Eastern Connecticut State University

Denise E. Lamontagne was the first All-America second baseman in softball program history, and becomes the first position player from the 1990 national championship squad to gain E-Club Hall of Fame induction. The first of only two All-America second basemen in the program’s 34-year history, Lamontagne was a four-year starter at second base on four straight regional championship teams and served as a senior captain on the 1990 title team.  A durable, steady performer and team leader, Lamontagne was in the starting lineup in 164 of a possible 166 games in her career. The Waterbury native missed only one game in her career, that due to an academic conflict. A two-time second-team All-America pick, Lamontagne batted well over .300 and collected more than 50 assists every season. In her career, she batted .338 with 171 hits, 93 runs, 96 RBI and  237 assists. At the time of graduation, she ranked second all-time in RBI and doubles, third in hits and defensive chances, fourth in assists, and sixth in total bases.  Lamontagne’s most valuable contribution to her teams was her ability to make contact at the plate, as she struck out an average of only once every 25.3 career plate appearances. With Lamontagne, Eastern won 136 games (34.0 per year) and lost only 30 for an .819 winning percentage. In 1990, Lamontagne batted .350, led or shared the team lead in RBI, doubles, triples and walks and fielded at .963 on 163 defensive chances. That year, the Warriors lost only three regular-season northern games (all to Division I opponents), capturing 15 consecutive games at one point and later winning three elimination games on the final day to claim the national title.  In five national tournament games that year, Lamontagne handled 22 defensive chances with only one error, and in a 4-1 win over Trenton State that forced a winning-take-all national title showdown, she collected five putouts and four assists at second base.