After failing to win the Atlantic 10 championship last season for the first time since 2004, the Massachusetts softball team has made it perfectly clear through its first 13 A-10 games that it has no intentions of coming up short for a second consecutive season.
Not only did UMass fail to win the conference title, but last season also marked the first time since 1985 – coach Elaine Sortino’s sixth season at the helm – that it failed to at least reach the A-10 championship game.
This year’s Minutewomen (27-11, 13-0 A-10) have made a strong statement right out of the gates, outscoring their opponents 97-14 in their first 13 conference affairs, which is a level of success not matched by any other conference foe.
UMass is off to its best start in A-10 play since 2008, when it went 20-0 en route to a conference championship and an NCAA Regional appearance.
“I feel good about this team,” said Sortino. “This is a totally different team from last year. I can’t even compare them; never have and never will. Last year’s team, quite frankly, doesn’t really matter.
“This team has its own bill of goods,” Sortino continued. “Across the board they are very sound and still getting better. Tomorrow’s team is a better team than they were today.”
As has been the case throughout much of Sortino’s 33-year tenure in Amherst, the Minutewomen are not only showing signs of dominance, but complete superiority over the rest of the A-10. The numbers speak for themselves, as UMass has only been involved in three conference matchups decided by fewer than five runs this season, including Sara Plourde’s sixth no-hitter of the season in a 2-0 triumph over George Washington on April 15.
The standings tell a similar story, as the Minutewomen sit atop the conference as the only undefeated team in the conference. Fordham, the defending A-10 champs, which UMass has yet to play, remains in the race for the top spot with a strong, 13-1 conference mark.
But the only team that comes any closer than that is Temple, which trails by five games following a 9-0 beat down courtesy of the Minutewomen.
One explanation for UMass’ unmatched success in conference play so far may be the significant discrepancy in talent between the Minutewomen and the rest of the A-10. That is especially the case in the circle, where Plourde ranks No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (408), top-20 in shutouts (9) and in the top-100 in earned run average (2.12).
The only competition in the conference, from a pitching standpoint, comes from Rams’ senior Jen Mineau, who is second behind Plourde in strikeouts with 324. Mineau bested Plourde in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel in the A-10 tournament last May.
The Minutewomen have also had a distinct advantage at the plate, as their .280 team batting average is first among A-10 teams, with URI’s .266 average as the next closest mark.
“I think the most impressive thing about our lineup that most teams in country don’t have is that all of our hitters besides the slappers [Cyndil Matthew and Christine Della Vecchia] have home runs,” said junior outfielder Katie Bettencourt, who homered in game two of Tuesday’s double-header. “It makes it tough on opposing pitchers because they can’t rest on one person.”
Bettencourt, who missed a majority of last season and UMass’ A-10 tournament run with a lacerated liver, feels the disappointment of last season has served as motivation for the team’s success so far.
“I feel motivation is key,” said Bettencourt. “We have more confidence because we have that experience from last season that we didn’t have the year before. The way S.P. [Sara Plourde] has been pitching well also gives us more confidence.
“Not only has this team increased in talent, but we also have an increase in buying in [to Sortino’s system], an increase in confidence and an increase in experience.”
This next pair of conference opponents presents arguably the biggest challenge for the Minutewomen if they look to keep the undefeated streak, and No.1 seed, alive as Charlotte and Fordham await UMass in the coming weeks.
Nick Canelas can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Canelas.
