Princeton University Athletics
Softball Team Readies Itself for Championship Run in 2000
January 12, 2000 | Softball
Jan. 12, 2000
PRINCETON, N.J. - There was a time when Princeton was always the hunted. Year after year, the Tigers were the team to beat in the Ivy League, the team you somehow had to solve if you wished to claim a berth to the NCAA tournament.
That same sort of dominance no longer exists in the Ivy League. Three teams have won the championship in the last four years, including Princeton's 12th title in 1996. The freshmen on that squad traded in their gloves for diplomas last season, this year's cast is determined to find out just how great that feeling is.
These players have proven over the last three seasons they can win, but the Ivy championship has eluded them. The ingredients are there--determination, talent, depth and coaching. How it will blend together remains to be seen, but Cindy Cohen thinks she might be looking at a recipe for success.
Pitching:
The Class of 2000 won't dazzle you with its depth. It contains only one player, although she may prove to be the most important player in the league this season. As a junior, Sarah Peterman had a phenomenal year in which she won 14 games and had an ERA of 1.01. She was in control during her starts, striking out nearly five batters to every one that she walked. At one point in the season, she pitched six consecutive complete-game shutouts. With slightly more run support, she could have won 20 games. There is no reason to think that Peterman can't be as dominant, if not more, this year. With all her talents on the mound, her greatest strength is her competitive fire. She pitches hard in every situation, comes hard at every batter. She will be the driving force behind her younger teammates, especially when the Ivy stretch rolls around.
This isn't tennis or golf, though. Individual performances don't get the job done over the long haul, and Peterman simply can't throw each inning of every game. A trio of sophomores are working hard to earn the start in the second game of the doubleheaders. Brie Galicinao is the lone lefthander in the rotation, and her importance to the team comes in a variety of ways. She was the leading hitter, a solid first baseman and gave the team some important innings during the season. She is a control pitcher with a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio who won a pair of Ivy League games and pitched a spectacular game in a win at Connecticut.
Dana Freiser was also part of the rotation, starting 11 games overall and four in Ivy League play. Her record wasn't pretty but, like most of her teammates, much of that was due to a slow start in Florida. Freiser showed glimpses of brilliance during the season and especially in fall workouts for the upcoming year. Like Galicinao, she will be better for the season she experienced as a freshman.
A wild card in the shuffle is Sarah Jane White. Most opponents are unfamiliar with White because she only made four appearances last season. That had nothing to do with talent, she was battling back from a foot injury that is now completely healed. A tall, hard-throwing hurler from the same high school as Regional All-America junior Devon Keefe, White could prove to be a reliable starter when given the opportunity. What she lacks in experience from last year, she has made up in work ethic and drive to learn and get better.
Catching:
Most teams have pitching rotations, but Cohen actually had a catching rotation through much of last season. That's what happens when two of your top three hitters play behind the plate. Keefe was third on the team with a .322 average and second in hits, runs and home runs. She led the team with 24 RBIs and was the player that opposing coaches least wanted to see at the plate with the game on the line. She was second-team All-Ivy and second team Regional All-America as well.
She is talented defensively with a strong arm and solid decision-making skills. Always talking to the infielders and communicating to her pitchers, she is the quarterback on the field.
Her roommate is Vicki Siesta, the other half of arguably the best catching tandem in the league. Siesta brings even more power to the lineup, tying a school record with seven home runs last season. In a game against Pennsylvania, she belted a grand slam and a three-run home run in consecutive at-bats. In a doubleheader against Temple, she accounted for all five runs in a sweep of the Owls.
She is also a talented defensive catcher with a good arm and enough quickness to block most balls. Like a number of the upperclassmen, her single best quality may be her competitive fire and her willingness to do whatever it takes to drive that run home or to keep that opposing runner at third. Players like her and Keefe are the kind of kids that coaches dream of finding.
Infield:
When Galicinao wasn't pitching, she was dominating the league at first base. The only Tiger on the All-Ivy first team last year, this sophomore has given Cohen reason to smile about the next three years. Galicinao led the team in batting average (.367), hits (51) and runs (24). She was a solid contact hitter that struck out fewer than all regular starters but one.
There really isn't a solid way to pitch against her, considering she seems to be able to drive the ball in any direction. With a bit more power this season, she could eventually be a deep threat and possibly the most dangerous all-around hitter in the Ivy League. She isn't the fastest player on the team, but she has great instincts and enough quickness to make tough plays at first base.
Junior Amanda Haines could earn some playing time at first base, especially when Galicinao is pitching. Haines has great hands and is a reliable defensive player.
Lauren Poniatowski was brilliant during her freshman season and inconsistent during her sophomore one. Nobody sporting the orange and black will outwork her as she attempts to reclaim her hitting prowess. More of a contact hitter, Poniatowski has gotten stronger over the off-season and should have plenty more than the four extra-base hits she had in 1999. She is a natural third baseman that struggled somewhat at second base, but she should have experience enough at either position this season.
Freshman Mackenzie Forsythe will likely start at either second or third, depending on what fit between her and Poniatowski works best in the preseason. Forsythe, an all-state selection as a senior in Lake Oswego, Ore., is both a talented fielder and a productive hitter.
Princeton will miss Tanya Hendricks' superb play at shortstop as much as anything from last year. Cohen may have found a star of the present and future at the position in sophomore Kim Veenstra. She was solid at third base last season, but her incredible athleticism make her a natural at short stop. She can range in any direction and has the arm strength to make any throw in time.
She also brings plenty of offensive punch, although she is expected to produce more than she did during a rocky freshman season. She batted .290 with 16 RBIs and hit a home run in a Connecticut. With a quick, compact swing, she too can spray the ball in any direction. With the experience and maturity she gained in her first year of softball (and college), she could be one of the top all-around players in the league this season.
Freshmen Anna Soper and Erin Valocsik will both get opportunities to earn playing time this season. Soper played at both third base and catcher in high school while Valocsik was a second-team all-state catcher as a senior.
Outfield:
Cohen entered the 1999 season thinking she might have one of the best outfields she's had in quite some time. As it turned out, the group never reached their full potential either in the field or at the plate. After a year of learning from mistakes and working hard at practice, this outfield could conceivably be strong defensively and effective offensively. That combination would suit Cohen just fine.
Lori Volker was much like Poniatowski--solid as a freshman, inconsistent as a sophomore. The multi-sport athlete (she also plays for the soccer team) is as fast as anybody on the squad and would have been more of a threat to steal bases if she hadn't struggled at the plate. She can slap from the left side and swing away from he right, and don't be surprised if she does both well this season.
Emma Terrell was the leadoff hitter much of the year and led the team with eight stolen bases. She is a slapper that started to excel later in the year and should improve on her .234 average during the upcoming year. She is an excellent outfielder as well with speed and a deceptively strong arm.
Jen Neil is a very exciting prospect for the next four years. A member of the all-tournament team at the 1998 Canadian Fastpitch Nationals, Neil is an aggressive outfielder who will help replace Pam Reeves in center field. She will miss the early part of the season as she plays with the Princeton women's hockey team, but Ivy League rivals will certainly get a full dosage of this athletic rookie.
Lizzy Callaway brings added speed to the outfield and will get more opportunity to hit this season. A solid slapper, Callaway is one of Princeton's most dangerous baserunners.