Softball | Penn's early schedule anything but soft

Although the softball team's season-opening tournament at George Mason may not have serious postseason implications, the team's performance this weekend may be a critical indicator of its potential for the upcoming season.

The untested Quakers will face competition from three nonconference opponents - Akron, George Mason and local rival Saint Joseph's. Yet the most important game for the Quakers will be their Sunday showdown with Ivy powerhouse Cornell (although the game will not count for the teams' Ivy League record).

Last season the Big Red finished 40-10 (16-4 Ivy), though they succumbed to Princeton in a heated Ivy League South Division title race by two games. Although the Quakers were swept by the Big Red in their four meetings and finished well behind with a 10-10 conference record, they hope to turn the tables this year.

The Red and Blue will certainly have their work cut out for them, especially the pitchers. Cornell ended the 2008 season first in the nation with a .351 batting average and in the top five in scoring, slugging percentage and doubles per game. The offense is led by first team All-Ivy third baseman Elise Menaker and second team All-Ivy shortstop Alyson Intihar.

Despite these impressive statistics, Penn is actually champing at the bit to face the Big Red.

"I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Cornell," said senior pitcher Emily Denstedt, who was overpowered 5-0 and 8-5 in her two starts against the Big Red last year. "They are one of the top teams in the Ivy League and if they are on, they will be very tough to beat."

Despite the excitement of the Cornell encounter, the Quakers will be wary of revealing all of their weapons so early in the season. According to coach Lesley King, the team will not be concerned with the overall score.

"The Cornell game does not count as much as it would if it was later in the season," King said. "We don't want to show them a whole lot with our pitching and we are more focused on being prepared for the rest of the season."

Although Cornell highlights the Patriot Tournament slate, Penn cannot afford to overlook its other three opponents.

The Quakers open against St. Joe's, which is 5-2. Pitcher Dani Gonzales earned both wins for the Hawks with a 2.06 earned run average. George Mason enters the tournament with a 5-4 record and Akron enters at 4-5.

"There is a lot of uncertainty heading into the tournament," King said. "We don't know that much about the other teams. We don't know what we're going to look like when we step out onto the field."

The season-opening trip will provide valuable experience before the team travels to Florida for a much larger spring-break tournament.

"We are excited for the [GMU] tournament because I think it will tell us where we are at before we head to Orlando," King said.

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