Softball team to host Princeton Invitational

On Sunday, the women's softball team returned to prominence in the Ivy League by capturing its first league title since 1996.

It was the team's 14th overall in the 23 years the sport has been a part of the league.

The Tigers finished with 13 league wins, which is the most in the history of the program. They did go 12-0 back in 1995, but at that time, Columbia did not compete.

Princeton (29-15 overall, 13-1 Ivy League) used weekend sweeps over Yale (20-20, 5-7) and Brown (12-20, 4-8) and a little help from Cornell (23-19, 6-6) to secure sole possession of first place.

Princeton won two against Yale on Saturday and knew that two wins over Brown would clinch at least a tie with Harvard (26-8, 10-2) for the title. After taking care of business, the Princeton players took to moderate celebration. However, moments later it was announced that Cornell had beaten the Crimson earlier in the day, giving Harvard two league losses. That was when the celebration began in earnest and the Tigers knew they had the title.

"It feels great," head coach Maureen Davies '97 said. "They definitely deserve it. It's been a total team effort all season. Someone has always stepped up, and we've played hard every game."

"We've come so much further than anyone expected us to and we've proven to everyone and ourselves that we're capable of winning close games," freshman second baseman Kristin Lueke added.

After a week off to celebrate, Princeton returns to action this weekend when the Tigers host the Princeton Invitational. Manhattan College, Seton Hall and St. Peter's are all expected to partake in the festivities.

Those games are the last ones before the NCAA Regionals.

The Regionals are part of the larger Softball World Series Tournament, which will eventually crown the national champion. Princeton will be one of 48 teams that make it to the tournament. These teams are divided into eight divisions constisting of six teams each with the top team in each division hosting the games for that region.

Since the Ivy League is relatively weak, Princeton is expected to be just a five or six seed in its division.

The Tigers still have room for improvement before the beginning of these games, and one of the main areas of concern is offensive consistency.

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It often takes Princeton one game to get adjusted to the opposing team's style of pitching before the Tigers knock their opponent around in the second game.

An example of this was the double-header against Yale. In the first game, Princeton struggled to knock in runners in scoring position, winning 2-1 in extra innings. In the second contest, however, Princeton scored 10 runs in a game that was called after the fifth inning.

However, the Tigers will not have such an opportunity for adjustment in the regional tournament. Two losses over the course of the entire tournament send Princeton home.

Of course, the Tigers have time to think before they need to concern themselves with that. For this weekend at least, Princeton will bask in the glow of being the new Ivy League champions.