The entire 2004 softball season was one of ups and downs, and unfortunately for the Jumbos, it ended on a sour note.
Tufts started off the season winning its first five games, but things soon came apart and the team dropped 10 in a row on spring break against some tough California teams. Yet the Jumbos managed to pick it up just in time to make the NESCAC playoffs, as they reeled off nine straight victories heading into the tournament.
Unfortunately, the team couldn't extend the streak to 10, as Tufts was shut out in consecutive playoff games, 1-0 to Williams and then 2-0 to Middlebury. The squad finished the season with an even 16-16 mark.
The NESCAC tournament losses were a bitter pill to swallow for the Jumbos, who had never before lost the tournament since it began in 2001. Still, they did draw a number of positives from the season.
"Considering we had to overcome the fact that our coach was going to our biggest rival, we had to adjust to a new coach, and we lost our All-American catcher [in Lis Drake] we did a pretty good job," said senior second baseman and tri-captain, Deana Davidian.
Even though the players were disappointed to finish without the NESCAC crown, the transfer of the coaching reigns to Cheryl Milligan went smoothly. Milligan's style represented a stark contrast to the Jumbos former coach, Kris Herman, who departed for Williams, but the team adjusted.
"Coach Milligan did a great job," Davidian said. "Coach Herman was more vocal and fiery. She would yell at us when we did something wrong. Coach Milligan was quieter. That took some time to get used to, but overall people were very happy with her first year. She'll only get stronger with experience, too."
Junior first baseman Katie Smith echoed Davidian's strong endorsement of Milligan.
"The team really loved having her as coach this year," Smith said. "She did a really good job."
Although the Jumbos did not take home the NESCAC trophy, a number of them were recognized for individual accomplishments. Smith was named NESCAC Player of the Year, giving the title to a Jumbo for the fourth time since the inception of the NESCAC in 2001. Smith led the conference in hitting, posting a .414 batting average. She was tied for second in home runs (4) and runs batted in (23), and was also an asset in the field, as she made only three errors all season.
"I just wanted to play well this season," Smith said. "I didn't think too much about it."
Smith was also named to the All-New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches' Association and All-NESCAC first team, along with junior shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti and Davidian. Senior catcher Julie Fox was named to the All-NESCAC second team.
"I felt I had a good season, so I was happy with the honor," Davidian said. "Last year I was on the All-NESCAC second team, so I did want to improve upon that but I was more concerned with team-oriented goals. To me, having a good season for the team and then me individually was most important and the awards were secondary."
Davidian hit .365 and also led the conference in runs scored, while making only four errors all season. Bongiolatti supplied the power for the Jumbos this season, leading the conference with six home-runs while also posting a .346 batting average. Fox, in her first year as catcher, did not let the position change bother her at the plate, as she hit .340 with three home-runs.
Despite these strong individual performances, the bats fell silent at the wrong time for the Jumbos, as they managed just five hits in the entire NESCAC
tournament.
"It's hard to say what our biggest weakness was this season because our defense really struggled at the beginning of the season but our offense killed us at the end," Davidian said.
Smith also acknowledged some discontent with the way the season finished.
"I don't think we were satisfied overall. We started out real well and then hit a slump, but I was proud of the way the team responded after the losing streak," Smith said.
Regardless of the disappointment of the finish to the season, Davidian was also proud of her team for overcoming much adversity during the season.
"Overcoming the transition of coaches and the fact that we had a 10 game losing streak in the heart of the season was big for us. To be able to come back from that and win a lot of NESCAC games to make it to the playoffs was important," Davidian said.
The experience in overcoming key losses both on the field and off should come in handy for the 2005 squad, as they will be forced to play without graduating seniors Fox, Davidian, fellow tri-captain Maggie McClory and pitcher Pam Swidler. But there's little doubt next year's team will be right back up near the top of the league, doing its best to bring the NESCAC trophy back to Jumbotown.
