To an impartial observer, it seems as if nothing short of a miracle will allow softball to advance through NCAA Regionals and reach the College World Series.
Try convincing the Tigers of the overwhelming odds they face, however, and you won't get too far.
"I don't think it would be a miracle," head coach Maureen Barron '97 said. "We just need to play really great softball."
But given the competition the Tigers will be up against, even "really great" might not be enough.
Princeton (23-19-1 Overall, 11-3 Ivy League) is one of 64 teams taking part in this year's tournament. The clubs are put into eight brackets — Regionals — and seeded one through eight. Just one team from each region advances.
The Tigers were awarded a seventh seed in the region that will be hosted by the University of Arizona in Tucson. The Wildcats (50-5) are not only the top seed in the region, but also the No. 1 seed in the entire tournament. That comes as no surprise, given that they've reached the World Series four straight years, winning in 2001.
A trip to the College World Series would require at least four wins. The last Ivy League team to win even a single game at Regionals was Princeton's 1996 squad, which won three, making it to the World Series for the second straight year.
First thing's first
As tough as knocking off Arizona will be, just getting the chance to play the Wildcats would be a major accomplishment for Princeton. The Tigers open on Thursday with a game against No. 2 seed South Carolina (38-18).
The Gamecocks are led offensively by a trio of seniors. Third base Danielle Quionenes was first on the team with a .349 batting average and made first team all-Southeastern Conference. Jodi Finch, named second team all-SEC in center field, didn't commit an error all season. Second base Deb Troesh hit 10 home runs, a single-season school record. The task of shutting down South Carolina's potent offense will fall to freshman pitcher Erin Snyder, who was recently named Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Although she heads into her first NCAA tournament game as the underdog against a team she has never faced, Snyder refuses to be intimated.
"We're not going to worry about the other team," she said. "We'll just play our game against anyone."
Much of Snyder's success will depend on the defensive support she receives from her teammates.
In last year's NCAA tournament, Brie Galicinao '02 pitched extremely well, giving up just one earned run in two games. But errors by her teammates let in four unearned runs, making the difference in a 2-1 loss to Minnesota and a 3-0 loss to Penn State. For the Tigers to avoid another early exit, they need to play error-free softball.
"At the elite levels you must play sound defense," Barron said. "Just one run often wins games."
Runs will be tough to come by, as the Gamecocks will send either freshman Melanie Hawkes (17-5) or junior Stacey Johnson (16-9, 1.30 ERA) to the rubber.
The low-scoring nature of the games means Princeton will often choose to play for one run, sacrificing runners over whenever possible. This won't be a departure from Barron's regular season philosophy, when she frequently took advantage of the speed at the top of the order.
Sophomore second base Kristin Lueke often used her slap-hitting technique to reach base, where she was advanced by freshman shortstop Christina Cobb-Adams. Sophomore pitcher Melissa Finley, recently named Ivy League Player of the Year, almost always delivered when runners were in scoring position.
Princeton is guaranteed at least two games due to the double-elimination nature of the Regional. If they lose, the Tigers would next face either No. 3 Texas A&M (35-20) or No. 6 Boston College (33-20). Two straight wins, and a match-up against Arizona would likely result.
From the beginning of the year, Princeton's stated goal was to win the Ivy League and to play at NCAA Regionals. With that accomplished, the Tigers simply hope to finish the season on a high-note.
"As long as we play our absolute best, even if we don't win, we'll still be happy," Barron said.
Don't be fooled into thinking the Tigers are satisfied with their work just yet. They're still playing to win, no matter the odds they face.
"We're not going out there just for the experience," Barron said. "We could beat anyone, even Arizona, on any given day."
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