Every year, the seniors of the softball team get together and come up with a motto, a phrase signifying the squad's goals for the coming season. This year, Tufts will play under the mantra "Right Now."
"We talked about a lot of stuff, and we wanted to come up with something that was significant to our class," senior quad-captain Cara Hovhanessian said. "Because our roster is comprised of almost half seniors, and we all play a huge role on the team, we feel that this is the year for the program to do something that's never been done before. For us, it's a sense of urgency -- there's not a lot of time left."
"We came up with that motto because there are eight seniors, and there is no better time than right now to take what we can get," fifth-year senior second baseman Danielle Lopez added. "We have the team, the talent, and the motivation and the experience, and we're just ready to get ready and do it. It really just reminded everyone where we are in our careers at Tufts and where the team is right now."
If there were any time to make a run to the NCAA Div. III World Series and a three-peat NESCAC title, for this team, it would be right now. With a dynamic core of experienced leaders heading the charge, the Jumbos are in a prime position to solidify their position as one of the best teams in the conference, the region and even the country.
"We've only graduated a couple seniors, so we're a much older team this year," junior Christy Tinker said. "This year, we're really looking to push the limits with our core back to go further than we have gone in the past. We're going to have to play our ability, which is absolutely possible."
Coming off their second-straight 30-win season and second-straight conference championship, the Jumbos boast one of the best infields in the country as well as three stellar pitchers with veteran experience, and they seem determined to justify their No. 12 national ranking.
Last year, Tufts went 11-1 in the NESCAC, including a 10-3 win over Wesleyan in the championship game, a contest in which the Jumbos pounded out 15 hits and three home runs. The Jumbos then made it to the NCAA Regional Final at Rhode Island College before falling twice to St. Joseph's, ending their season.
This season, Tufts is back with a vengeance. Tinker, the defending NESCAC Player of the Year, leads an offense that boasted a .344 team average, 31 home runs and a gaudy 276 runs, 76 more than any other team in the conference. Tinker herself boasted a 1.079 OPS and led the team with eight home runs.
But the Jumbos are far from a one-trick pony on the offensive end as Lopez, the reigning NESCAC leader in RBIs and doubles, needs just 10 RBIs to surpass the current Tufts record. After battling back from a past knee injury, Lopez was the most durable player on the team last year and was the only player to start all 41 games.
Hovhanessian and classmate Samantha Kuhles figure to provide much-needed spark at the top of the lineup. They were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NESCAC in batting average, churning out .407 and .406 marks, while Hovhanessian hit a whopping .583 with 16 RBIs in conference play. Kuhles, additionally, was first in the conference in hits and second in stolen bases, starting primarily in the leadoff spot. Junior shortstop Casey Sullivan, a 2007 All-American, rounds out the infield, one season removed from banging out seven home runs.
Tufts' offensive prowess is not relegated to within the diamond, as senior quad-captain Roni Herbst leads an outfield with perhaps as much firepower as their infield counterparts. Herbst started 39 games last season, posting a .339 average, while classmate and fellow captain Laura Chapman, the Tufts record-holder in stolen bases, was tied for the NESCAC lead in swiped bags last year with 22 while batting most games in the nine-hole.
Defense, likewise, is an attribute that the Jumbos hope will catapult them beyond the ranks of consistently good and into the sphere of national powerhouse. As a team, Tufts ranked second in the NESCAC with a 2.47 ERA, first in opponents' batting average and first with a .951 fielding percentage.
"Our infield defensively is one of the best in New England," Hovanhanessian said. "They have such a great work ethic, so I don't doubt them, and I'm confident that our offense will be able to pick up where our defense left off."
Although the team has just four pitchers, which is the fewest the Jumbos have carried in recent memory, the staff is loaded with experienced arms, namely senior Lauren Gelmetti (11-2, 2.31 ERA), junior Stefanie Tong (8-2, 2.75), and sophomore Izzie Santone (8-3, 2.00), the reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Year.
For now, before kicking off conference play on March 27 with a weekend series against Bates, the Jumbos turn their attention to a grueling California trip in which they will play 11 games in six days. Last season, the Jumbos returned from the West Coast with a 7-5 mark, mainly due to poor defense. This year, however, they seem to be striving to avoid a repeat of their lackluster opening to last season, focusing on the urgency of "Right Now."
"It's really important to see where we're at in regards to the entire country and not just New England," Hovhanessian said. "We had some rusty games out there last year, especially defensively, so I think that it's definitely important to get out on the right foot, but it's in no way an indication of how we'll do for the rest of the year."
"We're pretty eager to get started," Lopez added. "We're a very talented team and we understand that, and there's nothing else to say. No ifs, ands or buts, except that we just need to get it done right now. This year, we wanted to send a message to ourselves and remind ourselves that there is no other time but right now."
