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Teams: Softball: Team
Overview
The
Tufts University Softball team enjoyed one of the most successful
seasons in the NCAA Division III history last spring. Their 44-3 final
record was the eighth-best winning percentage (.936) since official NCAA
softball records began with the 1982 season.
The Jumbos won their third straight New England Small College Athletic
Conference (NESCAC) title, captured their second NCAA New England Region
crown, and finished fourth at the NCAA Tournament Championship round in
Montclair, New Jersey. Coach Cheryl Milligan's Jumbos were also ranked
fourth in the final National Fast-pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll.
Following the graduation of eight players, the 2010 Jumbos will have a
new look. However, plenty of talent returns and the expectations will be
the same. With shortstop Casey Sullivan, an NFCA All-Region First Team
pick last year, and 2008 NESCAC Player of the Year Christy Tinker at
first base, the Jumbos have a strong core in the infield. Lena Cantone
provided pop at the plate in her first season last spring and was voted
an NFCA Second Team All-American. Pitcher Izzie Santone, 21-2 with a
1.13 earned run average last season, should be one of the region's best
in the circle again for 2010.
The outstanding 2009 season added to Tufts' status as one of New England's most successful
programs with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
and eight conference championships.
Ranked by NCAA Tournament appearances, Softball is the most successful
program in the school's history despite its relatively short 25-year
history. Tufts has played in 11 of the last 13 NCAA Tournaments, and the
2000 team was the first to advance to the NCAA Championship Round in
Salem, Virginia.
The
Jumbos have won the last five NESCAC East Division pennants and have
played in five straight conference tournament finals. The program boasts
11 All-Americans and seven of the last nine NESCAC Players of the Year.
Jumbo accolades also include 31 First Team All Region
award-winners and a multitude of second and third team awards. Known for
their power at the plate, the Jumbos have been nationally ranked
statistically in home runs, leading the nation in this category in 2005.
Milligan was voted by her peers as the conference's Coach of the Year
for the third straight year and for the fourth time in five years last
season. Among
the 2009 team, right fielder Maya Ripecky and designated player Cantone
were NFCA All-Americans, Lauren Gelmetti was voted NESCAC Pitcher of the
Year, and center fielder Laura Chapman was selected NESCAC Defensive
Player of the Year. Sullivan, Ripecky, Chapman, and Cantone as NFCA
All-Region First Team recipients. Twelve individual and 11 team
single-season records were tied or broken in 2009. The team is 124-27
against NESCAC rivals over the last seven years and led the conference in
28 batting, pitching, and fielding categories in 2009.
A four-year starter at shortstop and an assistant coach for six years at
Tufts, Milligan was promoted to head coach of the Jumbos in July 2003.
She is a 1995 Tufts graduate who played every inning of the 120 games
during her Tufts softball career. Her .377 career batting average is
sixth all-time, and she is fourth on the team's career runs scored list
with 119. Milligan was a member of the class that vaulted the softball
program into annual post-season contention. The 1995 team hosted and won
the ECAC North Championship, finishing with a record 31 wins.
Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded
collegiate experience to student-athletes.
Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major
university with "an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional
faculty and staff, and bright and talented students", according to
President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a
varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in
the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished 10th in the 2009 Learfield
Sports Directors' Cup, which awards points based on NCAA
performances. The
University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its
academic institutions is also a major draw.
As members of NESCAC, Tufts is part of the nation's most competitive
small college conference academically and athletically. The NESCAC is a
group of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that
share an academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. The
Tufts program has matched its competitive success with academic
achievement. Three members of last year's team earned ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-District honors, and five were chosen to the NESCAC
All-Academic Team.
Kristina Tolles, Cara Hovhanessian, and Danielle Lopez will assist
Milligan. Hovhanessian and Lopez, both 2009 Tufts graduates, were major
contributors to the team's recent success. Tolles is a 2008 graduate of
UConn, where she pitched and played outfield for the Huskies.
Tufts University's Spicer Field is home to the Jumbos. A new batting
cage and bullpens were added to the field in 2007. Tufts hosted the 2009 NESCAC Tournament at Spicer. The Jumbos start their season with a spring
break trip to California for the annual Sun West Tournament, featuring
games against some of the nation's top teams.
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