As the 2012 softball season approaches, the Jumbos are preparing to improve on a strong 2011 campaign. Led by co−captains Lena Cantone and Izzie Santone (E ‘11), the team played to a 23−18 overall record — including an impressive 9−3 mark against NESCAC opponents — and won two games in the NESCAC tournament before being knocked out by Middlebury. Santone and fellow senior Kim Miner (LA ‘11) have since graduated, and the program will now focus on building around its young talent. Cantone will undoubtedly be the leader both on and off the field. Now entering her fourth year with the team, the 5−foot−2 infielder is coming off a terrific junior season, during which she hit for an astonishing .435 average and collected 34 RBIs. Cantone's RBI total was surpassed only by rising sophomore catcher Jo Clair, who emerged as one of the great individual talents in the NESCAC, exploding for 42 RBIs in her first season and shattering the school's single−season homerun record with 16 long balls. Clair had an almost comical .815 slugging percentage last year, .271 points higher than anyone else on the team. There will probably not be another Jo Clair in this year's freshman class, but the team is eager to see what the new players will bring to the table. All signs suggest they will not disappoint. "Our freshman class is really strong," Clair said. "They play multiple positions, they are versatile, and they are all great hitters. We're all excited to see what they can do on the field." The Jumbos will open their 2012 campaign with the usual trip down to Clermont, Fla., for the annual NTC Spring Games from March 17−24. The trip will not only provide some early−season game action, but will also allow players and coaches to build chemistry and get acclimated with one another as they prepare to make another run at the NESCAC title. "We have really good team chemistry as it is," sophomore infielder Chrissie Massrey said. "But those 10 days together really foster a family environment and help us to realize what our goals are as a team and help us to gauge just how good we can be." Tufts will return home from Florida to take on Springfield College on the road on March 28. Then, the Jumbos will land back in Medford to battle conference rival Bowdoin in a three−game series from March 30−April 1. "Our first and primary goal is to win NESCACs," Massrey said. "But we also think we can go deep into Regionals. This is our year to do it."
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