BC Opens 2021 Home Slate Wednesday
March 08, 2021 | Softball
BC and Bryant meet Wednesday on ACC Network Extra
BC Opens 2021 Home Slate Wednesday
• After two straight weekends of closed scrimmages versus St. John's and Maine, Boston College returns to action on Wednesday vs. Bryant. The 2021 home opener has live broadcast coverage on ACC Network Extra from Harrington Athletics Village.
• It marks the earliest home opener in Boston College history Wednesday against Bryant.
• Bryant opens the season with Wednesday's game after the weekend series versus George Mason was cancelled.
Team 38
• This is the 38th season of Boston College softball. All-time, BC is 868-835-3.
• The Eagles have three NCAA appearances in program history.
• In ACC play, BC is 331-420 since joining the conference in the 2005-06 academic year.
Inside the Bryant Series
• Wednesday's game is the 13th meeting all-time between the two New England programs. BC is 11-1 all-time against the Bulldogs and won eight straight in the series.
• BC is 4-1 all-time at home against Bryant.
• In the last meeting on May 2, 2018, BC defeated Bryant, 10-2, in six innings as eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit in the game at the Harrington Athletics Village. The Eagles recorded their eighth straight victory in non-conference play and their eighth straight win over the Bulldogs.
• The Eagles have won the last eight contests between the two teams. In the history between the two teams, BC has outscored Bryant 69-24.
• Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit in the last meeting. Seven of the starters picked up at least one RBI in the game.
ACC Pod Play Begins Conference Action
• BC played five games between NC State and North Carolina in pod play to begin the conference slate Feb. 17-20 in North Carolina.
• Susannah Anderson threw her second complete game shutout of the season as Boston College defeated NC State 1-0 in game one of a doubleheader to begin the pod. Anderson was at her best with runners on base as she stranded 14 Wolfpack runners in the victory.
• Junior catcher Gianna Boccagno used a 10-pitch at bat to launch her first home run of the season in the top of the second to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The solo shot to left center was Boccagno's 12th career home run and the second of the season for Boston College.
• The home run proved to be the difference as Anderson held NC State to just four hits and struck out four for the victors. It was the 16th career complete game for Anderson and her ninth career shutout.
• Anderson (2-2) moved into a tie for third place in BC history with her ninth career shutout.
• BC dropped the second game of the doubleheader to NC State 6-3. Against North Carolina, the Eagles dropped a pair of games, 7-3 and 11-2, before a heartbreaking 7-6 loss at NC State to finish the week.
• NC State got back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh with two outs as the Wolfpack defeated Boston College 7-6 for the series win. Sam Russ walked it off with a solo shot to center after Sam Gress hit a two-run shot to tie it with two strikes and two outs.
Back on the Dirt
• BC returned to the diamond for the first time since March 8, 2020 with four games last weekend in Jacksonville against Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida.
• BC opened the season with a 4-0 loss last Friday at JU before picking up the first win of the year on Saturday at UNF. Susannah Anderson was dominant in the circle for the Eagles, going the distance with a two-hit shutout in the 2-0 win over the Ospreys on Saturday.
• UNF captured a 3-1 doubleheader split on Saturday before the Eagles came up just short, losing 3-2 to JU on Sunday. BC stranded 14 runners in the loss to the Dolphins.
Getting Started on the Right Note
• Sophomore shortstop Djhane Valido had a big weekend with the bat against Jacksonville and North Florida.
• Valido led BC with a .333 batting average, totaling three hits on the weekend, including a double and one RBI. She had a career-high three hits against UNF.
Leading Things Off
• Junior center fielder Ellie Mataya has led off for BC in all nine games this year. She is one of two regulars hitting over .300 at .387 this season. She leads the team in total bases (14), doubles (2), RBI (4) and is second on the team in slugging percentage (.452).
What to Know
• This is the second season for head coach Amy Kvilhaug, who was hired on July 2, 2019. Kvilhaug led BC to a 9-12 record last season before COVID-19 ended the season. Prior to BC, Kvilhaug was the head coach at Radford and St. John's, where she won a combined 408 games.
• BC returned 17 letterwinners, including all nine position starters, along with three primary pitchers from last season's squad.
• Two-time All-ACC honoree Emme Martinez returns to help lead the BC offensive attack. A 2019 All-ACC second team selection as a sophomore, she played in all 53 games that season, starting 52 of them, while hitting .321 with 50 its and 24 RBI. Last season, she played in 17 games with 15 starts in the shortened season.
• Junior pitcher Susannah Anderson headlines the BC rotation in 2021. Last season, she led the staff with a 1.80 ERA in 85.2 innings of work. She finished the season 8-8 and totaled 76 strikeouts.
• The Eagles have five newcomers on the roster.
• BC was picked 13th in the preseason ACC poll, earning 22 total points.
Leading the Charge
• Amy Kvilhaug enters year two as the leader of the BC softball program.
• She has made head coaching stops at Radford and St. John's, amassing 418 wins throughout her career.
• She competed collegiately at Providence, where she holds seven PC career records, including starts (92), games won (72), complete games (84), earned run average (1.20) and shutouts (27).
• Kvilhaug is also a Hall of Famer at Providence.
Anderson Says "No-No"
• In BC's final game of the FGCU Kickoff Classic last season, junior Susannah Anderson pitched a gem for the Eagles. She threw her first-career complete-game no-hitter in BC's 1-0 win, totaling 10 strikeouts on no walks and two HBP.
• The no-hitter capped a 2-1 weekend for the Alexandria, Virginia native, who threw 21 total innings while striking out 25 batters.
• Anderson is BC's No. 1 starter. In 72 career appearances, including 51 starts, she has a 3.24 ERA in 294.0 innings of work. With a 16-31 career record, she has thrown 17 complete games, including nine shutouts.
• Anderson has totaled 205 career strikeouts. She is 11 the 11th Eagle in school history with 200+ career strikeouts.
All-ACC Emme
• Emme Martinez, who was an All-ACC Freshman team honoree in 2018, finished her sophomore campaign with a .321 average, along with 50 hits and a team-high 24 RBI en route to All-ACC second team honors in 2019.
• A native of Hemet, California, Martinez had 12 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games in 2019.
• For her career, Martinez is the active leader on the team in hits (100), doubles (18) and RBI (54).
Scouting Bryant
• The Bryant University softball team was selected to finish fifth in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.
• Long Island led the way with seven first-place votes, followed by Saint Francis with one and Sacred Heart, who also received one vote. The rest of the poll consists of Mount St. Mary's, Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner, and Merrimack.
• Last season the Black and Gold's season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the season ended, the Bulldogs posted a 4-12 record and won their last game of 2020 against Jackson St. by a score of 9-2. This will be Nick French's third season as head coach.
On Deck
• Boston College continues a 10-game homestand on Saturday against UMass. First pitch vs. the Minutewomen is set for 1 p.m. with live broadcast coverage on ACC Network Extra.
