The Massachusetts softball team’s 2013 season has gotten off to quite the shaky start.

The Minutewomen have only won three out of their first 16 games so far, which is unusual for a team that has always shown dominance right from the start.

Last year was a successful one with the team winning its 23rd Atlantic 10 Championship and lasting two games in the NCAA Regional Women’s College World Series. UMass finished 38-13 and 19-0 in the A-10.

While the Minutewomen are currently 3-16, they’re eager to move forward and regroup as they head into the conference schedule, which is a more familiar realm.

Associate coach Kristi Stefanoni expressed how the youth of the team is what may have caused some difficulty this season.

“It is a mixture of our pitching staff being very young, our catchers being new and it is big time when you lose someone like Sara Plourde,” Stefanoni said.

While they have not found their “own little niche yet,” the weekend series at Dayton, in which UMass split a two-game set, certainly showed that “it started to click for us over the weekend.”

However, the team is still looking to alter its momentum around as it heads into its first home game Wednesday and its quest for its 24th Atlantic 10 crown.

Pitching

At the conclusion of the 2012 softball season, it was evident the Minutewomen were going to be losing a vital component to their squad: Plourde, their ace pitcher.

Plourde led the team throughout her time at UMass, racking up the all-time strikeout record and gaining All-American recognition three times.

Yet head coach Elaine Sortino is optimistic about how the pitching rotation –composed of Caroline Raymond, Emma Mendoker and Bridget Lemire – will grow. She said, it’s a “work in progress.”

With Plourde dominating the circle in the past, the trio of hurlers have not pitched much in two years and, therefore, lack experience, which is something they will only obtain with each outing.

Additionally, the pitching staff is coming off some significant arm injuries, which has contributed to its lack of starts and time in the circle.

Raymond, a junior who did not make a single appearance last year due to an injury, picked up her first win of the season back on Feb. 23 against Illinois State.  Raymond pitched the complete game, striking out five and only giving up three runs. She leads the rotation with 28 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched so far this season.

Lemire, a sophomore, got her first win in their outing on Feb. 23 against Illinois, in which she split time in the circle with both Raymond and Mendoker. She didn’t gave up any hits, runs or walks in her 1.2 innings of work.

Infield

Infielder Tiffany Meeks and shortstop Quianna Diaz-Patterson lead the Minutewomen defensively as well as offensively.

Meeks made 35 starts at first base and six in the designated hitting slot last season, but currently she has a .984 fielding percentage. Most notably this season, she helped propel UMass to a win with a three-run homer in the top of the first against Dayton.

“She is a power hitter,” Stefanoni said. “She has been working on her swing the last few weeks and I think it finally clicked for her this weekend.”

Stefanoni continued to say it’s essential that Meeks hits “in order for this team to succeed.”

Meanwhile, Diaz-Patterson started all 51 games last year as a freshman and was named the A-10 Rookie of the Year.

Freshman Taylor Carbone has earned the second base position, replacing graduate Kyllie Magill. As a senior at Alvirne High School in Hudson, N.H., Carbone was named the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year two times and led her team to two Division 1 State Championships.

Teea Rogers rounds out to the infield at third base coming off a 2012 campaign that saw her hit .216.

Outfield

Seniors Katie Bettencourt and Cyndil Matthew dominate in the outfield and in the lineup.

Matthew has the highest batting average on the team, .390, with 23 hits.

Matthew is versatile, playing both left and center field last year. The 2012 season brought her much success, setting a school record for steals and was named as an All-American to the Easton Second Team and first team in the A-10.

At the plate, Bettencourt hit eight doubles, five home runs and drove in 25 runs. She also had six game-winning in her place in right field. Bettencourt was on fire over the weekend, collecting five hits to help UMass snap its 11-game losing skid.

“She came up huge, always with runners in scoring position, and she was able to score some runs,” Stefanoni said. “To be able to step up the way she did this weekend and get the job done was fantastic. It shows leadership and tenacity.”

Lindsey Webster and Christine Della Vecchia will also contribute to the Minutewomen outfield.

Last season, Della Vecchia made 45 starts in center, batted .282 and was second on the team in stolen bases, snagging 15 bases on 18 attempts.

Meanwhile, Webster made four appearances in left and hit .288 with four homeruns.

Kaitlin Boyer can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Kaitlin_Boyer.