The No. 30 Massachusetts softball team opens the 2004 season in Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend during the three-day Fiesta Bowl Classic. Now in her 25th year as head coach, Elaine Sortino has made winning a tradition and knows the Fiesta Bowl Classic is a very challenging start to any season.
Last season, Sortino saw her team go 2-3 in the competitive tournament. UMass pulled off an eight-inning upset over No. 13 Arizona State, but also lost an extra inning 4-2 heartbreaker to No. 4 Nebraska in last season’s visit to Phoenix.
“This is everything to us,” Sortino said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the first game or the last game, we’ve always started out with a very tough schedule. These are teams we know we have to beat if we are looking at postseason play. This is it.”
The weekend schedule has UMass facing three teams ranked in the ESPN/USA Softball Preseason Top 25, including No. 21 Fresno State, No. 16 Cal State Fullerton and No. 4 Washington. The Minutewomen are also slated to face Ohio State, who received one less vote than UMass, for the first time ever.
Following their game against OSU, the Minutewomen will have to prepare for FSU, led by All-Americans Jaime Southern and Christina Clark.
The junior hurler was one of three finalists for the National Player of the Year award last season. As a freshman, Southern led the nation with 0.44 earn run average – the second freshman in history to lead the nation in ERA – and posted a 33-10 record, 22 shutouts and 400 strikeouts.
The next game has the Maroon and White against Cal State Northridge in Saturday afternoon, followed by a 7:30 match-up under the lights against Fullerton. The Minutewomen lost to the then-No. 10 Titans 3-1, in last season’s tournament.
Sunday has the Minutewomen looking at their toughest opponent this season in the talented Huskies, led by All-Americans pitchers Tia Bollinger and Kirsten Rivera.
Last season, Bollinger posted a 29-3 record, including 10 shutouts, 209 strikeouts and a 1.23 earn run average. Thirteen of her victories came against teams ranked in the Top 25, and her five saves pushed her career total to 12, a school record and second in the Pac-10. She also earned a 3-1 victory against Oklahoma in the College World Series opener.
Rivera, a two-time All-American catcher, has been one of the best at her position since her 2002 freshman campaign. The junior catcher/designated hitter has one of the strongest arms behind the plate, with Pac-10 leading seven pickoffs. Her 25 homeruns lead the nation and set a UW single season record. A finalist for the Honda Broderick Award last season, given to the nation’s top player, she is one of the favorites for National POY this season.
The young Minutewoman team also has a player in the national spotlight. Aisha Franke was selected to the initial Top 40 Watch List for the USA Softball Player of the Year. Franke’s .403 batting average led the A-10 conference and was 40th best nationally. Now a senior, Franke is looking what the team needs to succeed.
“We have a young team this year, so confidence is the biggest thing we need,” Senior Aisha Franke said. “The talent and skills are there. It’s just a matter of the mindset of us going out there and we’re going to go far.”
“We are going to take care what we need to care of. We just need to know we can do it and then we’ll be unstoppable after that.”
Sortino had the challenge of replacing five seniors – including four All Atlantic 10 selections – in the off-season, including NFCA All-American Emily Robustelli and two-time A-10 Pitcher of the Year Kaila Holtz. Sortino has reloaded with top-level talent and considers this a very deep and talented team.
“We have some young kids looking to get the chance to play, so I got some tough decisions to make who to put out there at first,” Sortino said. “I’m looking for my kids to seize the moment. They have been waiting for this for a long time, some waiting a couple years to play.”
“I’m sure we’re going to get out there. This team has great offensive and defensive depth, more than any other team I have ever coached.”
