Dartmouth Softball Heads to Florida for Spring Break Trip

USF Tournament Central

HANOVER, N.H. – The Dartmouth softball team heads south for its annual spring break trip as the Big Green will be playing nine games down in Florida. Dartmouth begins with a neutral site game against Long Island before heading to the University of South Florida's tournament.

The Big Green will take on Oklahoma State, North Florida, Maryland, Illinois and Florida Atlantic as part of the tournament. Then after wrapping up tourney play, Dartmouth will travel to Florida Gulf Coast for a doubleheader before ending the trip with two games against South Florida.

The Big Green hits the road looking to improve on its 1-5 record as Dartmouth began its season just two weeks ago with a tournament in Georgia. Rookie Hillary Hubert (Grant Park, Ill.) hit a blistering .538 in the six games to lead the Big Green in hitting. She leads the team with four doubles. Senior Leigha Clarkson (Perris, Calif.) was also stellar as she hit .300 with two home runs. Sophomore Hillary Barker (Duvall, Wash.) was the top pitcher for Dartmouth as she made three appearances while recording three strikeouts.

The Big Green will continue on the road after making its way back north as Dartmouth will travel to Boston University (March 28) and UMass (March 30) before opening Ivy play at Cornell and Princeton the first weekend in April and continuing on the road against Sacred Heart on April 7. The Big Green hosts Columbia and Penn on April 9 and 10 for its first home games of the season.

Dartmouth vs. Long Island (March 18 • 11:00 am)
This will be the first meeting for the Big Green and the Blackbirds. LIU comes to Florida having snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over Indiana. Long Island currently has an 8-10 record. For the Blackbirds, five players are batting over .300 with Brynn Lewis leading the team with a .359 average. Bianca Mejia is the top slugger with two home runs and 11 RBIs along with a .327 average. Blaire Porter has been the top pitcher for the Blackbirds as she has a 6-3 record with a 1.55 ERA.

Dartmouth vs. #18 Oklahoma State (March 19 • 11:00 am)
Dartmouth and OSU will be meeting for the first time in the Big Green's opening game of the USF Tournament. The Cowgirls head to Florida with a 20-6 record after having won three of the four tournaments they have participted in so far this season. Mariah Gearhart leads the squad in hitting with a .408 average. OSU has 55 extra-base hits to its opponents 29. Julie Ward is the team leader in doubles with 12 and home runs with seven. In the circle Kat Espinosa has a 1.60 ERA as teammate Anna Whiddon is right behind with a 2.05. The two have combined for 140 strikeouts.

Dartmouth vs. North Florida (March 19 • 4:00 pm)
The first meeting between the two schools will take place on the second day of the USF tournament. The Ospreys bring a 10-15 overall record to Tampa and a 1-0 conference record. Britanie Block has the highest average on the team with .301. She has hit 11 doubles, one home run with six RBIs. Jackie Reese has hit the most home runs for North Florida with three. In the circle Devyn Findlay has made 24 appearances and has an 8-8 record. She has struck out 136 batters already this season with opponents only batting .238 against her.

Dartmouth vs. Maryland (March 20 • 12:00 pm)
The Big Green and the Terrapins will be meeting for the first time. Maryland brings an 11-9 record to Florida as the Terps have won four of its last six games. Three players are batting over. 300 as Alex Schultz leads the team with a .390 average. She has nine extra-base hits with 10 RBIs. Kendra Knight leads the team with a 1.90 ERA in 65.2 innings played. She has 106 strikeouts and is only allowing opponents to bat .159 against her.

Dartmouth vs. #21 Illinois (March 20 • 3:00 pm)
Dartmouth and Illinois have never met before as the Illini are currently 16-2 on the season. Two players are over .400 at the plate as Danielle Zymkowitz is batting .443 and Kelley Wedel is batting .404. Three players have each hit four home runs as the Terps have hit 48 extra-base hits. Pepper Gay and Monica Gray have split time in the circle as Gay has a 1.02 ERA and Gray has a 2.59 ERA. The two have combined for 91 strikeouts.

Dartmouth vs. Florida Atlantic (March 21 • 11:00 am)
In the first meeting between the two schools, the Big Green will wrap up play at the USF Tournament. FAU is currently .500 with a 13-13 record. Jessica Myers and Blaire Bodenmiller are the top hitters with a .280 and .279 average, respectively. Bodenmiller leads the team with three home runs and eight RBIs. Kathryn Stauffer has been the top pitcher for the Eagles with a 0.88 ERA. She has pitched in 48 innings with 45 strikeouts.

Dartmouth vs. Florida Gulf Coast (March 23 • 5:00 pm)
Florida Gulf Coast University leads the overall series against Dartmouth with a 2-0 record. The Big Green and the Eagles will meet on the campus of FGC for a doubleheader. Florida Gulf Coast is currently 11-14 as the Eagles are batting .235 as a team. Jessica Gary is one of three players to bat over .300 as she has a .356 average. Courtney Platt is hitting .348 with seven doubles and six home runs. In the circle Stephanie Sullivan has a 2.94 ERA with a 3-3 record.

Dartmouth vs. University of South Florida (March 24 • 5:00 pm)
USF holds a 2-0 lead over Dartmouth in the series between the two schools. Three players, JoJo Medina, Alison Savarese and Gina Kafalas are each batting over. 300 with .373, .371 and .362, respectively. The Bulls are currently 12-10 on the season, with all 12 wins coming at home. In the circle Kristen Gordon has a 1.60 ERA with a 4-1 record. She has pitched 43.2 innings and is second on the team with 36 strikeouts.

Schedules