As the Massachusetts softball team prepares for its 2015 season, second-year coach Kristi Stefanoni has a simple but ambitious goal for the team – win the Atlantic 10 conference tournament.
“Our goal from day one has been, everything we are working toward, is to qualify and win the conference tournament,” Stefanoni said.
Amherst is set to host this year’s A-10 tournament, and winning the team’s first conference title since 2012 would be even sweeter if it were to come at home, but Stefanoni knows there’s a lot of work to be done to make that moment a possibility.
It’s Stefanoni’s first year as head coach, but she essentially served that role last year as the interim coach following the passing of Elaine Sortino, a member of the UMass Hall of Fame. But she appears primed to return UMass softball to its winning ways after a lackluster 16-22-1 season last year.
“(Last year) I learned what kind of coach I am. What kind of coach I can be. I learned a lot about myself and what it will take to bring this team back to national prominence,” Stefanoni said.
For that to happen, the Minutewomen will need to see improvement from their pitching staff, which is set to return all four members from last year’s roster. Aiding their development will be new pitching coach Kaitlin Inglesby, who was a two-time All-American during her four years as a pitcher for the University of Washington.
Last year, Stefanoni filled in her lineup cards with many younger players, and this year will be much of the same. Two freshmen – pitcher Meg Colleran and infielder Gianna Hathaway – will be asked to contribute in their first season in Amherst.
“What I tell a lot of the freshman is, ‘you’re too good and you’re too strong to not challenge for a starting position and it only makes the team better,’” Stefanoni said. “It will make the future for the program better and it’s going to make them as players a lot better if they can get in right away.”
The team enters the 2015 season with high expectations after being ranked fourth in the A-10 preseason coach’s poll, but don’t tell that to senior pitcher Caroline Raymond.
“We try not to care too much about what other coaches say,” Raymond said. “I think we know what we’re capable of and our coaches know what we’re capable of, so it’s a matter of just working on our own stuff and not worrying as much about what other people think of us.”
UMass to open season in Houston
The Minutewomen will be travelling to Houston for the first time in order to take part in the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational. The softball-filled weekend will feature five games in three days, including matchups against Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State, Houston, DePaul and Northern Iowa.
“I’m excited for it. I think there’s great competition there and it’s going to get us ready to face the conference and even better competition later in the season,” Stefanoni said.
Raymond believes the team is more than ready to get the season underway. “We’ve been stuck in a gym for a really long time, so we’re excited to just get on some dirt and play.”
Jamie Cushman can be reached at [email protected].
