In its fourth season as a Harvard varsity sport, this year's Crimson women's softball team will face the toughest schedule it's had in three years.

But that's the least of Coach John Wentzell's problems.

Last year, after sweeping their first five games and finishing the first half of the season with a 7-2 record, the Crimson batwomen encountered a six-game losing streak and wound up seventh in the Ivy league tournament.

This year, to avoid such catastrophes and continue the consistent game they started with last season, the squad must score more runs. And Wentzell knows it.

The batwomen were outscored 97-89 last year, and lost many of their later games in the final innings--in the case of the Ivy tournament contests against Brown and Princeton, in extra innings. So, many of last year's losses could have been wins had the team been more potent offensively.

Although the Crimson lost three important players--including All-Ivy third baseman Pat Horne--to graduation, the nine returning letter winners and a few promising freshmen start the '84 campaign as the most talented team in his three years, according to Wentzell.

Junior right fielder Ann Wilson, who led the team in batting last season, is expected to repeat her solid offensive and defensive performance this year.

Senior Landya Boyer, co-captain and center fielder, will move over from j.v. basketball to provide leadership and is a strong candidate to snag Ivy honors again. The left field/designated hitter spot will be shared this season by sophomores Mary McKinnon and Judy Zachariasen. When one serves as DH, the other will start in left.

One of the biggest holes to fill in this year's Crimson lineup is the one left by third baseman Horne. Right now it looks like two freshmen. Trisha Brown and women's soccer goalie Lisa Rowning will be battling it out for the right to man the hot corner.

The rest of the infield is reasonably secure, with Co-Captain Ellen Sackaroff at short, sophomore Nancy Andrea at second, and junior Joan Cunningham sharing first base with power-hitting senior Sue Newell.

Pitching, arguably softball's most important element, was handled almost totally last year by hurler Gerri Rubin. The hard-throwing sophomore will get some help this year from freshman Janet Dickerman.

Rounding out the battery and team behind the plate will be freshman Gia Barresi, a Cohasset native who spent the winter on the varsity basketball squad. Barresi will share the signal-calling duties with Cunningham.

Wentzell is looking for his charges to become a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy tournament, held at Brown in late April.

"I think Princeton, Brown, Yale and Harvard are going to be playing some of the tougher teams in the area, like UMass and Maine, teams we haven't been playing a lot before, and I hope this added experience will show at the tournament," the Crimson mentor says.

Harvard Softball 1984 Schedule

March 30, Mount Holyoke.

March 31, at Dartmouth (doubleheader).

April 2, Wheaton.

April 4, Boston University.

April 6, at MIT.

April 8, Maine (doubleheader).

April 10, at Boston College.

April 12, at Smith.

April 14, Holy Cross (doubleheader).

April 17, Northeastern.

April 19, Stonehill (doubleheader).

April 21, at UMass.

April 27-29, Ivy League Tournament at Brown.

May 1, Yale.