The BU Softball infielders gather in the pitcher's circle for a huddle.
Zachary Webster

Softball Set to Open 2023 Season at USF-Rawlings Invitational

February 8, 2023

USF-RAWLINGS INVITATIONAL (GAMES 1-4) INFORMATION
Teams: BU, #4/5 Florida, South Florida, Illinois St., Saint Joseph's
Dates: Thursday, Feb. 9 - Friday, Feb. 10
Venue: Tampa, Fla. | USF Softball Stadium
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball

BOSTON – Seeking back-to-back 40+ win seasons for the first time in program history, the Patriot League preseason favorite Boston University softball team will open the 2023 season with four games at the USF-Rawlings Invitational.

Led by eighth-year head coach Ashley Waters and associate head coach Becca Carden, the Terriers will first face off against Atlantic-10 member Saint Joseph's on Thursday (Feb. 9) at 1 p.m. and then meet Missouri Valley school Illinois State at 3:30 p.m. BU will then battle a pair of 2022 NCAA squads on Friday (Feb. 10) in host South Florida at 4:30 p.m. and the Women's College World Series participant, No. 4/5 Florida, at 7 p.m.

TERRIER TIDBITS
  • Helped by a school and Patriot League record 27-game win streak, BU posted a 40-17 record for the third most wins in program history after collecting 43 in 2009 and 41 in 2012. The Terriers went 16-2 in conference play to earn a program-record fourth straight regular season title.
  • BU returns seven of the eight NFCA All-Region honorees from last year and eight of the nine All-PL members, including PL Player of the Year Kayla Roncin and Pitcher of the Year Allison Boaz.
  • The junior Roncin batted a team-high .431 last spring with a school-record 81 hits alongside four homers, five triples, 12 doubles, 36 RBIs and team-high 49 runs scored, while three-time All-PL honoree and graduate student Emily Gant (.387) totaled 40 runs and 46 RBIs.
  • BU was one of just four programs to have two pitchers collect All-Region First Team accolades. The senior Boaz (22-6, 1.42 ERA) collected 118 strikeouts in 187.1 innings with eight shutouts, and classmate Lizzy Avery (18-10, 2.19 ERA) posted 191 strikeouts in 175.2 innings to earn five shutouts, including a pair of no-hitters.
  • Graduate student Nicole Amodio (.284 avg.) led BU last season with eight homers while adding 45 RBIs. She ranks ninth all-time at 113 career RBIs and 17 homers.
  • Other key returnees include junior Lauren Keleher (.342, 25 RBIs) and senior Caitlin Coker (.326, 45 runs, 12 SBs). The Terriers also wecome five newcomers this year. 
  • The Terriers will be trying to defeat an SEC team for the first time since upsetting then-No. 13 Georgia, 6-1, last season, which marked their first since beating Auburn in 2009. Their last top-10 win came against then-No. 1 Oklahoma in 2018 during a tournament in New Mexico.
  • BU hasn't won the first four games of a season since 2020 when it started 8-0 for the first time ever. Last year, the Terriers lost all four games to Notre Dame (2x) and Charlotte (2x), including the first two by one run apiece.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Saint Joseph's (Thursday, 1 p.m.)
  • The Hawks were selected to finish second in the Atlantic-10 preseason poll after going 23-23 last season with a 14-8 mark in conference play. One of their wins came at Lehigh, 4-3.
  • 2022 All-Conference honoree Sarah Cancila is the top returner who batted .309 with seven doubles. Two-time All-Conference member Madison Fife batted .281 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.
  • 2022 All-Conference pitcher Emily Siler owned a 13-13 record with 88 strikeouts in 141.2 innings with opponents batting .222.
  • SJU batted .247 and held opponents to .259 while boasting a 63-41 advantage in stolen bases. Opponents earned a 62-47 lead in doubles with 22-18 advantage in homers.
  • SJU leads the all-time series, 6-4, that dates back to a 1989 doubleheader in Florida. In fact, all but one of the meetings have taken place in the Sunshine State with the Hawks winning, 4-1, in 2010, and the Terriers last winning in 2007, 6-5 and 14-5.
Illinois State (Thursday, 3:30 p.m.)
  • The Redbirds were selected to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley after posting a 24-28 record and 12-13 conference mark last season with noted non-conference wins against Purdue and Delaware. ISU went 31-10 (17-5 MVC) with a regular season title in 2021.
  • Two-time All-MVC member Emme Olson batted .351 with five homers, 16 doubles, 23 RBIs, 24 walks and .445 on-base percentage . All-MVC member Delainey Bryant is back after batting .324 with five triples, seven homers, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases and 29 RBIs.
  • Hannah Ross led the pitching staff with a 3.06 ERA while posting an 11-14 record and 111 strikeouts in 148.2 innings.
  • ISU batted .261 while holding opponents to .259 with both sides totaling 37 homers apiece.
  • ISU leads the all-time series, 4-0, after winning a single game in both Texas (4-1) and Arizona (6-5, 8 inn.) during the 2015 season. The Redbirds also won in 2012 (12-8) and 2006 (15-2, 5 inn.).
South Florida (Friday, 4:30 p.m.)
  • USF went 45-16 last season with 12-5 mark in the American conference. The Bulls lost in the AAC title game to UCF and went 1-2 in the NCAA regionals with loss to Florida State and split to Mississippi State. They were picked to finish third in the preseason poll.
  • Meghan Sheehan (.293) is top returning hitter with 30 RBIs with Jose Foreman (.285) close behind at 29 RBIs alongside eight homers.
  • USF lost 2022 NFCA Pitcher of the Year Georgina Corrick (37-5, 0.51 ERA, 418 Ks, 274.1 IP) to graduation. 2022 PL tournament MVP Gabrielle Nori from Lehigh transferred to the school after posting a 12-12 record last season with 121 strikeouts in 132.2 innings.
  • The Bulls batted .266 while holding opponents to .176 with 71-34 advantage in doubles and 8-0 lead in triples. They also nearly quadrupled opponents in stolen bases, 121-33.
  • The Bulls lead the all-time series, 7-5, that dates back to 1997. USF earned an 8-0(5) victory in the last meeting at home in 2015 after pulling out a 1-0 victory in 2013. BU last won in 2012 in Clearwater, 5-3.
#4/5 Florida (Friday, 7 p.m.)
  • The SEC preseason favorite Gators went 49-19 (13-11 SEC) and advanced to the WCWS after winning its regional by a combined score of 28-2 and two-of-three against Virginia Tech. Only two of the losses came against unranked opponents in Southern Miss and Florida Gulf Coast.
  • UF had three players named to 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-50 "Watch List" in Charla Echols (.307, 15 2Bs, 5 HRs, 59 RBIs), Skylar Wallace (.386, 8 HRs, 53 RBIs, 52 SBs) and Kendra Falby (.392, 63 R, 36 SBs).
  • 2021 NFCA All-American Elizabeth Hightower posted a 17-9 record and 2.43 ERA in 2022 with 133 strikeouts in 167.0 innings.
  • The Gators boasted a .314 batting average with 21-7 lead in triples and 132-39 advantage in stolen bases while holding opponents to .209.
  • UF leads the all-time series, 2-1, after edging BU in the 2019 NCAA opener, 3-0. The Terriers claimed a 5-4 victory in Tampa back in 2000, and UF won the first-ever meeting, 5-0, in 1998 in Columbus, Georgia.
UP NEXT
  • BU will remain down south with a visit to the Charleston Invitational in South Carolina on Feb. 17-19.
  • The Terriers will meet the hosts two times alongside Canisius while also playing one game against Tennessee Tech. 
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