Princeton University Athletics
Softball Opens Season In Spring Break Trip To South
March 12, 2003 | Softball
March 12, 2003
PRINCETON, N.J. - The defending Ivy League champions open their 2003 season this weekend when Princeton softball travels to Georgia for Spring Break.
Head coach Maureen Barron and assistant coach Jen Sewell, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Northeast Regional Coaches of the Year, have prepared their team for what they hope to be another record-setting year.
The Tigers are off to a late start after their opening tournament, the Temple Invitational, was cancelled due to adverse weather.
"Things have really come together for us in practice and now we just need to get outside and play ball," Barron says.
In its third straight year traveling to Georgia, Princeton faces some of the toughest competition on its schedule. The Tigers visit Georgia Tech, who is already 14-11, and Kennesaw State before heading to Tennessee to play Tennessee Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee. The women then return to Georgia Tech for the annual Buzz Classic, which last year hosted 24 prime softball institutions. This season, Princeton plays in a pool with Mid Tennessee, Florida State, Boston University, and Nicholls State.
"We want to play with the best and this trip is a great way for us to prepare for the rest of our season and conference play," Barron says.
In last season's Spring Break trip, Princeton suffered two losses each to Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, and split wins with both Georgia State and Nicholls State. The Tigers then dropped four straight losses at the Buzz Classic to Ohio State, Central Florida, UNC Greensboro, and Florida State.
The trip provided valuable experience to the Tigers, who returned from Georgia and dominated Ivy League play, finishing 13-1 and sole champions of the league. They ended the season with losses to the University of Minnesota and Penn State in the NCAA tournament and with an overall record of 34-18.
Brie Galicinao, the 2002 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, will be the major factor missing from the Princeton lineup. She recorded a 1.34 ERA in 172 innings pitched last year, and struck out 172 batters. Although the '02 grad won't be playing for the Tigers, she will contribute as an assistant coach.
Filling in her footprints at the mound will be returning pitchers Wendy Bingham and Melissa Finley, and freshman Erin Snyder. Bingham, a co-captain, and Finley each pitched 78 innings last season, combined for 15 wins, and struck out 52 and 38 batters, respectively. Finley also hit .285 with 37 hits, 24 RBIs, and seven home runs.
Another top returning player for Princeton is Kristin Del Calvo, a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection who hit .340 with 12 home runs last season. Second-team All-Ivy players Erin Valocsik, a 2003 co-captain, and Kristin Lueke, who stole a team-high 12 bases, are also among the 10 returning letterwinners from last year's Ivy League Championship team. Five freshmen, four of whom are products of top California softball programs, join the Tigers this season.
"We have an athletic group and a dynamic lineup, with athletes able to play different positions," Barron says.
"We cannot wait to get out on the field and play."
Princeton's first game is March 16, 1:00 p.m. at Georgia Tech.