LOWELL, Mass. – The youthful UMass Lowell softball team gained a lot of experience in 2025 with sights set on a very bright future.

With a roster featuring 12 underclassmen, the River Hawks turned in a 17-29 campaign in Head Coach Jen Starek's fourth season at the helm. UMass Lowell went 7-13 in conference play, earning the fifth seed in the America East Championship hosted by Binghamton University.

The River Hawks earned their first victory in the nightcap of a doubleheader on March 1 against Hampton. Junior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsboro, Mass.) struck out five batters to earn the win in the circle in the 2-0 decision for the River Hawks. Freshman Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) headlined the offense in that outing, slashing 4-for-6 on the day in what would be the start of an impressive debut season.

The team continued its success at the Spartan/Pirate Challenge, tallying consecutive victories for the first time of the season with a 6-5 win over Norfolk State on March 2. Sophomore Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) drove in two runs with two outs in the top of the seventh to plate the tying and go-ahead runs. Neeld enjoyed a successful day at the dish in the victory, going 3-for-4, while senior Emily Tow (North Kingstown, R.I.) notched a pair of hits to supplement the offense.

At last, UMass Lowell returned to the Mill City on March 19 for the home opener against Massachusetts. Sophomore Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) was formidable in the circle for the hosts, amassing seven punchouts in the 3-1 win at River View Field. Baumes paced the home offense with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate, picking up two RBI while scoring a run.

DeCitise made another statement in UMass Lowell’s conference opening series with UMBC on March 22, going the distance with seven strikeouts in the second half of the twin bill to help her side escape with a 1-0 win.

 Maine Series Recap - March 28 | March 29

UMass Lowell then earned its first America East Conference series win, completing a decisive three-game sweep against Maine from March 28-29. UMass Lowell downed the Black Bears by scores of 3-1 and 6-3 to open the series before securing the clean sweep with a 6-1 victory. Spinello-Branch turned heads in the series, totaling a 1.400 OPS with two doubles and three RBI. DeCitise compiled two wins in the circle, striking out 19 batters — including a career-high 13 in the 3-1 win — while relinquishing only six hits and one walk in 10.2 innings. Both Spinello-Branch and DeCitise were recognized by the league office for their respective performances. DeCitise was tabbed America East Pitcher of the Week and River Hawk of the Week, while Spinello-Branch garnered America East Rookie of the Week honors.

The regular season concluded with a pair of three-game series against Maine and UMBC. UMass Lowell rallied to a 9-0 blanking over Maine in game one on April 27, as LaCedra recorded seven strikeouts while pitching the full five innings. Baumes, Spinello-Branch and freshman Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) had two RBI in the win.

America East Championships Opening Round

UMass Lowell’s 7-13 conference record slotted the River Hawks as the No. 5 seed in the America East Softball Championships and set up a meeting against No. 4 Bryant in the opening round. Tow led the offense in a 10-2 setback, unleashing a solo home run while going 2-for-3. The loss set up an all-important elimination contest with No. 6 Maine, resulting in a narrow 3-0 defeat in a game where DeCitise racked up nine strikeouts in relief.

America East All-Conference Honors

After the regular season, three River Hawks were selected to the America East All-Conference Second Team and the America East All-Rookie Team.

Spinello-Branch, Santiago and Baumes were each named to both squads and joined Ryley White (2021) as only the second, third and fourth players in program history to be named to the All-Rookie Team and All-Conference Second Team in the same campaign.

Starting in all 43 games she appeared, Spinello-Branch hit .293 with 39 hits and five doubles while leading the team in RBI with 17. She stole 19 bases this season, setting the new D1 single-season program record while also owning the second-most in the conference.

Santiago slashed .268 with 26 hits, four doubles and a home run, recording 10 RBI in 42 games this season as a River Hawk. Also efficient on the basepaths, Santiago was 8-for-9 in stolen base attempts. She was also one of three teammates to record a home run.

Baumes started in all 46 games this season and led her team with a .304 batting average and a .411 on-base percentage. She also boasted a team-high 42 hits while recording seven doubles and 17 RBI.