Spicer Field has never fared well with rainy weather. But only an indoor diamond could withstand this year's abysmal outdoor conditions.
During a week in which the sun went AWOL and Mother Nature held a hazy cloud over New England for what felt like an eternity, the softball team has been relegated to the indoor cages - usually reserved for February's bitter winter days - and hasn't played a game since Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Bowdoin.
With clear weather finally predicted for this weekend, the squad is going to pay with a brutal upcoming schedule, as Wednesday's match-up with Brandeis was rescheduled to Monday, while Sunday's games against Wheaton and Western Connecticut were moved to this Sunday, making for a whopping eight games in five days.
"With softball in New England, weather is always a huge factor," junior tri-captain Megan Cusick said. "Last year we got back from [spring break in] California, and there was still snow on the field. Of course it's frustrating - you want to play games when they're scheduled. It's definitely hard when they're put off."
But if any team is capable of surviving such a week, it's the softball team, which played 12 games in seven days over spring break, emerging with an impressive 8-4 record.
Overexertion of the pitching staff is always a concern when schedules become so packed, but the team is not too worried, as it has sent six different pitchers to the mound during the 2007 campaign. And unlike in baseball, in which the overhand motion inhibits frequent appearances on the mound, softball pitchers are capable of throwing two or three games in a weekend.
"The stretch shouldn't be too rough," sophomore pitcher Lauren Gelmetti said. "Pitching-wise you're capable of pitching two games in a day if you need to. We're lucky in that we have enough depth that we don't typically need to do that. But that's just how it works - we're not worried about it."
During that stretch, however, is a three-game show-down in Hartford, Conn. with the NESCAC-East leading Trinity Bantams, a team with which the Jumbos will no doubt have to duke it out for conference supremacy and the right to host the NESCAC Tournament when May rolls around.
"This is a very important series because the winner will most likely determine home field advantage in the NESCAC Tournament," Cusick said. "Coming away with a series victory will be very big. When you come out in the regular season and beat a team in a series, it will set the tone for the playoffs and give you a confidence boost, which will help your performance in the postseason."
In two regular season games on Spicer field last April, Tufts handily defeated the Bantams 5-1 and 5-2. The playoff match-up was a little different, though, as coach Cheryl Milligan's squad fought back from a six-run deficit to pound out 11 in the final two frames for a 13-8 victory and a date with Williams in the tournament finals.
Trinity senior co-captain and three-time All-NESCAC selection Sara Dougherty will likely take the mound for at least one of the series' games. Although the Jumbos erupted for nine runs off her in last year's postseason, offense might not come quite so easily for the Jumbos, who suffered an uncharacteristic dry spell a couple weeks ago.
If Saturday's consecutive mercy-rule victories over Bowdoin are any sign, however, Tufts has returned to the top of its game just at the right time.
"We're back on track now," Cusick said. "It's more like the way it was when we were in California. During that stretch, it wasn't something we could put a finger on. I really couldn't tell you what our problem was."
"It was just a glitch," Gelmetti said. "We're capable of producing solid offense. It's just a matter of everyone doing their individual parts. I think part of it was coming back here and playing in New England again, where it's no where near as warm as in California. But hopefully we've picked up the pieces and will come out with wins [this weekend]."
Following today and tomorrow's bout with Trinity, the team will head to Wheaton on Sunday to take on the Lyons in the late-morning, followed by a matinee match-up with Western Connecticut. Weather permitting, the Jumbos host Brandeis on Monday afternoon, with a doubleheader against Endicott set for Tuesday.
Such a busy schedule may have the squad aching for a break once Tuesday night comes, but for now, the Jumbos insist they are not overwhelmed, refusing to rule out the possibility of an eight-game sweep.
"That is obviously the ideal goal," Cusick said. "But if we keep focusing on the broader goal, it won't help us do the little things we need to do to accomplish that. Given our performance in the past against these teams, it's not unreasonable, but we have to take it game by game."
