May 11, 2010
A-10 Tournament Central | Bracket
Bettencourt & Plourde Headline All-Conference Teams
AMHERST, Mass. -
The No. 21/24 UMass softball team (38-7-1, 17-0-1 A-10) will attempt to wins its 22nd conference title this week when it hosts the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship at the UMass Softball Complex on May 12-15. Coming off an undefeated run through the A-10 schedule for the regular season title, the No. 1 seed Minutewomen will play their first game on Thursday when they take on the winner between No. 4 seed Saint Louis and No. 5 seed Saint Joseph's.
UMass is riding a nation's-best 24-game unbeaten streak, going 23-0-1 dating back to a March 21 loss to Long Beach State in San Diego. The Minutewomen have outscored the opposition 152-22 during the streak.
UMass has won 14 out of the last 15 Atlantic 10 Chmpionships, including the last five in a row, and 21 titles overall.
Sophomore pitcher Sara Plourde has rewritten the UMass record books in 2010, setting single-season records in strikeouts and wins. She comes into the week leading the nation in strikeouts (501). That and her 36 wins on the season passed the records of two UMass legends, Danielle Henderson and Brandice Balschmiter.
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. Since then, the Minutewomen are 23-0-1, including 17-0-1 in A-10 games.
Head Coach Elaine Sortino is in her 31st season with a career record of 1,096-448-6 (.709). 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.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
The action kicks off this weekend at the UMass Softball Complex on Wednesday when No. 4 Saint Louis and No. 5 Saint Joseph's meet at 1 p.m. Immediately following that game, No. 3 Charlotte and No. 6 Rhode Island will meet in the 3 p.m. game. Wednesday's action concludes with the losing teams from both opening games meeting in the 5 p.m. elimination game.
On Thursday, the No. 1 Minutewomen open play by taking on the winner of the Saint Louis/Saint Joe's game at noon. At 2 p.m., No. 2 Fordham will face the winner of the Charlotte/Rhode Island game from the day before. Thursday's action wraps up with the winner of Wednesday's game-3 taking on the lower seeded loser of Thursday's first two games.
On Friday, the UMass/Saint Louis or Saint Joe's winner will take on the Fordham/Charlotte or Rhode Island winner at noon. The winner of that game advances to the championship round, while the loser will play the winner of the 2 p.m. game between the game-6 winner and the higher seeded loser from games 4 and 5.
The winner of Friday's 4 p.m. game will face the winner of the noon game in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. If the team with a loss wins that game, a second and decisive championship game would be played at 4 p.m.
MINUTEWOMEN A "10" IN THE A-10
UMass boasts a 322-38-1 (.893) record all-time in A-10 games and led the conference this season in team batting average (.319) and pitching ERA (0.67) in A-10 games.
This year's senior class has a 71-2-1(.966) record in regular season A-10 games.
The 2010 Atlantic 10 preseason softball poll was released on Jan. 19 and the UMass softball team was 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.
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 was UMass' fifth-straight and 14th in the last 15 years.
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.
HOME COOKIN'
The Minutewomen have a 186-16-1 record at the UMass Softball Complex, which opened in 2000, for a .919 winning percentage.
In the Atlantic 10, UMass dominates, holding a 99-5 (.952) regular season record at home. In the 12 A-10 Tournament games hosted in Amherst, 10 have gone in UMass' win column.
UMass' offense explodes at home, as the Minutewomen boast a .334 batting average coming into the year at the UM Softball Complex, while holding their opponents to a .162 batting average.
In 2010, UMass is batting .305 at home and averaging 5.54 runs/game. The Minutewomen have held the opposition to a .125 average and 0.85 runs/game.
UMass had a 54-game regular season home winning streak that went from April 9, 2006 to May 3, 2009. In 2010, UMass is a perfect 13-0 at home this season.
UMASS IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
UMass dropped a spot in this week's USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll to No. 21. The Minutewomen moved up one spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll this week to No. 23.
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.
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 .388 batting average (45-116). In A-10 play, she is hitting .414 and ranks second in runs (21) and tied for third in hits (24).
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 established herself as one of the country's best pitchers, posting a 36-5 record with a 1.03 ERA. She leads the country in strikeouts (501), becoming just the 11th pitcher (18th time) in NCAA history to reach the 500-K mark in a season. On May 5, she struck out the first three batters of the game vs. Boston College to break Danielle Henderson's UMass single-season strikeout record of 465 (1999). On May 8, she won her 35th game of the season, breaking Brandice Balschmiter's school-record for victories in a season, set in 2009.
Plourde has thrown five 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 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. The most recent was April 20 when she fanned eight and walked two in a 6-0 win vs. Quinnipiac.
Plourde has been named A-10 Pitcher of the Week six times this season and was named UMass Athlete of the Week four 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. It is tied for the most strikeouts in a nine-inning game in NCAA history.
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.
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, has hit eight this season and has driven in 31 runs to go along with a .336 batting average. Reeves was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and All-Championship for two years in a row.
Reeves has been an even tougher out as of late, batting .476 (20-42) with four home runs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage over the last 15 games.
With a home run into the wind that traveled clear out of the UMass Softball Complex against Saint Joe's on May 9, Reeves tied Whitney Mollica and Stacy Cullington for third in career home runs at UMass with 28. Next on the list is Samantha Salato in second with 32 homers.
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 before knocking in 31 with a .642 slugging percentage this year. She has started 152 straight games at first base, committing just six errors in over 900 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 second on the club in home runs with nine, while hitting .313 with 28 RBIs. The Porter, Maine native has started all 46 games, 39 in left field, five at third base, and two at DP.
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 .309 on the season and leads the team in home runs with 12 and leads in RBIs with 41. Those totals are also tops in the conference among catchers. She has also dropped down five sacrifice bunts, second on the club.
Her two-run home run in the sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and led UMass to a 3-1 win vs. Boston College on May 5.
She had the first two-home run game of her career on April 16 at UConn when she hit a grand slam to go along with a two-run shot for a six-RBI day.
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 and the A-10 with a .379 (50-142) batting average. She has 11 doubles, seven home runs, and driven in 30 runs.
She led the A-10 in batting in conference play at .500 (25-50), with five home runs and 20 RBIs in 18 games.
Bettencourt was named A-10 Player of the Week on April 12 after batting .500 with two home runs in a 4-0 week and won the award again on May 3 after batting .692 with seven RBIs in another 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. native'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.
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 1,096-448-6 (.709). 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.
