University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Softball Begins Title Defense Thursday At Fordham
March 19, 2008 | Softball
March 19, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The reigning Atlantic 10 Champion UMass softball teams begins its title defense this Thursday (3/20) with a conference opening double-header against Fordham at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. EST in Bronx, N.Y. The Minutewomen will then travel to Philadelphia Saturday (3/22) for a twinbill against La Salle starting 12 p.m. EST. The UMass-La Salle game will be played at Warren Field on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
BROADCAST INFO
Over 30 Minutewomen regular season games will be broadcast online at www.UMassathletics.com through SportsJuice. Media Relations assistant Mike Huff will call a majority of the road games as play-by-play commentator Matt Goldstein will call all the action at home games at UMass Softball complex.
SCOUTING FORDHAM
• The Rams have a 8-15 record on the season going 1-3 last weekend at the USF Under Armour Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
• Fordham returns six starting positional players after finishing second in the Atlantic10 conference last year, recording a 39-20 overall record.
• The pitching staff, comprised of hurlers Allison Twaroswki, Beckah Wiggins and Nicole Ayres, holds a 2.47 ERA. Twaroswki leads the way with a 2.26 ERA to go with a even 4-4 record.
• The Rams are hitting .275 as a team, led by freshman outfielder Jocelyn Dearbon (.343 average, 23 hits, 4 homeruns and 15 RBI) and junior center fielder Melissa Andrews (.321 average, 4 doubles, 7 RBI).
SCOUTING LA SALLE
• The Explorers sit at 5-9 on the season after sweeping the series against Maryland Eastern shore on Sunday.
• La Salle opened A-10 play last weekend, splitting the series with George Washington.
• The explorers are led on the year by sophomore third baseman Mary Pat Conville with a .458 batting average, and Massaro with a .302 average to go with 1 home run and 8 RBI.
• The La Salle circle holds a 6.34 ERA, led by sophomore pitcher Laura Beth McGreesh with a perfect 3-0 record and a .401 ERA.
RECAPPING UNDER ARMOUR SHOWCASE
UMass went 3-1 at the showcase tournament in Clearwater, Fla. highlighted by a 8-0 no-hit win for sophomore pitcher Bailey Sanders on Sunday March 16. Junior Brandice Balschmiter threw a one-hit 1-0 shutout win over Radford on Friday March 14 and then put the clamps down on Florida International for a 2-0 win on Sunday.
Senior second baseman Stacy Cullington led the team offensively going 5-for-11 (.455) with a home run and 2 RBI.
On Monday, the Minutewomen stayed in the Tampa area to face South Florida, eventually splitting the series 1-1 with the Bulls. UMass took game one 2-0, then fell in game two 1-2.
NO NEED TO WORRY
The 10-11 record and .214 team batting average are nothing to worry about in UMass land. The Minutewomen started the 2007 season 11-11-1 with a .286 average before going on a 27-game win streak leading up to NCAA Regionals.
Despite the 10-11 record, the Minutewomen own a low1.26 ERA, down from last year's 2.19 ERA at the same time of the year.
The Minutewomen have also faced eight current top-25 ranked teams, holding a 2-6 record in those games. UMass has not lost by more than two runs to any ranked opponent this year, and have lost by just a run to three of them. (#12 Michigan 1-0, #18 Miss. State 3-2, #19 DePaul 2-1 (8))
BALSCHMITER ON POINT
The right-handed pitcher has picked up where she left off last season. Despite a 7-6 record, the junior ace holds a .91 ERA with 102 strikeouts and two saves on the year. Five of her six losses were to nationally ranked opponents (No. 12 Michigan, No. 5 UCLA, No. 9 Arizona, #18 DePaul, #19 Miss. State), however Balschmiter has 41 strikeouts in those games and hasn't given up more than three earned runs to any opponent this year.
She was dynamite in a 13-inning 4-2 loss to No. 9 Arizona (2/23) as she struckout 10, while giving up just two earned runs to the NCAA defending national champions. The 13-innings pitched were a career high for Balschmiter. She was also terrific in the 4-1 win over No. Texas A&M (3/1), giving up just one run on nine hits while striking out five.
With three strikeouts in a relief appearance against No. 10 Baylor, Balschmiter moved into second place on the UMass all-time strikeout list with 597.
SANDERS' GEM CAPTURES A-10 PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore pitcher Bailey Sanders was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week for her outstanding performance at the USF Under Armour Showcase, it was announced Monday.
Sanders threw her first-career no-hitter in an 8-0 victory of Rutgers on Sunday in Clearwater, Fla. The sophomore right-hander struck out two batters while holding the Scarlet Knights hitless for the first time this season en route to her third win of the season.
DIRTY WORK
Starting all 21 games behind home plate this season, sophomore catcher Jessica Serio has done it all for the Minutewomen. Serio boasts a .246 batting average and is tied for third on the team in doubles (3) and runs batted in (6). Defensively, she has picked off five runners on 11 stolen base attempts and given up just two passed balls. Serio has also tagged four runners in some bang-bang plays at home plate.
REEVES "AMPED"
Sophomore Sarah Reeves has brought energy and life to the UMass lineup in her first year as a starter. The first baseman is second the team in batting average (.259, and leads in RBI (9) and doubles (6).
She went on a hitting terror with seven of the team's 27 on the first weekend of action. Her three doubles against Florida Atlantic (2/10) tied the UMass record for doubles in a game, and were the most since the 2005 season. Reeves was clutch against second-ranked Texas A&M, with a three-RBI single in the bottom of the second inning to lead UMass to the 4-1 win. She also knocked in the only run in a 1-0 win over Radford (3/14).
SORTINO CLOSES IN ON 1,000
UMass Head Coach Elaine Sortino is 15 wins shy of becoming the eighth coach in NCAA Softball History and seventh in Division 1 to record 1,000 career wins. Entering the 2008 season, Sortino compiled a 975-419-5 (.699) record through 28 years at UMass. She ranks among the top 10 in both wins and winning percentage and is a 2004 National Fast pitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. While at Massachusetts, Sortino has never had a losing season and enjoyed 20, 30-win seasons, six, 40-win seasons and one 50-win season. Sortino has produced 19 All-Americans, 10 A-10 Players of the Year, 13 A-10 Pitchers of the Year, Seven A-10 Rookies of the Year and 91 All-Conference picks.
PROCTOR NAMED LOWES SENIOR AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior outfielder Lauren Proctor (La Jolla, Calif.) has been named as a candidate for the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. On Tuesday March 11, 30 candidates were announced for the Senior CLASS Award that honors the nation's best college softball players who also excel in the classroom and make an impact in their respective communities. A national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in late March 2008. Those ten names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote that will include coaches, media and fans. The award winner will be announced and recognized at the 2008 NCAA® Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
UMASS SOFTBALL HOME OPENER GAME TIME HAS BEEN CHANGED
The UMass softball home opener against Dartmouth on March 26 has been changed to a 2 p.m. EST start. The game was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. Season-ticket packages are still available and can be purchased by calling 866-UMASS-TIX.
WELCOME BACK BAILEY
After having a rib removed and an artery transferred from her leg to her arm to remove a blockage, sophomore pitcher Bailey Sanders has recovered strong from her off-season surgery.
Despite a 3-5 record, Sanders holds a 2.15 ERA with 24 strikeouts. Sanders threw her first-career no-hitter in a 8-0 win over Rutgers on March 16.
A-10 COACHES PICK UMASS FIRST
The UMass softball team has been picked to win the Atlantic 10 Championship by the league's 11 head coaches in the annual preseason poll. The UMass softball team has been picked to win the Atlantic 10 Championship by the league's 11 head coaches in the annual preseason poll. Last
season, the Minutewomen won their 19th A-10 Title and went undefeated inconference play. At one point during the year, UMass enjoyed the nation's longest overall winning streak at 27 games and home-winning streak at 33 games. Fordham was predicted to finish second, while Saint
Louis, who lost to the Minutewomen in last year's A-10 Championship game, was picked to finish third. Filling the remaining spots in the preseason poll were Charlotte, Temple, Saint Joseph's, George Washington, Saint Bonaventure, La Salle, Dayton, and Rhode Island respectively.
UP NEXT - A-10 CONFERENCE (DARTMOUHT)
Following the road trip to New York and Philadelphia, the Minutewomen return to Amherst for the home-opener against Dartmouth on Wednesday, March 26.
