Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: Best hires from the coaching carousel

By Owen Short | April 25

Now that we are a couple weeks out from the national championship game, the offseason is in full swing and the coaching carousel has almost completed its course. We already had what is most likely the biggest storyline of the summer with the University of Kentucky and John Calipari mutually parting ways, and the program hiring former Brigham Young University head coach Mark Pope to fill the role. We had other big high-major coaching changes like Pat Kelsey to the University of Louisville and Dusty May to the University of Michigan. Here are my favorite moves from the carousel as of now.

---

Sports

Softball sweeps road doubleheader at Wesleyan

By Henry Blickenstaff | April 24

Tufts softball traveled to Middletown, Conn. on Saturday to take on Wesleyan University in a NESCAC doubleheader. Riding shutdown pitching and hot bats, the Jumbos took both games in commanding fashion and improved to 26–5 on the season with a 12–2 record in NESCAC play. The latter is good for a four-game lead in the conference.

---

Columns

Extra Innings: The Chicago White Sox are a joke

By Henry Blickenstaff | April 23

I’m aware that I’ve made fun of the White Sox before. But as a Cubs fan, I just can’t help myself. It’s hard to believe that just three seasons ago, this team was one of the best in baseball, winning the American League Central with 93 wins. But an abysmal start to the 2024 campaign is a reminder of how quickly the White Sox’ fortunes have changed.

---

Hockey

The race for the Stanley Cup is on

By Zachary Gerson | April 22

It is the most exciting time of year for hockey fans: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The two-monthlong playoffs kicked off Saturday night with game one of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs series, which was just the beginning of the thrill of playoff hockey which we will see in the weeks and months to come.

---

Sports

Softball wins 3 of 4 matchups on successful senior weekend

By Max Druckman | April 19

Winning is hard. Winning consistently is even harder. And yet, for the graduating seniors and fifth-years of the Jumbos softball team, winning has come naturally. Across their entire collegiate careers, the graduating class has compiled a record of 121–30, with a 45–5 NESCAC mark. So, on senior weekend, the best way to honor the program’s veterans was by winning, and that is exactly what occurred.

---

Sports

Women’s lacrosse narrowly loses to No. 1 Middlebury on Senior Day

By Tara Wirtschoreck | April 17

It was a big weekend for NESCAC women’s lacrosse with a game between the top two teams in the conference. The Tufts women’s lacrosse team, then ranked No. 4, played No. 1 Middlebury at home on Saturday. Though the Jumbos lost 14–13, the tight game showed just how competitive they will be for NESCAC and NCAA championships. Beyond the chance to compete against the best-ranked team in the division, this was an especially exciting game for the Jumbos because it was Senior Day.

---

Columns

Extra Innings: Baseball’s infuriatingly unsolvable elbow problem

By Henry Blickenstaff | April 17

Two of baseball’s best pitchers — the Braves’ Spencer Strider and the Guardians’ Shane Bieber —will miss the rest of 2024 with season-ending injuries to their ulnar collateral ligaments. It’s a reminder that pitching injuries are on the rise across baseball, and not just for the pros.

---

Sports

Tufts baseball goes 2–1 in series to defeat Bates

By Nick Dohr | April 12

Tufts baseball took on a triple header at home against the Bates College Bobcats this past weekend, playing two games at midday on April 6 and one at midday on April 7.

---

Sports

The Round-off Roundup: Is the US moving towards a de facto centralized system?

By Sarah Firth | April 12

U.S. National Team member Reese Esponda just left her gym in Montana and moved to World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas. With her move, that makes 13 women on the national team who train in Texas, out of a total of 27 team members. Three of those team members are in college, and that doesn’t count gymnasts like Addison Fatta, who is trained by her parents in her hometown.

---

Sports

Tufts softball sweeps weekend road trip

By Zachary Myers | April 12

Tufts softball’s weekend road trip started off at the Amherst Softball Field on April 6. Despite the days of rain leading up to the game, the weather stayed relatively calm on Saturday, with a chilly overcast replacing the consistent downpour. The Jumbos entered the doubleheader leading the NESCAC with an overall record of 14–4, facing a sixth-place, 4–9 overall Amherst Mammoths team. Already this deep into the season, the Jumbos knew all there was to know about the Mammoths and were prepared to handle the game like the better team.

---

Sports

A day in the life of Ozzie Fleischer on game day

By Nick Dohr | April 11

As starting shortstop for the last three years, senior Ozzie Fleischer has consistently been both a dynamic and an impactful player on the Jumbos baseball squad. Fleischer hails from Texas and attended Fort Worth Country Day High School. At Tufts, he is majoring in political science and will be attending the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy next year. Baseball fans might get the chance to see him on the field as shortstop for another season thanks to his extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19.

---

Columns

Moments ‘til Madness: A new era of college basketball

By Owen Short | April 11

There it is, folks. The 2023–24 NCAA men’s basketball season is officially over. Just like every year, we had incredibly talented teams, captivating storylines and an abundance of exhilarating games. But still, this year looked very different.

---

Sports

Club sports at Tufts offer competition, camaraderie

By Madeline Mueller | April 11

Sports teams may seem like an intimidating place to start for students looking to get involved on campus. However, for students who are looking to stay active, make friends and find a balance between extracurriculars and academics, club sports may be just the place.

---

Columns

In the Crease: Most improved teams

By Zachary Gerson | April 11

This week’s focus is once again not a specific award; we’ll go into the most improved teams from this season. These are the teams that have shown the most growth from last season to this season.

---

Sports

No. 4 women’s lacrosse falls to No. 7 Wesleyan in first loss of the season

By Tara Wirtschoreck | April 10

The No. 4 Tufts women’s lacrosse team broke their undefeated streak this season with a 15–17 loss to No. 7 Wesleyan University on Saturday. The Jumbos and the Cardinals held the score even throughout the first half, with no team ever gaining more than a two-goal advantage. In the third quarter, Tufts pulled away, leading 15–11 going into the fourth quarter. But during the fourth quarter, Wesleyan was able to make up their four-goal deficit, coming back to beat Tufts by two.

---

Soccer

Football’s sickening reality of racism

By Bharat Singh | April 10

As 17-year-old Endrick danced under the picturesque Wembley floodlights, the world was given a taste of Brazil’s post-Neymar era. It was an exhibition of finesse and skill as the youngster broke the deadlock against a Bellingham-inspired England side. A historic friendly in a historic venue. For much of that weekend, Brazil’s script wrote itself with the help of its young stars until it was once again deeply scarred by football’s age-old, sickening reality of racism.

---

Columns

Extra Innings: Living legends

By Henry Blickenstaff | April 9

In honor of hot starts to the 2024 season by the two greatest position players of this generation, I wanted to show a little love to Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, who, in my opinion, have already secured their spots in Cooperstown despite being just 32 and 31, respectively. With the Angels never having won a playoff game in Trout’s career and Betts now having to play second fiddle to Shohei Ohtani at Dodger Stadium, these two living legends can get overlooked. Rather than make such a mistake, I’m looking at their substantial career accomplishments and evaluating their legacies accordingly.

---