WELL DONE: Princeton University softball head coach Lisa Van Ackeren, left, congratulates pitcher Claire Klausner, right, as catcher Skye Jerpbak looks on in a game this spring. Last weekend, Van Ackeren guided the Tigers to a four-game sweep of Cornell as Princeton clinched its first Ivy South title in her four-year tenure at the helm and the program’s first since 2008. The Tigers, now 21-25 overall and 14-6 Ivy, will play at either Harvard or Dartmouth, who are still battling for the Ivy North crown, this weekend in the best-of-three Ivy League Championship Series. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
After coming in second in the Ivy League South Division the last three seasons, the Princeton University softball team wasn’t leaving anything to chance as it took a two-game lead into its four-game series with Cornell in the final weekend of regular season play.
“I think the senior class, in particular, was really happy to be in control of our own destiny and we never took our eyes off of what we needed to do this weekend,” said Van Ackeren.
“I think everyone was committed to making sure that we just played our best game, all four games.”
The Tigers played some very good ball against Cornell, winning 10-1 and 4-2 on Friday to clinch the division title. On Saturday, Princeton kept its focus, prevailing 4-3 and 12-2 on Senior Day.
In reflecting on the sweep, Van Ackeren credited senior pitcher Shanna Christian with getting things going in the right direction as she hurled a gem in the opener on Friday, going six innings and giving up one run on three hits with four strikeouts.
“Shanna has been battling injuries all year and coming down the stretch we have really relied on her to not only be on the mound but for her leadership,” said Van Ackeren.
“I think she did a great job setting the tone for the weekend. She was going to compete, no matter what, and a lot of people stepped up in those first two games against Cornell up there.”
Christian’s classmate, catcher Skye Jerpbak, stepped up in a big way in the opener, going 4-for-4 with two homers and five RBIs.
“Skye was unbelievable,” said Van Ackeren. “She drove up on the morning of the game with one of the assistant coaches because she had literally turned in her thesis at midnight the night before and had things due so her nose was to the grindstone all week. She was extra relaxed on Friday. She did a really great job. It is cool when you are doing well in all areas of your life and she just had a wonderful weekend overall.”
After winning the nightcap 4-2, the Tigers enjoyed a wonderful moment, celebrating their first division title in Van Ackeren’s four-year tenure and the program’s first since 2008.
“I would say it was a combination of emotions; it was a little of relief and a lot of joy and a lot of excitement that we could carry that kind of energy into Senior Day for Saturday,” said Van Ackeren.
“I think very quickly the celebration on the bus turned into OK, now we have two things in front of us — one is to make sure that we give our seniors a great outing on Saturday, and, two, let’s move onto the North and see who we are facing. They are focused on not settling for just the South division championship, which is really exciting. It wasn’t excessive joy because there are still things to come.”
The team had a great outing on Saturday as senior Kate Miller had two hits in the win in the opener and then classmate Emily Viggers drove in five runs in game two, going 2-for-3 with a grand slam.
“It was great, the seniors playing in their last home games, there is some kind of magic that happens,” said Van Ackeren, whose group of seniors includes Danielle Allen and Kayla Bose in addition to Christian, Jerpbak, Miller, and Viggers.
“Senior Day just means a lot to them and we did our best to honor the seniors and then they come out and put on an amazing day. For some of them, it was the best day of their careers. I think the seniors all had a hit in their last at bat at home, all six, that is a hard thing to do so I think they were all pulling together. It is a class where their personalities are very different but they are so united. There is such a level of respect that the six of them have for each other and I think that really showed on Saturday.”
Utilizing a cool-headed mentality at the plate, Princeton has hit .278 with 193 runs this spring compared to a .253 average and 153 runs in 2015.
“I think it is our hitting approach and just an understanding that an at-bat, whether it is good or bad doesn’t make or break a season,” said Van Ackeren.
“They have stayed emotionally stable in the box. The team has really owned that we are going to use each at-bat as information on how to get better and how to improve. Whether or not you do your job in that at-bat doesn’t dictate how the next one is going to go. That kind of consistency levels out the emotions associated with at-bats and has made a difference for this team.”
In Van Ackeren’s view, keeping an even-keeled approach helped the team bounce back from a winless trip to California in mid-March.
“I think coming home from spring break was a huge turning point; it makes sense to the team now why we scheduled the way that we did,” said Van Ackeren.
“We lost every game on spring break, we were 0-11 on the week. A team that was not emotionally resilient could have said this is how the rest of our season is going to go but they just refused to accept that. They treated the games over spring break the exact way that they should have, which is why we got to play against some really quality programs, we got to see some really great pitching and ultimately will help us to do well in the Ivy League and beyond.”
The play of Princeton’s freshman quartet of Kaylee Grant (.330 batting average, 6 homers, 23 RBIs), Keeley Walsh (.284, 2 homers), Kaitlyn Waslawski (.282) and Mikayla Blaska (.250), has given the team a big boost as it looks ahead to the best-of-three Ivy League Championship Series, which will take place this weekend at either Harvard or Dartmouth depending on the outcome of a May 3 doubleheader between the Ivy North foes.
“I think for them the value of those at-bats are even more important because they are making the transition into college softball,” said Van Ackeren.
“For them, seeing great pitching from the very beginning, their expectations were high about what they were going to see and that made them compete more right away. The mindset of that freshman class is they are competitors at heart, they are gritty, they are tough and that experience for them was really valuable. They have done a huge job, even leading as freshmen so that is really important.”
Having served as an assistant coach for Penn in 2012 when it played in the ILCS, Van Ackeren believes mental toughness is key to prevailing.
“I think the emotion part can be a huge asset; you can play with emotion but not emotionally; that has made us successful this season,” said Van Ackeren.
“We are going to try to make sure that we manage our emotions and channel them in a way that makes us better. If you play with too much of an emotional state that can take you out of things. It is going to be exciting for them because the team has done a good job of treating every game the same way. We just want to play our best ball, that part is going to stay the same, but hopefully they are pumped to go and just make a statement and represent the South division well.”
No matter who Princeton ends up playing, Van Ackeren is confident that her players will do a very good job.
“There are two different rivalries with both schools, the Harvard-Princeton rivalry is so deep-rooted; it’s like a battle of the best in every sense,” said Van Ackeren.
“When you get to Princeton as a freshman you are taught you have got to beat Harvard in everything and there is a level of pride associated with that. With Dartmouth, we would be trying to dethrone the 3-time Ivy Championship winner. With them playing at home, they know what it is like to win a championship on that field. We love a challenge and we love rising to the occasion. For the team, it doesn’t matter where we go, they are just ready to play.”