Friday, February 14
Chapel Hill, N.C.
12:30 PM
Princeton University
vs
Drexel
Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast
UPDATED: Softball Team to Open Season This Weekend at North Carolina
February 10, 2025 | Softball
The three-time defending Ivy League champions, and the league preseason poll's pick for a fourth title this spring, will begin their 2025 season with five games hosted by North Carolina this weekend.
Here's a look at the Tigers and their opponents:
• Princeton returns all five All-Ivy honorees from a year ago, including third baseman Sonia Zhang, outfielder Lauren Sablone and utility player Julia Dumais, all first-teamers, second-team first baseman Sophia Marsalo, and outfielder Allison Ha, plus Ivy Coach of the Year Lisa Van Ackeren. The Tigers also return three of their four Ivy All-Tournament team honorees from last year, in pitchers Cassidy Shaw and Meghan Harrington and DP/OF Karis Ford. The fourth honoree figures to be on the field as well, though in a different color, with shortstop Grace Jackson having graduated last year and doing a graduate this year at North Carolina.
• Princeton has won each of the last three Ivy League titles and hosted each of the last three Ivy League Championship Series/Tournaments, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and 2024. Princeton won an elimination game against Ole Miss at last year's NCAA tournament at Louisiana, giving Princeton its first NCAA tournament win since 2005 and the Ivy's first NCAA tournament win since 2012.Â
vs. Drexel, Friday, 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats
On Drexel: The Dragons played five games at Gardner-Webb to open the season last weekend and went winless against West Georgia (once) and Howard and Gardner-Webb (twice each). The team went 15-30 a year ago, missing the six-team CAA softball tournament, tying for seventh in the league. Drexel graduated its lone All-CAA pick from last season in outfielder Grace Abbonzio and was picked ninth in the 12-team CAA in the league's preseason coaches poll.
All-time series: Princeton holds a 24-8 all-time record against the Dragons, but the teams haven't met since 2021, when Drexel was one of just two opponents Princeton faced when the Tigers were limited to local competition due to pandemic restrictions. The Tigers and Dragons split a doubleheader in Princeton that spring.Â
at North Carolina, Friday, 3 p.m. & Saturday, 1:30 p.m. | Live Stats (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday) | ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
On North Carolina: The Tar Heels played five games at Auburn last weekend, going 3-2 with two wins over Appalachian State, a win over Southern Illinois and two losses to Auburn. Tiger alum Grace Jackson had a hot first weekend, going 7 for 11 with a triple and two walks for a .636 batting average, and a .692 on-base percentage. The team went 30-20 last season and held the seventh seed in the 10-team ACC softball tournament losing to 10th-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the single-elimination tournament. UNC graduated 2024 All-ACC second-teamers catcher Autumn Owen and shortstop Abby Settlemyre while returning all-rookie outfielder Sanaa Thompson. This season, UNC was picked ninth of 15 in the league's preseason coaches poll and had outfielder Alex Coleman on the preseason All-ACC team.Â
All-time series: Princeton holds a 5-1 all-time series lead against UNC, but the teams haven't met since 2009.Â
vs. George Mason, Saturday, 9 a.m. & Sunday, 10 a.m. | Live Stats (Saturday) | Live Stats (Sunday)
On George Mason: The Patriots went 1-3 at an event last weekend at Louisiana, where the Tigers played in the NCAA tournament last season, going 1-3 with a win over Seton Hall and a loss to host Louisiana and two to Longwood. The team went 20-32 last season, missing out on the six-team A-10 tournament after finishing eighth in the league. GMU was picked eighth in the 10-team A-10 preseason coaches poll. The Tigers have three players from northern Virginia in pitcher Meghan Harrington (Warrenton), utility player Courtney Harrison (Lorton)Â and infielder Graciela Dominguez (Vienna).
All-time series: George Mason leads the all-time series with Princeton 3-2, but the teams haven't met since 2015.Â
Here's a look at the Tigers and their opponents:
• Princeton returns all five All-Ivy honorees from a year ago, including third baseman Sonia Zhang, outfielder Lauren Sablone and utility player Julia Dumais, all first-teamers, second-team first baseman Sophia Marsalo, and outfielder Allison Ha, plus Ivy Coach of the Year Lisa Van Ackeren. The Tigers also return three of their four Ivy All-Tournament team honorees from last year, in pitchers Cassidy Shaw and Meghan Harrington and DP/OF Karis Ford. The fourth honoree figures to be on the field as well, though in a different color, with shortstop Grace Jackson having graduated last year and doing a graduate this year at North Carolina.
• Princeton has won each of the last three Ivy League titles and hosted each of the last three Ivy League Championship Series/Tournaments, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and 2024. Princeton won an elimination game against Ole Miss at last year's NCAA tournament at Louisiana, giving Princeton its first NCAA tournament win since 2005 and the Ivy's first NCAA tournament win since 2012.Â
vs. Drexel, Friday, 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats
On Drexel: The Dragons played five games at Gardner-Webb to open the season last weekend and went winless against West Georgia (once) and Howard and Gardner-Webb (twice each). The team went 15-30 a year ago, missing the six-team CAA softball tournament, tying for seventh in the league. Drexel graduated its lone All-CAA pick from last season in outfielder Grace Abbonzio and was picked ninth in the 12-team CAA in the league's preseason coaches poll.
All-time series: Princeton holds a 24-8 all-time record against the Dragons, but the teams haven't met since 2021, when Drexel was one of just two opponents Princeton faced when the Tigers were limited to local competition due to pandemic restrictions. The Tigers and Dragons split a doubleheader in Princeton that spring.Â
at North Carolina, Friday, 3 p.m. & Saturday, 1:30 p.m. | Live Stats (Friday) | Live Stats (Saturday) | ESPN+ (Friday) | ESPN+ (Saturday)
On North Carolina: The Tar Heels played five games at Auburn last weekend, going 3-2 with two wins over Appalachian State, a win over Southern Illinois and two losses to Auburn. Tiger alum Grace Jackson had a hot first weekend, going 7 for 11 with a triple and two walks for a .636 batting average, and a .692 on-base percentage. The team went 30-20 last season and held the seventh seed in the 10-team ACC softball tournament losing to 10th-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the single-elimination tournament. UNC graduated 2024 All-ACC second-teamers catcher Autumn Owen and shortstop Abby Settlemyre while returning all-rookie outfielder Sanaa Thompson. This season, UNC was picked ninth of 15 in the league's preseason coaches poll and had outfielder Alex Coleman on the preseason All-ACC team.Â
All-time series: Princeton holds a 5-1 all-time series lead against UNC, but the teams haven't met since 2009.Â
vs. George Mason, Saturday, 9 a.m. & Sunday, 10 a.m. | Live Stats (Saturday) | Live Stats (Sunday)
On George Mason: The Patriots went 1-3 at an event last weekend at Louisiana, where the Tigers played in the NCAA tournament last season, going 1-3 with a win over Seton Hall and a loss to host Louisiana and two to Longwood. The team went 20-32 last season, missing out on the six-team A-10 tournament after finishing eighth in the league. GMU was picked eighth in the 10-team A-10 preseason coaches poll. The Tigers have three players from northern Virginia in pitcher Meghan Harrington (Warrenton), utility player Courtney Harrison (Lorton)Â and infielder Graciela Dominguez (Vienna).
All-time series: George Mason leads the all-time series with Princeton 3-2, but the teams haven't met since 2015.Â
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
IF/C
/ Softball
OF/IF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF/UT
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballReflections from the Princeton Athletics Class of 2025
Tuesday, May 27
Softball Highlights vs. Columbia & Brown, Ivy League Tournament, 5-10-25
Saturday, May 10
Softball Highlights vs. Harvard, Ivy League Tournament, 5-9-25
Friday, May 09
Beyond The Stripes -- Princeton Softball's Legacy Of #2
Thursday, May 08