Elaine Sortino (October 28, 1949 – August 18, 2013) was an American college

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

coach. She was the head coach at UMass from 1980 to 2013. With 1,185 wins in 34 years as a head coach, Sortino ranks among the highest in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

softball coaching victories.

Early years

Sortino was a native of

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, and a 1971 graduate of

State University of New York at Oneonta The State University of New York at Oneonta, also known as SUNY Oneonta, is a public university in Oneonta, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History SUNY Oneonta was established in 1889 as the Oneonta N ...

, and earned her master's degree from the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin Unive ...

in 1973. While attending Bridgeport, Sortino served as an assistant coach for

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

's softball team from 1971 until 1973. She was inducted into the Oneonta State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

UMass

Sortino was the head softball coach at UMass from 1980 to 2013. The UMass Softball Complex was renamed Sortino Field in 2012. She also coached women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

from 1979-1986 posting a 218-134-1 record during her tenure. She served as Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at the University.

Softball Coaching records and Halls of Fame

Sortino was inducted into the

National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame The National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame was established in 1991 to recognize sports coach, coaches who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport of softpitch softball. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association ("NFCA") is ...

in 2004. She led the Minutewomen to 23 Atlantic 10 titles, 21 NCAA Tournament appearances, and 3 trips to the

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

. Sortino coached a Honda Award winner, an Olympic Gold Medalist, 21 All-Americans, 15

A-10 The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 19 ...

Players of the Year, 18 A-10 Pitchers of the Year, 9 A-10 Rookies of the Year, and 133 all-conference team members. In her career, UMass posted 21 30-win seasons, seven 40-win campaign and one 50-win season.

Later years and death

Sortino was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, and died of the disease August 18, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sortino, Elaine 1949 births 2013 deaths American softball coaches UMass Minutewomen softball coaches State University of New York at Oneonta alumni University of Bridgeport alumni People from Yonkers, New York Softball players from New York (state)

Early years

UMass

Softball Coaching records and Halls of Fame

Later years and death

See also

References