University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Softball Hosts Dayton On Senior Day Sunday
April 19, 2008 | Softball
April 19, 2008
AMHERST, MASS. - In its final home weekend series, the Massachusetts softball team (28-11, 14-0 A-10) will host Dayton (19-24, 6-8 A-10) in a Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Senior Day Sunday April 20 at the UMass Softball Complex. First pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m. EST with the second game starting at 2:00 p.m. EST. The Minutewomen are currently on a 18-game win streak and a 32-game A-10 Conference win streak. Sunday is also the first annual UMass "FanFest" day. The FanFest, presented by Northampton Athletic Club and Hampshire Athletic Club, will feature a post-game meet-and-greet and autograph session with the players, interactive games, and plenty of raffle prizes. All fans will also receive a free FanFest magazine featuring softball tips provided by UMass players and a free raffle ticket for a chance to win various prizes. The team will honor its two seniors Lauren Proctor and Stacy Cullingon during the break between the two games.
BROADCAST INFO
The game against Dayton will be broadcast on live video through UMass All-Access with Matt Goldstein covering the play-by-play. The Game can also be heard on WMUA 91.1 FM as Chris Marovelli, Zach Claudio and Mike Walsh call all the action.
LIVE STATS
Live stats are available for all game's this season through GameTracker at www.UMassathletics.com
SCOUTING DAYTON
•Dayton holds an overall record of 18-23 and is 5-7 in the Atlantic 10. The Flyers are coming off back-to-back losses to Toledo 13-5 and 12-3 and have lost seven of there last eight games.
•Dayton finished the 2007 season with an overall record of 11-30 and tenth in the Atlantic 10 with a 3-14 mark.
•The pitching staff is led by Erin Lafayette who has a 9-11 record with a 3.78 ERA. Lafayette has made 21 starts for the Flyers and has pitched 6 complete games.
•The Flyers are hitting .283 as a team, led by Mollie Schrank (.385 average, 28 runs scored, 10 RBI, 10 Stolen Bases)
SENIOR SALUTATIONS
Seniors Lauren Proctor and Stacy Cullington, who reside just 17 miles from each other in California and traveled over 3,000 miles to Amherst, Massachusetts will leave this campus having left their mark in UMass softball history not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom. In their four years, UMass has a record of 146-56-2 (.760), winning three A-10 Championships, while playing in three NCAA regionals and one NCAA Super regional. Proctor will leave as one of the most consistent hitters on the team (.337 career batting average) and Cullington as one of the most powerful hitters on the team. (28 career home runs; school and conference single-season record 15 in 2007.)
MOLLICA AND BALSCHMITER GARNER A-10 WEEKLY AWARDS
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced Monday that junior infielder Whitney Mollica has been named the Atlantic 10 Softball Player of the Week. The A-10 also announced that junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter has been named the Atlantic 10 Softball Co-Pitcher of the Week along with St. Bonaventure pitcher Sherri Thompson. For Balschmiter, the honor was her sixth of the season, fifth consecutive weekly award, and 19th career Pitcher of the Week honoree. In five games played last week, the Minutewomen went 5-0, outscoring their opponents 32-1. Mollica finished the week going 6-for-13 with one home run and nine RBIs, including a 2-for-3 performance with four RBIs against Temple in game one of a double header against the Owls. Mollica is now batting .314 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. Balschmiter finished the week with a 4-0 record in three starts and one relief appearance. She gave up only five hits, allowed no runs and struck out 33 batters. Balschmiter is now 17-6 on the season with a 0.67 ERA and 194 total strikeouts.
SOFTBALL TO HOLD 2008 FANFEST AND SENIOR DAY ON APRIL 20
The University of Massachusetts softball team will conduct its first-ever Fanfest in conjunction with Senior Day on Sunday, April 20, when the Minutewomen host Dayton in their final weekend home game at UMass Softball Complex. The doubleheader begins at 12 noon at the UMass Softball Complex. The Senior Day barbeque will take place following the second game of the double-header.
MINUTEWOMEN RECEIVING VOTES
The Minutewomen are receiving votes in both major collegiate softball national polls. UMass is receiving 29 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top-25 poll (Most in the column) and 11 in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll.
SERIES STUFF
UMass owns a 20-3 lead in the all-time series over Dayton. UMass has won eight consecutive meetings with the flyers dating back to April 19, 2002 where they lost 5-4.
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Lindsay Maroney (.350), Jessica Serio (.343), and Whitney Mollica (.325) have been UMass's top three hitters this season, but they have also hit in key spots for the Minutewomen.
*With two outs Maroney is batting .455, and with runners on .395
*With the bases loaded, Serio is hitting .667.
*IN RBI OPPORTUNITIES MOLLICA IS HITTING .359.
STRONG RPI
Coach Sortino and the Minutewomen have put together a very tough non-conference schedule before beginning A-10 conference play and have been rewarded for it. The Minutewomen currently are No. 25 in terms of RPI according to the NCAA. After facing 10 teams from last season's NCAA postseason, including 2007 WCWS participants Texas A&M, Baylor and DePaul as well as the 2007 national champion Arizona Wildcats, UMass entered A-10 conference play with the nation's top overall S.O.S. The Minutewomen have played eight current top-25 teams (Including No. 1 UCLA), going 2-6 in those matches highlighted by a 4-1 win over then-No. 2 Texas A&M.
WIN STREAKS
UMass' current 18-game win streak ranks second among NCAA Div. 1 schools. The Minutewomen are also currently holding 32-game A-10 Conference win streak. The last conference loss for UMass was against St. Bonaventure on May 5, 2006. The Minutewomen also currently hold a 37-game regular season home win streak. The last regular season home loss was April 9, 2006 to Charlotte.
UMASS SHUTS DOWN BOSTON U. 6-0 IN HIT PARADE ON THURSDAY
Junior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter tossed her 13th shutout of the season, sixth in a row, as the Massachusetts softball team (28-11) beat Boston University (23-15) 6-0 in non-conference action at BU Softball Field on Thursday. Junior Carly Morin went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI as the UMass dropped 14 hits on the Terriers.
Balschmiter (19-6) gave up just three hits on 10 strikeouts in the complete game. She hasn't given up a run in 39 innings pitched and an earned run in 51 2/3 innings pitched.
UMASS CIRCLE RANKS AMONG NATION'S BEST
The Minutewomen circle composed of Balschmiter and Sanders is among the best in the country in ERA. The duo owns a low 1.05 ERA, which is the fourth best in the NCAA. Balschmiter's overall ERA of .62 is the fourth best in the country while sanders' ERA stands at 1.82. In UMass' current 18 game win streak the gang has a .78 ERA only allowing 13 ER in 116 innings pitched with 141 strike outs.
Balschmiter has recorded 12 wins in the current win streak while Sanders has captured six.
Balschmiter has thrown 12 shutouts including a perfect game against George Washington on April 4. Sanders has thrown three shutouts including a no-hitter against Rutgers on March 16.
UP NEXT - UCONN
Following the Atlantic 10 action the Minutewomen will travel to Storrs, Conn. to play University of Connecticut on Tuesday April 22 at 4:00 p.m., and then head to St. Louis, Mo. to face the Billikens on Friday April 25.
