Ben Simon, baseball
In three starting appearances over spring break, sophomore pitcher Ben Simon has been as close to perfect as the Jumbos could expect. The 5'11, 175 lb. righthander has been Tufts' most solid starting pitcher during the team's nine game southern road trip, going 2-0 in three appearances and boasting a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched.
On Saturday, Simon finally gave up his first runs of the season in the opening leg of a double-header against Apprentice. Simon gave up two runs in five innings in a no decision that the team ended up losing 3-2. Before that though, the Providence, Rhode Island native had pitched even better. On Mar. 22, Simon shut out the No. 21 team in the country, Methodist, in six innings. He retired fourteen of the first fifteen batters he faced and allowed only four hits.
On Mar. 18, Simon opened the season for the Jumbos with another shutout, this time a 5-0 win over Lynchburg College in which Simon went 6.2 innings and struck out six. Simon has anchored a staff which has been solid enough to keep the Jumbos at 4-5 despite a team batting slump in the first nine games of the season. Last year, as a freshman, Simon led the team with a 2.01 ERA and 4-2 record in 10 appearances.
Courtney Bongiolatti, softball
The senior slugger opened up the 2005 season by doing just what she had done during all of the 2004 season: hitting the ball for average and power, and doing it with runners on base. As of March 25, halfway through the team's trip at the Sun West Tournament in California, Bongiolatti was hitting .600 with three home runs and 13 RBIs, all team-leading statistics.
The shortstop's power at the plate has led a Jumbo lineup that has averaged nearly seven runs per game. Hitting in the middle of the order, Bongiolatti blasted two home runs in the opening games against Whittier, including a third inning grand slam to break open the game. Bongiolatti batted in a run-scoring double in the second inning against St. Mary's, contributing to the 5-2 victory. She also hit an RBI double against Carleton, and scored a run and batted in another in the team's loss to Williams.
Last season, Bongiolatti hit .346 with six home runs and 23 RBIs, leading to her All-NESCAC First Team selection. Tufts finished its western trip with a 9-3 record.
