Softball: Seniors break records, lead Panthers to victories

The five-member senior class of the Pitt softball team became the winnginest class in the… The five-member senior class of the Pitt softball team became the winnginest class in the university’s history with its 112th career victory, a 6-5 win over Rutgers on April 30. Five wins later, the seniors have collected 117 career victories and are looking to add more in the Big East Tournament this week.

Not only have the senior Panthers — Ashley Amistade, Cory Berliner, Alyssa O’Connell, Reba Tutt and Ashlyn Zellefrow — earned more victories than any other group, they’ve also been instrumental in leading this year’s team to a 34-16 regular season record and a 13-8 finish in the Big East.

Both totals mark the best figures in the program’s history.

“The seniors have contributed so much to the program,” head coach Holly Aprile said. “I am extremely proud of all of them and the tone they have set for the future of our program.”

After their record-setting regular season play, the Panthers earned the No. 6 seed in the Big East Championship and will face No. 3 Syracuse on Thursday in the first round. Pitt and Syracuse did not face each other in the regular season this year.The Panthers have won 10 of their last 12 games and hope to continue that winning trend well into the postseason, where — according to Tutt — the team will approach its games with the same attitude as it did during the regular season.“We know that this is the championship, but we also know that we cannot overthink anything,” Tutt said. “Our hitting and pitching have been consistent and successful throughout the year, and we know that if that continues, we will be fine.”

The Big East Tournament berth makes the third for Pitt’s senior class. The Panthers earned the No. 6 seed for the second consecutive season and if the Panthers defeat Syracuse, they’ll face the winner of No. 2 seed Depaul and No. 7 seed Rutgers. Last year, Pitt fell to Louisville 9-1 in its first game of the tournament.

Members of the senior class also succeeded in breaking individual school records throughout the regular season.

Amistade, an outfielder, holds the Pitt record for career stolen bases and swiped a team-leading 27 bags this season in her 31 attempts.

Tutt, a utility fielder, found a great deal of success at the plate in her Pitt career, holding both the career and single-season records at Pitt for runs scored and walks as well as the single-season record for triples with six.

For Tutt, breaking records and individual achievements are just things that happen when working toward a greater goal.

“I don’t pay attention to records and statistics,” Tutt said. “One of our main focuses this year was to improve our hitting, and that is what I try to do each time I am at the plate. The more things you think about when you are hitting, the harder it is to focus.”

While Tutt dominated at the plate, Berliner and O’Connell found success from the pitching mound.

Berliner’s 48 wins are the most in school history, and O’Connell recorded a Pitt season-high 15 victories this season.

Berliner said that the significance of team goals always outweigh personal recognition, especially given the tight team connection felt by the Panthers.

“We [the seniors] have had four years of hard work and that is not easy,” Berliner said. “You can’t let yourself get caught up in personal numbers, because everyone needs to work together toward one goal.”

For the seniors and the entire Pitt team, the records that mean the most are those that apply to the whole team and its overall win total.

Tutt said the number of wins for the Panthers this season reveals how they’ve improved as a team throughout the season.

Aprile expounded upon that sentiment, crediting the entire team for the success of the season thus far.“All the records we have broken are a tribute to all the hard work and terrific things this team has done,” Aprile said. “The good results have come from hard work and staying focused.”