LOWELL, Mass. – After opening the season with a 3-2 record at the Tiger Invitational hosted by Auburn, the UMass Lowell softball team will aim to keep learning and improving at the Phoenix Invitational hosted by Elon on Saturday-Sunday, February 19-20.
 
Saturday, February 19
at Elon (11:45am) - Watch | Live Stats
at Elon (2:00pm) - Watch | Live Stats

Sunday, February 20
vs. Providence (9:30am) - Watch | Live Stats
vs. Morgan State (11:45am) - Watch | Live Stats

Team History
Elon University – First meeting
Providence College – All-time record: 1-1 | Last meeting: Feb. 10, 2019 (PC, 5-3)
Morgan State University – First Meeting
 
Last Time Out
Behind the arms of America East Pitcher of the Week Ryley White (Wareham, Mass.) and Chelsea Runyon (Scripps Ranch, Calif.), UMass Lowell won a pair of games against St. John's and one matchup against Seton Hall at the Tiger Invitational on Feb. 11-13. The duo recorded 14 strikeouts apiece throughout the season-opening tournament and combined to only allow a .274 opponent batting average.
 
The River Hawks first defeated St. John's (6-2) and Seton Hall (4-0) on day one of the 2022 season to earn Head Coach Jen Starek her first victories at the helm of the program.
 
Sophomore Becca Vaillancourt (Tiverton, R.I.) has had the most success at the plate, leading hitters in on-base percentage (.533), batting average (.364) and walks (3). Complementing her was graduate student Olivia Labbe (Rochester, Mass.), who hit 5-for-14 over the weekend, including three doubles.
 
At shortstop, sophomore Lea White (Meriden, Conn.) demonstrated her effective fielding capabilities throughout the tournament, converting eight putouts and logging six assists on 14 chances.

A Proper Introduction
Head Coach Jen Starek earned her first wins at the helm of the River Hawk program by taking down both Seton Hall and St. John's on day one of the Tiger Inivtational 6-2 and 4-0 respectively.

Pitcher's Can Hit Too!
White's season in the pitcher's circle started on a high note, beginning with a 2-0 record and included a seven strikeout performance in the River Hawks' second contest with St. John's. Beyond defense, she proved effective from the batter's box as well. The junior hit 3-for-9 at the plate over the weekend and drove in 4 RBI to lead the team in that category.

Everything is A-O-KKKKK
Runyon dominated the St. John's offense in her outing against the Red Storm, striking out a career high 11 batters and only allowing three hits. 

Pinch-Hit Power
In the top half of the sixth inning in game two against St. John's, the River Hawks were trailing 2-0 in the ballgame before freshman Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) stood in to pinch hit. The outfielder wasted no time and sent a long fly ball out to left-center field that cleared the fence and hit the scoreboard to get UMass Lowell offense rolling. The home run gave the team the momentum to pour on a four-run inning and eventually clinch the win. 

Scouting the Phoenix
Elon has started off the 2022 campaign with a 4-0 record following a sweep of competition in last weekend's Elon Softball Classic and a midweek victory against North Carolina 4-3. Through their opening contests, the Phoenix outscored opponents, 16-9. The CAA preseason coach's poll slotted Elon in third place, receiving 35 points and one first-place vote.
 
The team returns two of its top three hitters, Rebecca Murray and Megan Grant. Murray led the squad in 2021 in batting average (.352) and hits (42), while tallying 27 runs and 20 RBI. Grant finished third on the team with a .323 batting average. She tagged home for 26 runs, drew 21 walks and hit 16 RBI last spring. Both outfielders were second-team All-CAA selections for their efforts.
 
Elon ended last season with an 18-21 record, finishing 10-8 in the CAA. Pitching was a strength for the unit that finished second in the conference with a 2.84 ERA. In the infield, the Phoenix return junior Bella Devesa and sophomore Gabi Schaal, who finished inside the top ten in 2021 conference play for assists.
 
Scouting the Friars
Providence has yet to compete in 2022, but will open the season with two games against Elon and Morgan State this weekend before closing out against the River Hawks on Sunday. The Friars were projected to finish eighth in the Big East preseason coaches' poll after receiving 20 votes.
 
Last season, Providence finished with a 4-13-1 record in conference play. Like UMass Lowell, they have a young squad, but a key returner for them will be Daniela Alvarez. The senior pitcher finished the 2021 season with a 2.62 ERA in Big East play, good for second in the conference, earning her Second Team All-Conference honors.
 
While the Friars struggled at the plate last season, finishing at the bottom of their conference with a .208 batting average, they hope to find continued success from the circle. Only behind Villanova, this season's favorites in the league, Providence finished with a 2.69 combined ERA.
 
The duo of Tori Grifone and Milford, Massachusetts native Jessica Tomaso led the way for the 2021 Friars in batting average and on-base percentage, with both players holding an OBP of more than .450.
 
Scouting Morgan State
After taking the MEAC crown in 2021 and clinching a birth into the NCAA Tournament, the Bears are looking to repeat their success from last year's campaign, and it begins this weekend at the Phoenix Invitational.
 
Last year, the team finished with a 24-18 overall record, including a 14-5 record in conference play. Now in 2022, the Bears are once again favored to win the MEAC, but will be met with fierce competition. The preseason coaches' poll for the conference resulted in a draw between Morgan State and Norfolk State for the top spot, with both receiving 107 points.
 
Consistency was key for the Bears to earn their NCAA Tournament birth, ranking third in the MEAC in both team batting average (.268) and fielding percentage (.953), with a second overall finish in ERA (3.38).
 
Sisters Aliya and Mia Ewell both return to Morgan State this year as preseason All-Conference selections. Aliya earned her first-team selection after being one of the MEAC's most effective baserunners. The senior outfielder ranked inside the top ten in six batting categories in the conference last season, leading the league in triples (4) and runs scored (29). Her younger sister Mia, a sophomore, also showed promise in developing as a player. In the field, she was heavily relied upon at shortstop, and ended the year with a .952 fielding percentage and ranked second on the team in assists with 43.