University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Robert Morris
Minutewomen Open 2017 at EMU Tourney
February 15, 2017 | Softball
AMHERST, Mass. – Head coach Kristi Stefanoni and the University of Massachusetts softball team begin their 2017 campaign, February 17-19, at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational. The Minutewomen will play five games over three days in Madeira Beach, Fla.
UMass will open Friday with Robert Morris and Siena at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. On Saturday, the Minutewomen face Southern Illinois and Central Michigan at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. The weekend wraps with Oakland University at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
A Look Back
In 2016, the Minutewomen won 16 of their last 20 games, including six shutouts, two of which came to open the Atlantic 10 Championship. Originally picked seventh in the preseason poll, the Minutewomen finished third in the regular-season standings and at the Atlantic 10 Championship. The 26 wins and 15 conference victories set team bests for head coach Kristi Stefanoni's three campaigns as the program leader.
Preseason Predictions
Massachusetts softball is predicted to finish fourth in the 2017 Atlantic 10 standings. Fordham was predicted to win the league title, followed by Dayton and in third place, Saint Joseph's.
Home Sweet Home
UMass plays its first regular-season home games March 25 and 26, hosting St. Bonaventure, at Sortino Field. Admission for the 2017 softball home slate is free for all fans.
Junior Meg Colleran returns to in 2017 looking to lead the pitching staff. Last season, Colleran threw seven complete game shut-outs and racked up 125 strikeouts. She's joined by freshmen Quinn Breidenbach, Candace Denis and Maddie Sadler who all show potential in relief.
Swing Away
The Minutewomen return five starters from the 2016 lineup: Erin Stacevicz, Kaycee Carbone, Tara Klee, Kaitlyn Stavinoha and Ashton Wince. They combined for 192 hits last season.
Sophomore Studs
UMass returns sophomore pair Erin Stacevicz (OF) and Kaitlyn Stavinoha (INF) for the 2017 season. The duo shined as true freshmen in 2016 as both started all 50 games at their respective positions. Stacevicz racked up 59 hits and seven stolen bases while Stavinoha was credited with 15 RBI and was 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.
Title Time
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship will be hosted by George Mason, May 10-13, at the George Mason Softball Complex, in Fairfax, Va.
For continued coverage of UMass softball, follow @UMassSoftball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
