University of Massachusets Athletics
Four Minutewomen Earn ECAC Softball Honors
June 18, 2008 | Softball
June 18, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The post-season honors keep rolling in for UMass softball as four Minutewomen were honored when the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference released its 2008 Division I All-Star teams on Wednesday. Junior Brandice Balschmiter (Newark, N.Y.) was named Pitcher of the Year and a first team All-Star, both for the second-straight season. Designated player Lindsay Maroney (Bradford, Mass.) was named the ECAC's Rookie of the Year and a second team All-Star. Junior Whitney Mollica (Windham, N.H.) joins Balschmiter as a first team All-Star, garnering the honor at third base, while sophomore Carly Normandin (Gardner, Mass.) was named to the second team outfield.
Balschmiter, a three-time All-American, turned in her best season to date in 2008, posting a 31-8 record, a 0.66 earned run average, 18 shutouts, and 309 strikeouts in 267 innings of work. She held opponents to a .150 batting average, allowing just two home runs on the year. She threw five no-hitters including two perfect games, which ranks her one short of tying the UMass all-time record for perfect games.
In addition to her ECAC honor this season, Balschmiter was named to the Easton All-American second team, NFCA All-Northeast Region first team, named the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year (third straight honor), and named the Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She earned A-10 first team All-Conference Honors and was the A-10 Pitcher of the Week nine times during the season including seven consecutive weeks - both A-10 records. Prior to the season, she was named to the USA Softball Preseason Player of the Year Watch List.
Mollica started all 55 games for the Minutewomen and posted a .329 batting average, hit six home runs, and drove in 36 runs. She led the team in hits with 56, but was outstanding defensively as well, leading the club with 125 assists and had a .962 fielding percentage. In her three-year career, Mollica has started in all 166 games and owns a .344 career average with 22 home runs and 125 RBI. She will enter 2009 ranked fifth all-time at UMass in home runs and eighth in RBI.
Along with being named to the ECAC first team, Mollica also added to her accolades in 2008 by being named a NFCA All-Region selection and to the All-Atlantic 10 first team, her second such in honor for each. In 2006, she was named an Easton-Bell All-American and became the first player in A-10 history to be named the conference's Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
Maroney made a splash in her first season in the maroon and white, playing primarily as the designated player and posting a .340 batting average (second on the team) with eight doubles, four home runs, 26 RBI and slugged .534. She was especially good in the clutch, hitting .370 with runners in scoring position and led the team in two-out RBI with 17. Her efforts also earned her NFCA All-Region first team honors, as well as being named the Atlantic 10's Rookie of the Year.
Normandin had a breakout season in 2008, batting .324 with 14 doubles, six home runs, and 36 RBI. She led the team in triples with three and slugging with an impressive .592 mark. In her first season as a full-time starter, she played 52 games in centerfield, throwing out three runners and posting a .957 fielding percentage. Normandin earned NFCA All-Region first team honors and was an All-Atlantic 10 first team outfielder. She was also named A-10 Player of the Week and UMass/Dinn Bros. Athlete of the Week on April 21 for a week in which she went 8-for-14 with 14 RBI and two home runs.
