Ian Goldberg, Baseball
Freshman outfielder Ian Goldberg has made quite the impression during the baseball team's (6-4) spring break trip to North Carolina and Virginia. Heading into Sunday's game against Virginia Wesleyan, the team's 11th of the trip, Goldberg was fourth on the team with a .405 batting average, leading the squad with 15 RBI and three triples. His play has helped spur Tufts' four-game winning streak following the team's 2-4 start.
Goldberg has established himself as the Jumbos' leadoff hitter, and Tufts is 6-2 in games where he bats first. He is leading the team with 14 runs, has posted five multi-hit games and sports a sparkling .447 on-base percentage.
Goldberg has also shown significant pop, blasting two home runs and slugging .714, second only to junior Steve Ragonese. Against Guilford, Goldberg led off the game with a shot to right field, and his home run in a losing effort against North Carolina Wesleyan temporarily swung the momentum back in Tufts' favor.
Thus far, Goldberg has played a flawless outfield, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage entering Sunday's game.
The baseball team will commence its NESCAC schedule on Friday with a game at Bates.
Courtney Thomas, Women's Lacrosse
The leading scorer for Tufts last season with 35 goals, junior Courtney Thomas has picked up where she left off in the first four games of the women's lacrosse team's 2008 campaign. Thomas already has 13 goals to lead her team so far on the season, and the high-scoring Jumbos opened up their schedule by going 3-1.
Thomas was most impressive in her team's 21-6 dominating non-conference win over Wheaton last Tuesday, a game in which the junior poured in seven goals to finish one shy of the Tufts single-game record. Thomas scored her first three goals in the last 10 minutes of the opening half, as the Jumbos stretched their lead over the Lyons to 13-4 at the half. She then added four more in the final 30 minutes.
Thomas has been an important part of the Tufts offense this year, scoring at least one goal in every game. She also is tied for the team lead with 14 points on the season along with fellow junior Maya Shoham.
Tufts picked up its initial NESCAC win Saturday at Wesleyan by hanging on for a 9-7 victory after jumping out to a 6-2 lead early in the first half. The Jumbos now must ready themselves for an important two-game stretch this week featuring two NESCAC foes in the Conn. College Camels and the Trinity Bantams.
