Terps Open Season at Trojan Classic

Friday, February 8

Troy, AL

11:00 AM

Maryland

Murray State

2/7/2019 8:55:00 AM | Softball

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The 2019 Maryland softball team is set to make its season debut this weekend, February 8-10 at the Trojan Classic, hosted by Troy University.

Maryland will play five games at the tournament, which also features matchups against Murray State and 2018 NCAA Super Regional participant and perennial powerhouse Alabama. Maryland is 6-18 all-time in season-opening games, and will look to start the year with a win for the first time since 2013.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Time (EST)	Watch/Listen	Live Stats
Fri, Feb. 8	Murray State	11 a.m.		Live Stats
Fri, Feb. 8	Troy	4 p.m.	Facebook Live	Live Stats
Sat, Feb. 9	No. 11 Alabama	11 a.m.	Live Audio	Live Stats
Sat, Feb. 9	Troy	4 p.m.	Facebook Live	Live Stats
Sun, Feb. 10	Murray State	11 a.m.		Live Stats

Maryland's matchups against Troy will be streamed via Facebook Live on Troy University's Facebook page.

TERPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to keep up with Maryland softball all season!

TWITTER: @TerpsSoftball

INSTAGRAM: @umdsoftball

FACEBOOK: /MDTerpsSoftball

2018 REWIND

Maryland is coming off an 18-37 season which saw the team win seven games in the Big Ten.
Maryland's 5-1 start in Big Ten play was its best since joining the conference in 2014-15, and was one game shy of the best start ever in conference competition in program history. Maryland's last 5-1 start in conference action came during the 1999 season, when the Terps started ACC competition 6-1 before winning the conference regular season and advancing to the NCAA Regional Finals.
The team bid farewell to seniors Sky Ellazar, Destiney Henderson and Jacqui Pascual. Ellazar was a Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree and started in every game for the Terps last season at second base, while leading the team in batting average (.319), runs (28), home runs (8), RBIs (23), slugging pct. (.525), on base pct. (.412) and stolen bases (7).

WRIGHT, GALASSO, HAMMOND REUNITED

Maryland softball head coach Julie Wright announced the addition of Victoria "Vicky" Galasso as assistant coach for the 2018-19 season. Galasso will serve as the Terrapins' hitting coach.
At Idaho State, Galasso was a two-time Big Sky Conference Player of the Year, a three-time NFCA All-Region honoree and a USA Softball Top-50 Watch List selection while garnering ESPNW National Player of the Week honors during her career
Galasso had an award-winning career at Idaho State University, where she played four years under Wright.
Current volunteer assistant coach Camron Hammond also spent time with Galasso and Wright at Idaho State as an assistant coach.

TERPS BOLSTER ROSTER WITH THREE TRANSFERS FOR 2019

Head Coach Julie Wright announced the addition of three transfers for the 2019 season in pitcher Victoria Galvan, outfielder Micaela Abbatine and pitcher Kiana Carr. All three will be immediately eligible for the Terps.
Galvan joins the Terrapins after spending a season at South Carolina as a reserve pitcher/utility player. The Brielle, N.J. native had a highly productive prep career at Manasquan High School, where she was a four-year letter winner and a three-time All-Shore Conference honoree.
Abbatine comes to Maryland after playing two seasons at North Carolina, where she saw action in 56 games as a freshman and sophomore. Abbatine appeared in 17 games this past year before suffering a season-ending injury. She stole 10 bases in her first collegiate season, helping UNC break the single-season stolen base record in 2017.
Carr joins the Terps after a two-year stint at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Arizona where she went 37-2 from the circle in 267.4 innings for the Bears. Karr was a workhorse for Phoenix College this past year, leading the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) in strikeouts (246) and wins (32) and was named the ACCAC Pitcher of the Year and a First-Team All-Conference selection.

FINUCANE RETURNS HOME

Maryland softball head coach Julie Wright announced the addition of Victoria "Tori" Finucane as assistant coach for the 2018-19 season. Finucane will serve as the Terrapins' pitching coach. Finucane grew up locally and has been a lifelong fan of Maryland's softball program.
Finucane joins the Maryland softball coaching staff after serving as the assistant softball director at Starters Sports Training in Shakopee, Minn.
Before her time with Starters Sports Training, Finucane played the 2017 season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, making 10 starts as pitcher going 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA and 51 strikeouts. The Gophers set a program record that season by finishing 56-5 overall, won the Big Ten regular season title as well as the Big Ten Tournament Championship, and held the No. 1 national ranking in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Prior to transferring to Minnesota, Finucane spent three years with the University of Missouri softball team. She excelled as a freshman, winning SEC Freshman of the Year compiling a 1.73 ERA with a 21-6 record in 190.1 innings pitched. She also received first team All-SEC and freshman All-SEC honors as well as NFCA All-Southeast Region Second Team distinction.
Finucane is a Maryland native, originally from Germantown. She graduated from Bishop O'Connell High School (Arlington, Va.) in 2013 after an illustrious high school softball career. In her two years at O'Connell, she held a 55-2 record and topped the 300 mark in strikeouts both years.

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Maryland will sport a young roster in 2019, with six sophomores on the roster and six freshmen set to make their collegiate debuts.
Sophomores JoJo McRae, Shelby Younkin, and Taylor Wilson saw significant playing time as freshmen last season, each appearing in over 30 games. Several freshmen are set to see significant playing time again in 2019.
Three starters return to the 2019 starting lineup in Amanda Brashear, Bailey Boyd, and Anna Kufta.
Wright's 2019 squad features just six upperclassmen - three juniors and three seniors.