University of Massachusets Athletics
A-10 Championship Kicks off Thursday
May 10, 2016 | Softball
WASHINGTON, D.C. - After securing the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship, the University of Massachusetts softball team will square off with the host, No. 6 George Washington, on Thursday at 2:30 p.m., at the GW Softball Field, in Washington, D.C. The game was originally set for Wednesday, but was pushed to Thursday due to rain.
UMass (24-22, 15-6 A-10) swept the Dayton Flyers in its final regular-season series to secure the No. 3 seed, and allowed just one run over the three-game set. Redshirt sophomore Jena Cozza was named the A-10 Player of the Week for her efforts, as she batted .538 with two home runs and four doubles. On the year, Cozza is batting .381 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI, all career bests. Her Player of the Week award is her second this season, being given the laurel on April 18.
Freshman Kaycee Carbone was named the league's Rookie of the Week, her first time receiving the award, batting .571 with a double, triple and two runs scored.
Sophomore pitcher Meg Colleran leads the Minutewomen with a 20-15 record, becoming the first UMass pitcher since 2012 to secure 20 victories in a season. The right-hander leads the conference in wins, innings pitched, is fourth in strikeouts and fifth in ERA. Colleran recorded her conference-best seventh shutout of the season on Saturday, putting her 12th in the country.
George Washington (23-27, 10-13 A-10) guaranteed a playoff spot with a win over Saint Louis on the final day of the regular season, topping the Billikens 7-3.
The Colonials are led by Megan Linn offensively. Linn is second on the team with a .378 batting average and first with 14 doubles, four triples and three home runs. In the circle, Sarah Costlow is 14-13 with a 2.50 ERA and has struck out 62 batters across 179 innings.
UMass vs. GW will air on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network. The winner will take on the No. 2 seed Dayton, who finished the season with a 26-19-1 record and a 14-5-1 mark in conference play, on Thurs., May 12, at 2:30 p.m.
For continued coverage of UMass softball, follow the team on Twitter (@UMassSoftball), Instagram (@UMassSBall) and on Facebook at facebook.com/UMass-Softball.