There's a new champion in town.
After a three-year drought that saw Williams rattle off three straight NESCAC Tournament victories, the Jumbos dethroned the Ephs on their way to earning the squad's fourth championship in program history - and they did it in convincing fashion.
Three consecutive wins - against Wesleyan, Williams and Trinity - earned Tufts a trophy and a free pass to the NCAA Tournament.
"It was rewarding to beat Williams, but it was more rewarding to beat Trinity and take the trophy home," coach Cheryl Milligan said. "Our players try to play every game like champions, and that means not focusing [on] who's on the other side. The Trinity game was the trophy, and that's what we're excited about."
Regardless, the team had to get by the Ephs to even schedule a date with the Bantams, and a big-game win against its rival was a long time coming.
The Jumbos shellacked Williams in a 14-0 mercy-rule victory the first time around on March 22, but things looked a little different during a doubleheader on April 7, in which the team dropped both games 7-4, 10-8, during what turned out to be its worst stretch of the season.
But the real reason the Jumbos sought redemption was last season's 6-5 NESCAC championship game loss, which etched the Ephs' name into yet another trophy and put Tufts at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee.
Milligan's crew made sure it didn't falter this time around.
"It was extremely rewarding," junior tri-captain Megan Cusick said. "Coming into the season we saw them in California and we knew we were the better team. Unfortunately that didn't show in regular season. But we brought our top game to the tournament."
In fact, the group played even more convincingly in its other two games, as an 11-2 mercy-rule victory over Wesleyan in the first round and a 5-0 title-game win over Trinity gave the Jumbos the championship.
The title game was just an extension of Tufts' three-game sweep of the Bantams in late April, as the team jumped out to a one-run lead in the first, and with freshman Stefanie Tong and senior tri-captain Lauren Ebstein on the mound, never looked back.
But the tournament's outcome was no surprise to Milligan and her squad.
"We knew we were the best team on field," Milligan said. "We knew that all weekend, though. Confidence was not a problem this year. They peaked late in the season, and they really responded to any kind of coaching we were able to give them. When you combine great athletes like that, you can expect great things."
The NESCAC took note. When all was said and done, the team boasted the NESCAC Coach of the Year in Milligan and the league's Rookie of the Year in Casey Sullivan, in addition to the crown, which certainly marked Tufts as the team of the year.
"It's always nice to be recognized by peers for what you're doing," Milligan said. "I would give that award away any time for a trip to the World Series, though. My fellow coaches in the NESCAC are great - it's a great competitive league."
After the last NESCAC weekend concluded, freshmen Christy Tinker and Tong garnered NESCAC Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively. To top it off, Tufts received four All-NESCAC First Team nods - junior Erica Bailey, sophomores Lauren Gelmetti and Sam Kuhles, and Sullivan - and one second-team selection in Cusick.
"It's a great honor for everyone," Cusick said. "Casey deserved it; Coach, as always, did a great job. In my mind there was no other candidate for either of those awards. It was a great icing on the cake. We got our NESCAC championship and then we got individual accolades."
