Softball in driver’s seat for second straight AE title

On the eve of the 2010 softball season, America East coaches chose the Boston University softball team to finish second in the conference behind only the University at Albany in the preseason poll. Two months and 44 games later, the Terriers sit atop AE with a 10-2 conference record and a 26-18 overall record.

The story of the season for the Terriers has been the slugging sensation that is junior centerfielder April Setterlund. Most people around the softball team expected Setterlund to stand out on offense, but nobody expected her to open the month that shares her name by leading the entire nation with a .595 batting average. Setterlund is on pace to shatter the single-season BU batting average record, as her .524 clip puts her .110 points ahead of record-holder and 1993 alumna Meredith Jennings, who hit .414 in 1991.

With nine games left in the season, Setterlund has already broken numerous single-season BU batting records, including doubles (16), runs (52) and RBIs (49). Setterlund needs six more hits and two more home runs this season to capture single-season records in those categories as well.

But the offense does not end with Setterlund. The Terriers have been potent from one to nine in the lineup with five batters hitting above or near .300. BU leads AE in every single offensive category despite a recent three-game hitting slump. It has won by the NCAA mercy rule four times this season, and has scored in double-digits eight times in 44 games.

The Terriers balance their hitting with strong pitching. Led by senior Cassidi Hardy and freshman Whitney Tuthill, BU is third in the AE with a 3.05 team ERA. Hardy is second in the AE with 183 strikeouts, and she is also second in wins (14). Both Hardy and Tuthill have thrown no-hitters this season.

More important than the individual accolades, however, is the team’s success in the face of adversity. The Terriers entered the season knowing that junior infielder Melanie Delgado and freshman infielder Chelsea Kehr were both out for the year, and then-sophomore infielder &- and reigning AE Rookie of the Year &- Emily Roesch missed a few weeks in March.

By spring break, the Terriers were down four infielders due to injury. Fielders were playing in positions they hadn’t seen since high school. Yet from March 14 to April 4, when the Terriers were still waiting on infielders to return, the team went on a remarkable 13-1 run.

So while BU may not finish with a better overall record than it did last season (43-18), the Terriers tenacity to fight through every obstacle in their path has earned them good position heading into the playoffs.

Predictions &’ Analysis

Arielle Aronson

While I may be looking at the softball team through rose-colored glasses since my Red Sox are struggling mightily, I see a lot on this team to be excited about.

With their mix of solid hitting, solid pitching and a will to win, the softball team should perform well in the America East playoffs. They have yet to lose a conference series, and they swept third-place Stony Brook University and fifth-place Binghamton University. They will face their biggest conference test this coming weekend against second-place Maine, but if their pitching stays strong and they continue to hit, they should fare well. An NCAA berth is not an unreasonable expectation for this team.

Because of their youth, the Terriers look to be primed for success in the next few seasons to come. Setterlund is only a junior, so she will return next season for what is sure to be an exciting senior year. Four of BU’s top five batters will return next season, and Roesch, who missed time with an injury this season, will be a real threat if she can stay healthy.

Although ace Cassidi Hardy is graduating, her freshman protégé Tuthill’s 9-4 record and 2.65 ERA show she is more than capable of leading the pitching staff next season. Junior Kelley Engman has missed a lot of time this season due to injury, and she will surely be looking to rebound in her senior season.

Luke Coughlan

The old rhyme says: “April showers bring May flowers.” But I would bet dollars to donuts that Setterlund and the rest of BU’s potent offense will bring a second straight AE Championship to Commonwealth Avenue this May instead.

In all seriousness, the Terriers have responded well to adversity all season long, and their hard-fought 10-2 conference record has made them the team to beat in the home stretch of the regular season. With their recent three-game sweep of Binghamton, the Terriers clinched a playoff spot and stole sole possession of first place in AE.

Here are three big reasons why BU hoists the AE hardware when it’s all said and done:

1. Statistical Dominance: BU’s top-ranked offense with a .294 batting average and third-ranked pitching staff with a 3.05 ERA is impressive, but the real supremacy reveals itself when one compares BU to conference opponents in statistics compiled from only conference games. Not only do the Terriers retain their batting title &- .294 again &- but they defeat the other teams pitching-wise as well, posting a conference-best 2.06 ERA in conference-only games.

2. A Season of Experience: The Terriers have played the toughest out-of-conference schedule of any AE team. They have faced ranked teams from powerful conferences and University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the marquee team in the northeast, twice. The Terriers have benefitted from playing tough opponents out of conference, and that has prepared them for domination in AE.

3. Depth: Teams never have a moment to catch their breath against BU, because none of the Terriers are pushovers. You don’t want to face sophomore second baseman Erica Casacci or the second-best hitter in the nation in Setterlund? Fine, but you’d better have an answer for sophomore shortstop Emily Roesch. Do you plan on chasing the conference leader in strikeouts (senior Cassidi Hardy) from the circle? Fine, but you better have a plan for the conference leader in ERA in conference-only games, Whitney Tuthill.

Annie Maroon

With just six conference games left to play, BU is all but guaranteed a spot in the AE playoffs. The Terriers moved into first place with their sweep of Binghamton last weekend, and they have not lost a series against a conference opponent yet. They struggled uncharacteristically at the plate against Boston College and the University of Rhode Island last week, but appeared to have forgotten all about that by Saturday against the Bearcats.

Barring any unexpected breakdowns by Hardy or Tuthill, who have both been outstanding, the Terriers’ chances of making it back to the conference finals are very good. They are 5-1 this year against Albany and Stony Brook, their two most likely opponents should they make it that far, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them repeat as AE champions and return to the NCAA Tournament.

Though Hardy and senior infielders Rachel Hebert and Rachel Moeller, two of the Terriers’ better hitters, will graduate, they’ll retain both hitting &- Setterlund, of course, but also Roesch &- and first-rate pitching from Tuthill, who was named AE Rookie of the Week this week. It’s a little early to make predictions for next year, but considering the underclassmen who have contributed this year and the injured players like freshman Jayme Mask who will return for next season, it’s not difficult to imagine that BU will dominate the conference once again.