• In the 36 games since moving to the leadoff spot, she is hitting .444 with 42 runs scored.
• Morin is second in the A-10 and 12th in the country with 49 runs scored. • In that 36-game span, she has a .579 slugging percentage and a .496 on-base percentage as well as nine stolen bases.
• Morin has recorded at least one hit in all but nine games this year and is tied for first on the team with 19 multi-hit games.
And Batting Second...
• Right behind her in the two-hole is Candice Molinari.
• Molinari had her career-high 20-game hitting streak snapped May 5 at St. Bonaventure, but has still hit safely in 24 of her last 26 games. During this time, she is batting .518 (44-85) with 31 runs scored, a .682 slugging pct., a .564 on-base pct., 13 RBI and 14 stolen bases.
• For the season, Molinari is fourth on the team and fifth in the A-10 with a .388 batting average.
• Molinari was a career .280 career hitter coming into this season.
• In addition, she is third in the A-10 and 17th nationally with 47 runs scored as well as first in the league and 27th nationally in stolen bases (24).
Pounding The Ball...
• UMass Head Coach Elaine Sortino always says that this is the best offensive team she has ever had. Well...this year she is dead on.
• As a team, the Minutewomen are third in the country batting .338. If the season ended today, that would be a school record. The best batting average in a season was .331 in 1979.
• UMass has five regulars batting over .348, including two over .400. No UMass team has ever had two players hit over .400 in one season.
• Mollica leads the way at .417. Morin is behind her at .412 followed by Lauren Proctor (.396), Molinari (.388) and KJ Kelley (.348). Samantha Salato has also compiled a .364 average in 55 at bats. The first five all rank in the top 11 in the A-10. That is the most of any school.
• Nationally, UMass ranks third in batting avg. (.338), fifth in doubles per game (1.57), fifth in slugging percentage (.503), eighth in scoring (5.90), 15th in triples (0.29), 21st in stolen bases (1.43), 27th in earned run average (1.74) and 27th in winning percentage (.725).
LP's On Fire Too...
• There has not been any p[layer hotter than Lauren Proctor in the last three weeks. Despite having her nine-game hitting streak snapped in the A-10 Tournament, Proctor is still batting .588 (20-34) with 14 runs scored, eight RBI and a 1.409 OPS in the last 12 games.
• Stretching it out even further, Proctor has hit safely in 23 of her last 29 games at a .488 (40-82) clip. She has 22 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, home run and 13 RBI as well as 12 multi-hit games.
She's Clutch...
• Mollica has also proven to be on the most clutch performers on the team. She is hitting .500 (38-76) with runners in scoring position and .625 (10-16) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
• Mollica is hitting .439 (25-57) with two outs and leads the team with 27 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.
Kelley Nears RBI Mark
• 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 40 for her career with three this season.
• Career home run number 40 came April 18 at Boston College.
• With a sacrifice fly against Fordham in the A-10 Championship game May 13, Kelley set a new school record with career RBI number 149. She passed Scooter Wheeler's (`01) mark of 148.
• Kelley 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 so far at UMass rank in the all-time top seven.
• Kelley also ranks third all-time at UMass with a .617 slugging percentage.
Busa Settling Down
• After beginning the year 1-6 with a 12.30 ERA, senior pitcher Jenna Busa has begun to settle down and show the form from last year when she was named MVP of the A-10 Tournament.
• Since that start, Busa is 8-1 with a 1.90 ERA. She has five shutouts including her fourth career no-hitter March 31 at La Salle. Busa has allowed 15 earned runs on 55 hits and 21 walks in 55.1 innings. She has struck out 48 batters including a season-high seven against the Explorers.
Offensive Explosion
• UMass set a school record by scoring 20 runs in a 20-0 win over Dartmouth March 29. The amazing thing was that the game was still scoreless in the third inning. UMass scored eight runs in the third and then 12 more in the fourth.
• The previous record was 19 in a 19-0 win over Saint Peter's on March 16, 1985.
• UMass sent 15 batters to the plate in that 12-run, fourth inning. At one point, 10 straight batters reached base safely. Seven of those reached via an extra-base hit.
• UMass hit eight doubles in the game against the Big Green, also setting a new school record. The previous high for two-baggers in a game was seven on May 1, 1991, against Providence.
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 932-402-4 (.698) 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.
Program Nears 1,000
• UMass needs two more wins this season to reach the 1,000th win in program history. The Minutewomen are 998-429-5 (.699) all-time.
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.
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.