Drake leaves void behind and at the plate

When NESCAC opponents hear the phrase "Tufts Softball," the first thing that comes to mind is offense. Every year, the Jumbos have one of the most prolific offenses in the conference, with at least three or four hitters who have the power to hit homeruns on any given pitch. For the past four years, a huge part of that offense was All-American catcher Lis Drake.

"Drake was by far the best catcher in the NESCAC, and maybe even in all of division three," coach Cheryl Milligan said.

Her senior season, Drake batted .387 with nine doubles, eight homeruns, 29 RBI's and 34 runs scored. She led the NESCAC in runs scored and was tied for the league in homeruns. She also broke the all time Tufts RBI mark of 110, set by Tiffany Trahan two seasons ago. Drake finished her career with 32 homeruns and 128 RBI.

Her bat won't be all that will be missed, however. Drake was the Pudge Rodriguez of Division III softball, possessing one of, if not the most powerful and accurate arms from behind the plate.

"I don't think anyone in the world has Lis Drake's arm," Milligan said.

Very few runners tested Drake, and even fewer successfully stole a base. The catcher caught ten of 17 attempted thieves, good for an impressive .630 percentage.

As good as Drake was, the Jumbos certainly have women on the squad to fill in for the loss. Moving into the catcher's slot will be senior tri-captain Julie Fox, who caught in high school but has spent the last three seasons at third base.

"Julie Fox is a great player, no question," Milligan said. "Last season, she was probably the second best catcher in the NESCAC and she hardly even played the position. If she's healthy, I'm sure she won't miss a beat."

Milligan is confident that Fox's stats behind the plate will be better than Drake's, due to one simple fact.

"Everybody knew Lis and was scared of her arm," Milligan said. "Our opponents don't know how well Julie can throw, so they'll run more on her and she'll consistently throw them out until they realize."

Although Drake will leave a void on offese, the Jumbos still have three power hitters in junior Katie Smith, Fox, and senior tri-captain Courtney Bongiolatti. They also are looking for a fourth and possibly a fifth slugger to bloom in the next three weeks of practice.