After dominating the Atlantic 10 the way the No. 19 Massachusetts softball team did this past season, it comes as no surprise that they also dominated the Atlantic 10 year-end awards.

For the fourth-consecutive season, Brandice Balschmiter was named the A-10 pitcher of the year, and for the first time in senior Carly Normandin’s career, UMass’ (35-8, 16-2 Atlantic 10) leadoff hitter, was named the A-10 Player of the Year.

Balschmiter finished the season 28-4 and had a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play. She also finished with the league’s lowest earned-run average (0.96) and finished fourth nationally with her league-leading 18 shutouts.

‘[Balschmiter] has really become a pitcher this year,’ UMass coach Elaine Sortino said of her ace. ‘She’s got up; she’s got down; she’s got off-speed like never before.’

The award made Balschmiter just the second student-athlete in A-10 history to win four consecutive major awards in her respective sport.

For Normandin, the honor comes in a season when the centerfielder hit .439 overall and league-leading .515 in conference play. The senior also was tops in the A-10 in slugging percentage (.770), hits (65) and total bases (114).

‘Normandin has been so reliable and consistent, and she has delivered so much for us ‘- not only in the conference but throughout the course of the year,’ Sortino said. ‘I’m thrilled for her.’

Sortino’s players were not the only ones being honored by the league’s coaches. Sortino was named A-10 Coach of the Year, the 10th time she has won the award.

Along with winning pitcher and player of the year, Baslchmiter and Normandin were named to the All-Conference First Team. First basemen Sarah Reeves, third basemen Whitney Mollica and leftfielder Samantha Salato were also named to the first team, with Mollica also being named to the A-10 All-Academic team.

The middle of the Minutewomen’s infield, shortstop Whitney Williams and second baseman Kyllie Magill, were both named to the All-Conference Second Team. Magill and fellow freshman Sara Plourde were both named to the All-Rookie team.

Bump in the road

Going into the postseason, a team likes to have momentum ‘- maybe winning its last couple games, feeling really good about themselves.

The Minutewomen, however, didn’t exactly do that.

UMass pitched six consecutive shutouts in a row, dating from the April 28 series against Rhode Island to the first game of last Sunday’s series against Fordham. It was in the second game of the doubleheader, however, in which the Minutewomen were beaten.

Bailey Sanders and Plourde couldn’t escape the second inning. The two combined to give up five runs, five hits and three walks. Sortino decided she saw enough when Plourde, on her second batter, gave up a single to extend the Rams’ lead to 5-0. Sortino called on Balschmiter, the previous game’s winning pitcher.

Balschmiter did what any reliever is supposed to do ‘- give her team a chance to win. Balschmiter struck out 11 while only allowing two hits over six innings of work.

If Balschmiter suddenly comes down with an injury or is unable to pitch for some reason, the Minutewomen would certainly be in trouble since Plourde isn’t pitching as effectively as she was earlier in the year.

The Minutewomen might have to face off against the Rams again on Thursday as they wait to find the results of the Fordham, Saint Joseph’s game later today.

Lead-off threat

It’s been written time and time again when the Minutewomen have been discussed ‘- Normandin is a offensive contribution at the top of the lineup. The junior hasn’t let up at all during the regular season. She leads UMass in almost every offensive category.

Normandin tops the team in batting average, runs, hits, doubles and triples just to touch upon a few.

In the field, Normandin is just as effective. The center fielder has only made one error this season and has a fielding percentage of .966. If the Minutewomen want to play effective offensively and score some runs, Normandin will have to continue to contribute from the top of the lineup.

Stepping it up

Rarely have the Minutewomen struggled in areas, but if there had to be one concern, it would be with their defense. Numerous times this season, UMass has committed over three errors per game, which in turn cost it runs and, on one occasion, the game.

On April 26, the Minutewomen fell to Charlotte, 11-6. Six of the 49ers’ runs in the game were unearned, thanks to four UMass errors. Fielding miscues almost cost the Minutewomen the game on April 8 against Boston College, despite UMass’ winning in nine innings. Three Whitney Williams errors helped Boston College get back in the game and helped the Eagles extend the game into extra innings.

As a team, the Minutewomen are solid defensively. On the season, UMass has a .972 fielding percentage, which by no means is poor. But the Minutewomen have to watch out for defensive blunders to repeat as A-10 Champions.‘

Ryan Fleming and Jeffrey R. Larnard ‘ can be reached at [email protected].

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