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Scouting UMass
· UMass (14-20) enters the doubleheader riding a four-game winning streak and went 6-1 last week.
· The Minutewomen are hitting .271 on the year with 36 doubles, 4 triples and 36 home runs. The team also has 134 RBIs and 141 runs. The 36 HR lead the Atlantic 10 and rank 39th nationally.
· Senior SS Quianna Diaz-Patterson is batting an impressive .525 on the year, second in the nation, with a .929 slugging percentage. Diaz-Patterson has nine doubles, two triples, nine homeruns and 22 RBI. She was named the Atlantic 10 & ECAC Player of the Week after hitting .722 with three HR, six RBI and 13 runs scored.
· Senior 1B Bridget Lemire comes into the week with a hot bat, batting .270 with 10 homers and 28 RBI. She hit .476 with four HR, 13 RBI and six runs last week. The Worcester native had a 1.048 slugging pct. and a .577 on-base pct. Scouting Boston University
· BU (12-24) enters the week having won four of its last five games. They are coming off a strong weekend after taking all three games from conference foe Lafayette.
· The Terriers are playing their first games of the year at the BU Softball Field. They had four games canceled and moved a league series to Wheaton College and BC. They went 11-3 at home a year ago.
· Senior Emily Felbaum was named Patriot League Player of the Week after batting .353 with two home runs and eight RBI.
· Sophomore Moriah Connolly batted a team-high .444 and joined classmate Brittany Younan in earning six stolen bases apiece while combining for 11 runs scored. The Terriers lead the Patriot League in Stolen Bases averaging 1.86 per game.
Series History vs. BU
· UMass leads the series 13-3 overall and 3-0 in Boston. The teams have not played since the 2012 season due to weather and scheduling conflicts.
· The Minutewomen won the last meeting, 1-0, on a walk-off RBI single by Christine Della-Vecchia at Sortino Field.
Branches of the Sortino Coaching Tree Collide Wednesday
· The two head coaches are both disciples of the late Elaine Sortino, who won 1,185 games in her 34 years at UMass from 1980-2013. The duo were on the staff together for two seasons in 2011-12.
· UMass head coach Kristi Stefanoni has spent the last nine years on the staff at UMass, following a four-year playing career for the Minutewomen from 2003-06.
· BU head coach Kathryn Gleason was an assistant to Sortino for six years over two stints in Amherst from 1996-2000 & 2011-12.
· A total of six former UMass players or coaches are currently NCAA head coaches.
Diaz-Patterson Having Best Hitting Season In School History
· Senior SS Quianna Diaz Patterson currently leads the team in the three offensive percentage statistics - .525 batting avg., .929 slugging pct. and .607 on-base pct. All three are currently ahead of the existing school records in each category - .469 BA, .810 slugging pct. and .549 on-base pct.
Preseason Poll
· Massachusetts was picked to finish fourthin a vote of the league's 10 head coaches during the preseason polling period. Fordham earned all 10 first place votes and was a unanimous top pick, followed by Saint Louis and Saint Joseph's, ahead of the Minutewomen. Dayton, George Washington, George Mason, La Salle and St. Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
A-10 Championship
· For the 10th time in school history, UMass will play host to the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament, May 6-9at Sortino Field. The format features six teams in a double-elimination bracket, with the first and second-place teams based on regular-season winning pct. receiving day one byes.
· Tickets will cost between $3-$8 per day or you can grab a 4-day tournament pass for $12 (youth) or $24 (adult). Students of Atlantic 10 Conference schools are free to all games with a valid ID. |
 Free
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