LOWELL, Mass. – In Head Coach Jen Starek’s second season at the helm, the UMass Lowell softball team finished a solid 2023 campaign with a 21-29-1 overall record. The squad was 8-12 in America East play, landing them in fourth place to conclude the season. 

Coming off a successful 2022 season (28-20, 10-7 AE), Starek and the River Hawks were confident that they could do some damage this season. The biggest reasons why were the strength of pitching and the team’s overall depth.

LINK TO SEASON PREVIEW

A total of eight newcomers were added to the 2023 roster, including two graduate transfers, one sophomore transfer and five freshmen.  Graduate transfer Emily Reid came to Lowell from America East Conference foe Maine, while Mya Case spent her fifth year as a River Hawk after a successful career as a New Haven Charger, coached by Starek. 

NEWCOMERS RELEASE

REGULAR SEASON

The season opened at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic from February 9-10, hosted by Coastal Carolina. The River Hawks fell to the hosts in four games that weekend, but saw many good things to build off of for the remainder of the season. 

The River Hawks then went on to the Hampton/Norfolk State Invitational the next weekend, where they picked up their first victory of the year, 2-0, over Norfolk State. Ryley White pitched a 10-inning, two-hit shutout, while Cayla Tulley and Morgan Fisher each had RBIs to secure the win. 

The team came up short in the next two games of the Hamton/Norfolk State Invitational against Lehigh, 5-1, and Hampton, 5-2, but capped off the trip to Virginia with a stellar 9-1 run-rule victory against Quinnipiac. In the five-inning matchup, Case tied the NCAA Division I record for most doubles in a single game, with four, concluding the game going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBI. This game also marked freshman pitcher Giana LaCedra’s first career victory, tossing all five innings and allowing just one hit and one run with eight strikeouts from the circle.

QUINNIPIAC RECAP

The River Hawks traveled even more south next, going 4-3-1 in eight games in Louisiana, facing off against Louisiana Tech, Houston Christian, Grambling State and Southern. They fell in their first two games to Louisiana Tech and Houston Christian, before coming back and splitting their pair of games the next day against the same two teams. The squad found success against Grambling State and Southern, defeating the Tigers before playing to a draw due to darkness. The next day, the River Hawks swept their doubleheader against Southern with a pair of 9-0 shutouts, tallying 23 hits offensively and allowing just three total hits.

SOUTHERN RECAP

The final spring trip for the River Hawks was to the Rutgers Tournament, hosted by Rutgers from March 17-19. They started off hot, going 2-0 on day one, with two one-run victories against Saint Peter’s (3-2) and Iona (4-3). Graduate student Tori Mueller was the hero of the Iona game, tallying three hits, in addition to the walk-off sacrifice fly to give the River Hawks the win. The River Hawks fell to those same two teams the next day, before coming up short to Rutgers, 9-1, to conclude the weekend.

And just like that, the spring trips were in the past, and the teams returned to Lowell with an 8-12-1 record. This meant it was time for the home opener. 

To kick off the home slate, the River Hawks welcomed Massachusetts to town for a midweek Kennedy Cup matchup. This was an extremely exciting day, with everything going well for the River Hawks on their way to a 3-0 shutout of the Minutewomen. LaCedra, the freshman, pitched a gem of a game, tossing a complete-game shutout and shutting down any chance of a Massachusetts comeback. Two River Hawk home runs gave them the victory, as Morgan Fisher smashed a two-run shot over the left field fence in the first inning, before Mya Case added a solo homer in the sixth to help the team enjoy a fun opening day.

HOME OPENER VS. UMASS RECAP

The weekend after the home opener, the River hawks began America East play, with a two-game series with UAlbany which was originally scheduled to be three games, but was shortened due to weather. The team came up short on a Great Danes’ walk-off in game one, before falling 8-4 in game two. 

A doubleheader with Merrimack got the River Hawks back on track, finishing it off with a 12-0 run-rule blowout against the Warriors. Eight different players recorded at least one hit in the win, as Ellie Frederick and Cayla Tulley each homered, as LaCedra tossed another complete-game shutout with two hits allowed and four strikeouts. 

The River Hawks rode this momentum into a three-game set with the Bryant Bulldogs, picking up their first conference series victory and winning two out of three. With a 3-2 victory in game one, Coach Starek earned her 500th career victory. Throughout her years of coaching, she has won as the head coach of four different schools, including Simmons, Mt. Ida, New Haven and now UMass Lowell. 

A Tuesday doubleheader with Boston University on April 4 broke up America East play before the River Hawks hosted the top team in the conference, UMBC. They were able to defeat the Retrievers in game two, 3-2, on a walkoff single from Morgan Fisher, giving them the confidence they needed to take two of three at Maine the next week and improve to 15-21-1 overall and 5-6 in conference play.

ANOTHER MILESTONE

In the River Hawks’ 5-4 victory over Maine in game three of their series, senior Ryley White achieved an impressive career milestone, as she became the program’s Division I career leader in strikeouts, passing Kaysee Talcik’s previous record of 317. Before the game, White sat at 317 and was tied for the record, before striking out three Black Bears to claim sole possession of the record.

A late-season, non-conference doubleheader against Stonehill once again steered the River Hawks in the right direction as they earned the sweep, winning two hard-fought games by scores of 2-0 and 3-2 as they headed into the final stretch of the regular season. 

STONEHILL RECAP

The regular season ended with back-to-back conference series against UAlbany at home, and UMBC on the road. The River Hawks won the series against the Great Danes, which included an emotional and exciting 6-2 senior day victory on April 29. Prior to the game, the River Hawks honored and celebrated the careers of Tori Mueller, Kaylie See, Emily Reid, Mya Case, Brenna Davenport, Darlene Gutierrez, Cayla Tulley and Ryley White. 

The thrilling victory marked a memorable day for the River Hawks’ fans, coaches, players and their families. All but one senior/graduate student tallied a hit in the game, and senior Cayla Tulley roped a two-run home run in the third inning and totaled three RBI. Senior Ryley White also found success from the circle, tossing a complete game and allowing two runs on six hits with five strikeouts to help secure the win

The regular season came to a close with a road series at UMBC and a 3-2 victory in game three. Emily Tow hit her first home run in game two of the series, while Morgan Fisher’s two RBI in game three helped the River Hawks finish the regular season on a high note. Ryley White pitched 4.2 innings in relief, allowing just one hit and collecting three strikeouts.

REGULAR SEASON FINALE RECAP

AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP 

With an 8-12 conference record, the River Hawks entered the America East Championship as the four seed, matching them up with the fifth-seeded Bryant in the first round. During the regular season, the River Hawks had just the one series with the Bulldogs, where they won two of three. 

The team had an explosive performance in round one, making a statement with an 11-3 run-rule victory that included two two-run home runs from Ellie Frederick and a 3-for-4, four RBI day from Brenna Davenport. Freshman Katelyn Fitzgerald and Emily Tow each tallied two hits in three at-bats, but it was Frederick’s blast in the bottom of the fifth that walked the River Hawks off with the victory. From the circle, Ryley White tossed 4.1 innings, allowing three boots and three runs with a whopping seven strikeouts.

The win advanced the River Hawks to the second round, where they were paired with the top-seeded UMBC, who got the best of the River Hawks by a score of 7-0, sending the squad to an elimination game later that day against Maine.

Neither team crossed the plate within the first three innings of the elimination game, until the Black Bears plated a run in the fourth. Despite an extremely hard-fought effort from the River Hawks, they came up just shy, 1-0.

Ryley White threw an exceptional game, throwing all seven innings and not allowing an earned run, along with just four hits allowed and four strikeouts.

ROUND TWO RECAP

AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

LINK TO RELEASE

Five different River Hawks were honored by the conference for their efforts and performance throughout the 2023 season, including one first team, two second team and two All-Rookie team honors.

Junior Morgan Fisher was the lone River Hawk on the America East All-Conference First Team after an outstanding year. She finished her regular season with the team lead in many offensive categories, including batting average (.333), hits (47), doubles (10), RBI (37) and on-base percentage (.377). Of those stats, she was top five in the conference in hits (4th), RBI (2nd) and doubles (T2nd), while ranking seventh in batting average. She was also a force behind the plate for the River Hawks, catching a whopping 18 runners stealing, which tied her for fifth in the nation. She hit the walk-off single in a thrilling 11-inning victory over top America East team UMBC on April 7 and earned herself a Best Breakout Athlete nomination at the 2023 Rowdy Awards.

Fellow junior Ellie Frederick also had a huge season this spring for the River Hawks, proving herself as both an offensive and defensive threat in center field. After posting a solid sophomore campaign last year, Frederick boosted her game in a big way, starting every game and tying for the conference lead in regular-season home runs (8) before ending the year in sole possession of the lead with her two tournament home runs. She also had the team's second-most hits (41) and total bases (74) in the regular season, while boasting a perfect 9-for-9 on stolen bases. Defensively, she made just four errors for a .946 fielding percentage, with 65 putouts and five assists.

Resuming her role as a key player for the squad, Tulley utilized her power to make a substantial impact this past season. At the plate during the regular season, she collected a .281 batting average with 39 hits, 35 RBI (3rd in AE) and a tie with Frederick for the team and conference lead in regular-season home runs (8). Her .540 slugging percentage led the River Hawks, as she also proved her plate discipline with 18 walks. As a great defensive left fielder, Tulley held down her territory, posting a .978 fielding percentage with 86 putouts and an assist. 

Giana LaCedra was one of two freshmen to be named to the America East All-Rookie Team after an impressive debut season. She finished her first collegiate regular season with a 10-6 record from the circle in 17 starts. Of those starts, 10 of them were complete games, while three were shutouts. She also tallied 61 strikeouts on her way to winning the 2023 Rookie of the Year Award at this year's Rowdy Awards.

Fitzgerald also shined for the squad from day one for the River Hawks, earning the starting job at first base and performing well offensively. Her regular season ended with a .245 batting average, 27 hits and 12 RBI, while boasting a .336 on-base percentage. She even posted a 12-game hit streak that spanned from April 4 to April 25.

It was a season full of ups and downs for the River Hawks, but the team can confidently look back at their 2023 season and celebrate the loads of achievements and moments.

From individual milestones to amazing team performances to walk-off victories, the 2023 River Hawks have memories that will last a lifetime.