Around the Ivies: Harvard tops list of title contenders

Though the softball team split its first four Ivy League doubleheaders, four losses at the hands of Penn last week left Princeton at 4-8 in conference play and in third place in the South Division. With only eight games remaining against league opponents, the Tigers need several more wins to keep alive hopes of a conference championship. Here is a look at how the rest of the Ancient Eight has fared this season:

Harvard (26-13 overall, 10-2 Ivy League)

The Crimson rolled to a 17-3 league record last season and is on track to post a similar mark this year after an excellent start. Harvard is the only Ancient Eight team with an overall record above .500 and, with a three-game lead over the rest of the conference, is a good bet to host the Ivy League Softball Championship Series in May. Pitchers Laura Ricciardone and Rachel Brown rank second and third in the league in ERA, helping Harvard allow fewer runs than any other team. The Crimson also boast the best offense in the conference, led by second baseman Ellen MacAdam and third baseman Kasey Lange, who are each batting above .400.

Dartmouth (14-15, 7-5)

Three wins in four games at Yale brought the Big Green’s league record above .500, and they will have a chance to catch division leader Harvard with four head-to-head games at the end of the season. Though it ranks just fifth in batting average, the powerful Dartmouth offense is second in the league in slugging, and its 26 home runs are bested only by Harvard’s 34. The damage has come from all parts of the lineup, as no individual player ranks among the conference’s top five in homers or slugging percentage.

Yale (14-18, 6-6)

The Bulldogs demonstrate the importance of secondary skills at the plate — they rank second in the league in batting average but only fourth in runs scored. The biggest problem has been a lack of power, as Yale has hit only nine home runs this season, the fewest in the conference. Second baseman Katie Yanagisawa leads the team with a .343 batting average while Chelsey Dunham has racked up 10 wins and 79 strikeouts. The Bulldogs have had trouble defensively, committing the most errors in the league.

Brown (10-16-1, 5-7)

Third baseman Stephanie Thompson is the most feared hitter in the conference, leading the league with a remarkable .494 batting average and 11 home runs in only 85 at-bats. Though Brown boasts some other strong hitters — catcher Kristi Munoz and first baseman Kate Strobel each rank in the top 10 in on-base percentage and slugging percentage — the Bears have struggled to keep opponents off the scoreboard. They have played only 27 games this season, six fewer than the conference average.

Cornell (18-18-1, 7-5)

The North Division was considerably stronger in the first two weeks of the season, going 20-12 in inter-division play, leaving the Big Red as the top team in the South despite a league record barely above .500. Cornell won the league championship last year, defeating Harvard in the championship series, and may earn a rematch this season. Elizabeth Dalrymple, a two-time Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, leads the conference with a 1.54 ERA and ranks second with 144 strikeouts.

Penn (14-16-1, 6-6)

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The Quakers suffered a slow start to Ivy League play, but a four-game sweep of Princeton has brought Penn back into postseason contention. Four games at Cornell this weekend will be critical to the division race. The Quakers have outscored every team in the conference aside from Harvard but have a league-worst ERA of 5.33. Catcher Alisha Prystowsky leads the team in most offensive categories and is one of two players in the conference to reach base more often than not.

Columbia (11-24, 3-9)

The Blue Devils are riding a bit of momentum heading into a midweek doubleheader at Rider, having taken the final two games from Cornell to snap a four-game losing streak. Pitchers Maggie Johnson and Prophet Gaspard rank fourth and fifth in the league in ERA, helping the Lions post the second-best team mark.