Softball: Princeton to host Rutgers and Lafayette in home openers

After a winning week in California, the softball team will play Lafayette and Rutgers this weekend in Princeton’s first home games of the season.

On Saturday, the Tigers (6-12) will play Rutgers (10-15) in a double-header at Class of 1895 field. Princeton will then host Lafayette (7-7) in another double-header on Sunday.

Princeton swept Rutgers in a double-header last season, taking the first game 6-2 and winning the second 8-4. The Tigers have not played Lafayette in any previous season.

“We have played Rutgers in previous years. We know quite a bit about their team, so we can prepare in more specific ways than we would against a team we haven’t played before,” senior pitcher Jamie Lettire said. “Rutgers has a solid softball team, but we have played well against them in the past and I am confident we will have another good set of games against them this weekend.”

While Rutgers is a large school and has a large talent pool to draw from, Princeton does not consider this game to be any different.

“Our edge against larger schools is that we play relaxed and have fun in the process,” Lettire said. “Just because we go to Princeton does not mean that we are any less talented or aggressive than teams from larger, less academically rigorous schools.”

The Tigers will once again be looking not only to their strong pitching staff but also to their core of freshmen, who compose almost half the team. The freshman pitchers in particular have been a huge asset to the pitching staff: Alex Peyton and Liza Kuhn have both posted three wins each and contributed greatly to the team.

“Our freshman pitchers have really stepped up in the past week,” Lettire said.

The Tigers feel well prepared for their games this weekend, with a solid offense and an improving defensive game.

“Currently, our hitting is great up and down the lineup,” Lettire said. “I would say our defense will benefit from a few more days of practice to work out some kinks, but we can always improve on every area of the game.”

The game against Lafayette will be a little bit different, since the Tigers have not played them in years past. But as Lettire appropriately pointed out, many of the teams Princeton played in California were new teams and the Tigers still played well.

“Having not played many of the teams we played in California before, we discovered that the best way to approach a team we haven’t played before is to focus on playing our own game,” Lettire said. “If we play our best game, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”

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The Tigers will head into the game not knowing what to expect, since they haven’t seen how Lafayette plays. Princeton has more games under its belt, which may lend a helping hand, but the Tigers have little else to work with.

“As for Lafayette, we don’t have scouting reports on any of their hitters or pitchers, so the beginning of the game will involve learning and adjusting, as goes for the first game against any team,” Lettire said. “I honestly know nothing about the Lafayette team, so I cannot comment on whether or not they will be difficult competition. Obviously we will go out there expecting a tough game and prepare accordingly.”

Not only is this weekend exciting because of the unknown competition, but it is also the Tigers’ first games on their home field this season. They are excited to be back on home turf.

“Overall, we are all excited to play our first home games. It will be the first time the freshmen get to play on our home field and I think they are all looking forward to that,” Lettire said. “The upperclassmen are also looking forward to getting back on our home ground and starting off on a strong note.”