The Tufts softball team is making history in this spring season, breaking records and shattering the dreams of every NESCAC team they face. The Jumbos are currently ranked 24th in the country, but will likely move up the ladder as they have defeated 2nd ranked Williams College in the New England Division III regional poll. The Jumbos hope to secure a College World Series berth this weekend as they play four conference games, two double-headers apiece, against Colby College and Trinity College.
The win over Williams, a powerhouse in NESCAC-West division was a triumphant moment for the Jumbos as they improved their record to 22-5 on the season senior standout Courtney Bongiolatti extended her home run record to eleven. Despite the elation of beating a team as prestigious as Williams, the Jumbos understand that the remainder of the season will still be a challenge.
"Coming off Williams with a 7-1 victory gave us confidence, but we know we are not invincible," freshman Danielle Lopez said. "It was a sweet win but we all can't wait until we see them again at NESCACs."
Until Tufts and Williams meet again, the Jumbos have their plate full with two sets of double-headers this weekend. Tufts will play Colby on Saturday and Trinity on Sunday. Colby is currently ranked 5th in the NESCAC-East division and Trinity is ranked 3rd.
"Both Trinity and Colby are really good teams. Trinity is right up there in the NESCAC standings," Bongiolatti said. "They have okay hitting and supposedly have solid pitching but I don't think it will be a big problem beating them. Every part of our lineup can hit every pitch."
Bongiolatti compared the upcoming games to the win over Bowdoin College in April. The win was a defining moment for the Jumbos since they were able to excel against elite competition.
"Before the Bowdoin game everyone talked about Emily Nelson [a standout player for Bowdoin] and how good she was but we completely destroyed that team." Bongiolatti said.
A hallmark of the Tufts team this year is its strong pitching talent. Juniors Sarah Conroy and Julia Brenta have stepped up for the Jumbos as well as sophomore Lauren Ebstein and freshmen Erica Bailey and Heather Kleinberger. Lopez believes that all five pitchers will receive ample playing time this weekend.
"We have a job to do and we need to go in there and do it," Lopez said. "With our offense and our pitching we have what it takes to come out 4-0 this weekend. We have five pitchers and four games so everyone will most likely be throwing at this point."
If the Jumbos continue to play the way they have been playing so far this season, they have a good shot at the College World Series.
"We have a reasonable chance," Bongiolatti said. "We've faced everyone in the region who are our major opponents and if we win NESCACs next weekend it could definitely happen. This is the best chance I've ever had in all my four years at Tufts to make it to the World Series."
The Jumbos hope to continue to their successful run on Saturday when they face Colby at home and then travel on Sunday to matchup against Trinity.
