Wednesday, April 2
Princeton, N.J.
6:00 PM
Princeton University
vs
Lehigh
Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast
UPDATED: First Home Night Game This Week as Softball Hosts Lehigh, Visits Dartmouth
March 31, 2025 | Softball
The first home night game in Princeton softball history followed by the return to Ivy League play after a 6-0 league start are what's ahead for the Tigers this week.
vs. Lehigh, Wednesday, 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Int'l Video | Live Stats | Game Program | Free Admission | Purple Game for Epilepsy Awareness
at Dartmouth, Friday, 1:30 p.m. DH | Saturday, 11 a.m. single (NEW DAYS/TIMES)
ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Int'l Video | Live StatsÂ
The alma mater: A four-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year at Lehigh, Lisa Van Ackeren will take on her alma mater for the 17th and 18th times as Princeton's head coach. Lehigh won the first 10 meetings before Princeton won and tied (due to darkness) in a visit to Bethlehem in 2022. The teams played twice in Florida in 2023, both won by Lehigh, before Princeton won in Princeton later that season. Last year's single-game visit to Bethlehem went to the Mountain Hawks.Â
Strong start in the Ivy: Princeton is 6-0 in the Ivy for the first time since 2008, when the team started 14-0 in the league on the way to an 18-2 start that set an Ivy record for league wins that has since been equaled but not surpassed. This weekend's series at Dartmouth will be the first of four Ivy road series this season. The Tigers had three Ivy road series last season, taking one of three each at Columbia and Harvard before a sweep at Yale. The Tigers can gain some distance in the Ivy standings this weekend, with Dartmouth standing second in the league at 4-2, two games back alongside Columbia, which is at Yale this weekend.
Against the Big Green: Princeton has won six straight against Dartmouth, including 4-0 last season with a home series sweep and a win in the teams' first game of the Ivy League Tournament. Over the first seven seasons under Lisa Van Ackeren, Dartmouth won 14 of 16 meetings, but since the post-pandemic resumption, Princeton has won seven of 10 games against the Big Green, including two of three in the 2023 visit to Hanover.Â
Stat rankings: Karis Ford entered the week ranking 17th in the nation in walks per game at 0.87 and 20th in on-base percentage at .568. Lehigh was 13th in the nation in sac bunts with 30 with Helen Woloshyn eighth in the nation in that category at 0.29. Dartmouth had two in the top 10 in the nation in doubles per game, with Olivia Schramm second at 0.48 and Alanna Panu sixth at 0.43. Panu is also 25th in stolen bases per game at 0.62.
League stat rankings: Princeton's Ford entered the week leading the Ivy in OBP at .568 while Dartmouth's Panu is the stolen base leader at 11. Lehigh's Julia Mrochko co-led the Patriot League in doubles with 11 while Helen Woloshyn's 11 stolen bases led the Patriot League, one more than teammate Peyton Sward.Â
Tiger standouts: Brielle Wright is already close to surpassing her career-high innings total of 66 from last season, having thrown 60 2/3 this season. She's also approaching her career high wins total, with four this season and six last season, and strikeout total, with 55 this season and 59 last season. As a team, Princeton is close to its home run total from last season, having launched 24 this season and 25 all season a year ago. Just three Tigers ended last season with batting averages above .300 (Zhang .388, Sablone .363, Dumais .308), and six are above .300 entering the week (Ford .449, Ha .375, Zhang .353, Dumais .339, Sablone .328, Dominguez .305). Princeton is hitting .306 as a team after hitting .279 as a team last season. Slugging percentage is also up, with the Tigers at .502 this season after finishing last season at .412. On-base percentage is up, at .394 this season after .366 last season.Â
Up next: After this weekend, Princeton will pass the midpoint of the Ivy season at Cornell next weekend.Â
vs. Lehigh, Wednesday, 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Int'l Video | Live Stats | Game Program | Free Admission | Purple Game for Epilepsy Awareness
at Dartmouth, Friday, 1:30 p.m. DH | Saturday, 11 a.m. single (NEW DAYS/TIMES)
ESPN+ Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Int'l Video | Live StatsÂ
The alma mater: A four-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year at Lehigh, Lisa Van Ackeren will take on her alma mater for the 17th and 18th times as Princeton's head coach. Lehigh won the first 10 meetings before Princeton won and tied (due to darkness) in a visit to Bethlehem in 2022. The teams played twice in Florida in 2023, both won by Lehigh, before Princeton won in Princeton later that season. Last year's single-game visit to Bethlehem went to the Mountain Hawks.Â
Strong start in the Ivy: Princeton is 6-0 in the Ivy for the first time since 2008, when the team started 14-0 in the league on the way to an 18-2 start that set an Ivy record for league wins that has since been equaled but not surpassed. This weekend's series at Dartmouth will be the first of four Ivy road series this season. The Tigers had three Ivy road series last season, taking one of three each at Columbia and Harvard before a sweep at Yale. The Tigers can gain some distance in the Ivy standings this weekend, with Dartmouth standing second in the league at 4-2, two games back alongside Columbia, which is at Yale this weekend.
Against the Big Green: Princeton has won six straight against Dartmouth, including 4-0 last season with a home series sweep and a win in the teams' first game of the Ivy League Tournament. Over the first seven seasons under Lisa Van Ackeren, Dartmouth won 14 of 16 meetings, but since the post-pandemic resumption, Princeton has won seven of 10 games against the Big Green, including two of three in the 2023 visit to Hanover.Â
Stat rankings: Karis Ford entered the week ranking 17th in the nation in walks per game at 0.87 and 20th in on-base percentage at .568. Lehigh was 13th in the nation in sac bunts with 30 with Helen Woloshyn eighth in the nation in that category at 0.29. Dartmouth had two in the top 10 in the nation in doubles per game, with Olivia Schramm second at 0.48 and Alanna Panu sixth at 0.43. Panu is also 25th in stolen bases per game at 0.62.
League stat rankings: Princeton's Ford entered the week leading the Ivy in OBP at .568 while Dartmouth's Panu is the stolen base leader at 11. Lehigh's Julia Mrochko co-led the Patriot League in doubles with 11 while Helen Woloshyn's 11 stolen bases led the Patriot League, one more than teammate Peyton Sward.Â
Tiger standouts: Brielle Wright is already close to surpassing her career-high innings total of 66 from last season, having thrown 60 2/3 this season. She's also approaching her career high wins total, with four this season and six last season, and strikeout total, with 55 this season and 59 last season. As a team, Princeton is close to its home run total from last season, having launched 24 this season and 25 all season a year ago. Just three Tigers ended last season with batting averages above .300 (Zhang .388, Sablone .363, Dumais .308), and six are above .300 entering the week (Ford .449, Ha .375, Zhang .353, Dumais .339, Sablone .328, Dominguez .305). Princeton is hitting .306 as a team after hitting .279 as a team last season. Slugging percentage is also up, with the Tigers at .502 this season after finishing last season at .412. On-base percentage is up, at .394 this season after .366 last season.Â
Up next: After this weekend, Princeton will pass the midpoint of the Ivy season at Cornell next weekend.Â
Players Mentioned
OF/IF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballPrinceton Athletics Career Networking Breakfast (Fall 2025)
Wednesday, September 24
Reflections 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