University of Massachusets Athletics
No. 23 Softball Begins Season Feb. 9 In California
January 25, 2007 | Softball
Jan. 25, 2007
2007 Season Preview
In 2006, The Massachusetts softball team was five outs away from advancing to the school's fourth Women's College World Series, but saw eventual national runner-up Northwestern rally for two runs in the sixth inning and another two in the seventh to beat UMass 4-2 in their best-of-three Super Regional series. The Minutewomen had a taste of the postseason, but are determined to take it to the next level in 2007. UMass returns many key players from last season including A-10 Player and Rookie of the Year, Whitney Mollica, as well as A-10 Pitcher of the Year Brandice Balschmiter. The Minutewomen had a record-breaking offense that saw six school records come down including most runs, doubles, RBI and total bases in a season. On the pitching side, Balschmiter shattered a few of former Olympian Danielle Henderson's pitching marks including wins, innings pitched and games started. With added depth in the circle as well as a very solid and balanced lineup, 2007 has the makings to be very special season for the University of Massachusetts softball program.
The Pitchers
Coach Sortino has always said that "defense wins championships," and defense begins in the pitching circle. In 2006, UMass rode the right arm of Balschmiter all the way to the Super Regionals. This year, Balschmiter will have some help in the addition of freshman Bailey Sanders.
"We are going to be stronger this year with the addition of Bailey," said Sortino. "This has the potential to be the best pitching staff that I have ever coached. They are both really motivated individuals and understand the urgency of what they need to do. They are willing to do the work and a coach can't ask for more than that."
Balschmiter is coming off an incredible freshman season. She set school records with 32 wins and pitched 289.1 innings last season. Balschmiter compiled a 0.97 ERA and had 14 shutouts. The A-10 Pitcher of the Year and third-team All-American tallied 14 shutouts, one no-hitter and limited opponents to a .147 batting average.
"Brandice had a great year," said Sortino. "The thing that is going to make her special is being able to locate her ball better. By mixing up her pitches more and adding more movement, she has the tools to dominate."
Sanders comes in as a highly-touted freshman from the Miss Porter's School in Connecticut where she was an NFCA Northeast Region All-American. "Bailey is a different kind of pitcher than Brandice," said Sortino.
"She doesn't quite have the velocity that Brandice does, but has more movement on the ball. She is coming in under the radar screen. Bailey has a great rise ball and will put in the countless hours of work necessary to make herself better."
Junior Maggie Feix will provide depth to the rotation when healthy. Feix, who missed all of last season, has had two shoulder surgeries in the past year. She pitched a scoreless inning of relief during her freshman season of 2005 and was a solid pinch runner as well two years ago.
"Maggie has run into a lot of bad luck in her rehab," said Sortino. "It seems every time she takes a step forward, she goes three steps back. We are hoping to bring her back to full health by the end of March and have her around for the rest of the season."
The Catchers
The graduation of All-American KJ Kelley leaves a huge hole to fill behind the plate, but Sortino has the next best thing. Kelley is an assistant coach this year and has a chance to work with UMass' young catchers. "It's going to be a dogfight between Emily [Wehr] and Jess [Serio]," said Sortino. "They are both working hard and it is even tougher trying to catch a young pitching staff when no one knows where the ball is going at times."
Wehr and freshman Serio will battle for the job. Wehr battled injuries all of her freshman season, but was an unsung hero working with the pitchers in the bullpen. She did not play at all behind the plate, but did get two at bats in the same inning of one game she entered as a pinch hitter. After striking out in her first at bat, Wehr crushed a home run that showed UMass fans a glimpse of her power.
"Emily is a general out there," said Sortino. "She took advantage of every opportunity last year to study KJ and that is really starting to pay-off. She is a good leader and has done a great job of working with our young pitching staff.
Serio hails from Barrington, R.I. and attended Barrington High School where she batted .686 with an OPS of 1.877.
"Jess is a warrior," said Sortino. "She is a workhorse and can take the punishment of catching. Jess is working very well with the pitchers and has spent a lot of time working on her offense. I think she is going to be a very good gap hitter for us."
The Infielders
UMass returns a very talented infield and has the opportunity to put all veterans out there, but don't be surprised if one of the talented freshman makes a strong push for some playing time. At first base, senior Amanda Morin is looking better than ever after a breakout 2006 season in which she batted .392 and had a .437 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot. Morin is one of the best contact hitters on the team, but can hit the long ball as demonstrated when she led off the Regional Championship game with a towering blast to right field.
"Amanda wants to be our leadoff hitter and has really seized the opportunity," said Sortino. "She is the veteran of the infield and will have everyone looking up to her. She has always worked hard, but I have never seen her act like this. She always plays great but the unique thing about her is how she carries herself."
On the left side of the infield is Whitney Mollica. Mollica came out of nowhere to have one of the best seasons a freshman could imagine. Mollica batted .394 and set a school and Atlantic 10 record with 61 RBI. She also had a 1.224 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and became the first player in history to earn A-10 Player and Rookie of the Year accolades in the same season. She was a second-team All--American and set a UMass freshman record with 12 home runs.
"Whitney knew what she had to do to take care of her defense and has answered the call," said Sortino. "Her footwork is much better at third base now and she is getting the ball to first base quicker than ever. She will do whatever is takes to make herself a better player and has all of the tools to be something special. Her work ethic rubs off on everyone else."
Adding depth to the corners will be Sarah Reeves.
"Sarah is a great understudy and is certainly learning from the best at the corners," said Sortino. "She wants to get out there and show what she can do."
Reeves played softball at the Carvel Academy in Delaware and grew up in Elkton, Md. She was Carvel's Female Athlete of the Year every season she was there.
"Sarah has the potential to hit the long ball for us," said Sortino. "She has a great glove, but her bat will get her in the lineup this season. She has the ability to come off the bench in a clutch pinch hitting situation or act as the designated player. Right now, we have just too many talented people and not enough spots in the field for them. That is a good problem to have."
The middle infield lost Kristi Stefanoni, one of the steadiest second basemen, but has two veterans ready to step in. Both junior Stacy Cullington and sophomore Samantha Salato played a lot last year and both factor to be major players this year both defensively and in the middle of the lineup. Cullington has played both shortstop and second base in her first two seasons and has a lot of pop in her bat that seems to come out when the team needs it the most. Cullington has been a two-time A-10 All-Tournament team member and opened a lot of eyes in the 2005 A-10 Tournament when she hit as many home runs (three) as the previous record by a team in the championship. In 2006, Cullington batted .248 and was second on the team with five home runs. Cullington also had a string of highlight reel defensive plays at shortstop in the NCAA Tournament last year.
"Stacy has really settled down and I think you are going to see a much more consistent performer this year," said Sortino. "She is much more mature. I think we all saw flashes of her defense last year in the Super Regionals but that is the kind of defense that she demonstrates everyday in practice."
According to the coaching staff, Salato is looking better than ever and is poised to add a lot of pop to the middle of the UMass lineup. She hit .339 in 59 at bats last season and was able to compile a 1.053 OPS while also driving in 16 runs.
"Sam looks terrific," said Sortino. "She has done a much better job increasing her range and a much more accurate arm with a quicker release. She has really done her homework and it is starting to show. Sam is going to be a threat at the plate and be a key to the heart of our order."
There is tons of depth in the middle infield this year. Senior Jackie Teman has finally been medically cleared after sitting out the last three seasons. She will be joined by a hungry group that includes sophomore Carly Morin and freshmen Whitney Williams and Michelle Libby vying for playing time.
"Jackie finally has a chance to show her skills," said Sortino. "No one can be happier for her than I am after seeing how much she has done for us the last three seasons. Now she has a chance to make an impact as a senior. She is one of the quickest players on the team and is very steady in the field."
Morin spent her freshman season as a pinch runner and appeared in 41 games. She scored 15 runs and also swiped a pair of bases.
"Carly has turned herself around and is really starting to open up some eyes," said Sortino. "She is very consistent in the field and is become very powerful at the plate. Carly has made it a point to come back this year and do more than just run and she has definitely succeeded in that."
Libby is from Porter, Maine and played at Sacopee Valley High School where she was the Gatorade Player of the Year as the top softball player in Maine as a junior.
"Michelle is a very dangerous hitter for both average and power," said Sortino. "She is a steady fielder with an exceptional arm and very quick release."
Williams attended Mt. View High School in Kingsley, Pa., where she batted .470 as a senior and was named the Athlete of the Year.
"Whitney is an extremely talented young player," said Sortino. "She makes some amazing plays and can really take away the Bermuda Triangle in the middle of the field. She can cover ground like no one I have seen before. She is very fast and extremely athletic.
The Outfielders
UMass returns two veterans in the outfield as senior Candice Molinari patrols center field and junior Lauren Proctor is out in left. Right field is up for grabs now after the graduation of Lesley Ferrara and it is a wild competition between senior Michea Holness, sophomore Davina Hernandez and freshmen Carly Normandin and Jill Andrews.
Molinari has gotten better each season that she has put on a UMass uniform and is poised to break the stolen base record this season. In 2006, she was a third-team All-American after batting .388. Molinari has 25 stolen bases and scored 50 runs.
"Candice is our commander in chief and looks as good as ever," said Sortino. "Her arm is as strong as it has ever been and she can really get to the ball in the gap. Her small ball game is at its best, but when teams play for it, she can swing away for power. She is going to force teams to make a choice when setting up their defense."
Proctor has been as steady as they come in her first two seasons. A career .344 hitter, Proctor just keeps piling up the hits. She had 60 more in 2006 while tallying an .874 OPS. Proctor made several defensive gems towards the end of last season, but none more memorable than her sliding catch with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning of UMass' Super Regional win.
"You are going to start seeing those great defensive plays that LP made at the end of last year all the time now," said Sortino. "She is also more mature at the plate and really working on being able to take some pitches. She is going to start hitting the ball to the gaps more and has been working hard in hitting to the opposite field."
Right field is wide open and going to be a dogfight right up until opening day. Senior Michea Holness has been one of the top pinch runners the past three seasons, but is out for a spot in the outfield this year. Holness appeared in 42 games last year, scoring 22 runs and stealing seven bases. She got two at bats last year and came through with a pair of RBI doubles, in the same inning none the less.
"Michea has been working tirelessly and it is showing," said Sortino. "She is playing with a lot more confidence and all of her hard work is going to pay off."
Sophomore Davina Hernandez was also a base stealing threat as a pinch runner last year, but is out to contribute more than that. She made 33 appearances last year and scored 11 runs swiping three bases.
"Davina has the best arm in the outfield," said Sortino. "She is just a completely different player and is looking forward for a chance to contribute. Davina has exceptional speed and just flat out gets it."
A pair of freshmen in Jill Andrews and Carly Normandin are also looking to earn that coveted spot of starting right fielder. Regardless of who wins the job, all four of these players will have a big role this season.
Andrews is one the local products having attended Greenfield High School and spending a year at The Williston Northampton School. At Greenfield, she batted .450 and was a four-time All-Western Massachusetts pick.
"Jill's versatility is going to be a major asset for us," said Sortino. "She is very fast and athletic. Although she was an exceptional shortstop in high school, Jill made some eye-opening, over-the-shoulder catches in the outfield last fall. What amazed me is that I hadn't even taught it yet so she was going on pure instinct."
Normandin is also a local product having attended Gardner High School. There she batted .527 in her career and set several school records.
"Carly is making a major push for that right field job and I think would be a solid No. 2 hitter for us," said Sortino. "She has great range in the outfield and a deceptively strong arm. You need a special kind of offensive player to hit in the two hole and Carly possesses that."
Senior Amanda Acampora looks to see the majority of playing time as the designated player, but there are others who can chip in as well. Acampora started off on a tear last year for the first two months of the season. She still finished with six doubles, six home runs and 29 RBI and will be a major factor in the middle of the order.
"Ack has really figured some things out in being able to hit all pitches and use all field," said Sortino. "She is a very mature hitter and is going to be a real tough out. Other players that could see some action in the lineup are Bailey Sanders, Sarah Reeves and Whitney Williams.
The schedule Once again, UMass will play one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Minutewomen will start off the year with seven straight teams from last year's NCAA Tournament at the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif., and the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. When you include teams that UMass will face in the later rounds of its four early-season tournament, it could play at least 20 teams from last year's NCAA Tournament.
"This is exactly the kind of schedule that we wanted," said Sortino. "We're not just playing these games to see how we measure up for the postseason. We want to win now and these are the games that we have to go out and take care of business. We are going out and putting ourselves on the line. It is a lot to say that, but it is what we want to do. We understand our mission."
One of the keys to this year's team will be improving the defense, especially in the infield. Last year, the team committed 90 errors and 65 of them were by the starting infield.
"Teams that play good defense make it to June," said Sortino. "Bottom line is that we need to take care of the softball. We say it all the time and must have said it 50 times in the first day or practice. This team has made it one of their top goals to clean up the defense and I have seen incredible strides from where we were last fall. The second piece of the defense is minimizing the number of walks and hit batsman. Where we got in trouble last year was too many walks and allowing opponents to put the ball in play with a two-strike count. We have a significant 1-2 punch in the circle and I think we are going to be much better in this area."
"These kids are on a mission, said Sortino. "They are great all-around student-athletes. Not only with their talent, but as human beings. They will sell out for you. They would run through a wall to do what they need to do. They are fun to watch because you can clearly see how much fun they have playing the game. They understand what it takes to make the next level and have committed themselves to that goal. Their first goal of the year was to get a team GPA above 3.0 in the fall and they did it on some tough schedules. They make personal sacrifices and are totally invested. This has the makings of a very special season and I am so honored to have the opportunity to work with them as they develop."