Davies takes over softball

Softball coaches move around a lot. When a coach has been with one program for 18 years, it has been a serious commitment. When that program has been in existence for only 19 years, that coach has defined the program.

When that coach decides to move on, it is a decision that could be disastrous for the team.

Only 11 days after the end of last season, long-time Princeton head coach Cindy Cohen accepted a job as the Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Rochester, and the team's future was thrown into upheaval.

A team that was losing only one player to graduation and filling out its ranks with five recruits suddenly had a future much more uncertain than it had appeared to be at the close of the season.

Princeton set up a national search committee, but that search ended right back at 1895 Field.

On July 11, the hiring of new head coach Maureen Davies '97 was made official by Director of Athletics Gary Walters '67, ensuring stability that had seemed unlikely in the wake of Cohen's departure. Davies played at Princeton under Cohen and was an assistant coach last year.

"I've played here and helped coach here — this is my dream job," Davies said. "I'm honored to take Cindy's place."

Legacy

Cohen, who took over the program in only its second year, won 560 games and 12 Ivy League titles during her tenure with the Tigers.

"Everyone associated Princeton softball with Cindy Cohen, so it was a bit of a shock when she left," Davies said. "But she was ready to make a move."

"In hiring a new coach, we were looking to achieve both the standards of performance and character that Cindy established," Walters said in a statement. "It is the unanimous opinion of the search committee that Mo Davies meets those standards. She's the perfect choice."

While Cohen was leading the Tigers to great success in the mid-1990s, Davies was doing the same. While Cohen led at practice and on the bench, Davies led the team on the mound.

As the star pitcher for the Tigers, Davies took the team to the Ivy League title during her freshman, sophomore and junior years and was the No. 1 pitcher when Princeton advanced to the Women's College World Series in 1995 and 1996.

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Since she graduated, Davies has been playing for the Canadian national team, and she is an alternate for the Canadian Olympic team.

"My plan is to build upon the success of the past here, but to bring in some new ideas that I have from playing for the Canadian national team," Davies said.

"I hope to take us back to winning the Ivies and going to the NCAAs. We've been there before, and I know we can get there again."

What could have been a momentous change for the softball team only brought a familiar face back to 1895 Field. The Tigers hope that the stability that seemed so promising in May will continue in the upcoming year, with a few changes for the better.