University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Is The Heavy Favorite In Softball Tourney
May 09, 2007 | Softball
May 9, 2007
UMass Is The Heavy Favorite In Softball Tourney
by Matt Vautour, Daily Hampshire Gazette
AMHERST - The other five teams in the field will look to the 2004 Atlantic 10 Tournament for inspiration.
The University of Massachusetts that year arrived as the tournament's nine-time defending champions and was on a nine-game winning streak. The Minutewomen were playing at home and were the heavy favorites to win the event again.
But back-to-back losses on the tournament's second day to Saint Joseph's and eventual champion Temple stunned UMass.
This year the Minutewomen are heavy favorites again. They carry the nation's longest overall winning streak (23 games) and home winning streak (29) into the event which they are hosting beginning today at the UMass Softball Complex.
This is the first time the A-10, which now has 11 softball teams, has six teams in the double-elimination tournament. UMass and Fordham, the top two seeds, have byes and do not play today.
No. 4 Temple and No. 5 Charlotte open the event at noon today followed by No. 3 Saint Louis and No. 6 George Washington at approximately 2 p.m. The losers of the two games will meet at 4, with the loser the first team eliminated.
UMass will host the winner of the Temple-Charlotte game to open Thursday's play at noon.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS - UMass sophomore pitcher Brandice Balschmiter earned her second straight Atlantic 10 pitcher of the year honor when the A-10 awards were announced Tuesday afternoon. She leads the league in wins (24, including 13-0 in the conference), strikeouts (218) and opponents' batting average (.184).
Elaine Sortino won the Atlantic 10's coach of the year honor for her eighth time after leading the Minutewomen to an 18-0 mark in the conference this season. She also received that award in 2002, 2001, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1992, and 1991.
Balschmiter was one of four UMass players on the all-conference first team and was joined by Stacy Cullington, Candice Molinari and Amanda Acampora.
The second team includes Amanda Morin, Lauren Proctor and freshman pitcher Bailey Sanders who also was named to the all-rookie team. She was joined among the top freshman by shortstop Whitney Williams.
Proctor, Molinari and Cullington also are on the academic all-conference team.
Temple first baseman Adrienne Repsher was named the A-10 player of the year and Fordham pitcher Nicole Ayers received rookie of the year.
ANOTHER RECORD IN REACH? - While much more emphasis has been placed on Cullington's pursuit of the UMass single-season home run record, the single-season RBI record is in reach too. She will enter the postseason with 48, which is 13 shy of Whitney Mollica's 61 set last year.
ON THE AIR/TICKETS - UMass games will be broadcast on the internet through UMassatheltics.com. Audio-only broadcasts are free. Video is also available for all games. Individual games are $6.95 or the entire tournament can be purchased for $24.95.
Tickets are available for single days ($7 adult, $3 children) or a four-day pass ($20 for adults, $10 children). Tripleheaders are schedule for noon, 2 and 4 p.m. today, Thursday and Friday with the championship game at noon Saturday.