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Teams: Softball: Team
Overview
 Ranked
10th in the nation in the 2009 National Fast-pitch Coaches Association (NFCA)
pre-season poll, the Tufts University Softball team will look to
three-peat as New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC)
champs and take a shot at a World Series bid this spring. The team is
one of New England's most successful with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
and seven conference championships. Coming off their second consecutive
30-win season and second straight conference title, the Jumbos expect
continued success under Coach Cheryl Milligan in 2009.
Ranked by NCAA Tournament appearances, Softball is the most successful
program in the school's history despite its relatively short 24-year
history. Tufts has played in 10 of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments, and in
2000 the team advanced to the NCAA College World Series in Salem,
Virginia. Last year's conference championship team finished third at the
NCAA Regional Tournament and was ranked #23 in the country in the NFCA
final poll.
The Jumbos have won the last four NESCAC East Division pennants and have
played in four straight conference tournament finals. The program boasts
nine All-Americans and seven of the last eight NESCAC Players of the
Year. Jumbo accolades also include 27 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 second straight year and for the third time in four years. Among
the 2009 team, Izzie Santone was voted 2008 NESCAC Rookie of the Year.
Christy Tinker, the 2008 Player of the Year, DP Cara Hovhanessian and
catcher Megan Cusick were NFCA All-Region selections. The team is 107-27
against NESCAC rivals over the last six years and led the conference in
batting average, slugging, on-base percentage, runs, hits, RBIs, home
runs, stolen bases and fielding percentage in 2008.
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 second 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 15th in the
2008 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup, the award presented annually to
the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. 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. Five members of the team were chosen to the NESCAC
All-Academic Team last spring.
The Jumbos will again be a force to reckon with in '09. The right side
of the infield will feature two conference Players of the Year with
Tinker (.381, 8 HR, 33 RBI in '08) at 1B and Danielle Lopez (.369, 5 HR,
39 RBI), the 2006 recipient, at 2B. Casey Sullivan (.319, 7 HR, 26 RBI),
an All-American as a freshman in 2007, at shortstop and Samantha Kuhles
(.406, 40 runs), the 2007 Team MVP, are the left side of what could be
one of the nation's best infields. Hovhanessian (.407, 4 HR, 27 RBI)
will see some time at catcher after a three-year stint in the DP
position for which she received All-Conference and All-Region honors,
along with Julia Silberman. Starters Roni Herbst, Laura Chapman and Maya
Ripecky return in the outfield and bring a tremendous speed component to
the team. Chapman broke the career stolen bases record in 2008, helping
the Jumbos to snag 73 bases overall last spring. Speedy utility Alison
Drobiarz will again add to the stolen base tab this spring. The pitching staff is
also chock full of veterans with senior Lauren Gelmetti (11-2, 2.31
era), junior Stefanie Tong (8-2, 2.75), Santone (8-3, 2.00) all
returning. Erin Gallagher will also look to make an impact in her junior
year. Three talented freshmen round out the roster, with Lena Cantone
and Mira Lieman-Sifry adding depth in the infield and to the batting
line-up. Lizzy Iuppa will bring tremendous speed to the outfield and
base paths.
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 2007
NESCAC Tournament at Spicer and will be on the hunt for the top East
seed to host again in 09. 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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