2015 Softball
Introduction of the 2015 Tufts Softball Team, presented by Paul Sweeney, Athletics Communications Specialist and Former Director of Athletics Communications
51-0! Yes, I am starting with the punchline, and yes, you heard me right. Our final inductees tonight – the 2015 Tufts University softball team – finished the 2015 season with an astounding record of 51 wins…and 0 losses.
While going undefeated, the 2015 Tufts softball team won their third consecutive NCAA Championship that year – and that three-peat is an accomplishment unmatched in the entire history of Division III softball. Together with their NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2014, the Jumbos were a combined 144-7 over those three seasons, and many of the players here tonight were on those teams too.
But let’s put the topic of our NCAA softball dynasty aside for a moment because … I’ll say it again… the 2015 team was 51-0!! It seems impossible. But as their head coach Cheryl Milligan said, and I quote:
“This group was talented beyond most, absolutely determined to be the best team in the field each and every day, fiercely competitive and completely bonded to one another. They embraced adversity and pulled for each other more than any team I have been a part of. They were accepting of anyone and everyone on the team who was there to win games. It was truly a highlight reel daily, at practice and games, the way this team wanted to compete at everything."
That said, the Jumbos’ perfect season wasn’t without a few bumps and close calls. On their annual spring break trip to Florida, an illness spread through the team, and Coach Milligan had to fill out line-ups based on who was well enough to play some days. On the first day of the season, they eked out an 8-7 win against the University of New England by scoring in the top of the seventh. And later that week, they had to go to extra innings to beat Washington & Jefferson. But fortunately, they left Florida healthy and headed back north with an unblemished 14-0 record.
In their NESCAC opener, Bowdoin went toe-to-toe with the Jumbos, but Tufts prevailed 1-0 behind a one-hitter from Hall of Famer Allyson Fournier. They also had a 1-0 victory over a Colby - Allyson threw a no-hitter in that one. And their NESCAC tournament-winning game against arch-rival Williams was also a 1-0 affair, with Shelby Lipson delivering the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 6th.
The ability to win close games is key to any championship team, and these Jumbos had nine 1-run victories to preserve their perfect season that year.
But this team could win games in dominant fashion too. In their 15 games against NESCAC opponents that year, the potent Jumbo offense outscored their NESCAC foes by a combined total of 103-10. Twenty-seven of their victories on the season were by a margin of five runs or more, and they cruised through the NCAA Super Regional against WPI, outscoring them 14-1 in the process.
In the NCAA championship series against the University of Texas-Tyler, the Jumbos put their balanced attack on display again. In Game 1, pitching and defense shined as the Jumbos downed the Patriots 2-0 behind a 2-hitter from Allyson. And in Game 2, the offense carried the day. They erased a 2-0 deficit with a clutch 6-run outburst in the 6th inning. Highlighted by two homers from Cassie Ruscz, the Jumbos won 7-4 to take home the NCAA hardware and complete their miraculous undefeated season.
There are too many highlights and too many heroes from this incredible softball season to mention here. The team had its all-stars – Allyson Fournier, Cassie Ruscz and Raven Fournier were All-Americans – but a team simply cannot go 51-0 without being a true TEAM. The cool part of this story is that the perfect season was the product of a true team effort, and every Jumbo on the roster contributed in meaningful ways to their unbelievable achievement.
Of course, our outstanding coaches also had something to do with it. Coach Milligan did another masterful job leading this team, and with the help of her very talented assistant coaches Lauren Ebstein, Jo Clair and Bri Strecker, they created a winning culture that valued selflessness, togetherness and a team-first mentality. In recognition of their outstanding work, Coach Milligan and her staff earned their third consecutive National Coaching Staff of the Year Award that year.
As I reflect, the biggest regret that I have from a 30-year career at Tufts in Athletic Communications is that I couldn’t get this incredible team the national publicity that they deserved. I thought they should have been on SportsCenter or on the cover of Sports Illustrated. So tonight, it does give me a measure of personal satisfaction to be the one to welcome the 2015 Tufts Softball Team into the Hall of Fame.
We have 23 members of the 2015 team with us tonight and I would like to invite them all to the stage and into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame.
