HEAVY

Wednesday, May 4, 2005

HEAVY-HITTING JUMBOS SET TO HOST NESCAC TOURNAMENT
MEDFORD – The Tufts University Softball team will host the 2005 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament this weekend at Spicer Field. Games start on Friday (May 6) and run through Sunday (May 8). The conference champion will receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Cheryl Milligan's Jumbos certainly hope to be the team that advances. Last year, the team missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. They are back with a vengeance this spring. Tufts brings a 25-6 overall record and 7-1 mark in the NESCAC East Division into the tournament. They won the East Division, earning the right to host West Division top seed Williams, East #2 Trinity and West #2 Middlebury on the weekend. Friday's first-round games feature Tufts versus Middlebury at 2:30 and Williams against Trinity at 5:00. Play continues on Saturday starting at 10:00 and the championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 10:00.

After a 16-16 finish and early elimination from the NESCAC Tournament last spring, Tufts looks to regain the conference crown that it won from for three straight seasons (2001-03). Williams College interrupted the run last season and the Ephs are back this year. With Coach Kris Herman at the Williams helm, formerly the coach at Tufts for 16 years before moving on to Williamstown last year, any Tufts-Williams match-up on the weekend would include some intrigue.

Tufts recently defeated Williams 7-1, avenging a 12-5 loss during spring trip play in California. The Jumbos won the first game of a double-header against Trinity College last Friday to capture the East crown. Tufts and Middlebury have not played this year, but the Panthers ended the Jumbos' season in the NESCACs last year.

The 2005 Jumbos have become one of the most prolific home run hitting teams in NCAA Division III history this spring. Their 40 home runs in 31 games are already tied for the seventh-best total in NCAA Division III history, according to the NCAA Softball record book. The NCAA Division III record is 48 home runs hit by Muskingum in 2002. Tufts has at least two games in the conference tournament remaining, but hopes to extend their season into the NCAA Tournament.

Senior shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti (Locust, NJ/Middletown) has clubbed 14 home runs so far, a Tufts record. She is one of only six players in New England softball history to hit at least 14 home runs in a season. Hitting .389 overall, she has also batted in a Tufts-record 44 runs. Both of her home run and RBI per game averages rank in the top five nationally.

Tufts also has the 2004 NESCAC Player of the Year at first base with senior Katie Smith (Convent Station, NJ/Morristown). She's hitting a robust .364 with three home runs and 18 runs batted in. Tufts is hitting .316 overall, tops in NESCAC.

The Tufts team has been bolstered by the addition of five freshman who have all made significant contributions this spring. Second baseman Danielle Lopez (Danvers, MA/Danvers) leads the Jumbos with a .394 batting average, has a NESCAC-best 41 hits and has added eight home runs and 27 RBIs. Erica Bailey (Scottsdale, AZ/Chaparral) is hitting .359 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs and is pitching in with a 7-2 record and 1.75 earned run average in a team-high 56 innings.

Megan Cusick (Albany, NY/Albany) would be a Rookie of the Year candidate on most any other team with her .329 average and three home runs, along with playing time at catcher and in the outfield. Mara Dodson (Roswell, GA/Roswell) was as productive as anyone on the team prior to injuring her knee earlier in the season and has returned to the line-up recently (.324, 3 HR, 9 RBIs). Heather Kleinberger (New City, NY/Clarkstown) has played a great third base while hitting .276 and compiling a 3-0 pitching record with a 1.75 era.

Outfielders Annie Ross (Newton, MA/Newton South), Alaina Thiel (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park) and Jess Barrett (Milford, MA/Milford) have all made regular contributions as well. Ross leads Tufts with 9 sacrifice bunts, 10 walks and five stolen bases (tied with Lopez). Thiel has shown some pop in her bat with four doubles. Barrett has added 10 runs scored and eight RBIs from the bottom of the batting order.

The pitching staff has been overshadowed, but four starters carry earned run averages below 1.80. In addition to Bailey and Kleinberger, junior Julia Brenta (San Anselmo, CA/Redwood) is 6-0 with a 1.41 era. Junior Sarah Conroy (Biddeford, ME/Biddeford) won her first eight decisions and is 8-1 overall with a 1.76 era.

Tufts is 10-0 at home this season and has won 14 in a row there overall. The Jumbos hosted the NESCAC Tournament in 2001, beating Bowdoin, Williams and Amherst to win the title. They will have to play sharp defensively this weekend. Their 55 errors are the third most in the conference.