HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team has released its 2016 schedule. In addition to taking the team's annual trip to Florida during the College's week of Spring Break, the Fords will play 15 doubleheaders up north during the regular season. Twelve home games are on the slate during the upcoming season.
Haverford's season will begin during the College's Spring Break which runs the first full week of March. A season ago, the team played 10 games during its week in Florida and got the season off to a 6-4 start. The complete Spring Break schedule will be available closer to the start of the season.
Getting into the routine of doubleheaders throughout the rest of the regular season, the Fords return to four straight road dates. Haverford will travel to Eastern for its first true road contest on March 17 as the teams meet with for the seventh straight season with the Fords riding a four-game winning streak in the series. That doubleheader will be followed by the program's first-ever meetings with Lebanon Valley (Mar. 20) and Immaculata (Mar. 22).
Centennial Conference play opens up at McDaniel on March 26. The Green Terror took home the conference title on their home field during the 2015 season after edging out the Fords for home field advantage in the final week of the regular season.
Haverford's home opener is set for Tuesday, March 29 against Washington College. The Fords will close out the month with a doubleheader at home against Rowan on March 31. These teams have met in each of the past 12 seasons with the last year's cancelation due to weather being the lone time these teams have not met since 2005.
During the month of April, Haverford will play nine doubleheaders – six of which will be Centennial Conference battles. The road conference slate during the month include trips to Dickinson (Apr. 2) and Muhlenberg (Apr. 5) before looking all the way to the regular season finale at Gettysburg on April 30. Non-conference trips to Arcadia (Apr. 7) and Widener (Apr. 14) can also be found during the month. Arcadia and Haverford will be meeting for the 10th time in the past 12 seasons. The Pride and Fords will be meeting for the 18th consecutive year.
The Fords' longest homestand of the year will come from April 16 through April 23. That eight day stretch will see Haverford play eight games on the Class of '95 Field. A doubleheader with Alvernia (Apr. 21) will be the lone non-conference games of the stretch. Franklin & Marshall (Apr. 16), Ursinus (Apr. 19), and Swarthmore (Apr. 23) make up the conference meetings during the extended stay at home.
Last year's Centennial Conference Coach of the Year, Erin Brooks, will be entering her second season leading the Fords during the upcoming season. Her team advanced to the Centennial Conference Tournament for the third straight season with a 25-10-1 record last season. This year's senior class can become the first in program history to qualify for the conference tournament in each of their four years with a postseason appearance this spring.
Haverford graduated seven seniors from last year's team, but returns three All-Centennial Conference performers from the 2015 season. This list includes third-team all-region catcher Kristin Tatum (first-team All-CC), conference rookie of the year Jessica Koshinski (first-team All-CC), and second-team all-conference pitcher Sara Tauriello. Tatum and fellow senior Emily Winesett will serve as captains of the 2016 team.