University of Massachusets Athletics
Softball
Stefanoni, Kristi
Kristi Stefanoni
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- kstefano@admin.umass.edu
Season at Massachusetts: 15th (eighth as head coach)
Alma Mater: Massachusetts, 2006
Kristi Stefanoni enters her eighth season at the helm of the Massachusetts softball program in 2020-21. She served as interim head coach for the 2014 season and officially took the helm in June 2014. The 2021 campaign will mark her 15th overall season in Amherst.
After a standout playing career for her mentor and former UMass head coach Elaine Sortino, Stefanoni spent seven years on the Minutewomen coaching staff, moving from director of operations to assistant coach and to associate head coach in 2013.
In 2019, the Minutewomen posted a 26-22 overall record with a 12-5 mark in league play to finish as the runner-up in the regular season standings. UMass picked up eight Atlantic 10 postseason awards as Kaitlyn Stavinoha and Erin Stacevicz were named first-team all-conference after wrapping up careers that saw the duo along with third-team all-region selection Kaycee Carbone finish among the top-20 in multiple career offensive categories in program history.
The 2018 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year guided the Minutewomen to their 24th regular-season title in program history and first since 2012 with a perfect 21-0 mark in league play, tying the A-10 record for most wins in conference play in a single season. Under Stefanoni, Jena Cozza was named the A-10 Player of the Year after ranking among the national leaders in various categories at the plate on her way to earning all-America honors.
UMass picked up five first-team all-conference selections, one second team selection and two all-rookie team picks in 2018. The Minutewomen posted a 13-1 record at Sortino Field, sweeping all five conference opponents they faced in Amherst.
In her 14 seasons on the UMass staff, the Minutewomen won six Atlantic 10 Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times. In Stefanoni's four years as a player, UMass went 151-64-1 (.701) with three A-10 Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Super Regional berth in 2006.
UMass’ 29 wins in 2017 at the time marked the most wins for Stefanoni as head coach and the most by the program since the 2012 campaign. After starting the season at 3-14, the Minutewomen rallied to close at 23-8 (since March 11) and won six of its seven Atlantic 10 series.
The Minutewomen combined for a .315 batting average and a 3.07 ERA in conference play. UMass ranked No. 4 in batting average (.272), No. 4 in hits (353), No. 5 in triples (seven), No. 5 in stolen bases (59), No. 5 in batters struck out (219) and No. 3 in opposing batting average (.243) among league teams.
Originally picked fourth in the 2017 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Minutewomen finished second in the league and runners-up at the Atlantic 10 Championship. The squad won 23 of its last 31 games, posted a record of 3-2 in the A-10 Tournament and finished with a .547 winning percentage.
In 2017, the Minutewomen played in the league title game for the first time since 2012. Junior right-hander Meg Colleran was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player as she pitched 35.1 of UMass’ 36.1 innings over five games played. She struck out 18 total batters while walking just five. Jena Cozza and freshman Candace Dennis were also named to the All-Championship squad.
Colleran earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors for the second time in her career. Erin Stacevicz (second-team), and Tara Klee (second-team) also collected all-league honors. Denis was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team. Sophomore Kaycee Carbone was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
Caitlyn Hickey, Carbone, Kaitlyn Stavinoha, and Nicole Imhof earned spots on the 2016 Fall Atlantic 10 Commissioners’ Honor Roll. Carbone, Melissa Garcia, Hickey, Imhof, Stavinoha and Ashton Wince were recognized on the 2017 Spring edition of the honor roll. Hickey, Garcia, Carbone, Stavinoha and Imhof were also named NFCA Scholar-Athletes.
Stefanoni began working with the UMass infielders in 2014. On her watch, the Minutewomen improved their fielding percentage by 11 points (.945 to .956) from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, she guided Taylor Carbone and Cozza to National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-Region accolades and Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors.
Working with the UMass outfielders from 2007-13, Stefanoni coached 13 Atlantic 10 All-Conference outfielders and back-to-back Conference Players of the Year in Carly Normandin (2009) and Katie Bettencourt (2010). Normandin was a 2009 NFCA All-American and, along with Lauren Proctor, each earned three all-conference nods.
Stefanoni's work with slap hitters has also yielded two of the best in program history - Candice Molinari and Cyndil Matthew. Molinari was a first-team all-conference centerfielder twice while compiling .388 and .401 batting averages, with 46 combined stolen bases, in her junior and senior seasons in 2006 and 2007, coming after a pair of sub-.300 seasons. Matthew burst on the scene as a sophomore in 2011, batting a team-best .324 with 22 runs scored and earning all-conference honors before grabbing Easton Second-Team All-America plaudits in 2012, hitting .409 with a .476 on-base percentage and a single-season school-record 36 steals. The speedster duplicated that national accomplishment as a senior where she was in fourth in the A-10 with a .380 average and first in steals with 31 (ninth in the nation). She finished her career fifth in UMass history with a .362 batting average, 10th with 124 runs scored, tied for fifth with a .443 on-base percentage and third with 92 stolen bases.
In 2014, UMass qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship - after missing the event a year earlier - and finished among the top four in the league with a 9-6-1 record. The Minutewomen were much improved in the field, lowering their team ERA by 0.51 and raising the fielding percentage by .025. The team also went 9-1-1 at home.
A 2006 graduate of UMass with a degree in psychology, Stefanoni was a co-captain for the Minutewomen her senior year. She started almost every game at second base her last three seasons while being one of the most disciplined players at the plate. Stefanoni showed great range in the field and compiled a career fielding percentage of .950 in nearly 500 chances.
The native of Columbus, New Jersey scored 75 runs in her career while compiling a .350 on-base percentage. She dropped down 24 sacrifice bunts, stole 26 bases and successfully advanced runners almost 50 percent of the time in her career. Stefanoni had 14 career doubles, two triples, one home run and 27 RBI as well as 11 multi-hit and five multi-RBI games in her career.
Stefanoni was a four-year letterwinner in softball at Northern Burlington (N.J.) County Regional High School, batting .447 as a senior en route to leading the school to its first-ever state championship. She was inducted into the Northern Burlington Athletic Hall of Fame in March of 2013.
Stefanoni played second base for the Jersey Devils ASA travel team under Hall of Fame Head Coach Jimmy Holland and competed in the 2005 Canada Cup with the Absolute Blast from the state of Washington. She resides in Hadley.
Alma Mater: Massachusetts, 2006
Kristi Stefanoni enters her eighth season at the helm of the Massachusetts softball program in 2020-21. She served as interim head coach for the 2014 season and officially took the helm in June 2014. The 2021 campaign will mark her 15th overall season in Amherst.
After a standout playing career for her mentor and former UMass head coach Elaine Sortino, Stefanoni spent seven years on the Minutewomen coaching staff, moving from director of operations to assistant coach and to associate head coach in 2013.
In 2019, the Minutewomen posted a 26-22 overall record with a 12-5 mark in league play to finish as the runner-up in the regular season standings. UMass picked up eight Atlantic 10 postseason awards as Kaitlyn Stavinoha and Erin Stacevicz were named first-team all-conference after wrapping up careers that saw the duo along with third-team all-region selection Kaycee Carbone finish among the top-20 in multiple career offensive categories in program history.
The 2018 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year guided the Minutewomen to their 24th regular-season title in program history and first since 2012 with a perfect 21-0 mark in league play, tying the A-10 record for most wins in conference play in a single season. Under Stefanoni, Jena Cozza was named the A-10 Player of the Year after ranking among the national leaders in various categories at the plate on her way to earning all-America honors.
UMass picked up five first-team all-conference selections, one second team selection and two all-rookie team picks in 2018. The Minutewomen posted a 13-1 record at Sortino Field, sweeping all five conference opponents they faced in Amherst.
In her 14 seasons on the UMass staff, the Minutewomen won six Atlantic 10 Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times. In Stefanoni's four years as a player, UMass went 151-64-1 (.701) with three A-10 Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Super Regional berth in 2006.
UMass’ 29 wins in 2017 at the time marked the most wins for Stefanoni as head coach and the most by the program since the 2012 campaign. After starting the season at 3-14, the Minutewomen rallied to close at 23-8 (since March 11) and won six of its seven Atlantic 10 series.
The Minutewomen combined for a .315 batting average and a 3.07 ERA in conference play. UMass ranked No. 4 in batting average (.272), No. 4 in hits (353), No. 5 in triples (seven), No. 5 in stolen bases (59), No. 5 in batters struck out (219) and No. 3 in opposing batting average (.243) among league teams.
Originally picked fourth in the 2017 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, the Minutewomen finished second in the league and runners-up at the Atlantic 10 Championship. The squad won 23 of its last 31 games, posted a record of 3-2 in the A-10 Tournament and finished with a .547 winning percentage.
In 2017, the Minutewomen played in the league title game for the first time since 2012. Junior right-hander Meg Colleran was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player as she pitched 35.1 of UMass’ 36.1 innings over five games played. She struck out 18 total batters while walking just five. Jena Cozza and freshman Candace Dennis were also named to the All-Championship squad.
Colleran earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors for the second time in her career. Erin Stacevicz (second-team), and Tara Klee (second-team) also collected all-league honors. Denis was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team. Sophomore Kaycee Carbone was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
Caitlyn Hickey, Carbone, Kaitlyn Stavinoha, and Nicole Imhof earned spots on the 2016 Fall Atlantic 10 Commissioners’ Honor Roll. Carbone, Melissa Garcia, Hickey, Imhof, Stavinoha and Ashton Wince were recognized on the 2017 Spring edition of the honor roll. Hickey, Garcia, Carbone, Stavinoha and Imhof were also named NFCA Scholar-Athletes.
Stefanoni began working with the UMass infielders in 2014. On her watch, the Minutewomen improved their fielding percentage by 11 points (.945 to .956) from 2015 to 2016. In 2016, she guided Taylor Carbone and Cozza to National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA) All-Region accolades and Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors.
Working with the UMass outfielders from 2007-13, Stefanoni coached 13 Atlantic 10 All-Conference outfielders and back-to-back Conference Players of the Year in Carly Normandin (2009) and Katie Bettencourt (2010). Normandin was a 2009 NFCA All-American and, along with Lauren Proctor, each earned three all-conference nods.
Stefanoni's work with slap hitters has also yielded two of the best in program history - Candice Molinari and Cyndil Matthew. Molinari was a first-team all-conference centerfielder twice while compiling .388 and .401 batting averages, with 46 combined stolen bases, in her junior and senior seasons in 2006 and 2007, coming after a pair of sub-.300 seasons. Matthew burst on the scene as a sophomore in 2011, batting a team-best .324 with 22 runs scored and earning all-conference honors before grabbing Easton Second-Team All-America plaudits in 2012, hitting .409 with a .476 on-base percentage and a single-season school-record 36 steals. The speedster duplicated that national accomplishment as a senior where she was in fourth in the A-10 with a .380 average and first in steals with 31 (ninth in the nation). She finished her career fifth in UMass history with a .362 batting average, 10th with 124 runs scored, tied for fifth with a .443 on-base percentage and third with 92 stolen bases.
In 2014, UMass qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship - after missing the event a year earlier - and finished among the top four in the league with a 9-6-1 record. The Minutewomen were much improved in the field, lowering their team ERA by 0.51 and raising the fielding percentage by .025. The team also went 9-1-1 at home.
A 2006 graduate of UMass with a degree in psychology, Stefanoni was a co-captain for the Minutewomen her senior year. She started almost every game at second base her last three seasons while being one of the most disciplined players at the plate. Stefanoni showed great range in the field and compiled a career fielding percentage of .950 in nearly 500 chances.
The native of Columbus, New Jersey scored 75 runs in her career while compiling a .350 on-base percentage. She dropped down 24 sacrifice bunts, stole 26 bases and successfully advanced runners almost 50 percent of the time in her career. Stefanoni had 14 career doubles, two triples, one home run and 27 RBI as well as 11 multi-hit and five multi-RBI games in her career.
Stefanoni was a four-year letterwinner in softball at Northern Burlington (N.J.) County Regional High School, batting .447 as a senior en route to leading the school to its first-ever state championship. She was inducted into the Northern Burlington Athletic Hall of Fame in March of 2013.
Stefanoni played second base for the Jersey Devils ASA travel team under Hall of Fame Head Coach Jimmy Holland and competed in the 2005 Canada Cup with the Absolute Blast from the state of Washington. She resides in Hadley.
| Year | Position | W-L | Conf. | A-10 Championship | NCAA Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Student-Athlete | 39-15 | 11-1 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional (3-2) |
| 2004 | Student-Athlete | 34-17 | 11-1 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Athens Regional (1-2) |
| 2005 | Student-Athlete | 37-16-1 | 13-3 (2nd) | 3rd | NCAA Austin Regional (0-2) |
| 2006 | Student-Athlete | 41-16 | 17-3 (T-1st) | Champions | NCAA Amherst Regional (3-1); Evanston Super Regional (1-2) |
| 2007 | Director of Operations | 39-14-1 | 18-0 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Amherst Regional (2-2) |
| 2008 | Assistant Coach | 42-13 | 20-0 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Amherst Regional (2-2) |
| 2009 | Assistant Coach | 41-10 | 16-2 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Amherst Regional (3-2) |
| 2010 | Assistant Coach | 42-10-1 | 17-0-1(1st) | Champions | NCAA Amherst Regional |
| 2011 | Assistant Coach | 29-19 | 14-5 (2nd) | 3rd | |
| 2012 | Assistant Coach | 38-13 | 19-0 (1st) | Champions | NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional (0-2) |
| 2013 | Assoc. Head Coach | 18-25 | 12-10 | 8th | |
| 2014 | Interim Head Coach | 16-22-1 | 9-6-1 (4th) | 5th | |
| 2015 | Head Coach | 15-28 | 8-14 (7th) | ||
| 2016 | Head Coach | 26-24 | 15-6 (3rd) | 3rd | |
| 2017 | Head Coach | 29-24 | 13-6 (2nd) | 2nd | |
| 2018 | Head Coach | 35-14 | 21-0 (1st) | 2nd | |
| 2019 | Head Coach | 26-22 | 12-5 (2nd) | 4th | |
| 2020 | Head Coach | 4-7 | N/A | N/A | |
| Head Coach (Overall) | 151-141-1 | 78-37-1 |
UMass Softball | Broadcast Highlights vs. Saint Louis | Game 3 05.03.25
Saturday, May 03
UMass Softball | Broadcast Highlights vs. Saint Louis (Game 2) | 05.02.25
Friday, May 02
UMass Softball vs. Stonehill | Broadcast Highlights | 04.30.24
Wednesday, April 30
UMass SB | Game 2 Highlights vs St. Bonaventure | 04.14.25
Tuesday, April 15
