University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball Heads To Philly Area For A-10 Weekend
March 23, 2011 | Softball
March 23, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. -
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SOFTBALL HEADS TO PHILLY AREA FOR A-10 WEEKEND
The UMass softball team (7-12, 1-1 A-10) concludes its six-game road trip to open Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend when it heads to the Philadelphia area for four games. Please Note: Friday's game vs. Temple has been moved to Saturday. The doubleheader will begin at noon at Ambler Field. On Sunday, UMass faces Saint Joseph's in a noon doubleheader at the Villanova Softball Complex.
• Live audio of all four games will be available on UMassAthletics.com through SportsJuice. Just click on the listen link in the events section or on the softball schedule. Free live stats will also be available at UMassAthletics.com by clicking on the GameTracker links.
• UMass is coming off a 1-1 weekend at Charlotte to open A-10 play. The Minutewomen blanked the 49ers last Friday, 1-0, before falling in 14 innings on Saturday, 3-2. That followed an impressive 4-1 weekend at the USF Under Armour Showcase (3/11-13) that saw the Minutewomen win their first four games by a combined score of 35-1. The wins snapped an eight-game losing streak.
• UMass made the championship game of the season-opening FAU Kickoff Classic in Boca Raton, Fla., finishing with a 2-3 record.
• Head Coach Elaine Sortino is in her 32nd season leading UMass. She has won 1,107 games in her career after entering 2011 with exactly 1,100. The 2004 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee ranks fifth among active Division I head coaches in wins and has a career winning percentage of .704 (1,107-463-6).
• UMass is coming off a very successful 2010 campaign in which the Minutewomen finished with a 42-10-1 record, including an undefeated run through Atlantic 10 play at 17-0-1, on their way to winning their 22nd Atlantic 10 Championship and advancing to their 16th-straight NCAA Tournament and 20 overall. For the fifth year in a row, UMass hosted an NCAA Regional.
SPLIT AT CHARLOTTE:
• The Minutewomen opened Atlantic 10 Conference play last weekend by splitting a two-game series at Charlotte, winning 1-0 on Friday and falling 3-2 in 14 innings on Saturday.
• Audrey Boutin led off the second inning with a home run and that was all the offense that was needed as Sara Plourde pitched out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure a three-hit shutout on Friday afternoon at the D.L. Phillips Complex.
• Charlotte loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning on two ground ball singles through the infield and an error on a bunt, but Plourde was up to the task, getting a strikeout, a fly out to left field, and a fly out to right field to end the game.
• Tenaya Tucker's two-out single with the bases loaded drove in the winning run as UMass fell to Charlotte, 3-2 in 14 innings on Saturday afternoon. After the teams exchanged leads twice, pitchers Sara Plourde and Katy Hackett put zeroes up for both sides for seven straight innings. It was the second-longest game in UMass program history.
• After back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the 14th, Plourde got a strikeout and a pop-out before issuing one more walk to load the bases for Tucker, who in her seventh plate appearance of the game, singled through the left side to bring in the winning run.
• The only longer game in UMass history was the epic 15-inning 6-1 loss to Washington in the NCAA Regional at the UMass Softball Complex on May 17, 2009.
CRUISIN' IN CLEARWATER:
• The Minutewomen came to life at the USF Under Armour Showcase two weekends ago, scoring 39 runs in five games while allowing just nine on the way to a 4-1 record. UMass won its first four games of the weekend by a combined score of 35-1, with Sara Plourde pitching 24 innings in those four games, going 4-0 with without allowing a single run and striking out 54 batters.
• UMass batted .324 as a team on the weekend, raising the overall team batting average by nearly 50 points. The UMass pitchers held the opposition to just a .191 batting average while posting a 1.75 ERA, led by Plourde's 0.53 ERA.
• UMass opened the weekend by scoring its most runs in five years, a 17-0 victory over Toledo in five innings. The last time UMass scored as many runs or won by as much was when it set the school-record with a 20-0 win over Dartmouth on March 29, 2006 at the UMass Softball Complex. Meghan Carta hit a grand slam in the game while Kyllie Magill and Tiffany Meeks homered as well. The homer was the first of Meeks' career and her fellow freshman, Lindsey Webster, had four hits and scored three runs in the game. Plourde fanned 11 in four one-hit innings of work.
• UMass closed play on Friday by knocking off host USF, 4-0. Audrey Boutin and Teea Rogers each had two hits, with Boutin driving in two runs. Plourde threw a complete-game one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts.
• On Saturday, UMass opened with a 7-1 win over Colorado State, immediately followed by a 7-0 win over Green Bay. Boutin went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Jordan Storro went 2-for-4 with a RBI to pace the offense vs. the Rams, while Plourde struck out 10 in six one-hit innings of work in the circle. Plourde topped that efford against the Phoenix, fanning a season-high 18 batters, tying her and Danielle Henderson's mark for second-most in a seven-inning game in UMass history, in a four-hit shutout. Boutin continued to rake at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs driven in.
• The Minutewomen closed play on Sunday with an 8-4 loss to St. John's. All three UMass pitchers saw action, with Webster taking the loss. She did however hit the first home run of her career in the game. Katie Bettencourt finished 2-for-4 in the game.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
• Temple goes into Friday with a 10-14 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in A-10 play. After recently winning three games in a row, the Owls have dropped four out of five.
• Most recently, Temple dropped both ends of a doubleheader to UMBC on Tuesday, 8-5 and 12-4.
• The Owls opened conference play on Sunday by splitting a doubleheader at home with Dayton, losing 13-4 in the opener and taking the second game 10-5.
• Temple and UMass share one common opponent this season, USF. The Owls defeated the Bulls, 8-2 on Feb. 27 in Tampa, while UMass defeated USF 4-0 on March 11.
• Senior Kristen Marris has led Temple both at the plate and in the pitcher's circle this season. She is batting a team-leading .377 and is 6-for-6 stealing bases. Pitching, Marris is 4-7 with eight complete games in 12 starts, posting a 4.14 ERA in 66 innings.
• Freshman Brooklin White has split starts with Marris, going 5-5 with a 6.40 ERA in nine starts and 47 innings pitched.
• Junior infielder Rachel Knable is one of five batters with an over .300 average (.323) on a club batting .289 overall and is the top run-producer with 16 RBIs to go along with two homers.
SERIES WITH THE OWLS:
• The Minutewomen hold a 66-14 record all-time against Temple and have won 10 in a row in the series.
• In the last five meetings between the schools, dating back to a A-10 Tournament game in 2007, UMass has shut out the Owls in all five, outscoring them, 41-0.
• Last season, No. 20 UMass defeated Temple, 9-0 and 5-0 in a two-game series in Amherst on May 7-8. Michelle Libby and Meghan Carta had home runs in a five-run first inning for the Minutewomen in game one. In game two, Carly Normandin homered in UMass' first at-bat and Sara Plourde tossed a one-hitter to lead UMass to a 5-0 win on Senior Day in game that featured over two hours in rain delays.
• UMass and Temple were to meet in a Easter Sunday doubleheader in Ambler in 2009, but it was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. UMass last played at Temple in 2007, winning 5-1 and 7-4.
• The Owls' last win in the series was a 11-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader at the UMass Softball Complex on April 17, 2005. Since then, UMass has won 10 in a row and outscored them, 78-14.
SCOUTING ST. JOE'S:
• Saint Joseph's enters the weekend with 16-10 overall record and a 1-1 mark in A-10 play.
• The Hawks host Rhode Island on Friday and Saturday before taking on the Minutewomen on Sunday.
• St. Joe's most recently played on Tuesday, when it split a doubleheader with cross-town rival Villanova, winning 2-1 and losing 3-2.
• The Hawks opened A-10 play on Friday by splitting a doubleheader with Dayton, winning game one 3-0 and falling in game two, 8-4.
• The Hawks and Minutewomen share two common opponents so far in 2011, Toledo and St. John's. St. Joe's defeated the Rockets, 6-5 on March 5, and fell to the Red Storm, 3-0 in eight innings on March 11, while UMass defeated Toledo, 17-0 in five innings on March 11, and fell to St. John's, 8-4 on March 13.
• The Hawks have two hitters batting over .400, junior third baseman Monica Aguilar (.441, 3 HR, 22 RBI) and sophomore outfielder Dana Parks (.437, 11 SB).
• Junior Erin Gallagher is the ace of the pitching staff, posting an 11-5 record with a 1.60 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 109 2/3 innings pitched.
SERIES WITH THE HAWKS:
• The Minutewomen have dominated the all-time series with Saint Joseph's, 54-5, and have won 15 in a row.
• UMass has won its last five games against St. Joe's by shutout, outscoring it 35-0, including all three games last season.
• Last season, Sara Plourde and Bailey Sanders each pitched two-hit complete-game shutouts as UMass swept the Hawks on the final day of the season in Amherst, 5-0 and 8-0 on May 9. Katie Bettencourt, Michelle Libby, and Sarah Reeves all hit home runs on the day as UMass claimed the regular season A-10 crown. The teams met in Amherst again later that week, on May 13 in the second round of the A-10 Tournament, with UMass winning 3-0 behind two solo home runs from Reeves and 16 strikeouts from Plourde.
• The Hawks' last win over UMass came on May 14, 2004 in the second round of the A-10 Tournament, 3-0.
• UMass last played at St. Joe's in 2009, sweeping a doubleheader 4-3 and 8-0 on April 10. Those games were played at La Salle's home field.
PLOURDE-ING IT ON:
• Junior All-American pitcher Sara Plourde has continued her dominating form in 2011, striking out 180 batters in 111 2/3 innings pitched. She has a 1.50 ERA and opponents are hitting just .158 against her.
• At the USF Under Armour Showcase (Mar. 11-13), Plourde went 4-0 with a 0.53 ERA, allowing just two runs in 26 1/3 innings pitched. She tossed 26-straight shutout innings over her four wins. Plourde struck out 57 batters, including 18 vs. Green Bay and 15 vs. USF. She was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week and UMass Co-Athlete of the Week, as well as honorable mention for NFCA Player of the Week.
• At the Buzz Classic on March 4, Plourde fanned 25 batters in 14 innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run, but got pinned with a pair of 1-0 losses to Penn State and UAB. She was named to the Buzz Classic All-Tournament Team.
• Plourde established herself as one of the nation's top pitchers in 2010, posting a 40-8 record with a 1.30 ERA.
• Plourde led the country in strikeouts in 2010 with 556, the highest single-season total in UMass history and ninth-highest in NCAA history. She broke Danielle Henderson's old mark of 465 by 91 Ks.
• Plourde also led the country in strikeouts per seven innings (12.5) and tied National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie of Washington for the nation's lead in wins (40). She broke Brandice Balschmiter's UMass single-season wins record of 35.
• Plourde garnered countless honors in 2010, including NFCA All-American, NFCA All-Region, A-10 Pitcher of the Year, ECAC Pitcher of the Year, A-10 All-Conference, ECAC All-Star, A-10 All-Championship Team, and was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week six times.
WEBSTER MAKES FIRST IMPRESSION:
• Freshman pitcher/outfielder Lindsey Webster has taken advantage of her early season opportunities. The Northridge, Calif. product has started the last eight games, seven in left field and one as DP, and has quickly vaulted to the top batting average on the team with a .357 mark.
• Webster had her break-out performance on March 11 against Toledo in Tampa when she went 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, and one RBI. She hit .615 (8-13) with nine runs scored in five games at the USF Under Armour Showcase on Mar. 11-13.
• In the circle, Webster is 0-3 with a 3.85 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched. She held Tulsa to one run through eight innings in her collegiate debut before falling 3-1 in nine innings.
BOUTIN BLASTS OFF:
• After a slow start to the season, senior first baseman Audrey Boutin has caught fire as of late, batting .417 (10-24) over the last two weeks, a seven-game span in which she has led the Minutewomen to a 5-2 record. Boutin has one home run and a team-leading nine RBIs over that same span.
• Boutin was an offensive force at the USF Under Armour Showcase, batting .474 (9-19) with eight RBIs in five games.
• She hit a second-inning solo home run to account for the game's only run in UMass' A-10-opening 1-0 victory at Charlotte on March 18.
ROGERS RAKING IT:
• Sophomore third baseman Teea Rogers has steadily gotten stronger at the plate as the season has gone on, hitting .409 with a .500 on-base percentage over the last two weeks, a seven-game span.
• Rogers went 3-for-9 in the A-10 opening weekend at Charlotte last week. She batted .325 in conference games in 2010 when she was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.
• The Eugene, Ore. native has been UMass' top player defensively this season, posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage by playing an error-free third base in every game this season.
#1 IN A-10 PRESEASON POLL:
• UMass has been predicted to win the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship in polling of the conference coaches. Head Coach Elaine Sortino's Minutewomen have won the last six A-10 titles, 15 of the last 16, and 22 overall. Fordham, the 2010 runner-up, was predicted second, and Charlotte came in third.
• Saint Joseph's was predicted fourth, followed by Saint Louis, Temple, Rhode Island, Dayton, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and George Washington.
• The six-team, double-elimination A-10 Championship will be held May 11-14 at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte's 49ers Softball Diamond in Charlotte, N.C.
FACING THE NATION'S BEST:
• Massachusetts began the 2011 season with six of the team's first 10 games against nationally ranked opponents.
• In those six games, the Minutewomen have squared off four times against teams ranked in the top 11 or better. UMass dropped two games to No. 11 Michigan, 3-0 and 5-1 in the opening weekend at the FAU Kickoff Classic before dropping a 9-2 decision at the hands of No. 7 Washington and a 3-0 game to No. 11 Texas at the Cathedral City Classic on Feb. 25-27.
THE NATION IS WATCHING:
• The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America has named UMass junior pitcher Sara Plourde to its initial "Watch List" for the 10th Annual USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Award. The 2010 All-American and A-10 Pitcher of the Year is one of 50 players nation-wide to be named to the list.
• This marks the fifth year in a row that a UMass player has been named to the Preseason Watch List. Plourde joins Carly Normandin (2010), Brandice Balschmiter (2007-09), and Whitney Mollica (2007) as Minutewomen that have earned the distinction.
• The 2011 Pre-Season Watch List is comprised of 50 players representing 36 schools and 15 different NCAA Division I Conferences with the Pac-10 Conference leading the way with seven schools represented. The list includes 23 seniors, 12 juniors and 15 sophomores.
• The ASA will announce the 25 finalists on April 13. A player does not have to appear on this initial watch list to be considered as a top 25 finalist. However, once the top 25 finalists are named the winner of the award will come from that list. Freshman qualify for the top 25 list once they have competed at the collegiate level.
SORTINO HONORED FOR 1,100TH WIN:
• UMass Softball Head Coach Elaine Sortino was honored on Dec. 9 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.
• Sortino entered her 32nd season in 2011 with a career record of 1,100-451-6. She ranks fifth among active NCAA Div. 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 A-10 Championship on May 15.
FOLLOW UMASS SOFTBALL:
• UMass Athletics offers several ways you can follow the Minutewomen. Your No. 1 source for information and news on the softball team is always UMassAthletics.com. Check in often for previews, recaps, news, box scores, and blog entries.
• You can now follow UMass softball on Facebook! Simply search UMass Softball and click the "Like" button to follow the Minutewomen and receive up-to-the-minute news.
• Follow UMass Athletics on Twitter at twitter.com/umassathletics. Receive the latest news on all UMass teams straight to your Twitter feed.
• All of the latest UMass videos: hightlights, interviews, features, etc., can be seen on UMass' YouTube channel. Just go to youtube.com/umassathletics.
SEASON TICKETS ON SALE:
• 2011 UMass Softball Season Tickets are on sale now! The 22-time Atlantic 10 Champions are primed for another successful season in 2011 and the Minutewomen look forward to you joining them at the UMass Softball Complex for their 18 home games on 12 dates. Tickets can be ordered by calling 866-UMASS-TIX or by visiting the ticket page at UMassAthletics.com.
• UMass softball season tickets are once again the best deal around, with plans ranging from $26 to $70 - that works out to between $1.44 and $3.89 per game! Purchasing softball season tickets also earns you Priority Points towards other UMass season tickets, including basketball, football, and hockey.
