VIDEO PREVIEW

LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Softball Head Coach Danielle Henderson looks to help her squad continue to progress, as they enter year three of the Division I transition process in 2016. The new season gets underway on Friday, February 19 at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational, one of four early-season tournaments down south for the River Hawks.
 
"I'm really excited about this year," said Henderson, who is in her second season at the helm of the program. "This has been a process, but the team is working even harder in all areas. They're doing it at practice and in the weight room, and they're trying to get better at the small things, so I'm really excited to see how that translates into the games."
 
UMass Lowell finished 17-30 overall last season, a four-win improvement from the team's first year in Division I. Henderson wants the team to use what they learned in 2015 to play more confidently in 2016.
 
"We had a lot of one-run games last year, so I think the team learned that they can play with anybody and that's going to help them feel more comfortable this year. I think now they know they're just as talented as anybody else, and I'm hoping that's going to help them start taking their game to the next level."
 
PROGRAM GOALS
According to Henderson, one of her biggest goals for her team is to be ready to make the conference tournament when they are eligible in 2018. In the meantime, she just wants the River Hawks to continue to improve.
 
"We just want to improve every single game. We really want to finish a little higher in conference than we did last season, but to never give up and to just get better is the main goal."
 
KEYS TO SUCCESS
In order to work towards the goals of improving every game and finishing higher in the league standings, Henderson feels that honing in on fundamental skills of the game will be important for UMass Lowell.
 
"I think our biggest keys to success will be paying attention to the small details at practice every day and taking how we practice into games. Whether a game might be close or not, if we keep just working on our key fundamentals like executing at the plate and playing solid defense, I think that's going to help us to achieve our goals."
 
LEADERSHIP
Senior Marielle Handley (Durham, Conn.) and sophomore Samantha McQueen (Ewing, N.J.) will captain the 2016 team.
 
"Marielle and Sam's work ethic and attitude are what have caused their skills to just keep constantly getting better," explained Henderson. "They're willing to grind in there and do whatever they can."
 
However, Coach Henderson will look for several other leaders to emerge, no matter their class.
 
"We have a leader for each class so that we can start building leadership amongst every single class and that they can look out for each other," said Henderson. "Plus, we're always looking for our upperclassmen to step up. I also feel like our sophomores know what to expect this year and have come back with a different attitude. They are ready for a role of really contributing to the team success now."
 
NEWCOMERS
Henderson welcomes a class of seven newcomers in 2016, and expects all of them to potentially contribute right away.
 
"Our freshmen always bring excitement and they really want to be here. They're ready to play. We know what their potential is and we know how they can play. I think if they are able to stay calm, and trust their teammates and abilities, then we're going to see a lot of great things from them all."
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Junior Alisha Welch (Langley, British Columbia) is the River Hawks' top returning batter after leading the team with 38 hits (.299) last season. In addition, sophomore Vanessa Cooper (Pleasant Gap, Pa.), who hit .261 in her freshman campaign, is back and looking to improve on her team-best three home runs and 22 RBI from 2015.
 
Junior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) will also return to the infield, while Henderson thinks there will be a battle to earn the starting role at first base. She also expects to have several new faces in the outfield.
 
"Alisha has gotten experience with the Canadian Junior National Team," commented Henderson. "I think Tori has been great on defense and I've really seen her step up at the plate lately. First base is going to come down to who puts it all on the line because they want to earn that spot. In the outfield, we lost all seniors, but I feel that our sophomores like Sam, Madison (Alcorn) and Colleen (Frank) have really stepped up in the work that they're doing out there, and I think people are going to be shocked by their performances this year."
 
THE SCHEDULE
Coach Henderson explained that they are going to use the non-conference portion of the schedule to solidify the lineup before heading into league play.
 
"We're really excited to start our America East schedule, but we're always excited for the early season games, as well," concluded Henderson. "We have several positions that are going to come down to who hits and is a leader on the field, so those early games are going to be what prepares us for our America East opponents."