University of Massachusets Athletics
Mollica, Molinari, Balschmiter Earn Easton All-America Honors
June 07, 2006 | Softball
June 7, 2006
VAN NUYS, Calif. - Three Massachusetts Softball players have been named to Easton-Bell All-American teams. Freshman Whitney Mollica (Windham, N.H.) was selected as a second-team pick, while junior Candice Molinari (Glendora, Calif.) and freshman Brandice Balschmiter (Newark, N.Y.) were both named to the third team. The awards are given to those players and schools sponsored by Easton-Bell Sports. Players from 24 schools are represented on the Easton-Bell All-American Teams.
Mollica came off an impressive freshman campaign in which she became the first player in the history of the Atlantic 10 Conference to earn both Player and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. Mollica, a first-team NFCA All-Region pick, finished the year with a .394 batting average after hitting over .400 for much of the season. Mollica set a UMass and Atlantic 10 record with 61 RBI while also establishing a school freshman record of 12 home runs. She also had 38 runs scored, 65 hits, 17 doubles, four triples, a 460 on-base percentage, a .764 slugging percentage and six stolen bases. Mollica recorded 19 multi-hit and 19 multi-RBI games on the season and also enjoyed a 13-game hitting streak during the year. She finished the season ranked eighth in the nation in RBI per game, 20th in slugging percentage and 30th in doubles per game.
Molinari enjoyed a break-out season by hitting .388 for the Minutewomen. She added 50 runs scored, 69 hits, nine doubles, three triples, 18 RBI, a .472 slugging percentage, a .452 on-base percentage and 25 stolen bases. Molinari was a first-team Atlantic 10 All-Conference pick as well as a first-team NFCA All-Region selection. She compiled 19 multi-hit games and enjoyed a team-high 20-game hitting streak during the season. Molinari will also take a 10-game hitting streak into the start of next year and finished the season ranked 30th in the nation in runs per game.
Balschmiter, the A-10 Pitcher of the Year, set a UMass and A-10 record with 32 wins in her stellar freshman campaign. She went 32-9 with a 0.97 ERA while earning first-team NFCA All-Region accolades. Balschmiter appeared in 49 games, making 38 starts. She tallied 37 complete games, 14 shutouts, one no-hitter (in UMass' 2-0 NCAA Tournament win against Albany), one save and held opponents to a .147 batting average. Balschmiter recorded 296 strikeouts in 289.1 innings pitched. She finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in wins and 11th in ERA.
The Minutewomen finished the 2006 season with a 41-16 record. They advanced to the Evanston Super Regional where they lost to eventual national runner-up Northwestern in the final game of a three-game series. UMass tied for the A-10 regular season title and went on to win the A-10 Tournament in three games. UMass then went on to win the Amherst Regional in three games marking the first time since 1998 that it advanced out of NCAA regional play.
Easton-Bell Sports 2006 1st Team All-American
Caitlin Benyi, UCLA
Christina Clark, Fresno State
Andrea Duran, UCLA
Erin Floros, San Diego State
Ianeta Le'i, BYU
Kellie Middleton, Georgia
Cambria Miranda, Oregon State
Cat Osterman, Texas
Anjelica Selden, UCLA
Jessica Strickland, Colorado State
Kristina Thorson, California
Stephanie VanBrakle, Alabama
Jackie Wong, Utah
Haley Woods, California
Veronica Wootson, Florida State
Easton-Bell Sports 2006 2nd Team All-American
Lauren Castle, LSU
Jessica Doucette, Georgia
Whitney Haller, Georgia Tech
Amerra Kesterson, Biola
Leslie Klein, LSU
Jodie Legaspi, UCLA
Megan McAllister, Georgia
Brianne McGowan, Oregon State
Whitney Mollica, Massachusetts
Brittany Rogers, Alabama
Amber Smith, Illinois State
Candice Thomas, Cal Baptist
Tami Trujillo, Cal Baptist
Emily Turner, LSU
Desiree Williams, Texas
Easton-Bell Sports 2006 3rd Team All-American
Brandice Balschmiter, Massachusetts
Lauren Cisneros, Creighton
Sonja Garnett, San Francisco State
Alyse Hasty, Delta State
Amy Hosier, Georgia Tech
Natasha Jacob, Florida State
Meagen Johnson, Coastal Carolina
Robin Mackin, Fresno State
Chantal Millard, Cal Baptist
Candice Molinari, Massachusetts
Staci Ramsey, Alabama
Gina Rango, Bowling Green
Tyleen Tausaga, Hawai'i
Megan Willis, Texas
Emily Zaplatosch, UCLA
Easton-Bell Sports 2006 Teams of the Year
Alabama
Oregon State
Texas
UCLA
Cypress College
Easton-Bell Sports 2006 Cover Teams of the Year
Florida State
Mt. San Antonio
Massachusetts
Oregon State
Texas