In her three years at Pitt, head coach Holly Aprile has become the first coach in program history to register three consecutive winning seasons, as Aprile has recorded 86 wins during her tenure. The Panthers have also earned a program-best seed in the Big East Championships the past two seasons.
The 2011 season was one for the record book in every category. Aprile's squad set numerous school records, both individually and as a team. The 34 victories marked only the third time in program history that Pitt captured 30-plus wins, including 10 or more in league play.
The Panthers won 10 of their last 13 games, including six-straight in their first-ever season playing at Vartabedian Field at the Petersen Sports Complex. Additionally, Pitt broke single-season records in overall wins (34), Big East wins (13), home runs (51) and shutouts (14).
Aprile guided first-year infielder Kelly Hmiel to the program's first-ever national individual accolade when Hmiel was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Player of the Week on March 15.
Earlier in the season, Pitt recorded a 2-1 victory over then-No. 17 Georgia Tech in the third game of the season. The Panthers were also featured in their first-ever live ESPNU national broadcast when they travelled to Notre Dame on May 4, for a doubleheader. Statistically, the team ranked among the NCAA top-50 in fielding percentage (.972-20th), triples per game (0.27 - 25th), slugging percentage (.466 - 35th), stolen bases per game (1.55- 36th), home runs per game (1.0-36th) and team ERA (2.1-41st).
Individually, several Panthers also ranked among the nation's elite. Hmiel finished the year ranked in slugging percentage (25th), homers (32nd), home runs per game (33rd) and RBI per game (43rd). Reba Tutt was among the leaders in triples (7th), triples per game (13th), walks (34th), doubles per game (41st) and runs per game (50th). Ashley Amistade led the Big East in stolen bases per game and was 36th nationally by the end of the season. Lastly, Alyssa O'Connell was listed in single-season shutouts (41st).
The team set another program record when four Panthers - Tutt, Hmiel, O'Connell and Holly Stevens - earned their first-ever All-Big East honors this past season.
Additionally, Aprile guided the pitching trio of O'Connell, Cory Berliner and Karlyn Jones to arguably the best year the Panthers have ever had. The team ranked second in the Big East and 39th in the NCAA in earned run average. The tandem yielded 138 runs, 100 earned runs, and 87 walks, all of which were the fewest in the conference. Furthermore, the trio combined for a team-record 14 shutouts and had conference top-ten ERAs.
All three hold school records. O'Connell earned All-Big East honors with a 15-5 record, 2.21 ERA and a record-tying seven shutouts. Furthermore, O'Connell's career ERA of 2.16 is third all-time in program history.
Berliner graduated with 49 wins and 64 complete games, both of which are school records. Berliner's 2.03 earned run average over her career also ranks second among all-time Panthers. Berliner also threw her first career no-hitter in a 9-0 victory over Seton Hall. As a junior, Berliner garnered All-Big East honors when she led the Panthers in almost every major pitching category. This past season, Jones set the rookie and school record with a 1.57 earned run average while holding opponents to a school record .218 batting average.
In 2009, three Panthers were also named to the Big East Weekly honor roll, including Niki Cognigni (Feb. 23), Sam Card (March 2) and Ashley Amistade (March 10). On top of that, two season, two career and one team record was broken.
Aprile was named Pitt's head coach in July 2008, after serving as a Pitt assistant coach the previous five seasons. Under Aprile, Pitt saw a number of its pitching records fall, including the 2008 season when Berliner became the first rookie and Panther to win 16 games in a season.
That same year, pitcher Kayla Zinger set the school record with a 1.88 earned run average. Zinger and catcher Sam Card were named to All-Big East teams in their first season working together under Aprile's watch.
With focus on each pitcher's strength, Aprile guided 2006 graduates Laura Belardinelli and Meghan Bostick to the top of the record books. In addition, Bostick was a Big East Pitcher of the Week following a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 19-strikeout performance during the second week of March.
Aprile joined the Pitt staff after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina. From 1995-2003, Aprile helped guide the Gamecocks to seven NCAA Regional appearances and a College World Series berth in 1997. Prior to her stint at South Carolina, Aprile worked as a graduate assistant coach at Eastern Illinois University in 1994-95, where she earned her master's degree in political science.
A 1992 graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Aprile earned All-America honors and helped guide the Minutewomen to four Atlantic 10 titles from 1989-92. A pitcher/outfielder, Aprile was a four-time all-conference first team selection and three-time A-10 Player of the Year honoree. As a senior, she led UMass to its first trip to the College World Series finishing her career with a then-school record 77 victories. In honor of her achievements, she was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame in 2005.
In 1993, Aprile served as the head softball coach of the Amherst College club team in Amherst, Mass. Aprile was also a participant on the United States National Team from 1993-99, competing in the U.S. Olympic Festival (1993-97), Pan Am Qualifying (1994, 1997) and the South Pacific Classic (1998).
