In Mike Coutts’ first season as an assistant coach for his wife, Lynn, with the University of Maine’s softball program, the Black Bears went 8-39.
Four years later, the Black Bears are coming off a 28-21 campaign in which they earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004 under their first-year head coach.
The America East Tournament champs were eliminated in two games in the Athens (Georgia) Regional, dropping a 6-0 decision to eventual winner Georgia and a 10-1 contest to Oklahoma State.
They have yet to win a game in three regional appearances, but they did score their first run in a regional.
Coutts is certainly pleased with the progress of the program, but he isn’t satisfied.
“We have to look beyond America East. I want to win a game in a regional, not just go to a regional,” he said. “We have to set our sights higher next year. We can’t be satisfied just getting to a regional.
“It will take me some time to lay out a plan, but I’ve always believed you can accomplish great things if you set high expectations,” he added.
Recruiting will take on added importance.
“If we’re going to take our program to another level, we have to improve our recruiting,” the former Black Bear assistant baseball coach and baseball captain said. “I also have to challenge the girls more in practice. We have to play the game at a faster pace. The girls also have to get stronger physically and improve their swings against the type of pitchers we saw last weekend.”
Sophomore right fielder Erika Leonard said playing in a regional was a great experience for the team.
“We have a solid foundation, and we’re only going to get better. This will motivate everybody to work harder because we want to take the University of Maine to the next level,” she said.
“I definitely think we can compete with the other teams in the regionals, but we hadn’t seen pitching like that before,” junior left fielder-catcher Rachel Harvey said.
Coutts already has addressed that issue by scheduling a more challenging spring trip that will include two tournaments in Arizona, another at Colorado State and midweek doubleheaders against Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.
The Black Bears graduate just one player, but senior catcher and America East Player of the Year Janelle Bouchard (.404-5 homers-40 runs batted in) will leave a big void.
“It is also going to be challenging to replace her leadership and the intangibles she brought,” Coutts said.
Harvey will move behind the plate.
Maine set the school record for hits (.430) and runs (263) and its team batting average of .318 was the highest in 25 years.
Junior Erin Bogdanovich (10-5 record, 3.05 earned run average) was the AE Pitcher of the Year and an All-AE first teamer and sophomore Molly Flowers (11-11, 2.78, 144 strikeouts in 110 2/3 innings) was a second teamer. Flowers, Bogdanovich and sophomore Annie Kennedy (7-5, 3.11) had the three lowest ERAs in America East.
Third baseman Alyssa Derrick (.295-8-41) was the AE Rookie of the Year and was on the All-AE second team along with Harvey (.345-5-23), Leonard (.325-2-21, 19 stolen bases, school-record 31 walks) and junior shortstop Felicia Lennon (.328-4-32).
Derrick was joined on the All-Rookie team by teammates Maddie Decker (.337-3-21) and Meghan Royle (.323-3-15), who are both infielders.
Starting center fielder Rachel Carlson (.331-0-16) and first baseman Kristen Niland (.293-1-17), both sophomores, will also return, as will sophomore infielder Sarah Coyne (.239-0-3).