Around the Ivies: Softball

With just one weekend left in the regular season, the Ivy League championship series is still attainable for more than half of the league. Here’s the outlook for each team as the softball season comes down to the wire:

1. Penn (24-16 overall, 13-3 Ivy League)

Though Penn is the top team in the South Division and the Ivy League, nearly half of its victories have been by margins of only one or two runs, and the Quakers do not lead the league in any major categories. They are also sixth in the league in terms of batting and fifth in terms of ERA. With four games against Columbia this weekend, Penn has the opportunity to finish its Ivy League season strong, and it will need to do so in order to secure its spot in the Ivy League championship.

2. Dartmouth (22-17, 12-4)

Dartmouth is on top of the North Division and is currently on an eight-game winning streak. Sophomore pitcher Kristin Rumley leads the Ivy League in ERA (1.60), strikeouts (166) and complete games (22). The Big Green finds itself just a game ahead of Harvard in its division, making this weekend’s series between the two teams decisive.

3. Harvard (21-18, 11-5)

Harvard is the last of three teams with double-digit league wins. Junior Kasey Lange leads the Ivy League with 39 RBIs, and junior Shelbi Olson leads the league with 17 stolen bases. After losing its 11-game winning streak this past weekend, the Crimson will have to rebound quickly in order to take on Dartmouth in the hopes of winning its division.

4. Princeton (24-18, 9-7)

The Tigers have shown much improvement from last season, but they are still a long shot to take their division. The team is tied for first in the league in batting, with a .297 average, and first in the league with a total of 197 runs. Princeton will have to work hard next weekend in its four games against Cornell in order to have a winning Ivy League record, and it will need a miracle to end the season tied with Penn at the top of the division.

5. Columbia (21-21, 7-9)

Though Columbia has a losing record in the Ivy League, its overall .500 record shows promise for the rest of the season. Columbia is first in the league in pitching, with a team ERA of 2.47. Currently tied with Cornell at the bottom of the South Division, the Lions will need to be at the top of their game this weekend as they face Penn in a four-game series, and Princeton will need them to sweep the Quakers to stay alive.

6. Cornell (17-23, 7-9)

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

Tied with Columbia and holding a losing overall record, Cornell still shows potential to move up in the league. The Big Red is also tied with the Tigers in batting with a .297 average. After losing three out of four games to Penn last weekend, Cornell looks to prove itself against Princeton in four games at Ithaca next weekend.

7. Yale (8-32, 3-13)

Yale has had a difficult season, beating only Princeton once and Cornell twice at the beginning of Ivy League play. Despite the Bulldogs’ unimpressive record, catcher Sarah Onorato leads the league with a .415 batting average, 31 runs scored and 11 home runs. Yale is now on an 11-game losing streak but will hope to end on a high note, as it faces the only team in the league with a worse record than them this weekend.

8. Brown (8-25, 2-14)

The Bears have struggled this season, losing five Ivy League games without recording a single run and five games with only one run each. Though the team was able to best Harvard to end an 11-game losing streak, it still has to face Yale four times next weekend to determine whether it can move up in the standings.