Boston University softball players celebrating a walk-off victory against Michigan State at the Garnet and Black Invitational March 17. The Terriers are looking for their fifth Patriot League title in six seasons. Photo by Juan Blas

Varsity Sports

BU Softball Hosts Holy Cross in 2024 Patriot League Home Opener

Terriers are defending PL champs, with five consecutive regular-season titles under their belts

After winning five consecutive Patriot League regular season titles and four conference tournaments in the last five full seasons—the 2020 season was canceled by COVID-19—it’s hard not to call the Boston University softball program a modern dynasty. 

In last year’s historic campaign, the Terriers went 52-10, posted a Patriot League record 28-game win streak and earned a near-perfect 17-1 conference record that netted them six major conference awards, including Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. The team earned its 12th NCAA Tournament berth after capturing the sixth Patriot League title.

But as the Terriers prepare to host their Patriot League home opener Saturday at noon against Holy Cross, they are refusing to rest on their laurels. 

“We’re very hungry, and hungry dogs run faster,” says Caitlin Coker (CAS’24, GRS’24), 2023 PL Defensive Player of the Year and PL Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Ranked 21st nationally this year by D1softball.com, the Terriers are off to a 32-4 start. They returned nearly the entire 2023 roster, including Coker, as well as their reigning PL Player of the Year, Kayla Roncin (Sargent’24), Pitcher of the Year, Allison Boaz (ENG’23, GRS’24), and Rookie of the Year, Kasey Ricard (Sargent’26). Four-time Coach of the Year Ashley Waters (Wheelock’22) is back in the BU dugout for her ninth season.

“I’m really proud of the way we came out to start off the season,” Waters says. “I genuinely feel like I’m always impressed with their ability to be resilient, to be competitive, and to grit out some really tough wins. I think that’s what makes them so special.”

Waters praises her team’s perseverance in playing just 2 of their 34 games thus far at home (in a nod to New England winters) and having to practice indoors at the BU Track & Tennis Center because of often inclement weather.

“Their ability to transition from being in the Track & Tennis Center to out on the field, it says a lot about their competitiveness,” Water says, “and that’s the heart of our program.” 

After winning three regular-season titles and two PL championships in four years, Coker returned this season as a grad student for a fifth year, with a renewed set of goals. BU has made the national tournament twice in her tenure, but is 1-4 in NCAA tournament games.

“I think we want to keep aiming a little bit higher every single time,” Coker says. “I think winning the league championship last year and having a little bit of success at Regionals definitely churned the waters for us. We’re really hungry to get back there, make a mark, and win a Regional, but we need to get things done before that, get that PL ring, and then make it back to a national stage.” 

Coker was tabbed to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year in the 2024 PL preseason awards. Roncin and Boaz were also picked to repeat as Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. 

Waters says that despite the accolades for individual athletes, the focus remains on the team, not on individual players. 

“The individual awards don’t tend to mean too much to us. When you have a bunch of individual awards, all it shows is that you have a really good team,” she says, adding that her players “want to win a championship, and I think they’d hand back anything in the world as long as they got that ring at the end.” 

To reach that goal, the Terriers have turned their focus to Patriot League play. They swept both of their opening three-game conference series, outscoring Army-West Point on March 22 and 24 (21-3) and clobbering Colgate in three games (26-2) on April 7 and 8.

“I think we kind of take each weekend as it comes,” the coach says. “There’s a lot of parity within the league once you get to conference play. Anyone can challenge and beat us, so we need to play our game and stay at our level. We have to continue to rise throughout the season and get better. I think separating ourselves from the competition is going to be the ultimate goal this year.”

Waters says she and her players are looking forward to hosting Holy Cross in their PL home-opening series and that they know they face a formidable adversary. 

“I really respect their head coach [Kimberly Stiles]. I think she’s done a really great job recruiting, and she’s put in some incredible effort to get those kids in a really good spot,” Waters says. “Holy Cross is scrappy, they’re gonna come to fight. It’s a really challenging weekend and one that I think we’ll be ready for.”

The Terriers are already undefeated through six games and eyeing a fifth conference championship in six seasons, and being the Patriot League’s biggest target, Coker says, has proven to be more motivating than unnerving. 

“I really like the saying that pressure is a privilege,” she says. “We do have a target on our backs, and I think we wouldn’t want to be in any other position. We love having that reputation, and we love chasing other things while people are chasing us. I think that’s a big responsibility, but we’re ready for the challenge. We’re ready to make even more noise than we have in the past.” 

The Boston University softball team will face Holy Cross in three games this weekend, beginning Saturday, April 13, at noon. Game two of the doubleheader will play at 2 pm, and the final game will be on Sunday, April 14, at noon. Admission is free. All of this weekend’s games will stream live on ESPN+.