Softball Headlines
Softball Garners 2009 NFCA Division III Team Academic Honors
10/02/2009
Springfield, Mass. - October 2, 2009 - The two-time defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Champion Springfield College softball team was recently recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for their outstanding performance in the classroom. Read More.
Julie Perrelli Named Head Softball Coach at Springfield College
Springfield, Mass. -- June 25, 2009 -- Julie Perrelli has been named an Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Head Softball Coach at Springfield College, according to Springfield Director of Athletics Cathie Schweitzer. The head softball coach at Smith for the past three years, Perrelli received both her doctorate (this past May) and her masters in 2004 from Springfield College, where she served as a graduate assistant under Kathy Mangano from the 2003 through 2006 seasons. Read More.
Wlosek and Cassella Selected To NEISCA All-Star Teams
Springfield, Mass. - May 15, 2009 - Michelle Wlosek and Aimee Cassella continued to rack up postseason awards as they were each named to NEISCA All-Star Teams on Tuesday. Wlosek earned NEISCA First Team All-Star honors as a catcher, while the Cassella picked up honorable mention honors as first base. Read More.
Softball's Wlosek Named All-American; Joins Cassella and Atkins On All-Region Team
Springfield, Mass. -- May 11, 2009 -- Catcher Michelle Wlosek has been named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third Team All-American, and was also selected to the New England All-Region selection along with teammates Aimee Cassella and Angie Atkins. Read More
More Headlines
- Coast Guard Eliminates Softball From NCAA Tournament, 7-3
- Seventh-Inning Heroics Leads Softball Past Endicott, 4-3, and RIC, 3-1, In NCAA Tournament
- Coast Guard Takes Down the Pride, 7-4, in NCAA Softball Tourney
- Wlosek and Atkins Earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Honors
- Softball Topples Rhode Island College, 5-2, In NCAA Opener
About The Team
The Springfield College softball program has been successful for many years. And Kathy Mangano ‘86, SC’s all-time winningest head coach and four-time New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Coach of the Year, kept that success rolling right along throughout her entire 20-year tenure.Mangano announced midway through this past season that 2009 would be her last as head coach, although she will continue to stay at Springfield College as a professor. SC is currently in the process of seeking a new head coach. Mangano, however, went out with a bang, and her 2008 and 2009 squads won NEWMAC post-season titles, and her 2009 squad won three NCAA Division III Tournament games in the New England Regional before grudgingly bowing out.
In her 20-year head coaching career at Springfield College, Mangano’s teams won 20 games or more a total of 16 times. Her 2001 squad amassed 41 victories, finishing 41-10 that season. She also piloted her teams to 30 victories in 2000 and 33 more wins in 2003, not to mention 29 in 2008.
In 2009, under Mangano's direction, SC won the NEWMAC post-season tourney as the #4-seed, going 5-1 in the conference tourney. The Pride then won three games in the NCAA Division III New England Regional in Beverly, Mass. as the #7-seed, ousting #2-seeded RIC and #4-seeded and host Endicott, along the way. There were only three teams left in that regional when SC finally fell to fellow NEWMAC-foe Coast Guard. It was SC's most successful NCAA Tournament run since entering the Division III ranks in 1996. Junior catcher Michelle Wlosek, who led the NEWMAC in hitting (.437), was named a Third Team All-American, as well as NEWMAC Player of the Year.
In 2008, SC finished 29-17, winning the NEWMAC post-season tourney with five straight victories over a two-day period. That allowed the Pride to reach the NCAA Division III National Tournament, where it opened in a Regional at Plattsburgh, N.Y. In 2007, SC finished 25-14, and was seeded #1 in the NEWMAC post-season tourney. In fact, Springfield won the NEWMAC regular-season title that year for the very first time. In 2006, SC finished 25-20, reaching the NEWMAC post-season tournament championship game. During that season, Mangano became just the 26th coach in NCAA Division III softball history to record 400 victories, doing so with a doubleheader sweep at MIT. Only four other active coaches in New England Division III had more victories than Mangano.
Overall, Kathy Mangano's record at her alma mater finished at 481-394-1, good for a very positive .550 winning percentage.
At the Pride's Annual Sports Recognition Awards Night, Wlosek won SC's Top Female Freshman Team Award in 2007, Top Female Sophomore Team Award in 2008, and Top Female Junior Team Award in 2009.
In addition, the softball team has now captured the highly-coveted Pride Award (which embraces community service and leadership) in each of the past four seasons.
Team Links
- 2010 Schedule
- 2010 Roster
- 2009 Statistics
- 2009 JV Schedule
- Photo Gallery
- Recruiting Brochure (.pdf)
- NEWMACsports.com
- NFCA homepage
- Team Archives
Head Coach Julie Perrelli
Julie Perrelli was been named an Assistant Professor of Physical Education and Head Softball Coach at Springfield College in June of 2009. The head softball coach at Smith for the past three years, Perrelli received both her doctorate (this past May) and her masters in 2004 from Springfield College, where she served as a graduate assistant for the Pride from the 2003 through 2006 seasons. Read more.