The Cornell women’s softball team is kicking off its season this weekend. The Red is traveling down to the Dixie Collegiate Classic in Virginia Beach, which begins today and continues through Sunday.
The tournament will be a showcase for “a bunch of very, very strong teams,” commented head coach Dick Blood.
Enthusiastic is the best word to describe Blood’s demeanor before the road trip. He understands the important impact that this weekend could have for his team. “We are excited about [the Classic] because I think we are allowed to travel out of region right now,” commented Blood.
“We need to improve our strength of schedule to better prepare us for Ivy League competition. This is the type of tournament that is going to help us,” he finished.
The Red will not have an easy time down in Virginia. The team’s toughest competition will come from Virginia Tech, who has won 94 games in its last two seasons. Softball powerhouse East Carolina University, who posted a 60-14 record last year will also be in the field of twelve this weekend. Other teams that will be playing at the Classic include Elon College, Marist College, UMBC, St. Johns, UNC-Greensboro, East Carolina University (60-14 last year), Delaware, Akron Ohio University and Radford University.
The tournament is a five-game guarantee. Every team plays a round robin for three games, then heads into either a winner’s bracket or a loser’s bracket.
The Red is looking to play well in its season opener and come home with a few wins under its belt before it travels to Pennsylvania next weekend to take on Drexel and St. Joseph’s.
Archived article by Kristen Haunss