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.