The Harvard softball team--a mixture of 10 freshman and 11 returning players, including six first team All-Ivy selections--all returned from the Mar. 3 Worth Invitational in Fullerton, Cali. with four losses under their belts.

But don't be fooled by the 0-4 record--the Crimson has proved last year that non-conference wins aren't everything when it began the 2000 season 4-15 and finished as the Ivy League champion.

The Crimson's four losses at the Worth Invitational came against No. 25 Pacific, New Mexico, No. 3 Cal-Berkeley and No. 9 Cal State Fullerton--all top-30 teams in the preseason rankings that had already played about 20 games going into the tournament.

The Crimson--despite its inability to practice on grass--stayed close into the late innings against its highly-ranked opposition.

"The losses weren't disappointing," said tri-captain Mairead McKendry. "We figured out what we needed to do and what plays didn't work, and we're working through them."

Such early-season losses against the nation's best are a price the Crimson will have to pay if it plans to compete at a national level.

Last year at the NCAA Regionals in Norman, Okla., the Crimson nearly pulled out a tournament win against Northwestern, holding leads of 4-0 and 6-4, before a string of questionable officiating and defensive breakdowns caused the game to slip away. The recent Worth Invitational games were encouraging for the Crimson's future tournament hopes.

"In California, we showed that we could play against top-25 teams," said senior hurler Chelsea Thoke