April 16, 2010
Friday at UConn (4 PM): Listen Live | Gametracker | Weekly Notes 
AMHERST, Mass. -
The No. 21 UMass softball team (26-7) continues its four-game road swing this weekend with a non-conference tilt at UConn on Friday at 4 p.m. before heading to Olean, N.Y. to take on St. Bonaventure in an Atlantic 10 doubleheader on Sunday at noon. The Minutewomen are riding a season-high 11-game winning streak and are a perfect 8-0 in conference play.
The Minutewomen began the week with a 7-5 victory over Boston University in Boston. UMass hit four home runs in the game, led by Sarah Reeves' two long-balls.
Last week, UMass was 4-0 with a road win at Boston College (6-0), a win over Boston University in the home-opener (3-0) before sweeping Charlotte in a two-game A-10 series at home (3-0 and 5-1). The Minutewomen had a successful roadtrip two weekends ago in which they established themselves atop the A-10 standings, going 4-0 with doubleheader sweeps at La Salle (8-1 and 10-0) and at Fordham (2-0 and 3-2).
UMass began the season by going 4-1 at the FIU Combat Classic in Miami, Fla. on Feb. 12-14. The Minutewomen then went 2-3 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. on Feb. 26-28. On March 5-7, UMass was a perfect 5-0 at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., before heading to the San Diego Classic II on March 18-21 and finishing 4-3.
Sophomore pitcher Sara Plourde, came into this week's action leading the country in strikeouts (367), strikeouts per seven innings (13.5), and ranking second in victories (24). After a win at BU on Tuesday, she now has 376 strikeouts, averages 13.4 Ks per seven innings, and 25 victories.
Head coach Elaine Sortino is in her 31st season with a career record of 1,084-448-5 (.707). She ranks sixth among active Division I coaches in wins.
UMass is coming off a season in which it set a program record for winning percentage (seasons of 30 games or more), finishing 41-10 for a .804 winning percentage. The Minutewomen went 16-2 in A-10 play, winning their 21st A-10 Championship and advancing to their 19th NCAA Tournament. The team hosted an NCAA Regional at the UMass Softball Complex for the fourth-straight year.
BROADCAST INFO
Live audio will be available for all three road games free of charge at UMassAthletics.com via SportsJuice. GameTracker live stats will be available for all three games as well.
SCOUTING UCONN
The Huskies come into Friday's game with a 18-19 overall record and a 4-5 Big East record. UConn has been hot as of late, winning eight out of its last nine games. The Huskies have played two midweek games this week, defeating Quinnipiac (8-3) and Dartmouth (12-4), both at home.
Julianne Towers and Amy Deluca have been the Huskies' top two hitters all season, and the team's only over .300 hitters. Towers is batting .362 with nine home runs and 25 RBIs. Deluca is hitting .352 with three homers and 19 runs driven in. As a team, UConn is hitting .243 with 23 home runs in 37 games.
Kiki Saveriano and Tricia Sullivan have split the starts in the circle, with 19 and 18, respectively. Saveriano is 10-8 with a 2.26 ERA and opponents hit .234 against her. Sullivan is 6-10 with a 3.73 ERA and the opposition is hitting .278.
UMass has a slight edge in the all-time series with the Huskies, 45-41-2, and has won six in a row, dating back to 2004. UMass was 2-0 against UConn last season, winning 6-4 in Storrs and 9-0 in Amherst.
SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies come into the weekend with a 7-16 overall record and a 2-6 mark in the A-10. The Bonnies host Rhode Island Friday and Saturday before the UMass doubleheader on Sunday. SBU was swept by Charlotte and Temple before splitting with George Washington and Saint Joseph's.
Shelly Seeger is St. Bona's top hitter and lone batter over .300, with a .317 mark. Stephanie Narde (.235) and Kara Morenus (.230) have been the top reun-producers with 12 and 13 RBI's, respectively. SBU hits .210 as a team.
In the circle, Sherri Thompson has been the top pitcher, going 5-8 with a 3.17 ERA in 92.2 innings. Opponents hit .243 off her.
UMass has dominated the series with the Bonnies, 43-1, including a sweep in Amherst last season, 4-0 and 10-2.
UMASS POWERS BY BU
A pair of senior bats led No. 21 UMass softball (26-7) to a 7-5 victory over Boston University (20-14) on Tuesday afternoon at the BU Softball Field as Sarah Reeves hit two home runs and Michelle Libby blasted a three-run homer to lead the Minutewomen to their 11th win in a row. Meghan Carta added a home run in a game that featured five total round-trippers.
Libby delivered the big blow for UMass, a three-run home run in the second inning, her sixth of the season. The senior left fielder finished 2-for-3 in the game.
UMASS SWEEPS CHARLOTTE
Sara Plourde continued to dominate in the circle for the No. 22 UMass softball team (24-7), no-hitting Charlotte (25-9) in a 3-0 Minutewomen victory at the UMass Softball Complex on Friday afternoon. The sophomore struck out 13 and allowed just one batter to reach base, a sixth inning walk. Katie Bettencourt hit a two-run home run and Meghan Carta had a RBI double to provide the offense. With the win UMass stayed perfect in Atlantic 10 play at 7-0 while the 49ers were handed their first conference loss of the season, falling to 4-1.
A three-run third inning and single runs in the fifth and sixth frames led No. 22 UMass softball (25-7) to a 5-1 victory and a weekend sweep of Charlotte (25-10) on a blustery Saturday afternoon at the UMass Softball Complex. Sara Plourde struck out 17 batters in a three-hitter and Meghan Carta had a two-run double to lead the way. The Minutewomen ran their winning streak to 10 games and remained undefeated and alone in first place in the Atlantic 10 standings at 8-0, while the 49ers fell to 4-2.
UMASS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
UMass moved up a spot for the third week in a row in this week's USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll to No. 21. The Minutewomen jumped three spots in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll this week at No. 22.
UMass' highest ranking of the season came on Feb. 16 when it ranked No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA poll fter going 4-1 on the opening weekend of the season in Miami.
The Minutewomen opened the season ranked in both major national preseason polls. UMass ranked No. 20 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Preseason Poll, while ranking No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Preseason Poll. UMass was the only team from the northeast ranked to start the season.
UMass finished the 2009 season ranked No. 14 in both polls.
MINUTEWOMEN A "10" IN THE A-10
The 2010 Atlantic 10 preseason softball poll was released on Jan. 19 and the UMass softball team has been picked to win its sixth-straight conference championship. The coaches predicted the Minutewomen to finish first, ahead of second-place Charlotte and third-place Fordham.
UMass will host the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship on May 12-15 at the UMass Softball Complex.
On May 9, 2009, UMass routed Saint Joseph's, 11-0 in five innings, to win the program's 21st Atlantic 10 Championship. Brandice Balschmiter earned her fourth-straight Most Outstanding Player award, tying Danielle Henderson's record. Whitney Mollica, Sarah Reeves, Jessica Serio, and Whitney Williams joined Balschmiter on the All-Tournament team. The conference title is UMass' fifth-straight and 14th in the last 15 years.
UMass boasts a 313-38 (.892) record all-time in A-10 games and led the conference in 2009 in team batting average (.307) and pitching ERA (1.30).
This year's senior class has a 62-2 record in regular season A-10 games.
ABOVE THE NORM
Carly Normandin, now in her senior season and serving as co-captain, is leading the team and the Atlantic 10 with a .400 batting average (30-75).
Normandin hit her first home run of the season, a grand slam at La Salle on April 1.
Returning to hitting fulltime at the USF Under Armour Invitational (3/5-7), Normandin picked right up where she left off last season, batting .500 (8-16) in her return from a back injury. She had just one at-bat on the season prior to that and had started three games in center field, but was DPed for.
Normandin entered her senior season in 2010 looking to finish her career with a bang. Showing drastic improvement each season, she reached new heights last year by being named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and NFCA All-American Third Team, while repeating as an All-Region First Team selection. She joined teammate Brandice Balschmiter as the first UMass NFCA All-Americans since Emily Robustelli in 2003. It was the first time UMass had multiple All-Americans since Kim Gutridge and Danielle Henderson in 1998. Normandin was UMass' first outfield All-American since Sally Maher in 1986.
She finished with a .403 batting average, the highest by a UMass player since Gutridge's .404 mark in 1998, and had a 23-game hitting streak. She did it all for the Minutewomen offensively, hitting 17 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, 53 runs, 21 stolen bases, and a.727 slugging percentage, all while playing stellar defense in center field. The Gardner, Mass. native led the Atlantic 10 in average, slugging, hits (71), runs, doubles, and total bases (128). She ranked in the top-20 nationally in doubles (13th), triples (17th), and runs (17th).
THE NATION IS WATCHING
The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, named UMass senior centerfielder Carly Normandin to its initial "Watch List" for the 9th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. The 2009 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Second Team All-American is one of 50 players on the list that was released on Jan. 27.
Last season, Brandice Balschmiter was named to the preseason watch list.
PLOURDE-ING IT ON
Sophomore Sara Plourde has gotten off a to a red-hot start in her sophomore campaign, posting a 25-5 record with a 1.07 ERA. She began the week leading the country in strikeouts (367), strikeouts per seven innings (13.5), and ranking second in victories (24). She also ranked fifth in shutouts (10) and seventh in ERA (0.93). After a win at BU on Tuesday, she now has 376 strikeouts, averages 13.4 Ks per seven innings, and 25 victories.
Plourde has thrown four no-hitters this season, one a perfect game. She tossed her first of the year on Feb. 27 in a 1-0 win over Illinois State, striking out 18. Plourde was part of two no-hitters, one a perfect game, in UMass' A-10 opening sweep of George Washington (3/28). She retired every batter in four innings in game one, combining with Bailey Sanders for the 11th perfect game in school history. In game two, she walked the first batter and retired every batter the rest of the way for the no-hitter. Her fourth and most recent no-hitter of the season came at home on April 9, striking out 13 and walking one in a 3-0 win over previously A-10 unbeaten Charlotte.
Plourde has been named A-10 Pitcher of the Week five times this season and was named UMass Athlete of the Week three times.
The sophomore struck out a school-record 22 batters in a nine-inning 1-0 loss to No. 22 Texas A&M (3/20). Plourde held the Aggies hitless through 8 2/3 innings, allowing a single with two outs in the ninth that drove in a runner from second with the International Tiebreaker rule in use.
At Boston College on April 6, Plourde struck out 20 out of the 23 batters she faced, setting a UMass record for strikeouts in a seven-inning game, breaking the old mark of 18, accomplished three times by Danielle Henderson and once by Plourde.
Though she just missed qualifying by 1 1/3 innings pitched, Plourde would have finished third in the A-10 in both ERA (1.83) and opponent batting average (.197) in 2009, behind teammate Brandice Balschmiter and Charlotte's Emily Jeffery.
The Bristol, Conn. native threw a no-hitter in her second career start, retiring 18 in a row after hitting the first batter of the game and striking out nine at Dayton on March 22, 2009. She was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2009 after going 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA.
REEVES BRINGS THE POWER
For the third year in a row, Sarah Reeves is helping anchor the middle of the UMass lineup. The senior first baseman, who smacked 10 home runs each of the last two seasons, is tied with Michelle Libby and Meghan Carta for the team lead in homers with six this season and leads the club with 24 RBIs. Reeves was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and All-Championship for two years in a row.
Reeves crushed two home runs in UMass' 7-5 win at BU on April 13, giving her 26 in her career, tying her with Brandi Cross and Scooter Wheeler for fifth in UMass history.
The Elkton, Md. native tied a school record with five hits, going 5-for-5 in game one of a twinbill at GW (3/28) and then hit a grand slam in game two, giving her seven RBIs on the day.
Reeves got her 2010 season off to an incredible start by batting .571 (8-14) with four doubles, a home run, four RBIs, and a 1.071 slugging percentage. She was named the Atlantic 10's first Player of the Week of the season on Feb. 15.
Along with her 10 bombs each of the last two seasons, Reeves has been an incredibly consistent run-producer as well, driving in 38 runs in 2008 and 39 runs in 2009, while slugging over .500 both years. She has started 111 straight games at first base, committing just six errors in over 800 chances.
LIBBY MOVES TO GREENER PASTURES
Senior Michelle Libby, after serving mostly as a DP and reserve third baseman last season, makes the move to the outfield in 2010, where she playing a prominent role. She is tied with Sarah Reeves and Meghan Carta for the team-lead in home runs with six, while hitting .317 with 20 RBIs. The Porter, Maine native has started all 33 games, 28 in left field and and five at third base.
2010 got off to a great start for Libby at the FIU Combat Classic (2/12-14), batting .533 (8-15) with two home runs and six RBI.
Libby enjoyed a breakout year in 2009, finishing fourth on the team in batting average at .314. She had nine doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBI. A fundamental team player, she also was tied for the team lead in sacrifice bunts with seven (Mollica). All of this came after having just one hit in 23 career at-bats the previous two seasons.
CARTA CATCHES ATTENTION
Junior Meghan Carta has started at catcher in every game for UMass this season and, besides providing great defense behind the dish, has provided a huge boost to the offense. After starting just eight games and recording 28 at-bats in her first two seasons, the Middletown, Conn. native is batting .281 on the season and is tied with Reeves and Libby for the team lead in home runs with six. Her 20 RBIs are tied for second on the team and Carta has dropped down five sacrifice bunts to lead the club.
Carta had her second two homer day of the season on April 1, blasting a round-tripper in each end of a doubleheader sweep at La Salle.
Carta hit the first two home runs of her career on the same day, Mar. 6, one each in wins over Virginia Tech and USF.
BETTENCOURT BREAKS OUT
Sophomore Katie Bettencourt, after seeing just seven at-bats as a freshman, has quickly established herself as one of UMass' top bats in 2010. She has started every game in right field and is second on the team with a .366 (34-93) batting average. She has seven doubles, five home run, and driven in 18 runs.
• Bettencourt was named A-10 Player of the Week on April 12 after batting .500 with two home runs in a 4-0 week.
Bettencourt set career-highs with three RBIs and four runs scored in UMass' A-10 opening win over GW (3/28).
The highlight of Bettencourt's season this far was on Feb. 12 when she hit the first home run of her career, which ended up being the only run scored in UMass' 1-0 win over NC State in Miami.
The first hit of the Salem, N.H.'s career came on the biggest stage she has played on, singling off National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie in a pinch-hitting appearance against Washington in the 11th inning of the Minutewomen and Huskies' epic 15-inning battle in the 2009 NCAA Amherst Regional Final.
NO LONGER THE ROOKIE
Sophomore second baseman Kyllie Magill currently leads UMass with 27 runs scored while batting .324 (34-105) on the season.
She hit two home runs in game one of UMass' doubleheader sweep at La Salle (4/1).
Magill got her 2010 off to a good start, batting .529 (9-17) with a home run and seven runs scored at the season-opening FIU Combat Classic this Feb. 12-14.
The Pawtucket, R.I. native was the hero against Mississippi State on Feb. 26, down a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, she hit a two-run home run to win for the Minutewomen, 7-6.
One of the highlights of her young career is when she drove in the winning run in a 1-0 victory over national champion Arizona State on Feb. 22, 2009. Also in Cathedral City, she hit a bases loaded triple in a 2-for-4, four-RBI performance vs. NC State.
In 2009, she posted a .316 batting average with 26 runs scored and 18 runs driven in from the left side. Magill's rookie year exploits were rewarded as she was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team and to the A-10's All-Rookie Team.
SORTINO ASCENDS ACTIVE WIN LIST
Elaine Sortino has made her name synonymous with UMass Softball in her 30-plus seasons as head coach. By consistently leading a Northeast school to national prominence, she has garnered the respect of the entire softball community. In 2004, Sortino was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Sortino has a career record of 1,084-448-5 (.707). She currently ranks sixth in active Division I victories, passing South Carolina's Joyce Compton last season.
In 2009, Sortino was named A-10 Coach of the Year for the 10th time, second-most in conference history in any sport. The coach she trails - UMass men's swimming coach Russ Yarworth, also in his 31st season, just won his 11th award on Feb. 20.
In 2009, Sortino and her assistants, Jessica Merchanet and Kristi Stefanoni, were named Speedline/NFCA Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year. It was the sixth time Sortino's staff has won the award.
UMass' game against Cornell in the NCAA Regionals on May 15 was Coach Sortino's 1,500th career game.
In 2008, she earned her 1,000th win on April 13 against the Temple Owls and went on to finish that season with 1,017 total wins.
HOME FOR THE A-10 TOURNEY
UMass will host the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship at the UMass Softball Complex on May 12-15.
The UMass Softball Complex has hosted the A-10 Championship on four occasions - 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2007. The Minutewomen have a 10-2 record in those years, winning the championship three times - 2000, 2003, and 2007. Temple won the title in 2004, eliminating UMass after the home team lost to Saint Joseph's.
UMass hosted the A-10 Championship on three other occasions, at the Totman Field in 1990, 1995, 1996, winning the title outright in '95 and '96, and sharing the title with Temple in '90 when play was suspended.
MINUTEWOMEN FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE
UMass will face a challenging 51-game schedule in 2010 against competition from across the country. The Minutewomen will host 16 games at the UMass Softball Complex.
As always, Sortino's squad will take on several national powers. Eight games (seven teams) will come against NCAA Tournament teams from 2009, including one Women's College World Series team (Missouri).
UMass will play two teams ranked in the NFCA preseason 25 this season, No. 9 Missouri on Feb. 27 and No. 24 Louisiana on Feb. 28. It will also play four teams that received votes in the poll: Southern Illinois on Feb. 13, Mississippi State on Feb. 26, San Diego State on March 18, and Texas A&M on March 20.
