Tigers Predicted to Win Third Straight Ivy League Title

Last spring, the Princeton softball team made it back-to-back Ivy League titles for the first time since 2002 and 2003. This year, if the Ivy League's first-annual preseason poll is right, Princeton will make it three in a row or the first time in more than 20 years.

A poll of the Ivy League's softball athletic communications contacts and one media member chosen by each school ranked Princeton first, with 122 poll points and 10 of the 16 available first-place votes. Harvard, which Princeton has defeated to win each of the last two Ivy League championships, was picked second, tallying 114 poll points and five first-place votes. Penn, at 85 poll points, received the other first-place vote. Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Brown and Cornell rounded out the poll.

The Ivy League will return this spring to a single-division, balanced schedule for the first time since 2006. Then, each team played each other team in a single doubleheader. Now, each team will play three games against each of the others, with the top two teams in the standings after the seven weekends meeting in the Ivy League Championship Series, hosted by the team that finished atop the standings. The ILCS winner will claim the Ivy League title and the NCAA tournament bid. If Princeton is successful again, as it has been in 2016 and 2017, it'd give Princeton its first run of three straight Ivy titles since 1994-96. The NCAA tournament appearances that came with those resulted in two trips to the Women's College World Series, in 1995 and 1996.

Princeton returns sophomore outfielder Megan Donahey from among its three first-team All-Ivy League honorees from last season, along with second-team catcher junior Keeley Walsh, second-team shortstop and Ivy League Rookie of the Year sophomore Allison Harvey, and honorable mention first baseman junior Kaylee Grant, of those who earned All-Ivy status last year. The Tigers graduated both leading starting pitchers in Claire Klausner and Erica Nori, but junior Riley Wilkinson, who picked up four saves among her 42 innings, senior Ashley LaGuardia, who threw 41 2/3 innings last year, and sophomore Caroline Taber, who made her collegiate debut last season, are back. Allie Reynolds joins the pitching staff from the freshman class.

Princeton will open the season March 2 at a weekend of games hosted by Grand Canyon in Arizona. The Ivy League opener will come March 24 at the Class of 1895 Field against Brown.

2018 IVY LEAGUE SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
(first-place votes in parentheses)

1.    Princeton (10) 122
2.    Harvard (5) 114
3.    Penn (1) 85
4.    Yale 76
5.    Dartmouth 62
6.    Columbia 58
7.    Brown 32
8.    Cornell 27

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