Throughout the first few weeks of the season, the Boston University softball team has played in tournaments in Florida and Arizona, both notable for their warm weather. But with the America East schedule starting up, the Terriers (7-14) will take to the dirt back in Boston, as they open up a three-game set against the University at Albany this weekend at the Boston University Softball Field.
“We’re really excited to start the America East schedule at home,” said BU coach Kathryn Gleason. “We’re ready to sleep in our own beds.”
While most of Boston University was on spring break, the Terriers ventured down to Florida for the second time this season, and took part in both the Under Armour Showcase and the Clearwater Spring Invitational. In the Under Armour Showcase, BU finished .500, going 3-3 in the tournament. However, the Terriers only took one of five games in the Clearwater Invitational, defeating Florida A&M University in run-rule fashion by a score of 8-0.
Although the BU offense has been inconsistent in the early part of the season, hitting .242 as a team, it does have four hitters batting .290 or better.
The team’s top hitter has been junior outfielder Jayme Mask, who is hitting an impressive .338 through her first 65 at bats in the season, along with five RBIs and a team-leading .419 on-base percentage.
“She’s our spark plug,” Gleason said of Mask. “She sets the tone for the entire lineup. Every at-bat for her is a battle.”
To go along with Mask’s high average and OBP, junior catcher Amy Ekart has compiled terrific numbers diring the early part of the 2013 campaign.
Ekart is third on the team in batting, hitting at a .296 clip. She leads the team in slugging percentage at .444, due in part to her two homers so far this season. She also boasts a team-best 12 RBIs, and is also tied for the lead in total bases with 24.
On the mound, senior pitcher Whitney Tuthill leads the Terriers. Tuthill has opened up the season with a 5-8 record on the mound, boasting a 2.61 ERA and has struck out 56 batters in her 88-plus innings of work for the Terriers.
In the 11 games Tuthill has started, she has gone the distance in eight of them, and has made five relief appearances. To add to her impressive stats, she has also held batters to a .254 batting average.
Although Tuthill has pitched most of the games thus far this season, senior Erin Schuppert and freshman Lauren Hynes have also made appearances in the circle. The two pitchers have struggled a bit, going a combined 2-6 and each having an ERA over 5.00.
“It’s just about giving them more experience and innings,” Gleason said of her other two starters. “They will get more time in the circle.”
Now that the Terriers have finished their early-season tournaments, they will start their final slate of America East action. The Terriers’ competition will not get any easier, especially when they take on Albany (12-7) this weekend.
The Albany Great Danes have attained success in a few tournaments so far.
Their pitching staff is led by junior Brittany McFawn. McFawn is 6-5 to open up the season, posting a 3.62 ERA. She has completed 11 of her 12 starts, recording two shutouts along the way. What is most eye opening is her strikeout total. In 77 innings pitched, McFawn has struck out 83 batters.
The pitching staff has been excellent, but the offense has also been clicking, with an overall team batting average of .279, which includes seven hitters batting over the .300 mark.
First baseman Charlise Castro has been a force at the dish for Albany, and her numbers are off the charts. Through the first 19 games of the season, the 2012 America East Player of the Year is batting .354 to go along with four home runs and 16 RBI. She leads the team with a slugging percentage of .688 and an OBP of .500.
Another key component in Albany’s offensive juggernaut is outfielder Vicky McFarland. McFarland is leading the team in hits and total bases, while her .344 average puts her third on the team.
“We faced hitters like these before,” Gleason said. “We’ll put our strategy together.”
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
