2008 schedule Maryland Softball. Day Date opponent location time (Feb. 8-10; Host: Florida Atlantic)

Transcription

1 General information Table of Contents Quick Facts 2008 Schedule 1 Robert E. Taylor Stadium Season Outlook 4 Coaching Staff Head Coach Laura Watten 6 Coaching Staff 7 Roster Information 8 Terrapin Profiles Season Review Game Results Season Statistics ACC Review 22 History, Honors and Records Year-By-Year Records 23 All-Time Honors 23 Team Records 24 Career Leaders 24 Single-Season Records 25 All-Time Roster 26 Game-By-Game Results 28 All-Time Series Records 31 Amber Jackson 34 All-Time ACC Standings 35 Opponent Information 36 University of Maryland 38 President C.D. Mote Jr. 39 Athletics Director Deborah A. Yow 40 UM s Distinguished Alumni 42 Academic Support & Career Development 43 Media Information 44 Quick Facts Location College Park, Md Founded 1856 Enrollment 35,102 Nickname Terrapins, Terps Colors Red, White, Black and Gold Affiliation NCAA Division I Conference Atlantic Coast President Dr. C.D. Mote Jr. (California 59) Athletic Director Deborah A. Yow (Elon 74) Head Coach Laura Watten (Texas-Arlington 92) Overall Record (Years): (10) Record at Maryland (Years): (2) Assistant Coaches: Alissa Smith (Florida A&M 93) Trena Peel (LSU 03) Best Time to Reach Coach: Through Media Relations First Year of Softball 1995 Home Field (Capacity) Robert E. Taylor Stadium (1,200) Records overall Home Away Neutral 2007 Record ACC Record ACC Tournament Finish T5th Letterwinners Returning/Lost 8/6 Starters Returning/Lost 5/6 Newcomers 6 Associate A.D./Media Relations Doug Dull Media Relations Phone Softball Contact Tom Fenstermaker Office Phone tfenster@umd.edu Media Relations Fax Terps Website schedule Day Date opponent location time (Feb. 8-10; Host: Florida Atlantic) At Florida Atlantic Kick-off Classic Fri Feb 8 vs. Michigan Boca Raton, Fla. 11 a.m. Fri Feb. 8 vs. Massachusetts Boca Raton, Fla. 1 p.m. Sat Feb. 9 vs. North Florida Boca Raton, Fla. 1 p.m. Sat Feb. 9 vs. Florida Atlantic Boca Raton, Fla. 6 p.m. Sun Feb. 10 Bracket Play-TBA Boca Raton, Fla. TBA (Feb ; Host: Coastal Carolina) At Coastal Carolina Tournament Sat Feb. 16 vs. Coastal Carolina Myrtle Beach, S.C. 11 a.m. Sat Feb. 16 vs. Elon Myrtle Beach, S.C. 1:30 p.m. Sun Feb. 17 vs. Elon Myrtle Beach, S.C. 11 a.m. Sun Feb. 17 vs. Coastal Carolina Myrtle Beach, S.C. 1:30 p.m Thu Feb. 21 UMBC [DH] College Park, Md. 2 p.m. (Feb Mar. 2; Host: Central Florida) At ALtamonte Springs Tournament Fri Feb. 29 vs. Villanova Altamonte Springs, Fla. Noon Fri Feb. 29 vs. Vermont Altamonte Springs, Fla. 2 p.m. Sat March 1 vs. Florida A&M Altamonte Springs, Fla. Noon Sat March 1 vs. USA Olympic Team Altamonte Springs, Fla. 7 p.m. Sun March 2 Bracket Play-TBA Altamonte Springs, Fla. TBA Wed March 5 James Madison [DH] College Park, Md. 4 p.m. (March 7-9; Host: Maryland) Maryland Invitational Fri March 7 Stony Brook College Park, Md. 5 p.m. Fri March 7 Seton Hall College Park, Md. 7 p.m. Sat March 8 Columbia College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sat March 8 fordham College Park, Md. 5 p.m. Sun March 9 Mt. St. Mary s College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Wed March 13 Pittsburgh [DH] College Park, Md. 4 p.m. (March 16-18; Host: Maryland) Maryland Spring Break Classic Fri March 14 St. Peter's College Park, Md. 5 p.m. Sat March 15 Lehigh College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sat March 15 Valparaiso College Park, Md. 5 p.m. Sun March 16 UMBC College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sun March 16 Niagara College Park, Md. 3 p.m. Sun March 21 * at North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 5 p.m. Sat March 22 * at North Carolina [DH] Chapel Hill, N.C. 1 p.m. Sat March 29 * Virginia Tech [DH] College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sun March 30 * Virginia Tech College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Wed April 2 delaware State [DH] College Park, Md. 5 p.m. Sat April 5 * Florida State [DH] College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sun April 6 * Florida State College Park, Md. Noon Wed April 9 Georgetown [DH] College Park, Md. 4 p.m. Sat April 12 * at NC State [DH] Raleigh, N.C. 1 p.m. Sun April 13 * at NC State Raleigh, N.C. 1 p.m. Wed April 16 at Penn State [DH] University Park, Pa. 4 p.m. Sat April 19 * Virginia [DH] College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Sun April 20 * Virginia College Park, Md. 1 p.m. Wed. April 23 George Washington [DH] College Park, Md. 4 p.m. Sat April 26 * at Georgia Tech [DH] atlanta, Ga. 1 p.m. Sun April 27 * at Georgia Tech atlanta, Ga. 1 p.m. Wed April 25 Towson [DH] Baltimore, Md. 3 p.m. Sat May 3 * at Boston College [DH] Chestnut Hill, Mass. 1 p.m. Sun May 4 * at Boston College Chestnut Hill, Mass. 1 p.m. Thu-Sun May 8-11 acc Tournament College Park, Md. tba Thu-Sat May NCAA Regional TBA TBA Fri-Sun May NCAA Super Regional TBA TBA Wed-Wed May 28-June 4 Women s College World Series Oklahoma City, Okla. TBA *indicates ACC games; Home games listed in bold played at the Robert E. Taylor Stadium All times local to site Schedule subject to change

2 Robert Taylor Jr., a pharmacist who also runs his family s farm near Spotsylvania, Va., made a significant gift to name the new softball facility in honor of his father, Robert Taylor Sr., and his son, Robert Taylor III. Taylor has been an avid Terrapin fan since the early 1980s, and is proud of touting all that Maryland has accomplished, both on and off the playing field.

3 Now in its sixth full season, Robert E. Taylor Stadium remains one of the premier softball facitlities in the nation. The $3 million structure is a state-of-the-art athletic facility that serves as the Terps' home field and will play host to the ACC Tournament this season for the second time in five years. Taylor Stadium will also host the Maryland Invitational (March 7-9) and the Maryland Spring Break Classic (March 14-16) this spring. Facility Amenities Stadium seating for more than 1,000 fans Underground dugouts with restrooms Two bullpen areas Four batting cages Light towers Concessions area Ticket booth Enclosed press box Natural Bermuda grass outfield Electronic scoreboard Ample parking Taylor Stadium sits adjacent to Comcast Center on the north side of campus, where basketball, wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics competitions take place. Student-athletes have access to locker room and weight training facilities, athletic department offices and the academic support and career development center. Remarkably, opening day of Taylor Stadium featured a Maryland no-hitter in a game on April 10, 2002 against local rival Towson. Amanda Bettker, who owns Maryland s second-best career ERA (1.61), fanned seven batters en route to her first complete game no-hitter and a 7-0 win for the Terps. Since the inaugural game in April of 2002, the Terrapins have compiled a record at home at Taylor Stadium.

4 season outlook terps Look to Build on Last Year's Record-Setting Season Fresh off a record-setting season, head coach Laura Watten and the Terps are ready to make a push for their goal of an NCAA Tournament bid. Maryland has improved its win total in each of Watten s two seasons, and this year s team will look to do the same. The Maryland lineup will feature eight key returnees from last year s squad and a healthy crop of incoming impact players including three freshmen and three transfers. Last year s team featured a similar mix of talent, and Watten and her staff blended the players brilliantly into an offensive force. The Terrapins set new school records for home runs (59), stolen bases (98) and triples (13). Numerous individual records fell as well. Amber Jackson, a Bethune-Cookman transfer who followed Watten to Maryland, had the greatest offensive season in school history, setting new single-season records for batting average (.408), runs (61), home runs (24), RBIs (56) and walks (55). Jackson led the NCAA in home runs and was a first-team All- America selection by Easton. This year s squad may not have the star power of an Amber Jackson, but Watten doesn t necessarily see that as a bad thing. I m not concerned about replacing anybody, she said. I feel like we re only going to get better and we have a lot of depth and we have a lot of players who can play multiple positions, and play them well. We have a lot of great solid all-around players, not one or two superstars. PITCHING Meredith Nelles, the star of last year s pitching staff, returns to give the Terps a reliable arm in the pitching circle. The New Jersey native was the last woman standing in the bullpen last season after injuries slowed the Terps two senior pitchers. Nelles responded with 19 wins, tied for third most all-time on the school s single-season list, despite pitching nearly every game in the season s final month. The pitching staff is looking really strong, Watten said. We ve got some depth this year and I think we have a lot of versatility that s really going to help Meredith and keep them all pretty healthy and strong. Luckily for Nelles and the Terps, help has arrived in the form of transfers Lindsey Wright and Sarah Dooley, and freshman Kerry Hickey. Dooley, a product of Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla., has drawn praise from the Maryland coaches for her demeanor in the circle and her ability to hit her spots consistently. The junior was an all-state selection in Florida each of the past two seasons. Wright comes to Maryland from Santa Fe Community College, and the sophomore will also feature prominently in the Terps pitching plans this year. Hickey dominated at nearby Huntington High School where she was named All-Met player of the year as a senior. She will provide another powerful arm for the Terps this season and in the years to come. Brittany Bessho Meredith Nelles Alex Schultz They re all different styles of pitchers and they ve all got different strengths as their best pitches, Watten said. They really work together well as a unit. There s a good balance in what their strengths are. We ll be able to throw different pitches and pitchers at teams and mix it up quite a bit to keep our opponents guessing. CATCHING Despite the loss of graduated senior catcher Jennifer Wellborn, an NFCA All-Region selection last season, the position should be one of stability with the return of Brittany Bessho, who started 38 games for the Terps last year while splitting catching duties with Wellborn. Bessho started the year slowly at the plate, but picked up her hitting as the year progressed. The senior recorded a nine-game hitting streak, third longest on the team, and also holds the top average (.292) and slugging percentage (.348) among returnees. The former transfer from Tennessee will look to increase those numbers in her second year in the Maryland program. Brit is definitely one of the biggest leaders on this team because she s so vocal, positive and hungry, Watten said. She works really well with the pitchers. They re really comfortable throwing to her and she can call her game. Joining Bessho behind the plate are Julie Lofland, a freshman from Mustang, Okla., and sophomore Alex Gagne, who provided quality depth for the Terps last season in limited action. INFIELD Maryland s infield personnel features a versatile group of athletes which Watten feels she will be able to adjust to fit the team s needs for any given opponent. Sarde Stewart, a Bethune-Cookman transfer like her sister Amber Jackson, should take over full-time first base duties in place of the departed Lindsay Klein. Stewart had eight doubles and 17 RBIs in her first season at Maryland last year, and spent the offseason improving her strength in preparation of her final season of eligibility. Sarde is a great fielder and a strong hitter. She ll be anchoring that first base side, Watten said. Jackson leaves big shoes to fill at shortstop, but Watten isn t concerned with the middle of her defense. Sophomore sensation Alex Schultz, senior Whitney Reigel, and freshman Krista Gould, give the Maryland coaches some impressive defensive weapons at second base and shortstop. Schultz proved to be among the Terps most versatile weapons last season, shifting frequently from second base to center field. She started all but one game and showed a penchant for making the spectacular diving catch. Reigel has started 69 games in her Terrapin career, and Gould a product of Peninsula High School in Ranchos Palos Verde, Calif., was impressive in fall workouts. Watten has options at third base as well, where junior transfer Breanna Shaw, another Bethune-Cookman transplant, will see time along with junior Devon Williams.

5 Sarde Stewart Jenny Belak Breanna has extremely quick hands and she s somebody I like to have over there to patrol that side of the field. Devon will add some depth there as well. Watten said. Bessho will likely see time at third when she s not posted behind the plate. OUTFIELD The Terrapins look to be set in the outfield where Watten can choose from a variety of interchangeable players. Speedy senior Jenny Belak has started 164 games in the outfield for the Terps. Jenny is great of course. She s really focused on having a successful year, Watten said. Belak will be joined by Williams and senior Meghan Booth, both of whom have starting experience in the outfield as well. Megan has grown and worked so hard to be here. She s one of the most fundamentally sound outfielders I think I ve ever seen, said Watten. She s really worked so hard and she s determined to be out there and be a part of that unit. Devon has also worked really hard to be a part of things, and she s somebody who will be on the field as well. Schultz spent a good deal of her freshman year in center field making spectacular catches, and Watten can also add talented redshirt freshman Nikki Lau to the mix, as the Colorado native continues to make a successful comeback from shoulder surgery. Hickey will also likely see time in the outfield when she is not in the pitcher s circle. Niki sat out a year, but she came back and had a great fall season at the plate and in the field, Watten noted. We have a lot of depth and a lot of versatility out there. Overall Watten believes this is the Maryland team that can earn the school s first NCAA Tournament bid since There is much better chemistry this season, she said. Last year we had a mix of some strong personalities, but this year it s kind of leveled out and we ve got a better chemistry and a better direction. That s a part of their growth. They all have the same goals and they all want the same thing and that s the common bond and they re all working equally as hard, which means they re all doing the best that they can do, and that s a good sign. Meghan Booth Devon Williams SCHEDULE The Terps play 19 games against teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, and will serve as host to the 2008 ACC Tournament as well. It marks the second time in three years that the ACC tournament has been played at Robert E. Taylor Stadium. Maryland opens the season just as they did a year ago - taking on softball powerhouse Michigan at the Florida Atlantic University Tournament. The Terps played the Wolverines tight in two games in Florida last season, losing 6-1 and 2-1 to a Michigan squad which finished the year Maryland will also face Massachusetts, an NCAA Regional host last season, and North Florida and Florida Atlantic in that tournament, which is scheduled for February The Terps also hit the road for two more February tournaments. The team first heads to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the Coastal Carolina Tournament, and then to Orlando Fla. for the University of Central Florida Tournament. Sandwiched in between those weekend trips, Maryland returns to College Park for its home opener, a doubleheader with UMBC on February 21. Following the Orlando trip, Maryland will play host to a pair of tournaments, the Maryland Invitational and the Maryland Spring Break Classic. The Terps then open up their ACC schedule with a trip to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Maryland stunned Carolina in a thrilling extra-inning contest last season on national television when Jackson hit a walk-off home run. Other ACC road dates include trips to North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Boston College. Maryland will play host to Florida State and Virginia, as well as defending league champion Virginia Tech, who is led by two-time ACC Pitcher of the Year Angela Tincher. In non-conference action this season, Maryland will travel to Penn State and welcome James Madison, Pittsburgh, Delaware State, Georgetown, George Washington and Towson to College Park. At the conclusion of the regular season, Maryland will hold the ACC Tournament (May 8-11) at Taylor Stadium. The Terps finished 1-2 in the tournament at Florida State last season, with an upset win over NC State.