Tuesday, April 4
at UConn (4 p.m.) – Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Wednesday, April 5
vs. Rhode Island (DH, 3 p.m.) - Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Saturday, April 8
vs. UAlbany (DH, 1 p.m.) – Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Sunday, April 9
vs. UAlbany (12 p.m.) – Live Stats | Watch Live
 
Twitter: @RiverHawkSB @RiverHawkNation Tweet #UnitedInBlue
 
LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell softball team (9-13, 2-0 AE) is looking ahead to a busy week, as the team travels to UConn for a single game on Tuesday, April 4 at 4 p.m. before kicking off their longest homestand of the season.

The River Hawks will finally play their home opener on Wednesday, April 5 when Rhode Island comes to town for a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 5. Over the weekend, the squad welcomes America East foe UAlbany to River View Field for a three game series, with a twin bill on Saturday, April 8 followed by a single game on Sunday, April 9. 

RIVER HAWK REWIND
UMass Lowell owns a 9-13 overall record and a 2-0 mark in America East games after going 2-1 last week. After 11 days without a game, the River Hawks were able to get in a non-conference matchup at Boston College on March 30. In that outing, UMass Lowell scored first, but the Eagles went on to take the 3-1 decision. Most recently, the team opened league play with a doubleheader at Hartford on April 2. Sophomore pitcher Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) threw her first no-hitter in game one to lead the River Hawks to a 6-0 decision before the team took a 3-1 win off a two-run homer by sophomore Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) in game two. Senior Tori Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) paced the team at the plate during the week with five hits for a .500 average and a .583 on-base percentage.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 22 games this year, freshman Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) is one of five River Hawks hitting over .300 with a .382 average off 29 hits. She adds a team-high seven doubles and a .579 slugging percentage with 13 runs scored. Junior Madison Alcorn (Lowell, Mass.) follows closely with a .381 average, while Tori Alcorn, who is hitting .324, is first on the team with 17 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .418 on-base percentage. Sydney Barker is leading the team with 18 RBI and five home runs, as well. Kaysee Talcik paces the pitching staff with a 5-7 record, a 3.18 ERA and 43 strikeouts.

THE OPPONENTS
UConn currently owns a 12-15 overall record in 2017 after splitting a pair of decisions at South Florida on April 2. Valerie Sadowl leads the Huskies with a .329 average, while Katie Koshes owns a 5-3 record in the circle with a 1.56 ERA. Rhode Island is 5-18 so far this year, having swept a three-game series against Saint Louis pm April 1-2. Kylie Shivery is first on the team at the plate, hitting .317. Lastly, UAlbany sits at 13-9 this season and 0-2 in America East games after dropping a doubleheader against Stony Brook on April 2. Elizabeth Snow (.373) is one of four Great Danes batting over .300. In the circle, Celeste Verdolivo is 4-4 this season with a 3.77 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday's contest will mark the first ever meeting between UMass Lowell and UConn in the sport of softball. The River Hawks lead the all-time series against Rhode Island, 4-2, after sweeping a doubleheader on the road last year. The team also owns a slight, 9-6 edge all-time against UAlbany, although the Great Danes swept three games at their field in 2016.
 
ZEROING IN
Kaysee Talcik turned in the most dominate performance of her career to date in game one of a doubleheader at Hartford on April 2. In that contest, the sophomore pitcher not only hurled her first career no-hitter, but also picked up her second complete-game shutout of the season. The no-hitter marked the first for the program since 2010.
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The River Hawks have already played four extra innings games in 2017 and have won three of those contests. The squad first picked up an 8-6 victory at North Texas on Feb. 11 in eight innings before walking off in the eighth, 4-3, against Yale on Feb. 25, and downing Charleston, 4-3, in eight on March 12.
 
GOING STREAKING
Marianne Sparacia put together an 11-game reached base streak from Feb. 24 to March 17, good for the team's longest of the season. She is also tied for the longest hitting streak of the year with classmate Courtney Cashman (7 games).
 
BOMBS AWAY
The River Hawks' bats came alive at the UNCW Tournament on March 17-19, with eight home runs in five games. Now just 22 games into the season, the team has already combined for 14 long balls, more than the total number of homers they logged all of last season (13).
 
DOUBLING UP
The River Hawks logged a season-best four doubles in an extra-innings win at North Texas on Feb. 11. Tori Alcorn, Marianne Sparacia, Vanessa Cooper and Casey Harding each registered a two-bagger in that contest. The River Hawks, who combined for three doubles in three of the five games at the Holy City Showdown from March 10-12, are currently ranked second in the conference with 29 doubles on the year.
 
WALK IT OUT
Redshirt-freshman Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) has drawn 12 walks so far in 2017. That puts her tied for fourth in the America East rankings.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE
UMass Lowell was one of three teams to open America East play 2-0. Binghamton and Stony Brook also swept conference action last weekend. As a team, the River Hawks are ranked second with 29 doubles, and third for several categories, including batting average (.273) and total bases (244).
 
RECEIVING RECOGNITION
Courtney Cashman was named both America East Rookie of the Week and River Hawk of the Week on March 21 after batting .500 with eight runs and eight RBI in six games. Kaysee Talcik earned her second career America East Pitcher of the Week nod and her first of the new season on Feb. 28, following her complete-game win against North Dakota in which she recorded a personal-best eight strikeouts.
 
NOTABLES
Kaysee Talcik matched a personal best with eight strikeouts en route to her first career no-hitter at Hartford (4.2) …   Courtney Cashman set new season highs with five RBI and four hits, and tied a program record with two home runs against Georgetown (3.17) … Emily Stevenson registered her first career home run against Georgetown (3.17) … Alisha Welch logged a season-high three hits with two doubles against Chattanooga (3.11) … Marianne Sparacia tied a personal-best mark with three hits against both North Carolina (3.11) and Northern Kentucky (3.10) … Madison Alcorn set a new career high with three hits against Northern Kentucky (3.10) … Kaysee Talcik registered a career-high eight strikeouts against North Dakota (2.25) … Tori Alcorn totaled a personal-best four RBI in the win vs. UND … Lauren Ramirez forced a season-best six strikeouts at North Texas (2.11) and against Arkansas (2.12) … Casey Harding logged her first career home run at North Texas (2.11).