University of Massachusets Athletics
Sortino Honored At NFCA Convention
December 10, 2010 | Softball
Dec. 10, 2010
SAN DIEGO - UMass Softball Head Coach Elaine Sortino was honored on Thursday at the Easton Victory Club Luncheon at the 2010 NFCA National Convention at the San Diego Marriott & Marina in San Diego, Calif. The 31-year head coach of the Minutewomen achieved her 1,100th victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship last season and was one of several coaches to be recognized for reaching milestone victories at the luncheon.
Sortino enters her 32nd season as UMass coach in 2011 with a career record of 1,100-451-6. She ranks fifth among active NCAA Division I coaches in career victories.
Sortino achieved her 1,100th win in dramatic fashion as it came in UMass' 8-3 victory over Fordham to win the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship on May 15.
The NFCA/Easton Victory Club recognizes member head coaches for each 100 victories they achieve throughout their careers. This year the coach being honored with the most victories was NFCA Hall of Famer and University of Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea, who reached his 1400th victory during the 2010 season, while Sortino's 1,100 was the second-most among D-I coaches.
Sortino has led UMass to 22 Atlantic 10 Conference titles, 20 NCAA regional appearances and three trips to the NCAA College World Series. The Minutewomen also made their first trip to the Super Regionals in 2006.
On December, 4, 2004, Sortino was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame at its annual convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
UMass is coming off a 42-10-1 season, a .802 winning percentage, the program's second-best ever in a season of at least 30 games. The Minutewomen went undefeated in Atlantic 10 play, going 17-0-1, before going 4-1 at the A-10 Championship to claim their 22nd conference title and sixth-straight. For the fourth year in a row, UMass hosted an NCAA Regional.
