Softball Opens Ivy League Action This Weekend Against Rival Yale
Harvard (8-8, 1-0) 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 5 7 1
Yale (2-13, 0-1) 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 2
Harvard (9-8, 2-0) 2 0 0 6 0 2 0 10 10 1
Yale (3-14, 1-2) 1 2 1 2 1 0 X 7 10 1
2B: Maddy Kaplan
2B: Madison Sack
2B: Maddy Kaplan; Meagan Lantz; Alexa Altchek
HR: Maddy Kaplan
HR: Francesca Casalino
2B: Lindey Kneib
2B: Francesca Casalino; Allison Skinner
3B: Allison Skinner
Harvard vs. Yale
12:30 p.m. / 2:30 p.m. (Sat.) 1 p.m. (Sun.)
DeWitt Family Field | New Haven, Conn.
Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Ivy League Network
Harvard leads, 68-20
W, 5-4 / 9inn. (April 16, 2017)
W, 2
The Crimson opens Ivy League action this weekend against Yale in New Haven, Conn. (Katie Lockhart).
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard softball opens Ivy League action this weekend with a three-game road series against rival Yale. The Crimson and Bulldogs will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 17 at 12:30 p.m., then play a single, seven-inning contest on Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m. The series will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network.
Last Time On The Diamond
The Crimson posted a 4-2 record over five days in southern California on March 9-13. Junior left-hander Kathleen Duncan recorded her 100th career strikeout against Southern Utah on the final day of the Loyola Marymount Invitational. Duncan tied a career single-game best, retiring seven Thunderbirds by way of strikes on March 11. Senior outfielder Maddy Kaplan led the offense, batting .500 (11-22) with four doubles, and 10 RBI from the top of the Crimson lineup. Junior Meagan Lantz also posted a .500 batting average (10-20) with a staggering 1.245 OPS (.700 SLG%, .545 OBP) over the weekend.
Scouting Harvard
Harvard (7-8, 0-0 Ivy) is hitting .270 with a .349 on-base percentage as a team. Senior outfielder Maddy Kaplan, who has reached base safely in the last 10 games, is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. It ties her with junior Meagan Lantz, who snapped a six-game hitting streak against Southern Utah on March 11. Junior shortstop Rhianna Rich leads the Crimson with eight multiple hit games (six two-hit games, two three-hit games).
Scouting Yale
Yale (2-12, 0-0 Ivy) enters this weekend's Ivy series following a 4-3 loss against Central Connecticut State on Thursday, March 15. Sophomore Annie Tarte leads the Bulldogs with a .306 batting average (15-49), three doubles, one triple, and five RBI. Additionally, she has successfully stolen three of four bases, while junior Shelby Kennedy leads Yale with seven steals on the year.
Why Harvard? – Kaitlyn Schiffhauer
Harvard won the series last season, 3-1. The Crimson and Bulldogs split the doubleheader on April 15, but Harvard pulled out back-to-back 5-4 victories the following day.
Ivy League Honors
Junior shortstop Rhianna Rich was the third Harvard player two earn Ivy League weekly honors, after being named Ivy Player of the Week on Monday, March 12. Rich registered a .500 batting average (7-14) at the Loyola Marymount Invitational, while driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth in Harvard's comeback, 6-5, extra inning victory over regional foe Providence. The week prior junior left-hander Kathleen Duncan earned pitcher of the week honors for the second time (March 5), while junior Meagan Lantz earned the first player of the week honors of the season (Feb. 26).
Why Harvard? – Rhianna Rich
2018 Ivy League Preseason Poll
The first year the Ivy League conducted a preseason ranking, Harvard was picked to finish second receiving a total of 114 points, including five first place votes in a vote by media members, sports information directors, and national media.
Full Release: Softball Tabbed Second in Ivy League Preseason Poll
All-Ivy Returners
Harvard tied Dartmouth, Penn and Princeton with the most All-Ivy League selections in 2017, and will return all seven All-Ivy honorees in 2018. Lead-off hitter and shortstop Rhianna Rich, who was one of the nation's top hitters last season, earned first team honors along with outfielder Maddy Kaplan.
Full Release: Seven Members of Softball Team Earn All-Ivy Recognition
Classroom Success
Harvard garnered the NFCA's Top-10 Academic Team honors for the third straight year, earning a combined 3.588 GPA, the highest mark of all the Ivy League institutions. Additionally, a program-best, 17 Crimson athletes received individual All-America Scholar-Athlete honors.
Full Release: Softball Earns NFCA Top-10 Academic Team Honors
Harvard softball welcomes three newcomers to the squad in 2018: Morgan Melito (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake), Aubree Muse (Rineyville, Ky./Central Hardin), and Alyssa Saldana (Riverside, Calif./Martin Luther King, Jr.).
Jenny Allard is in her 24th season as the head coach of the Harvard softball program, posting a 587-436-3 overall record, including a 281-107-1 mark against Ivy League opponents. Team and individual success has always gone hand-in-hand with Allard with six Ivy League titles, six 30-win season, and five NCAA Championship berths. In addition, she has produced 67 first team, 64 second team, and 41 honorable mention All-Ivy selections as well as seven Ivy League Player of the Years, six Pitcher of the Years, and six Rookie of the Years.
Harvard Magazine: Steering Softball
The Ivy League Network returns for a fifth season as the home for all live streaming and on-demand video content for each of the conference's eight institutions. Broadcast in full HD and featuring a live score bug and play-by-play and color commentary, the Ivy League Network provides fans with unprecedented access to the Ancient Eight.
Multiple subscription options are available to fans, including school-specific and league-wide passes. To learn more about the Ivy League Network or to sign-up today, click here.
Harvard begins a three-game series against Cornell with twin-billing on March 24 in Ithaca, N.Y. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. The series will be broadcast on the Ivy League Network.