The lone junior on the Harvard softball team has had an impact well beyond what would be expected of her solitary status. Tri-captain Tiffany Whitton has been a leader on and off the diamond.

Whitton has starred on the mound and at the plate since arriving in Cambridge from California’s Brea Olinda High School three years ago. As of Thursday, she was leading the 2002 team with a .421 average and a 1.17 ERA.

The Far East

Whitton was a four-sport athlete in high school, playing water polo, soccer, and softball while running cross-country. Her focus was always softball, and she captained her team as a senior to the CIS championship game, the equivalent of the state finals for Southern California.

Though Brea lost with its captain on the mound, Whitton’s standout season led to a first team Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-American selection for the West Region.

Such a distinction put her on the national recruiting map, but Whitton’s focus was on the Ivy League.

“I looked at only Ivies because I knew I wanted to come East for a change of pace, to live a different lifestyle for a while,” Whitton said.

She narrowed her choices down to Harvard and Princeton. Harvard won her over at an Orange County meet-and-greet session for perspective students.

“I love it here,” Whitton added. “The people I’ve met have been amazing.”

Softball has been a vehicle for Whitton’s academic career, opening doors and creating rewarding opportunities.

As a government concentrator, she hopes to enter either public policy or law, and will be testing the waters of both as a summer intern for the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. this summer. Whitton’s inclination right now is to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a teacher.

But she hasn’t forgotten about softball amid her new opportunities.

On the contrary, Whitton has excelled, helping the Crimson to two straight Ivy championships.

She has seen Harvard shine on the national stage as well. Harvard has frequently ranked among the top schools in the region and performed well in tournaments against nationally-ranked schools.

Whitton says that fascinating people and increasingly competitive softball have made playing in the East, and especially the Ivy League, more attractive for nationally recruited high school players.