After a much needed eleven-day break, the Massachusetts softball team will take on Troy in a four-game, three-day series starting Friday, March 7, which will feature a double-header on that day. The Minutewomen (5-10) will look to get back on track after losing their last two games. The Trojans (12-9) also are looking for a bounce back following a 12-2 loss against No. 17 Auburn on March 5.
The four game series between the teams will be their first matchup in six years and the first multi-game series between the teams. UMass and Troy most recently played on Feb. 16, 2019, where the Trojans cruised to a 5-1 victory in the matchup.
Pitching
The Minutewomen’s pitching will be headlined by senior Julianne Bolton, holding a team best 3-2 record on the season. Bolton holds a 4.06 ERA and 1.64 WHIP, which is good for second on the team in both categories. Bolton pitched a shutout with only two hits allowed in her most recent start against Rider, a 2-0 win.
Sophomore Hannah Streicher has also been good on the season, posting team highs with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP in her two starts in six total appearances. Junior Natalee Horton and freshman Olivia Cutuli will need to step up for UMass to take the series.
For Troy, sophomore Alyssa Faircloth has been its standout pitcher on the year so far, posting a team best 2.81 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, along with a 5-2 record on the season. Her most recent start is a shutout with only two runs allowed just like Bolton, which was a 9-0 win against Western Michigan on March 2. Freshman Mya Holt and junior Esmee Ames follow after with a 4.16 and 5.25 ERA, respectively.
Key Matchup: Can the Minutewomen’s Hitting Step Up Against The Trojans?
The Minutewomen’s batting on the year has been inconsistent and will need to keep up with the Trojans in order to have a chance. On the season, UMass only has 2.93 RBIs per game and a .225 batting average, ranking No. 223 and No. 272 in all of Division I softball respectively.
Troy on the other hand posts 5.1 RBIs per game and a .330 batting average which is good for No. 72 and No. 32 overall in Division I. Big plays have also been an issue, as the Minutewomen only have one home run on the season compared to 16 for the Trojans.
Key hitters for UMass include sophomore Riley Kairer and freshman Sophia Thormeyer. Kairer has multiple team highs with a .333 batting average, 13 hits and .985 OPS. Thormeyer follows after with a .275 batting average, while also having 10 hits on the season.
Troy will come into the matchup with three hitters posting over a .400 batting average with sophomore McKinnon Howard, senior Cassidy Boltz and freshman Reaghan Oney. Boltz and freshman Caiden Oliva also lead the team in hits with 23 and 20 respectively.
The Minutewomen’s batting struggles have been highlighted most in their losses, having multiple shutout loss streaks on the season. But in three of their five wins, they’ve posted five or more runs and ten runs in two of them. If UMass can get out of this hitting slump and turn it on against the Trojan’s pitching, they’ll stand a great chance in the four-game bout. However, the opposite outcome could lead to a long series.
Fielding and defense have been good for both teams. The Minutewomen and the Troy only commit one error per game on average, and continuing to limit those errors will create a path for success. UMass will need to be on high alert in between pitches as Troy has stolen 78 bases on the season. Junior Angie Rama leads all of the Minutewomen with 47 POs on the season while junior Kayden Dunn leads the Trojans with 94 POs.
The first matchup of the series between the Minutewomen and the Trojans will take place on March 7 at 4 p.m., with the second game starting at 6 p.m. The series will be played at the Troy Softball Complex in Alabama and all games will be available to watch on ESPN+.
Irwin Mburu can be reached at [email protected] or be followed on X @irwinmburu.
