Salcido takes reins for Tigers after Barron leaves

“Being able to win an Ivy League championship in my first season was special,” Salcido said.

The challenge, of course, will be to repeat the tremendous success that the team experienced in Salcido’s first year at the helm.

Former head coach Maureen Barron ’97 built a strong foundation for Salcido, winning four Ivy titles in her seven years at Princeton. At first, Salcido and the Tigers did not live up to that legacy, dropping four of their first five games. On March 8, 2008, even the seemingly invincible Schaus, who had posted a 1.55 ERA in her debut season of collegiate softball, had a 1-3 record.

“We made it difficult for ourselves by starting the season with pretty low spirits,” senior infielder Kathryn Welch said.

By the time the Ivy season rolled around, however, something had clicked. Princeton won its first 14 contests against Ancient Eight competition, including an early-season sweep against the Crimson that foreshadowed events to come.

Like the fabled Murderer’s Row of MLB lore, the Tigers relied on a deep lineup filled with power hitters. Then-sophomore pitcher Jamie Lettire and then-sophomore outfielder Kelsey Quist, along with Welch, formed a middle of the order that no pitcher would ever want to face.

“There was a period last year when neither [Quist], [Welch] or I could hit a home run without another one of us hitting one, too,” Lettire said. “If I’m in a slump, I know Kelsey is there to snap me out of it.”

Lettire and Quist finished the season with 14 home runs apiece, tying Princeton’s single-season record. Welch, no slouch herself, had 13 long bombs on the year.

“Putting the three of us in a row in a lineup is going to be a major challenge for any pitcher,” Quist said.

Lettire also spent considerable time in the circle as one of the Tigers’ three primary starting pitchers. After a solid 8-7 campaign as a freshman, Lettire improved to 8-4 and posted a 3.46 ERA in her sophomore season.

Princeton executed its winning formula to perfection in its final two Ivy games, sweeping Harvard to earn Salcido’s first league title as a college head coach. After the Tigers won Game 1, 4-2, behind a workmanlike seven-inning performance from Lettire, they handed the ball to Schaus.

The ace did not disappoint, and the Tigers left no doubt as to which squad was the Ancient Eight’s best. After setting the Princeton record for career strikeouts earlier in the season, Schaus dazzled the Crimson batters with an array of changeups and breaking balls to claim her 10th win of the season. Schaus pitched a complete game, striking out eight, walking none and allowing only four hits in a 5-1 victory. Lettire, meanwhile, erased any suspense in the first inning by hitting a towering two-out, three-run homer to effectively end Harvard’s chances.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

This season, Salcido and the Tigers will be returning nearly all of last year’s key starters. Only Schaus and catcher Beth Dalmut ’08 graduated, and so Princeton’s formidable lineup has remained largely intact.

Who will fill in Schaus’ shoes is still an open question, as the pitcher made 27 starts in the circle in her final year. Lettire may be pressed to start more games, and sophomore pitcher Michelle Tolfa will likely see her workload increase dramatically. In her rookie year, Tolfa made 22 appearances and 11 starts, and her 7-4 record and 3.64 ERA show that she has potential.

“[Schaus] set a pretty high bar in terms of pitching performance,” Lettire said, “so I’ve been pushing myself very hard this offseason in order to prepare for what’s expected of me … I have every confidence that we will be able to succeed as a pitching staff this year.”

Quist will also pitch for the Tigers this season, primarily coming out of the bullpen.

“I hope to be able to take a little bit of pressure off [Lettire and Tolfa] any way I can,” Quist said.

For its part, the coaching staff is not worried about losing its top-flight starter.

“We have every confidence in this trio’s ability to share the workload and put us in a position to win games,” assistant coach Alexis Alcantara said.

Princeton has added two freshmen to its roster: outfielder Nicole Ontiveros and infielder Kelsey VandeBergh. Ontiveros, a speedster from Laguna Niguel, Calif., will likely make an immediate impact in baserunning.

“With the addition of Nicole Ontiveros, one of our new freshman slap-hitters, we should be adding a little more speed to our lineup,” Quist said.

The Tigers need all the help they can get, as the league’s other teams may pose more of a challenge this season.

“Everyone will be gunning for us this year because of our Ivy League title last year,” Quist said.

Cornell, Princeton’s main divisional rival, posted an astonishing .351 team batting average last season while outscoring every Ivy squad by more than 100 runs. The Big Red returns three of its top four batters, none of whom hit under .390.

In the league’s other division, Harvard also returns key starters in its lineup: utility Ellen Macadam hit .371 as a freshman, while starting pitchers Dana Roberts and Margaux Black posted ERAs of 2.21 and 2.51, respectively.

Salcido did not set a firm goal for this year for the Tigers. Instead, she stressed that as a coach, she emphasizes the process rather than the outcome.

“We focus on our game: pitchers hitting spots, hitters choosing the right pitch and getting [their] best cut on the ball, baserunners being aggressive and smart, defense taking care of the ball and working together to make outs,” Salcido said. “This year will be no different. We will play with all the same goals, make no predictions and simply expect to end up with the same great results.”

Salcido and the Tigers already reached the top of the Ivy League in their first season together. Now that the honeymoon is over, however, Princeton must work twice as hard to maintain its success.