After playing two games a day eight times over a nine-day period, the softball team returned from its spring training trip to Florida with a 12-4 record.
"I thought we played well," said Head Coach Ryan Sullivan. "We played pretty consistently as well, with maybe one or two lulls, which is to be expected on a long trip like the one we took."
In Florida, Bowdoin batted .294 as a team and averaged 6.125 runs per game. Outfielder Gen Barlow '13 led the team in nearly every offensive category with a .460 average, 20 runs scored, 18 RBI, 23 hits, three home runs and seven walks.
"Gen Barlow, Amy Hackett, Caroline Dewar, Hillary Smyth, and Casey Correa really hit well throughout the trip," said Sullivan. "Additionally, Melissa DellaTorre '14 pitched tremendously and gave a ton of innings for us."
DellaTorre, an All-NESCAC player last year, is the staff ace. She has compiled a 7-1 record through nine games starts, with a 56:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.29 ERA over 54.1 innings thus far. The rotation also includes Tricia Thibodeau '13 (3-3 with a 4.24 ERA) and Nancy Walker '15 (2-0 with a 3.96 ERA).
"We are very fortunate to have these three pitchers," said Sullivan. "Each are different from the other, but all have the ability and like to compete."
Sullivan said that the team's success is due in part to its strong preseason practices and workouts.
"We had a really good preseason, which I felt would put us in a good spot heading to Florida," he said. "It was nice to see hard work have great results."
"Consistency on offense, defense and pitching" is key, he added. "If we can play at a high level consistency, we are a very good team."
"At the beginning of each season, we always strive to reach the NESCAC tournament," said Sullivan. "It is a little more challenging in softball than some other sports as you need to finish in the top two of five in your division."
This will be one of Bowdoin's most challenging weekends of the season, as it is scheduled to play three games against Tufts in addition to a double-header against Husson on Sunday.