On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the Massachusetts softball team honored its seniors, who left their mark on the scoreboard in their final game. Four Minutewomen (19-30, 10-17 Mid-American) seniors combined for six runs, five hits and 10 put-outs in the 10-4 win over Ohio (35-18, 17-10 Mid-American).
In the second inning, Olivia Packard stepped up for her first chance at the plate. Staring down the pitch, Packard let it fly, whacking it up and over center field for her second career homerun.
With her mom crying in the stands, the New York native took her lap around the bases, reaching home plate, where the entire UMass dugout was waiting. Her prior home run came in 2023 during her freshman campaign.
“I came into today trying to play free since it’s my last chance, and it went really well for us as a team, so I’m really proud of us,” Packard said.
In addition to her crowd-erupting homer, Packard posted another single on the day. She sent the ball right to the middle of the centerfield grass but was ultimately left on third base at the end of the inning.
The catcher was one of three captains for the Minutewomen this season, tallying 11 RBIs and eight runs. She suited up for 85 games, all of which she started, across four seasons for UMass in her career.
“[UMass has] been an incredible community for me to be myself with,” Packard said. “Just to have such a strong support system, coming to college as an out-of-state kid, has been incredible.”
The third inning saw runs from two seniors, Angie Rama and Riain Keefe. Rama singled to center field for her second hit of the day. Walks from Keefe and Brooke Musch landed Rama on third base, with Keefe occupying second. Grace Colucci stepped up to the plate with a hot bat, skipped the ball past second base and sent Rama and Keefe home, generating a 9-1 lead for the Minutewomen.
“The fact that [the seniors] came up and got hits speaks to who they are,” head coach Danielle Henderson said. “They mean a lot to the players because they’re really good people.”
Keefe came out of the gates hot, with two hits in the first two innings, contributing to her three runs on the day. In the second inning, Keefe found her spot in the right side of the outfield for her second double of the season. That play put her in scoring position, and she made it home off a single from Odyssey Torres. Her first hit came when she fired the ball to the right side of the outfield in the first inning, later coming home on the two RBI single from Tiegan Walsh.
Keefe started all 49 games for UMass this season, racking up 30 runs and 12 RBIs. The Massachusetts native found home plate 49 times in her career with the Minutewomen, appearing in 93 games across three seasons.
Rama tallied two hits and one run for her final appearance with UMass. Eliana Raposo was the final active senior honored. She also posted one run in the sixth inning.
The Minutewomen honored a fifth senior, captain Natalee Horton. She served as the third captain for UMass but struggled with injury and ultimately redshirted the season. The pitcher will be back for the 2027 campaign and her final season of collegiate softball.
“Once one [senior] is on fire, you know they’re all going to be that way,” Henderson said. “That’s how you want people to go out, so I’m excited that they did.”
Shelby Ball can be reached at [email protected].
