Dartmouth Begins 2017 Campaign with Mardi Gras Classic

Mardi Gras Classic

Friday, Feb. 24 vs. Drake – 10:00 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 24 at Louisiana-Lafayette – 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. Bradley – 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. Mississippi Valley State – 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 26 vs. Maryland – 10 a.m.

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES
The Dartmouth softball team begins the 2017 season with the Mardi Gras Classic in Louisiana with five different opponents.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Drake is currently 7-4 overall on the young season after taking four of five games in the UNI Dome Tournament earlier this month. Recently, the Bulldogs won three of six games, dropping two games to No. 10 Arizona. Freshman Sarah Maddox leads her team with eight RBIs and three homers with a .290 batting average though 11 games.

SCOUTIN THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
The host school of the Mardi Gras Classic, Louisiana-Lafayette is off to a 6-3 start and is coming off a pair of wins against a top five opponent. On Feb. 18 the Ragin' Cajuns fell 3-0 to No. 4 Alabama, but responded by beating the Crimson Tide 11-2 in six innings. On Feb. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette won the series with a 7-0 shutout victory for the SEC powerhouse. Kelli Martinez leads the Ragin' Cajuns with 10 hits and a .370 average in nine games. Meanwhile in the circle, Alex Stewart is 3-1 in four appearances with a .247 ERA.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Bradley heads into this weekend having won three of its last five games to start the 2017 campaign 4-6. Most recently, the Braves fell to No. 14 Tennessee, 8-0 before dropping an 11-2 decision to DePaul. Stephanie Campos has played in all 10 contests for Bradley and leads the team with nine RBIs and three home runs.

SCOUTING THE DEVILS
Mississippi Valley State has not gotten the start it hoped for with a 1-8 record prior to this weekend's tournament. The Devils only victory was a 7-3 decision over Coppin State on Feb. 11 in the Southeastern Louisiana Tournament. Since then Mississippi Valley State has dropped seven straight. At the plate, Holly Brown leads the Devils in four batting categories including batting average (.368), runs (5), hits (7) and RBIs (5).

SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland is coming off one of the biggest upsets in college softball this season, after beating No. 1 Florida, 4-2 in Gainesville. The stunning win over the Gators was Maryland's first victory of 2017 after starting the season 0-8 and was also the Terps first win over a ranked opponent since 2012. Maryland has a quartet of players who have 10 or more hits this year, including Anna Kufta who leads her team with five RBIs and three homers.

2016 IN REVIEW
Dartmouth finished the season 27-15 overall with a 15-5 conference record. The Big Green's regular season was highlighted by a 13-game win streak in Ivy League play that spanned from April 1-23. In a thrilling race for the division crown, Dartmouth fell just short to rival Harvard in the final series of 2016. The Big Green also bade farewell to one of the most feared hitters in the Ancient Eight. Senior Katie McEachern closed out her phenomenal career in a Dartmouth uniform by rising to the top of the school's all-time list in home runs (40), RBIs, (129), runs (128) and hits (203). She also finished with a career batting average of .380 for the best career average by any player in program history.

FRESH FACES
Eight freshmen will wear the Green and White uniform for the first time this season. The Class of 2020 is comprised of: Jade Bravo, Sophia Ausmus, Micah Schroder, Loghan Thomas, Morgan Ebow, Calista Almer, Tessa Grossman and Tatyanah Castillo.

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Dartmouth returns four All-Ivy selections from a year ago, including senior Karen Chaw, who finished the season batting .293 with 39 hits and 10 doubles. Also returning for her sophomore season is Morgan Martinelli, who had a fantastic rookie year, batting .377 with a team-high 14 doubles. Junior Maddie Damore also looks to build off solid 2016 numbers where she hit .266 with three homeruns. In the circle, junior Breanna Ethridge will be the Big Green's most experienced hurler after she went 10-4 with a team-best 2.43 ERA in 23 appearances.

S-E-C, S-E-C, S-E-C
All three members of the Dartmouth coaching staff have ties to the Southeastern Conference. Head coach, Shannon Doepking played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Lady Vols to an impressive 246-46 (.842) record from 2005-08, she also played in three consecutive Women's College World Series from 2005-07. Returning for her third season in Hanover is Molly Fichtner who graduated from Alabama in 2014. As a catcher for the Crimson Tide, Fichtner appeared in 102 games, starting 88. As a senior Fichtner reached the Women's College World Series and was named to the All-SEC Second Team. Joining the staff this year is Jackie Traina, who also is an Alabama graduate and former teammate of Fichtner. In 2012, Traina helped the Crimson Tide win its first National Championship, earning Women's College World Series MVP honors. Traina was also a member of the USA National Team in 2012, 2014 and 2015, where she won a gold medal at the World Cup of Softball in 2015.

ILDN
All of Dartmouth's home games in 2017 will be broadcast live in high definition on the Ivy League Digital Network with Brett Franklin on the call. Fans can sign up for the conference's video streaming and on-demand content to follow the Big Green all spring. Ivy League road games (when available) will also be broadcast.

FOLLOW ALONG
Can't make it to the games? DartmouthSports.com will provide live stats for those looking to follow along during the contests.

LOOKING AHEAD
Dartmouth will remain south of the Mason Dixon Line when the Big Green take part in the Kennesaw State Tournament from March 3-5 in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Schedules