University of Massachusets Athletics
Balschmiter Named UMass Athlete Of The Week
May 20, 2009 | Softball
May 20, 2009
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass softball senior pitcher Brandice Balschmiter has been named UMass/Dinn Bros. Athlete of the Week for her efforts over the weekend in the NCAA Tournament that saw her lead the Minutewomen to a 3-2 record. She led UMass to wins over Cornell, Sacred Heart, and Washington before a season-ending 15-inning classic with Washington. It is her fourth UMass Athlete of the Week honor this spring.
Balschmiter led UMass to a 8-0 shutout victory over Cornell in the tournament opener on Friday. She allowed just four Big Red hits while striking out nine. She followed that effort up on Saturday by throwing a complete game and not allowing an earned run while striking out nine in UMass' 3-1 loss to #3 Washington. Against Sacred Heart that night, Blaschmiter was simply dominant, throwing the third perfect game of her career, not allowing a single base-runner in the Minutewomen's 8-0 win over the Pioneers.
On Sunday in the Regional Finals, Balschmiter threw a three-hit, one-run performance that led UMass to a 5-1 win over the Huskies and forced a second game. In the nightcap, the Newark, N.Y. native locked horns with Washington's Danielle Lawrie in an epic pitching duel. Each allowed just one run through seven innings and matched each other zero for zero until the Huskies eventually prevailed in the 15th inning, 6-1. Balschmiter threw 243 pitches in the game and 387 for the day.
The 6-1 right-hander finishes her career at or near the top of the UMass record books in almost every pitching category. Her single-season record 34 wins in 2009 give her 126 in her career, against just 33 losses. Her win total is most in UMass history and ranks ninth in NCAA history.
She also became just the 26th player in NCAA history to eclipse the 1,200-strikeout mark in a career, doing so in the Atlantic 10 Championship. Her 1,218 strikeouts are second to only Danielle Henderson in UMass history. Her 1,089 innings pitched are the most of any pitcher in school history.
Balschmiter has been named Atlantic 10 All-Conference, Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player, and NFCA All-Northeast Region this season.
