On Sept. 30, Dartmouth softball traveled to Southern New Hampshire University to open up their preseason for a double header fall ball game. The Big Green dominated, winning 17-3 against SNHU and 8-2 against Bentley University.
Last season, the Big Green finished seventh overall in the Ivy League, going 8-13 for in-conference play and 14-25 overall. To start the season off strong, Lauren Ben-Ezra ’26, who received an honorable mention for All-Ivy selection for the 2023 season, is stepping to the plate with a fresh mindset.
“We got out of our heads and just played softball the way we know how to,” Ben-Ezra said.
Ashley Frantz ’26 is focusing more on her technique rather than results this pre-season.
“We talk a lot about not focusing on outcomes [but] focusing on the process,” Frantz said. “We are really trying to do that right now, work on getting better in the fall and coming together as a team.”
Dartmouth scored 17 runs against the Penman. The most runs scored by the Big Green in a single game last season was 13, when they defeated Brown University 13-9 on April 15. Frantz said practicing high pressure situations has allowed the team to produce more runs.
“We’ve been practicing a lot of pressure situations by doing a workout so your heart rate is up before you hit and really just trying to calm down and be like ‘I’m going to hit,’” Frantz said.
Pitcher Stella Bale ’26 has already started noticing the improvement in her team’s offense.
“People were passing the bats,” Bale said. “There was not one hero; it was everyone collectively, which I think is something we struggled with last year — everyone strung the hits together, and that’s what made us so dominant this past weekend.”
Bale emphasized the importance of the team’s camaraderie and commitment to applaud one another as they take on greater challenges.
“We are small again, but that's what makes us strong,” Bale added. “We are a tight knit bullpen crew, and I am really excited. [Jensin Hall ’27] — 21 strikeouts in 8 innings, killed it this weekend, and [Rachel McCarroll ’25] was everything for us.”
McCarroll had an impressive season last year, pitching 175.1 innings, which is 47.1 more innings than any other Ivy League pitcher. She also had 95 strikeouts and 10 wins, which is the second highest in the Ivy League, and a 2.99 ERA, which is fifth among Ivy League pitchers. With pitching 15 complete games and 3 of them being shutouts, she earned a spot on the second-team All-Ivy.
Hall is a new addition to the team and is starting to make her mark, with 21 strikeouts in 8 innings, according to her teammates. The most strikeouts a pitcher can have in 8 innings is 24.
While the team is developing and building connections, they miss sharing the field with former teammates, Franz noted.
“People are finding themselves in new roles now and learning as we go,” Frantz said. “Everyone is learning together. It’s a shared experience.”
However, the first-years are serving as an asset to the team, according to Ben-Ezra.
“They are doing a great job,” Ben-Ezra said. “They bring a lot of energy, and they are doing a great job on the field itself — they are challenging us to be better than we were before.”
When asked what she is looking forward to most this season, Frantz reflected, “It’s too soon to say, but Ivy Championships.”
The teams that finish the season in one of the top four spots will travel to the Ivy League Softball Tournament, hosted by the team ranked first.
The Big Green will play their first home fall ball games at Dartmouth Softball Park in Hanover this Saturday, Oct. 7. They will face the Warriors of Merrimack College in a twin bill at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
