Tigers motivated by last season's disappointment

The quest of winning the Ivy League title starts now for the softball team. After a letdown last year, the team hopes that a fresh start can bring the title back to Princeton. With a promising performance last weekend, the team is already taking a must-win attitude onto the field every game.

"The returning players remember what it felt like not to win," head coach Maureen Barron '97 said. "They have a lot of heart, and they want to have a great season. We're talented, and we have the potential to be a very good team."

After roaring to back-to-back Ivy League titles in 2002 and 2003, the Tigers stumbled to a disappointing 7-7 league record in 2004, falling well short of what was needed to earn a third-straight Ivy title and the accompanying NCAA Tournament berth. Considering that Princeton returned nearly every key player from 2003 for the 2004 season, the mediocre performance was entirely unexpected.

But despite the poor showing, the potential packed into this year's Tiger roster remains clear. Princeton (4-1 overall) has already demonstrated its high level of talent this year, posting consecutive shutout games last weekend and outscoring its opponents, 16-0, in the first four games. Though they lost their last game to an Elon team that they had beaten earlier in the tournament, the Tigers still felt they got off to an extremely successful start.

"Overall, I was very happy with how we played. We start every year playing teams that have played 20 games, and they [the opponents] came out confident and strong," Barron said. "I give it to Elon, who were zero-and-four in the tournament, but it was a good trip overall and a good eyeopener."

Size doesn't matter

Princeton has a smaller team this year, with just 14 players suiting up. The squad's freshmen have already seen — and will continue to see — significant playing time and will be called on to make large contributions to the Tigers' success.

The freshmen this year are pitcher Kristen Schaus and infielders Beth Dalmut and Lauren Biermann. Dalmut and Biermann will see more time in the outfield this spring because of the teams needs.

Having a small team can be a positive thing. All players will get the chance to see significant playing time, unlike some teams that keep 24 players. Though the lack of depth may seem like a weakness, Barron believes that will give everyone a chance to build as a player.

"Pretty much every player will be a contributor," Barron said.

One of the team's strengths will be a deep pitching staff. Other teams had a taste of this last weekend, as the Tiger pitchers combined for a very successful weekend. With five pitchers and five different pitching styles, Princeton will be able to match up with opposing teams' staffs very well.

The pitchers seeing significant starting roles will be junior Erin Snyder — the ace of last year's staff — sophomore Calli Varner and Schaus, who is coming off a no-hit performance last weekend against Elon.

Senior Melissa Finley, who has started in the past, and sophomore Amelia Runyan will be counted on primarily for relief roles throughout the season.

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The starting lineup in the field is still up in the air and is likely to be fairly fluid for a good part of the season. Matching up with teams will be key in picking the starters, and the starting lineup will vary day to day. Every player knows that she will be called upon to fill many different roles.

"The starting lineup is still a work in progress, depends on who is playing, who is pitching, who's going to be most effective," Barron said.

Despite the uncertainty, several returning Tigers are likely to be consistent producers at the plate. Finley, who plays in the outfield when not pitching, emerged as a star during her sophomore year and is coming off of a strong 2004 season during which she recorded a .315 batting average with eight home runs. Junior shortstop Christina Cobb-Adams, a starter since her freshman year, also figures to be a key contributor at the top of the Princeton batting order, setting the table for the Tigers' big boppers.

Small steps

The ultimate goal in any season is to win the league, but to get to that point Princeton needs to reach smaller-scale checkpoints. One of the biggest challenges for the Tigers will be managing a varied schedule — generally less competitive games during the week followed by more competitive teams on the weekends — and to approach each game with the same intensity and mindset.

"The short-term goals take care of the longterm goals," Barron said. "These are to challenge ourselves, to work as a cohesive team and to play with the same intensity every day. Great teams will destroy weaker teams, and they will play up and beat stronger teams."

This weekend Princeton will meet its first glimpse of postseason-caliber teams as they head to San Jose, Calif., for the National Invitational Softball Tournament, which starts tomorrow against Santa Clara.

During the trip, the Tigers will also face Cal-Berkeley, Saint Mary's, UC-Davis, Colorado State, Pacific, Utah and Stanford.

After the tournament, Princeton will play doubleheaders during the week, ultimately fitting 12 games into a nine-day stretch. Barron is excited about the trip because it gives the Tigers a chance to see post-season teams all to get as much experience in games as possible.

"We play over a third of the season that week," Baron added. "In a sense, we're catching up to everyone."

Princeton hopes that its combination of experience and fresh talent will create talent will combine to form a formidable team this spring. If last weekend is any glimpse of what is to come, the Tigers' hopes could very well become a reality.

"I think this year's team is a really great group that works well together. On paper, we are stronger," Barron said. "It's early, but they have the potential to be a really great team. We're fully capable of winning every game on our schedule and just riding out the season. We can't look past anybody."