Only four freshmen are joining the team this year, so Davies will need her wealth of returning veterans to ease her into her new position.

5. Brown

Brown (14-28, 6-6) hopes to move up in the standings this year after finishing the 2000 season tied for third with Princeton. Coach Chris Cochran's Bears relied heavily on senior infielder Tami Parrott for offensive production last year and hope that Parrott will be able to turn in another strong performance this year.

Parrott, who was named First Team All-Ivy, led her team in nearly every batting category. Her .431 batting average demolished that of any other player in the Ivies. Having set new Brown records for homeruns in a season (10) and in a career (22), she looks this season to improve on her already outstanding statistics.

Senior Ellie Blake's pitching should add to Parrott's offensive prowess. Blake received Second Team All-Ivy Honors last season, posting a 3.09 ERA and 36 strikeouts. These numbers are extraordinarily impressive considering that Blake was injured for the majority of last season.

Two solid returning pitchers, senior Aleana Sutton and sophomore Eric Durlesser, join Blake again this year. Sutton led the team with a 2.57 ERA last season and Durlesser struck out 36 batters in her freshman year.

If Parrott can match her accomplishments from 2000 and Blake has a healthy season this year, the Bears have a great opportunity to be a strong contender this season.

6. Yale

After a fifth-place finish in the Ivies last season, the Bulldogs (19-23-1, 5-7) hope that their brand new stadium will also boost their performance this season.

The team is young, as seven players graduated last year, leaving only three seniors and one junior on the team. Fortunately for Yale, though, three of last year's top four hitters are returning, so the team should be offensively strong once again.

Among the power at the plate is senior captain Monica Lebron, who led the team in batting average (.314) and hits (43) last season. Lebron's three triples last year made her Yale's all-time leader in career triples (13) and helped her earn First Team All-Ivy honors.

Coach Andy Van Etten will have to work this season to replace the Bulldog's ace pitcher, Teri Hickey, who was one of the seven graduates last year. Etten will look to junior Cara Denver as one option to take over for the departed Hickey. Denver had a 2.12 ERA last year. Two freshmen, Shayna Filson and Jillian Miles, will be joining the pitching squad this season.

The outfield will be mostly new this year, as All-Ivy centerfielder Alice Liu, graduated as well. Sophomore Laura Beckert will be making a move from third base to fill one of the holes in the outfield. The other two spots will potentially be occupied by two of the incoming freshmen.

7. Penn

After finishing in the cellar of the league last season, the Quakers (13-30-1, 2-10) start this year with a young team. There are no seniors on the squad and only five juniors, leaving Coach Carol Kashow with a large amount of inexperience on her hands.

Second Team All-Ivy junior Clarisa Apostol will hopefully anchor the team in the outfield. The power will stem from junior Jen Moore at third, who received First Team All-Ivy honors last year for her .331 team-leading batting average and team-high 11 doubles.

Kashow has added two promising pitchers this season, freshmen Nicole Borgstadt and Alexandra Martini, in order to round out the team on the mound. Sophomore Becky Ranta looks to build on last season, in which she recorded nine wins and a 4.17 ERA.

Kashow's focus for the year is on the short game--using hit and run strategies in an attempt to raise Pennsylvania's rank in the standings.

8. Columbia

Last year marked the beginning of softball as a varsity sport for the Lions (13-18-1), and this year, Columbia's team will be joining the Ivy League for the first time. Christine Vogt '94 coaches the team.

Not surprisingly, the team is quite young. Sophomore Allison Buehler will be the Lions' top pitcher, as she ended last season with a record of 8-9 and 103 strikeouts. Buehler will be supported on the mound by sophomore Debbie Kaplan, who had a rocky 5-7 season.

The team looks forward to competing on the Ivy level this year, as last year served as a way to ease slowly into varsity sport status.