Jumbos set to begin conference play

The No. 1-ranked softball team entered the week riding a 16-game winning streak and looking forward to a full slate of games. However, the bad weather once again spoiled the team’s schedule, forcing all four of the Jumbos’ games to be postponed.

With the postponement of a doubleheader at MIT on Monday and a doubleheader at home against Rhode Island College, the team has now had to reschedule seven of its last nine games. The only games that the Jumbos have been able to play since returning from their spring break trip to Clermont, Fla. were at the April Fools' Day doubleheader at Babson.

This puts the team in a strange situation just 21 days from the scheduled end of the regular season. The Jumbos have still not played a home game, nor have they faced a NESCAC opponent.

The University’s Athletics Department faces a tall task of rescheduling all of the missed games in a practical manner, as the team already has 17 games on the docket in the next 21 days.

The Jumbos entered the season as favorites to win the NESCAC for the fourth year in a row, but its plans have been delayed; all other teams in the NESCAC have played at least two conference games, and some have played as many as five.Tufts still easily has the best overall record in the conference, but the team’s record against NESCAC opponents is all that matters for seeding in the NESCAC tournament, which will take place after the culmination of the regular season.

The Jumbos have had a very successful season so far, outscoring their opponents 114-26 in the first 16 games. On offense, the team is batting .343 with a .415 on-base percentage and a .457 slugging percentage. On the other side of the ball, Tufts has posted a 0.67 ERA and has thrown six shutouts.

If weather permits, the team will finally face a NESCAC opponent today at 4 p.m. at Bowdoin. The Polar Bears enter the matchup with a 15-6 overall record and a 3-0 conference record.

After a game on Friday and doubleheader on Saturday -- all against Bowdoin -- Tufts will at long last play its first home game of the season. The Jumbos will host the Bates Bobcats for a doubleheader on Sunday in what will be the third attempt to make this battle happen. The series will be a lopsided one, though; Bates currently sits at 0-3 in the NESCAC and 1-12 overall.

The Jumbos will then play 12 games in 15 days, plus whatever games may be rescheduled during this time, to round out the regular season. A doubleheader at Wheaton on April 28 will mark the end of the regular season and the beginning of another potential title run.