CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- For the second straight week, Boston University's April Setterlund (Torrance, Calif./Torrance) has earned America East softball Player of the Week honors after batting nearly .700 in five games last week. University of Maine's Ashley Kelley (Hermon, Maine/Hermon) earned Pitcher of the Week honors and UMBC's Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) was named Rookie of the Week. The winners for the week ending March 7 were announced Monday afternoon.
Setterlund, a junior outfielder, earned her second straight weekly honor after batting .692 in five games last week. She reached base 11 times in 15 plate appearances, including three doubles and a home run. Setterlund also drove in seven runs and scored six.
Kelley, a sophomore right-hander, went 4-0 with a 2.40 earned run average in 23.1 innings last week and was the pitcher of record in the Black Bears' 3-2 Stetson Invitational Championship Game win over the host school Sunday.
An all-rookie choice last year, Kelley struck out 11 en route to improving to 5-2 on the season.
Brown, a freshman hurler, picked up two wins in as many appearances last week and posted a 1.56 ERA to help UMBC capture the UMBC Retriever Classic. Brown, who struck out 11 against just three walks, also helped out at the plate, belting a solo homer in a win over Brown Sunday.
Team Notes
Albany (1-3), which was chosen to finish first in the America East Conference preseason poll, had the week off after winning one of its four games at Stetson’s Hatter Classic … Freshman pitcher Allie Weiser (Wildwood Crest, N.J./Wildwood Catholic) continues to lead the America East Conference with a 1.50 earned run average … Andrianna Walraven (Thompson Ridge, N.Y./Pine Bush) ranks second in the league with a .538 batting average and is among the conference leaders in stolen bases with five … UAlbany has 17 letterwinners and eight players who have earned all-conference or all-rookie team honors in their respective careers returning … Senior hurler Leah McIntosh (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) was named the program's fourth America East pitcher of the year in the past seven seasons … Senior catcher Kat Smith (Pasadena, Texas/Pasadena Memorial), junior first baseman Gina Mason (Sacramento, Calif./El Camino) and junior utility player Kristine Bill (Woodland, Calif./Woodland) are returning All-America East second-team selections … UAlbany, which has made five consecutive appearances in the conference tournament’s championship round, returns to action at the Cherry Blossom Classic hosted by George Mason on March 12-14 … The Great Danes will square off against Cornell, the reigning Ivy League champion, Mount Saint Mary’s, Niagara and the host school at the three-day tournament.
Binghamton (4-5) went 2-2 at George Washington’s Colonials Classic … BU was 0-2 on the first day, falling to Canisius 3-2 and losing to GW 4-2 … BU rebounded on the second day going 2-0, beating Canisius 1-0 and defeating Army 5-3 … Sophomore Kristen Emerling (Germantown, Tenn/Houston) and freshman Rhoda Marsteller (New Park, Pa./Kennard Dale) combined for a 1-0 shutout of the Golden Griffs … Emerling pitched the first five innings, giving up four hits, while Marsteller was perfect in two innings of relief to earn a save … Marsteller also picked up the win against Army … Junior catcher Deannie Plemon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge) hit a solo home run against Canisius, BU’s lone run … On the week, Marsteller was 1-1 with a save and a 1.37 ERA and Emerling was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA … Sophomore outfielder Meghan Tucker (Kirkwood, N.Y./Windsor) led the team with a .417 batting average on the week and Plemon batted .357 with three RBI … Binghamton will play four games next weekend at Norfolk State’s Invite and will look to raise their record over the .500 mark.
Boston University (4-6) moved to 4-6 on the young season as it went 2-3 last weekend at the USF Under Armour Invitational with wins over Villanova and Robert Morris. Junior April Setterlund (Torrance, Calif./South Torrance) was impressive in five appearances, hitting .692 with nine hits, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs … Two other players hit over .400 as junior Caitlin Rentler batted .462 with six hits and three RBIs and freshman Jayme Mask hit .412 with one triple and one RBI … In the pitcher's circle, Hardy was the team's top hurler, earning a 2.42 ERA in three appearances with 19 strikeouts … She held opposing batters to a team-best .231 average … BU will remain in Clearwater, Fla. to face Radford, Ball State, Saint Joseph's, Indiana, Cleveland State, Jacksonville State and Southern Illinois.
Hartford (0-0) hopes to return to the conference tournament after a two-year absence. Senior first baseman Ann Kyzer (Boxborough, Mass./Acton-Boxborough Reg.) is the Hawks’ top returnee at the plate after batting .294 and driving in 23 last year. Senior hurler Brittney Stratton (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), will try to regain her form of two years ago when she posted a 1.95 ERA and earned second-team all-conference honors. Todd Randall’s team doesn’t open its season until March 12 at the Winthrop/adidas Invitational.
Maine (8-13) capped off a solid first week in Florida with the Stetson Invitational Championship. The Black Bears went 7-4 on the weekend after going 3-2 in the Stetson Invitational. Maine came back from being shutout against Stetson in a 8-0 game Saturday to winning the Championship game with a home run by Kristen Calvetti. Alexis Souhlaris led Maine in a crucial 2-0 win over Appalachian State that propelled UMaine to the championship game. Souhlaris allowed only two-hits and none to SoCon Preseason Player of the Year, Katie Boyd, in the complete game performance. The Black Bears will face UCF and South Florida Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to the USF Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Fla.
After not playing in two weeks, UMBC (7-1) won all four games at last weekend’s UMBC Retriever Classic to take the tournament title and run its winning streak to seven… At 7-1, the Retrievers are off to their best eight-game start in program history… UMBC scored 26 runs and batted .340 with 35 hits, including 12 for extra bases, on the weekend… Junior first baseman Malorie Weller (Round Hill, Va./Loudoun Valley/Kennesaw State) was named tournament MVP after batting .417 (5-for-12) with three doubles, four RBI and four runs scored… UMBC defeated Morgan State, 10-2, in six innings… Senior third baseman Amanda Fefel (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) hit a three-run homer during UMBC’s six-run second inning… It was the 32nd homer of her career, leaving her eight shy of the school record… In their next game, the Retrievers defeated Fairleigh Dickinson, 6-5… Junior second baseman Lauren Brummell (Hanover, Va./Hanover) hit a two-run triple, her second three-bagger of the afternoon… UMBC defeated Brown, 4-2, in the final game of pool play on Sunday… Freshman pitcher Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) helped her own cause, lifting a solo homer for the first hit of her career… In the championship game, the Retrievers again defeated the Bears, 6-5… Senior right fielder Emily Thompson (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) hit a two-run double in the fifth for a pair of important insurance runs… Brown and junior Stephanie Weigman (Elkridge, Md./Archbishop Spalding) each earned two victories, while Fefel posted two saves, giving her a UMBC-record four on the season and a UMBC-record seven in her career… Weigman holds UMBC’s career strikeout record with 468, and she ranks third all-time with 40 career victories… The Retrievers have a busy week, traveling to Delaware for a doubleheader on Tuesday, then returning home for a doubleheader against George Washington on Thursday before hosting the UMBC Dawg Pound Invitational against Morgan State, Bucknell, St. Francis (Pa.) and Seton Hall this weekend.
Stony Brook (3-6) lost all four of its games at the Wolfpack Challenge this weekend in Raleigh, N.C… the Seawolves lost a pair of close games as late-inning home runs by Georgetown and Coastal Carolina helped them get by SBU… senior Katelyn O’Donnell led the Seawolves against Georgetown, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored… she hit .300 for the week… senior Vicki Kavitsky paced SBU offensively with a .364 average and three RBI… sophomore Colleen Matthes was solid in two relief appearances, recording seven strikeouts in eight innings… this weekend, Stony Brook travels to Tampa, Fla. to participate in the South Florida Under Armour Showcase… the Seawolves will face Southern Illinois, Penn State, Kennesaw State, Toledo and Ball State.