University of Massachusets Athletics
Plourde Named Easton All-American
June 07, 2011 | Softball
June 7, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass softball junior pitcher Sara Plourde was named to the 2011 Easton All-American Second Team, as announced by Easton Sports, Inc. on Tuesday. Plourde was also named last week to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-American Third Team for the second year in a row after going 27-15 with a 1.30 ERA, 13 shutouts, and led the country for the second straight year in strikeouts with 498.
This is Plourde's first Easton All-American honor as a 2010 team was not named. She is the first UMass player to earn the honor since Brandice Balschmiter and Carly Normandin in 2009. Plourde marks the 11th time a UMass player has won the award.
Easton All-America honors go to the top softball players from around the country whose school's represent the Easton brand and products.
Plourde's 498 strikeouts lead the NCAA and is the 20th-highest single season total in NCAA history after she set the ninth-highest mark last season (556). Her strikeout rate of 11.8 per seven innings ranks second in the country, and her 3.37 hits allowed per seven innings is fourth-fewest.
With 1,054 combined strikeouts in 2010 and 2011, Plourde has the fifth-highest two-year total of any pitcher in NCAA in history.
Plourde threw four no-hitters in 2011, running her career total to 10, including the first solo perfect game (second overall) of her career in an 8-0 six-inning win against La Salle on May 1. She set a school record with 18 2/3 consecutive no-hit innings between March 30 and April 6.
The right-hander was also named NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team, Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, and Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team - all for the second year in a row.
Plourde will enter her senior season in 2012 ranking fist all-time at UMass in career strikeouts per seven innings (11.96), third in strikeouts (1,121), fifth in wins (73), shutouts (32), and complete games (79), and sixth in innings pitched (656.1) and starts (97).
