Photo by: Robert Branning
Softball Rises Up to No. 38 in D1Softball's Top 50 Program Rankings
September 6, 2022 | Softball
BOSTON – After four-peating as conference regular season champions for the first time in program history, the Boston University softball team has landed at No. 38 in D1Softball's Top 50 College Programs rankings, the publication announced Tuesday.
The Terriers ranked 43rd in the inaugural poll two years ago and have moved up five spots under the leadership of reigning NFCA Regional Coach of the Year Ashley Waters following an impressive stretch of play in which they posted a 76-21 (.784) overall record alongside a 37-3 (.925) conference mark.
D1Softball described the selection process as follows: "For the purpose of this exercise, we don't care what happened in the 1970s or 80s – or even the 90s — that's ancient history to a potential recruit in 2023. Tradition is nice, but it's more important to establish a tradition of consistent winning in the last decade, and especially in the last five years. Our ultimate goal here is to identify the programs in the best shape right now, with an eye toward the next five to 10 years. So we began by awarding programs points for making regionals and having postseason success in the last five years, and a fewer amount of points for success between six and 10 years ago. That gave us a starting point; then national writers Tara Henry and Brady Vernon made adjustments based on evaluations of coaching staff quality and stability, facilities, scholarship/financial aid situation, conference dynamics, momentum and recruiting and player development proficiency."
Over the last five years, the Terriers have earned at least 36 wins during each of the four completed seasons and were well on their way to another before the CoVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 campaign in early March of that year. The Terriers have totaled 16 major year-end Patriot League awards during that span, including four Player of the Year honors and four Pitcher of the Year accolades, and added 19 NFCA All-Region awards as well. Highlight wins include a 2018 victory over then-No. 1 Oklahoma and this year's upset at No. 13 Georgia.
This past spring, BU rolled to victory at Mountain West Conference regular season champion San Diego State, Big West regular season champion Cal State Fullerton, Big East regular season champion UConn and CAA regular season champion Delaware alongside a neutral victory against NEC regular season champion Saint Francis (Pa.). The Terriers also went 13-0 against New England schools with notable in-state wins over Boston College, Harvard (2x) and UMass. Most impressively though, BU defeated two different Power 5 programs on the same day for the first time in program history with a 5-2 win against Big 10 member Purdue and 6-1 victory at No. 13 Georgia during the Red & Black Showcase. The win in Athens marked the Terriers' first against the SEC since 2009.
Featuring a school and conference-record 27-game win streak, the historic 2022 campaign also saw BU break a program and Patriot League record with eight Terriers earning NFCA All-Region honors. BU was just one of four programs alongside Oklahoma, Arkansas and Virginia Tech to have the maximum allowed students recognized. Patriot League Player of the Year and sophomore Kayla Roncin finished the regular season No. 2 nationally with 78 hits and No. 9 with a .443 batting average. PL Pitcher of the Year and junior Allison Boaz ranked 17th in ERA (1.40), 22nd in shutouts (7) and 22nd in victories (20) while classmate and fellow NFCA All-Region First Team member Lizzy Avery ranked 39th in strikeouts (185) with the help of two no-hitters. As a team, BU finished the regular season sixth in triples (0.40), 18th in doubles (81), 18th in shutouts (14), 20th in ERA (2.11), 27th in batting average (.310) and 33rd in fielding percentage (0.972).
Fans will get their first look at the 2023 squad when BU opens fall ball against visiting Stonehill on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 12 p.m.
The Terriers ranked 43rd in the inaugural poll two years ago and have moved up five spots under the leadership of reigning NFCA Regional Coach of the Year Ashley Waters following an impressive stretch of play in which they posted a 76-21 (.784) overall record alongside a 37-3 (.925) conference mark.
D1Softball described the selection process as follows: "For the purpose of this exercise, we don't care what happened in the 1970s or 80s – or even the 90s — that's ancient history to a potential recruit in 2023. Tradition is nice, but it's more important to establish a tradition of consistent winning in the last decade, and especially in the last five years. Our ultimate goal here is to identify the programs in the best shape right now, with an eye toward the next five to 10 years. So we began by awarding programs points for making regionals and having postseason success in the last five years, and a fewer amount of points for success between six and 10 years ago. That gave us a starting point; then national writers Tara Henry and Brady Vernon made adjustments based on evaluations of coaching staff quality and stability, facilities, scholarship/financial aid situation, conference dynamics, momentum and recruiting and player development proficiency."
Over the last five years, the Terriers have earned at least 36 wins during each of the four completed seasons and were well on their way to another before the CoVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 campaign in early March of that year. The Terriers have totaled 16 major year-end Patriot League awards during that span, including four Player of the Year honors and four Pitcher of the Year accolades, and added 19 NFCA All-Region awards as well. Highlight wins include a 2018 victory over then-No. 1 Oklahoma and this year's upset at No. 13 Georgia.
This past spring, BU rolled to victory at Mountain West Conference regular season champion San Diego State, Big West regular season champion Cal State Fullerton, Big East regular season champion UConn and CAA regular season champion Delaware alongside a neutral victory against NEC regular season champion Saint Francis (Pa.). The Terriers also went 13-0 against New England schools with notable in-state wins over Boston College, Harvard (2x) and UMass. Most impressively though, BU defeated two different Power 5 programs on the same day for the first time in program history with a 5-2 win against Big 10 member Purdue and 6-1 victory at No. 13 Georgia during the Red & Black Showcase. The win in Athens marked the Terriers' first against the SEC since 2009.
Featuring a school and conference-record 27-game win streak, the historic 2022 campaign also saw BU break a program and Patriot League record with eight Terriers earning NFCA All-Region honors. BU was just one of four programs alongside Oklahoma, Arkansas and Virginia Tech to have the maximum allowed students recognized. Patriot League Player of the Year and sophomore Kayla Roncin finished the regular season No. 2 nationally with 78 hits and No. 9 with a .443 batting average. PL Pitcher of the Year and junior Allison Boaz ranked 17th in ERA (1.40), 22nd in shutouts (7) and 22nd in victories (20) while classmate and fellow NFCA All-Region First Team member Lizzy Avery ranked 39th in strikeouts (185) with the help of two no-hitters. As a team, BU finished the regular season sixth in triples (0.40), 18th in doubles (81), 18th in shutouts (14), 20th in ERA (2.11), 27th in batting average (.310) and 33rd in fielding percentage (0.972).
Fans will get their first look at the 2023 squad when BU opens fall ball against visiting Stonehill on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 12 p.m.
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