Newtown's Jules Shields Starring In Softball At UMass

AMHERST, MA —Another week, another three hits for 2019 Council Rock North grad Jules Shields for the University of Massachusetts softball team.

The sophomore went 3-for-5, with two runs scored and an RBI Wednesday as the Minutewomen split a doubleheader with Rhode Island. Through Wednesday, Shields had started all 25 games and was leading UMass with a team-high .371 batting average, she had a home run and was tops on the team in RBIs (19) and doubles (7).

Not bad for an athlete playing her first full season of Division I softball. Shields had played 11 games as a freshman, and was batting .276, when the coronavirus pandemic brought a premature end to the campaign.

But Shields has looked like a seasoned veteran this spring for the Minutewomen, who were 13-12 overall and 9-7 in the Atlantic 10 through Wednesday. Shields is the team's everyday left fielder and has been hitting in the No. 6 spot in the lineup.

Shields, who chose UMass over St. Joseph's and Drexel, was a fine prep performer at Council Rock North, helping lead the Indians to the state semifinals as a sophomore and to the district finals as a junior.

A few of Shields' former teammates also are playing at the collegiate level.

Sophomore Lauren Begg is an outfielder and pitcher at LaSalle. Through Wednesday, Begg had started all 23 games for the Explorers, and she was hitting .212. Rachel Lorence is a freshman outfielder on the team at Division III Susquehanna University.