Though the softball team was unable to secure a trip to the College World Series, the Jumbos didn't walk out of the season without hardware.
For the second year in a row, Tufts left no doubt as to who is tops in the NESCAC, cruising to the conference championship after defeating host Wesleyan 10-3 in the title game on May 4.
The victory was the crowning achievement in another banner year for the Jumbos, who finished the spring of 2008 at 30-11, just one win off the program's single-season wins record. Along the way, they also made their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, coming within two victories of a berth in the College World Series.
"We had very, very high goals that we set for ourselves," junior designated player Cara Hovhanessian said. "Winning NESCACs is a great accomplishment, and it was great to defend the title. So even with the loss [in the NCAA Tournament], we still have a lot to be proud of."
After Williams earned every conference title from 2004-2006, the pendulum of NESCAC supremacy has clearly swung back in Tufts' favor. The Jumbos, who beginning in 2001 won the first three conference tournaments ever held, have now also claimed the last two.
Unlike last year, however, Tufts was pushed to a seventh and deciding game in the tournament this time around, as Wesleyan used a three-run sixth-inning rally to beat the Jumbos 3-2 in Game 6.
But Tufts would prevail the next day, getting three-run home runs off the bats of junior right fielder Maya Ripecky, sophomore pinch hitter Jenna Robey and senior co-captain Danielle Lopez to overcome an early 2-0 deficit and clinch the NESCAC championship.
"When Wesleyan took us to that last game, we really had to come together as a team," Lopez said. "A lot of people said that this win was a lot more fulfilling than last year's win because this year, it did take an extra game, and it did take everybody. It was a huge team effort, and it really brought us together."
The victory was a fitting ending to a dominant in-conference season for the Jumbos. On April 19, the team captured its fourth straight NESCAC East crown before finishing off its divisional slate with an 11-1 mark, a full three games ahead of second-place Trinity.
The rest of the NESCAC took notice, awarding Tufts a conference-leading six All-NESCAC selections, the most the program has ever earned in a single season. In addition, the Jumbos scored at least a share of each of the top three awards, as Player of the Year went to sophomore first baseman Christy Tinker, Rookie of the Year went to freshman pitcher Izzie Santone and Co-Coach of the Year went to skipper Cheryl Milligan.
One of the keys to Tufts' NESCAC success was its prolific offense, which paced the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, RBI and home runs.
The unit was buoyed by the returns of two key players who missed significant time last season: Lopez, who was out with an ACL injury, and Hovhanessian, who was limited to 26 games after a bout with mononucleosis. This season, the pair combined for nine home runs and 66 RBI.
"We both pushed each other a lot in the offseason because we did share that unfortunate circumstance of not being able to play," Hovhanessian said. "You realize that you can't take anything for granted because you never know what can happen. You can tear your ACL in practice - anything can happen. So we just learned to take every at-bat and make the most of it."
On the pitching side, a rotation with established veterans in junior Lauren Gelmetti and sophomore Stefanie Tong got a big boost with the emergence of Santone, the winning pitcher of the NESCAC title game. The Madison, Conn. native went 8-3 in her freshman campaign, posting a team-leading 2.00 ERA.
"Izzie had a phenomenal year," Milligan said. "Just her attitude, effort - everything; she really is going to develop to be fantastic and exceed her ceiling. The kind of year she had certainly isn't something that you can expect out of any freshman."
With Lopez slated to use her final year of eligibility next season, the team will lose only two of its three seniors, though both were key contributors to the 2008 squad. Co-captain Megan Cusick graduates today having appeared in 149 games behind the plate over her career and racked up four all-conference honors. Joining her is infielder Heather Kleinberger, a key cog off the Jumbos' bench this season.
"[Cusick] caught probably way more games than she ever should have," Milligan said. "I don't think we can say enough about how much she's contributed and how much ... work and pain have gone into her career. Her contributions here are just remarkable.
"Berger is the heart and soul of our team," she continued. "It's hard to be a role player as a senior when you've been used to doing more than that for several years, but she did it wonderfully."
