PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Throughout her three-sport athletic career at Peabody High, Abby Bettencourt always played a pivotal role.
She was a four-year starter for the volleyball, girls basketball, and softball teams. Suffice to say, Bettencourt rarely rode the bench and once she became a starter, she was there to say.
However, this year, in her second season on Brown University’s softball team, she faced an unfamiliar challenge.
She got benched.
That said, in the end, Bettencourt not only survived, but thrived.
Throughout a breakout freshman season, in which she started 39 of the Bears’ 44 games, she finished third on the team in batting average (.287) with a team-high 11 doubles, as well as 35 hits, 24 RBI, 17 runs scored, and a homer. Bettencourt helped lead Brown to its first Ivy League championship since 1997 when her mother, Lauren, was a member of the team.
Bettencourt started this season with an Opening Day hit against Oklahoma State, followed by another base hit a few games later.
After that, she fell into a slump, going more than a month without a hit. She hit rock bottom in late March as her batting average plummeted to .111.
But rather than hanging her head and feeling sorry for herself, Bettencourt took a rational approach.
“This year, we lost our big power hitter, so the team was looking for more power out of me,” she said. “I had always hit for contact. Also, I knew I wasn’t going to get as many strikes because we were playing some really good teams early. I thought I was making strides; it just took a while to get it down.”
When Bettencourt finally cracked back into the lineup, there was no stopping her. She was named Ivy League Player of the Week on May 4, hitting .778 (7-for-9) and posting an .818 on-base percentage with a walk.
In a double-header against the University of Pennsylvania on May 1, Bettencourt drove in eight runs and scored three, picking up three doubles and a three-run homer.
In Game 2 alone, she batted 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBI, helping Brown clinch a spot in the Ivy League championship. The sophomore batted 2-for-2 with a walk, four RBI, and a three-run homer in the series finale. She finished the weekend with a 1.444 slugging percentage.
“That was definitely a good week,” Bettencourt said.
Brown’s (21-24, 11-9 Ivy League) season ended May 8 after a 2-1 loss against Columbia during the league tournament. At first base, Bettencourt received an honorable mention nod on the Ivy League All-Star team.
“They were definitely good games and I had a few balls that could have changed the outcome,” she said. “I knew, from last year, it was really cool to make the NCAA after no one really expected us to go. We had hoped for the same this year, but we knew there were still people who didn’t think we could.”
By the time the dust had settled, Bettencourt polished off a remarkable comeback. She led the Bears with two four-hit games, five home runs, and 28 RBI. She finished second on the team in batting average (.333), hits (37), multiple-RBI games (7), and runs scored (23). She had the second longest on-base streak (14) and posted a team-high 13-game hitting streak.
A biology major, Bettencourt was at her best during conference contests, posting a batting average of .371 and leading Brown in hits (23), doubles (5), and RBI (18), tying for the team lead with three home runs.
A three-sport standout at Peabody High, Bettencourt set a record in volleyball assists (1,515), softball strikeouts (732), and was a Northeastern Conference All-Star across three sports. She was the NEC’s Most Valuable Player for four consecutive years on the softball field, the 2024 NEC Most Valuable Player in volleyball, and an NEC All-Star on the basketball court.
The 2024 Harry Agganis Student-Athlete of the Year recipient also received the MIAA’s 2024 Will McDonough Female Athlete of the Year award. She also received multiple Daily Item All-Star nods.
Bettencourt never lost faith when it came to turning things around at Brown.
“I always knew I could do better by working hard at practice and getting back in the lineup,” she said. “My initial reaction was that I got pulled because I hadn’t been performing like I could, so it just made sense for the team to give someone else the opportunity. Deep down, I knew I could hit, but it was definitely hard adjusting to the level of pitching we were seeing. The big thing was not getting down or reading too much into stats because you just don’t forget how to hit.”
