September 22, 2017 | Softball
BOSTON – After leading Boston University to back-to-back Patriot League tournament final appearances and an automatic NCAA berth in her first two seasons at the helm, softball head coach Ashley Waters has agreed to a multi-year contract extension, director of athletics Drew Marrochello announced today.
Â
The 2008 America East Player of the Year and recent Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee has coached a major Patriot League award winner in each of her two years and guided the Terriers to a combined 25-9 (.735) conference mark following BU's 7-11 (.389) performance in 2015.
Â
"For a first-time head coach, Ashley has exceeded our high expectations and put our softball program on an impressive trajectory," said Marrochello. "In a short time, she has built meaningful relationships with her players, fellow department staff, alumni and donors. Her commitment to helping her student-athletes excel in all aspects of life is admirable, and we look forward to seeing all she will accomplish as a Terrier in the years to come."
Â
Under Waters' watch, BU has claimed a combined 12 all-conference awards with senior outfielder Jilee Schanda earning Player of the Year honors this past May and Melanie Russell ('16) capturing Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2016. Â Off the field last season, the team set program records for Patriot League All-Academic Team honorees (3) and conference Academic Honor Roll members (14). Â Â
Â
"Boston University's level of academic and athletic excellence is something I am proud to be a part of," said Waters, a native of Amesbury, Massachusetts. "I am honored to coach dedicated, passionate student-athletes who strive for greatness and am grateful for the opportunity to work with top-notch colleagues, administrators and an athletic director who has created a winning culture on and off the field. I cannot wait to continue the wonderful tradition of this softball program at one of the best institutions in the entire world."
Â
Last spring, the Terriers opened with a thrilling come-from-behind 3-1 win at No. 23 Florida Atlantic for the program's first victory over a ranked team since 2012 and later beat defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton on the road as well. They finished the regular season on an impressive 14-game conference-win streak and came up just one run short of a second NCAA appearance at top-seed Lehigh. The PL Player of the Year Schanda hit a league-high .436 during conference play and was a unanimous All-PL First Team honoree alongside Moriah Connolly ('17), who posted a conference-record 41 stolen bases. Â
In Waters' first year, BU experienced a major turnaround after failing to reach the conference tournament in 2015 by sweeping through three games by a combined score of 18-4 to reach the NCAAs. One season removed from posting a 5.99 ERA, the PL Pitcher of the Year Russell was nearly unstoppable, as she recorded a 13-4 record over the final 24 games with a 1.43 ERA and 115 strikeouts against 23 walks in 108.0 innings of work. As a team, the Terriers improved their batting average by 20 points to .300 and increased the previous year's fielding percentage from .958 to .970.Â
Â
Waters joined BU in the summer of 2015 after spending three seasons as an assistant at Harvard and batting a career .352 over a four-year period at Maine.
Â
Fans in the area will have their first opportunity to get a look at the newest edition of the program when the Terriers host Harvard in a doubleheader slated for Saturday (Sept. 23) at 12 p.m.
Â
The 2008 America East Player of the Year and recent Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee has coached a major Patriot League award winner in each of her two years and guided the Terriers to a combined 25-9 (.735) conference mark following BU's 7-11 (.389) performance in 2015.
Â
"For a first-time head coach, Ashley has exceeded our high expectations and put our softball program on an impressive trajectory," said Marrochello. "In a short time, she has built meaningful relationships with her players, fellow department staff, alumni and donors. Her commitment to helping her student-athletes excel in all aspects of life is admirable, and we look forward to seeing all she will accomplish as a Terrier in the years to come."
Â
Under Waters' watch, BU has claimed a combined 12 all-conference awards with senior outfielder Jilee Schanda earning Player of the Year honors this past May and Melanie Russell ('16) capturing Pitcher of the Year accolades in 2016. Â Off the field last season, the team set program records for Patriot League All-Academic Team honorees (3) and conference Academic Honor Roll members (14). Â Â
Â
"Boston University's level of academic and athletic excellence is something I am proud to be a part of," said Waters, a native of Amesbury, Massachusetts. "I am honored to coach dedicated, passionate student-athletes who strive for greatness and am grateful for the opportunity to work with top-notch colleagues, administrators and an athletic director who has created a winning culture on and off the field. I cannot wait to continue the wonderful tradition of this softball program at one of the best institutions in the entire world."
Â
Last spring, the Terriers opened with a thrilling come-from-behind 3-1 win at No. 23 Florida Atlantic for the program's first victory over a ranked team since 2012 and later beat defending Big West champion Cal State Fullerton on the road as well. They finished the regular season on an impressive 14-game conference-win streak and came up just one run short of a second NCAA appearance at top-seed Lehigh. The PL Player of the Year Schanda hit a league-high .436 during conference play and was a unanimous All-PL First Team honoree alongside Moriah Connolly ('17), who posted a conference-record 41 stolen bases. Â
In Waters' first year, BU experienced a major turnaround after failing to reach the conference tournament in 2015 by sweeping through three games by a combined score of 18-4 to reach the NCAAs. One season removed from posting a 5.99 ERA, the PL Pitcher of the Year Russell was nearly unstoppable, as she recorded a 13-4 record over the final 24 games with a 1.43 ERA and 115 strikeouts against 23 walks in 108.0 innings of work. As a team, the Terriers improved their batting average by 20 points to .300 and increased the previous year's fielding percentage from .958 to .970.Â
Â
Waters joined BU in the summer of 2015 after spending three seasons as an assistant at Harvard and batting a career .352 over a four-year period at Maine.
Â
Fans in the area will have their first opportunity to get a look at the newest edition of the program when the Terriers host Harvard in a doubleheader slated for Saturday (Sept. 23) at 12 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Friday, October 02
Friday, August 07
Monday, June 29
Saturday, June 06
