Dartmouth softball’s spring break trip took them on a whirlwind tour from Tennessee all the way up the East Coast. The team went 3-2 at the East Tennessee State University Invitational, facing off against ETSU and North Dakota University. In subsequent conference play, the Big Green swept Brown but lost back-to-back series to Cornell and Princeton.
The team started the season 0-6 but eventually improved to 6-8 before starting Ivy League play. After five losses at the Joan Joyce Classic — to Florida Atlantic University, North Carolina State, Purdue University twice and Villanova University — and an additional loss to Ohio University at the Low Country Classic, the Big Green picked up their first win against the College of Charleston on February 21.
Dartmouth finished up their trip in Charleston by defeating the University of Rhode Island twice and losing to Ohio once again to improve to 3-7. Pitcher Rachel McCarroll ’25 reflected on her final spring trip and what the trip means to her.
“That trip was really our final chance to face strong competition before Ivy play,” she said. “We really wanted to focus on playing good, consistent softball across a long weekend.”
The Big Green finished their spring trip in Johnson City, Tennessee at the ETSU Invitational. The three-game series served as a preview of the Ivy League conference format.
“That was a good indicator for us: how are we going to approach and attack a team when we see them multiple days in a row?” McCarroll said. “That’s exactly what league play looks like, so it gave us the chance to elevate our game each time out.”
The Big Green defeated the University of North Dakota 6-4 on March 14, but fell to ETSU 12-2 that same day. On March 15, Dartmouth split the day, defeating ETSU 9-4 but falling to North Dakota 12-7. The team defeated ETSU 9-4 on March 16 to close out the weekend in their last pre-Ivy League matchup.
In Dartmouth’s Ivy League opener against Brown, the team came out swinging as they swept Brown in all three games. The Big Green totaled three homers for the weekend from Alanna Panu ’25, Jenna Brown ’25 and Faby Serna ’27. This was Serna’s first collegiate homer.
Catcher Marilyn Beauvais ’28 expressed satisfaction with the team’s opening results. She emphasized that the team’s resilience was key to their success.
“What I love about this team is that we adapt really fast,” Beauvais said. “At Brown, we played in freezing conditions with a wind chill of 20 degrees. We came from warm weather and had to jump into those cold temperatures, but we just dominated.”
The Big Green were unable to replicate that success the next weekend as they only took one of three from Cornell the following weekend.
However, that stretch improved their Ivy League record to 4-2 and their overall record to 11-11. Their road record stood at 8-4, in contrast to their 3-6 record at neutral sites.
The team played their home opener against the Princeton Tigers this past weekend. They split 1-2, bringing their overall record to 12-13. The Big Green’s only win against Princeton ended with a walk-off home run from infielder Justice Malone ’27.
According to outfielder Lauren Ben-Ezra ’26, the team’s preseason competition prepared them for the Ivy League grind like the fight they saw against Princeton.
“We see it replicate what we see in the Ivy League, and it gets us ready to hit our peak once Ivy games really start,” Ben-Ezra said.
She also highlighted how the team dynamic has evolved throughout the season.
“We definitely have grown a lot,” Ben-Ezra said. “We have a lot of freshmen this year, so it’s been really good to see them all coming into their own as we’ve started playing.”
The Big Green will be back at Dartmouth Softball Park this Saturday, April 12 for 8 Against Hate Weekend where they will face the University of Pennsylvania — who are currently winless in conference play — in a three-game series. The team will look to improve their Ivy League standing, as they are currently tied with Brown for third.
