THE 2026 UMASS LOWELL SOFTBALL SEASON WAS DEFINED BY GROWTH, HISTORIC PERFORMANCES AND A POSTSEASON RUN THAT CARRIED THE RIVER HAWKS BACK TO THE AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

In Head Coach Jen Starek’s fifth season at the helm, UMass Lowell finished the year with a 27-27 overall record and a 14-12 mark in America East play. The River Hawks improved their win total by 10 games from the previous two season.

After earning the No. 4 seed in the America East Championship, UMass Lowell defeated each of the tournament’s top three seeds on its way to the title game, taking down No. 3 UAlbany, No. 1 Bryant and No. 2 Binghamton during a memorable week in Orono.

The final record told only part of the story.

UMass Lowell led the conference in both hits and earned run average, found production throughout the lineup and showed an ability to respond throughout a season that included 19 victories away from River View Field.

ROAD TESTED

The River Hawks had little time to settle into the season, opening with 21 consecutive games away from Lowell across tournaments and road matchups in Texas, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Boston.

That opening stretch forced a young roster to adjust quickly. Freshman Julia Rowley (Beacon Falls, Conn.) earned America East Rookie of the Week recognition following her first collegiate weekend, while junior Olivia DeCitise (Troy, N.Y.) delivered one of the team’s first signature pitching performances with eight innings and 10 strikeouts in an extra-inning victory over UTSA.

By the middle of March, Lowell had begun finding different ways to win. The River Hawks combined timely offense with three shutout performances during a stretch of five victories in six games, building momentum ahead of their long-awaited return home.

After opening the season with 21 straight games away from home, UMass Lowell returned to River View Field for its first America East series against Maine. The River Hawks trailed by eight runs in the opener, but continued to chip away before scoring five times in the seventh inning and completing the comeback with a 12-11 victory in eight innings.

Lowell carried that momentum into the next day, winning both games to complete the sweep and open conference play with a 3-0 record. The River Hawks scored 30 runs across the weekend, with different players contributing throughout the lineup.

The series gave an early look at what would define the season. Even when games did not start their way, the River Hawks continued to battle, stayed within reach and found ways to respond.

The junior retired all 21 batters she faced and struck out 11 in a 6-0 victory at Merrimack, recording the second perfect game of UMass Lowell’s Division I era and the program’s first since 2019.

PERFECTION

OLIVIA DeCITISE VS. MERRIMACK

7.0 innings
21 batters faced
11 strikeouts
0 hits
0 walks
0 baserunners

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO WIN

One of the River Hawks’ biggest strengths was the number of players who contributed throughout the lineup. UMass Lowell finished the season with a conference-best 399 hits and ranked second in the America East with 253 runs and 232 RBI. Nine players recorded at least 29 hits, while six finished with 23 or more RBI.

Junior Elizabeth Neeld (Huntingdon Valley, Pa.) led the way with a .331 batting average, 50 hits and 32 runs scored. Sophomore Thyanais Santiago (Methuen, Mass.) was close behind, batting .324 while leading the team with a .430 on-base percentage and .496 slugging percentage.

Freshman Julia Rowley (Beacon Falls, Conn.) also made an immediate impact in her first season, finishing with 46 hits, 10 doubles, four home runs and 24 RBI. Behind the plate, she threw out 14 runners attempting to steal, the most in the America East.

Junior Isabel Quintanilla (Puyallup, Wash.) led the River Hawks with 30 RBI in just 41 games. Sophomores Avery Spinello-Branch (Lorton, Va.) and Madi Wade (Hagerstown, Md.) each added at least 23 RBI, with Spinello-Branch leading the team with 16 stolen bases and Wade drawing a team-high 33 walks.

The production came from throughout the order, giving the River Hawks different players to turn to over the course of the season.

UMass Lowell’s 3.89 team ERA led the America East, while its five shutouts tied for the conference lead. The River Hawks also ranked second in the league in WHIP and hits allowed per seven innings, and their 6.15 strikeouts per seven innings ranked 27th nationally.

DeCitise anchored the staff with an 18-11 record, 2.89 ERA and 177 strikeouts across 169.2 innings. She led the America East in ERA, wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and saves, finishing with 17 complete games and holding opponents to a .217 batting average.

Senior Giana LaCedra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) added 111.1 innings, seven complete games, two shutouts and 77 strikeouts. Freshman Ella Van Alstyne (Beacon Falls, Conn.) went 4-2 in the circle and held opposing hitters to a .213 average while also contributing regularly to the lineup.

Behind the pitching staff, Lowell posted a .968 fielding percentage, the second-best mark in the conference and 80th nationally.

That complete approach allowed the River Hawks to respond when momentum shifted. Wade delivered a two-run walk-off home run in a 7-5 victory over Bryant on April 4, marking the 100th win together at UMass Lowell for Head Coach Jen Starek and Associate Head Coach Brenna Martini. LaCedra tossed a complete-game shutout at Rhode Island, and Lowell won two of three at Maine before sweeping Holy Cross during a five-game winning stretch in April.

Those moments did not follow one another perfectly, but together they showed a team becoming increasingly comfortable in close games and difficult situations.

The clearest example came in Orono.

UMass Lowell entered the America East Championship as the No. 4 seed and was immediately asked to face the three teams seeded ahead of it. Over three days, the River Hawks defeated No. 3 UAlbany, No. 1 Bryant and No. 2 Binghamton, outscoring the trio by a combined 21-6.

A six-run fifth inning turned an early deficit into an 8-1 victory over UAlbany in the opening round.

The following day, Santiago hit two home runs and drove in four as the River Hawks took down regular-season champion Bryant, 9-2. DeCitise delivered 4.1 scoreless innings in relief, retiring 11 of the final 12 batters she faced.

Lowell’s third victory required another response. After falling behind Binghamton, the River Hawks scored four runs in the fifth inning and protected the one-run advantage the rest of the way for a 4-3 win.

The victory sent UMass Lowell to championship Saturday unbeaten in tournament play.

No. 4 UMass Lowell 8, No. 3 UAlbany 1
No. 4 UMass Lowell 9, No. 1 Bryant 2
No. 4 UMass Lowell 4, No. 2 Binghamton 3

Needing one win against Binghamton to secure the conference title, Lowell opened the first game of the championship doubleheader with a 7-0 advantage. Quintanilla set the tone with a three-run home run in the first inning and finished the game with five RBI, but the Bearcats rallied late to force a winner-take-all finale.

The River Hawks continued to create opportunities in the final game, collecting 10 hits and bringing the tying run to the plate in each of the last two innings. Binghamton held on for a 4-2 decision, ending Lowell’s season one victory short of the championship.

LaCedra, Quintanilla and Santiago were named to the America East All-Championship Team following their performances throughout the tournament.

The River Hawks’ progress was reflected in the conference’s postseason awards, with UMass Lowell collecting 10 selections across the America East teams.

DeCitise, Neeld and Quintanilla were named to the All-Conference First Team. Rowley, Spinello-Branch and Santiago earned Second Team recognition.

Rowley also headlined three All-Rookie Team selections alongside freshmen Caroline Calkins (Orting, Wash.) and Van Alstyne. DeCitise completed the conference honors with a selection to the America East All-Academic Team.

UMass Lowell may not have left Orono with the trophy, but the 2026 season marked a clear step forward for the program. The River Hawks made a 10-win jump from the previous year, earned 19 victories away from home and defeated the tournament’s top three seeds on their way back to the America East Championship game.

THE NEXT STEP IS CLEAR, AND 2026 PROVED IT'S WITHIN REACH