The University of Massachusetts Boston’s Softball program managed to earn themselves the fifth seed to this year’s Little East Conference postseason. The Lady Beacons finished the season with a 22-18 record overall and 6-8 LEC record. While the Beacons were not predicted to make a deep run in the postseason, the team managed to stir things up during the playoffs.
Freshman Pitcher Annie Thomas displayed an unbelievable pitching performance in her first two matches of the postseason. During this, the number five seed, UMass Boston, faced up against the number one and number two seeds of the LEC tournament, Keene State College and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Thomas managed to hold her two opponents to just one run collectively in both games. During these two outings, the freshman pitcher allowed just 12 hits and eight walks, while earning herself 14 strikeouts in the 14 total innings pitched. Thomas’ wins gave her a place in UMass Boston’s history, tying the program’s record for single-season wins as a pitcher.
The Beacons defeated their rival UMass Dartmouth five runs to one during the local derby matchup. In the second matchup against the number one seeded Keene State, the Beacons barely squeezed out a win, earning themselves a victory of 1-0. The victories led UMass Boston to the LEC Championship Series against the number four seeded Western Connecticut State University.
During the matchup, Head Coach Natalia Ardagna decided to put Thomas at the mound for her third consecutive postseason start. While Thomas started the game well, she appeared fairly fatigued after pitching several back-to-backs. Western Connecticut went on to convincingly win the match 8-2 runs, birthing themselves a position in the NCAA tournament. If UMass Boston won, they would have reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in the history of the program.
While the Lady Beacons fell a single game short of their season goals, they have no reason to be ashamed. The team has had an unbelievable season under Coach Ardagna. After posting such a successful season, the team was rewarded for their accomplishments with five All-Conference Honorees. The team was awarded as follows:
Roxanne Vento (Fr.) – LEC Rookie of the Year  
Kaitlyn Morse (Jr.) – LEC First Team Honors
Taylor Pawlina (Fr.) – LEC First Team Honors
Lauren Mitsiaris (Jr.) – LEC Second Team Honors
Alexa St. Angelo (Fr.) – LEC Second Team Honors
The Beacons finished the season with the second-most wins in the history of the program: 22 wins. Head Coach Natalia Ardagna hasn’t posted a winning season since the 2011 season. Hopefully this is the turnaround that Ardagna and the program needs to reestablish itself as a top team within not only the Little East Conference, but within the northeast. Hopefully, Ardagna can address the lack of depth at the mound this offseason. While the team will only be graduating a single senior this season, the Beacons only have one ace, Annie Thomas, in their bullpen. Having said that, with a large return in roster, UMass Boston Softball should expect to attain the same level of success next season.