Top Two Teams from Each Division Head to Medford for Three-Day Event

HADLEY, Mass. - Tufts University will look to earn its first NESCAC Softball title in four years this weekend when the Jumbos host the 2007 NESCAC Softball Championship at Spicer Field in Medford, Mass. The three-day, double-elimination tournament begins on Friday, May 4 with Tufts taking on Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m., followed shortly afterwards with Williams, the three-time defending NESCAC Softball Champions, battling Trinity at 5:00 p.m. The 2007 NESCAC Softball Championship will conclude on Sunday, May 6 beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Tufts (25-11, 11-1 NESCAC East) headed into the final weekend of conference action last week with the top spot in the East Division already secured. The Jumbos have had another successful spring on the field, coming within three wins of last year's 28-16 mark. Tufts' lone conference loss came to Bates over a month ago, 4-1 on March 31. Since the loss to the Bobcats, the Jumbos have gone 16-6, including a critical three-game sweep of Trinity two weeks ago that put Tufts on track to host this year's championship. Against this year's tournament field, the Jumbos are 5-2, picking up single-game victories over Wesleyan and Williams in March out in California and the aforementioned three-game sweep of Trinity, while the two losses came to Williams during a two-game series with the Ephs on April 7, 7-4 and 10-8. Overall this season, Tufts is second in the NESCAC in batting average (.341), first in runs scored (253), and third in ERA (2.74). Leading the way for the Jumbos at the plate this year are sophomore 3B Samantha Kuhles (Somerville, N.J.) and first year infielder Casey Sullivan (Berlin, Conn.). Kuhles, an All-Conference First Team selection last spring, leads the league with 55 hits and 12 doubles this season, while her .417 batting average is fifth among all NESCAC players. Sullivan closely follows Kuhles with a .415 average, sixth in the conference, 51 hits and a NESCAC-best 42 runs batted in.

Making its first appearance ever in the NESCAC Softball Championship is Wesleyan (21-13, 9-3 NESCAC West), the second-seed from the West Division. The Cardinals are in the midst of a record-setting season, having shattered the program's previous mark of 16 for wins and compiled a team-record 12-game winning streak during the year. Wesleyan earned only the second win over Williams all-time this season on March 30, 8-7, and also came away with a series sweep over Amherst, doubling the Cardinals all-time win total over the Jeffs in the process. Wesleyan holds a 1-4 record against its opponents in this weekend's tournament, dropping a game to both Trinity and Tufts while taking one-of-three from Williams. Getting it done on both sides of the plate this season is newcomer Meaghan Dendy (Swansea, Mass.). Dendy leads the Cardinals offensively in most statistical categories, holding a .382 average, 42 hits, 12 walks and an on-base percentage of .443. Through 66.2 innings pitched in the circle, the first year Dendy owns a 3.05 ERA and has held opponents to a .253 average, both ranking among the leaders in the conference this season.

Williams (19-14, 10-2 NESCAC West) rebounded from a rocky start to the season by going 10-2 in its last 12 games, including an 8-0 conference record during that span. The Ephs, the top seed from the West Division, have won the last three NESCAC Softball titles and have appeared in the championship game in each of the past five years. Friday's matchup between Williams and Trinity will once again be the first this season, as the two squads met for the first time in the first game of last year's championship with the Ephs holding on for a 6-4 win. Williams, which has not lost a game in tournament play since Game 7 of the 2003 championship, is 4-2 against the tournament field, picking up a pair of wins over both Tufts and Wesleyan during the regular season. Sophomore Joey Lye (Scarborough, Ont.) and senior Katelyn Knox (Great Falls, Va.) pace the Ephs offensively this season and also rank among the league leaders in multiple statistical categories. Lye holds a .406 batting average entering the week, collecting a team-best 41 hits, 33 runs and 15 stolen bases. Knox follows with a .397 average and a .679 slugging percentage, belting six home runs this season, along with a team-high 26 runs batted in.

Trinity (20-9, 8-4 NESCAC East) returns to the tournament this season after the Bantams came within one game of the championship last year. The Bantams started off the season strong, winning 11 of their first 12 games and seven out of eight league contests before hitting a skid against the Jumbos. Trinity heads into Friday with a bit of momentum though, winning two out of three games last weekend, including a 10-2 victory over East Division foe Bates on Sunday. The Bantams lead the league both in batting and in pitching this season, averaging .359 as a team at the plate and owning a 2.14 ERA from the rubber while holding opponents to a .222 batting average. Trinity is led by the tandem of senior co-captain Sara Dougherty (Long Valley, N.J.) and first year outfielder Jessica Tait (North Salem, N.Y.). Both players are tied for second in the conference in batting average at .455 and rank among the leaders in the conference in multiple statistical categories. Dougherty, a NESCAC All-Conference First Team member a year ago, has pitched well for the Bantams again this spring, holding a 2.51 ERA through 89.1 innings pitched and 73 strikeouts to only 25 walks.

The top two teams from the East and West divisions earn the right to participate in the NESCAC Softball Championship. The host site rotates between divisions on a yearly basis, with the top team in the East Division earning the right to host the event this season. After Friday's pair of contests, Saturday's morning game will be the first elimination game of the tournament between the two first day losers, followed by a contest between the first day winners. The late afternoon contest on Saturday will be an elimination game between the two teams who split their first two tournament games. Sunday's championship will feature the survivor of the final game on Saturday and the remaining undefeated team in the tournament. A second game will immediately follow if the undefeated team falls in Sunday's championship game.

2007 NESCAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Day 1 - Friday, May 4 at Tufts
Game 1 - W2 Wesleyan at E1 Tufts - 2:30 p.m.
Game 2 - E2 Trinity vs. W1 Williams - 5:00 p.m.
Day 2 - Saturday, May 5 at Tufts
Game 3 - Loser of GM 1 vs. Loser of GM 2 - 10:00 a.m.
Game 4 - Winner of GM 1 vs. Winner of GM 2 - 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 - Winner of GM 3 vs. Loser of GM 4 - 3:00 p.m.
Day 3 - Sunday, May 6 at Tufts
Game 6 - Winner of GM 4 vs. Winner of GM 5 - 10:00 a.m.
Game 7 - If Necessary - Immediately Following