Softball Ready to Open Ivy Season, End Slump

Losing four of its last six games and struggling to put runs on the board, the Harvard softball team looks to break out of its recent slump and open its Ivy League season on the right foot this weekend.

The Crimson begins its quest for its first ever Ivy crown at home when it takes the field against Ancient Eight rivals Yale and Brown in two doubleheaders.

"It's very important to start out well," co-captain centerfielder Jenny Franzese said. "For us to start out strong is especially key, because I think that the teams that start the season well will be the one's to be there in the end."

The Crimson (14-17) will kick off the first of the weekend's twin-billings on Friday afternoon as it takes on the surging Bulldogs (13-17). Although its record leaves much to be desired, Yale has won three of its last four and looks primed to give the Crimson all it can handle.

The Bulldogs are led by freshman Monica Lebron and sophomore Kathy Chung. Lebron leads the team with .382 batting average while Chung is not far behind hitting .381.

Having hit only one homerun as a team all year, Yale relies on contact hitting and incredible speed on the base paths--the Bulldogs have stolen 77 bases as a team so far this season--to put runs on the board. Leading the way is Chung, who has swiped 28 bases in 32 attempts so far this season.

The Crimson, batting .275 as a team this season, will need to score on a consistent basis to take pressure off a pitching staff with a hefty 4.63 ERA.

Leading the way for Harvard at the plate is sophomore sensation Deborah Abeles. Abeles, last season's Ivy League Rookie of the Year, leads the team with a .429 batting average and has already tied the Harvard single-season homerun record with six. Additionally, Abeles's 64 career RBI has her just seven shy of the all-time Crimson record, and it is only her second season with the team.

Other than Abeles, the Crimson offense has been less than stellar. Only Franzese (.321) and freshman Mairead McKendry (.300) boast .300 or better averages at the plate. And Abeles's 27 RBI on the season are 17 more than the next best Harvard player.

"We're definitely going to mix things up a little bit," Franzese said. "We have been working on things offensively and defensively."

In trying to gather some momentum, Harvard could not ask for a better team to face than the Brown Bears (2-13).

Harvard's offensive production looks like Murderer's Row when compared to Brown's ineptitude at the plate. The Bear's sport a measly .189 batting average as a team for the year. Additionally, its leading hitters, Melissa Panchuck and Tami Parrott--hitting .326 and .325, respectively--have only eight RBI between them.

And when you couple those offensive numbers with a 3.58 team ERA, it is plain to see why Brown has lost 11 more games than it has won.

However, Harvard is taking care not to enter the weekend overconfident.

"We're looking at every Ivy League game as a tough one," Abeles said. "Brown lost some people this year, but they're still tough, and the Ivy is fairly even."

Coming into this weekend's games, Harvard understands that it has a great opportunity to get a leg up on the Ivy competition. If the Crimson hopes to earn the elusive Ivy title, it must consistently come up with clutch hitting and solid pitching that have been lacking thus far. The players, though, remain certain that it can be done.

"We are very confident going into this weekend's games and the Ivy season," Abeles said. "We've been working on team strategy, and we know what to expect, so we'll be ready."