THE WRIGHT STUFF: Princeton University softball pitcher Brielle Wright delivers a pitch in action last weekend as Princeton hosted Yale for a three-game series at its new Cynthia Lynn Paul ’94 Field. Junior Wright starred for the Tigers, going 2-0 in the circle as Princeton swept the Bulldogs. The Tigers topped Yale 6-0 on Friday and then defeated the Bulldogs 9-0 and 2-0 in a doubleheader on Saturday. Wright got the wins in games one and three, striking out 13 batters in 13 innings. She was later named as the Ivy League Pitcher of the Week. The Tigers, now 11-12 overall and 6-0 Ivy, host Lehigh on April 2 and then head to Dartmouth for a three-game set with a doubleheader on April 5 and a single game on April 6. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

After excelling in a relief pitching role last spring for the Princeton University softball team, Brielle Wright had to shift gears this season as she was moved into the starting rotation.

“It was definitely a transition at first; last year I was typically coming into the end of the game for two innings, maybe three every weekend,” said junior lefty Wright, a 5’8 native of Rocklin, Calif.

“I didn’t get my first start last year until the very last game of the season. So going this year starting most games, it was a mental switch. I had to flip, going the distance versus a closer that has to go in and shut things down.”

Last weekend, Wright showed how well that transition is going, starring as Princeton swept a three-game series from Yale. On Friday, she hurled six shutout innings as Princeton topped the Bulldogs 6-0. After Princeton started a Saturday doubleheader by beating Yale 9-0 in five innings, Wright was sharp again, going the distance for a shutout as the Tigers posted a 2-0 win in game two. For allowing no runs and striking out 13 batters in 13 innings in going 2-0 over the weekend, Wright was later named as the Ivy League Pitcher of the Week.

In her outing on Saturday, Wright struck out 10 and allowed just two hits as she took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

“Today I was really utilizing my rise ball more that I was yesterday,” said Wright. “It was just switching its up; giving the hitters a little bit of a different look but ultimately still using my defense. They were chasing a bit so I was expanding the zone with my pitches and trusting my defense.”

Wright did have to work out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings to preserve her shutout as the Tigers improved to 11-12 overall and 6-0 Ivy and are now in first place in the league standings, two games ahead of Dartmouth (4-2) and Columbia (4-2).

“I would say there was some pressure on with runners in scoring position,” said Wright. “I think people can feel that. At the end of the day, I knew we were going to pull out the win either way so I am not stressed if there are runners in scoring position. It might be a pressure situation on book but in reality we know we can get it done.”

The Tigers are feeling at home in their sparkling new Cynthia Lynn Paul ’94 Field in Princeton’s Meadows Neighborhood as they are now 6-0 in the venue after opening it with a three-game sweep of Harvard from March 22-23.

“It is so special, the donation from Cynthia Paul means a lot to our program and going forward I think it is going to contribute to a lot of new Ivy League championships,” said Wright. “I would say our team as a whole is getting into a groove. We are really connecting in a cohesive unit. If someone doesn’t have a good day in a game, someone or the whole team has their back. We just talked about it in our postgame talk, everyone has each other’s back. Different people are stepping up in different games so I think that is making us more comfortable.”

Wright’s comfort level in the circle has been enhanced by the camaraderie in the squad’s pitching corps which also includes sophomore Cassidy Shaw, freshman Keala Hollenkamp, and senior Meghan Harrington.

“Our bullpen as a unit is amazing, I don’t think there is any bullpen in the country that matches how cohesive and how friendly we are to each other,” said Wright, who is now 4-4 on the season with a 4.38 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. “I think that is where it starts. Personally if the bullpen isn’t getting along, that can create many, many issues with games and playing time. We are all friends outside of the game. I think that is where it starts and we are showing up for our team.”

Princeton head coach Lisa Van Ackeren credits Wright with making a smooth transition to the starting role.

“Brielle is tough as nails, that mentality shift is more significant than people realize,” said Van Ackeren, a former star pitcher in her college career at Lehigh. “She got really good at the reliever role and has had to grind through our preseason to learn how to be a starter. How she attacks hitters is very different. You can be really free as a closer. You have to be a little more locked as a starter. She was great today at making counter adjustments when their hitters adjusted. She did a great job.”

With Princeton having posted five shutouts in its six Ivy wins, Van Ackeren is getting good pitching across the board.

“Our staff is really strong one through four and they have done really well for us so far,” said Van Ackeren. “You need a deep bullpen in this league, playing teams for three games. They work really well together and they have each other’s backs. I think they feed off of one another’s success. They are linked up.”

Princeton’s success over the last two weekends has helped the squad develop a comfort level in its new home.

“It has been really good,” said Van Ackeren. “We always have a great parent group that travels well but the community members are showing up in bigger numbers over here. It just feels like a professional setting that we have wanted for a long time. The turf and the lights are a huge competitive advantage for us. The great part is now it feels like home. In the first weekend, it was not our home yet. We had practiced on it for a couple of weeks but now we have two weekends where there are some really good memories already.”

Senior catcher Lauren Pappert made some good memories in game two on Saturday, going a career-best 3 for 3 with a two-run single that provided the margin of victory.

“Lauren had such an amazing day, she has grown so much mentally, just to be in those positions and handle them,” said Van Ackeren. “Emma Taylor threw a great game for Yale, she had our number today and we didn’t adjust. Pappy stepped in and she just had a great day.”

The Tigers have been getting great production inhale middle of the order from sophomore Karis Ford (.415 batting average with 5 homers, 19 RBIs) and senior Allie Ha (.372, 3 homers, 20 RBIs).

“The fact that they are walking Karis with runners on is such a testament to how dangerous she is,” said Van Ackeren. “Allie has made them pay the last couple of weekends. She has done a great job protecting her. I am happy for them, they set a really good tone.”

Having gone 5-12 in a challenging non-conference slate, the Tigers were steeled for Ivy play.

“With the preseason schedule that we had I tested them even much more than normal,” said Van Ackeren. “We had to do it with the trust that there is still belief that we are going to do really well and this is preparing you well for the league. So now having this, it is evidence for the team to see this is why we do what we do. This is why we prepared you. You have to learn quick and you have to adjust. I think they have learned how to do that really well.”

In the wake of breaking through with a win in the NCAA tournament last year, its first in the tourney since 2005, Princeton is looking to an even greater impact on the national scene this spring.
“We wanted to continue to take a step forward and a lot of that has to do with belief,” added Van Ackeren. “Everybody down talks mid-majors but you have to play in those kind of environments, you have to have consistent success and you can’t take an off day so we are building toward that.”

While Wright believes the Tigers can do some special things this spring, their focus right now is on taking care of business over the rest of their Ivy campaign.

“Yale didn’t even see our best this weekend,” said Wright. “I think this team has a lot of special things in store, especially in the postseason. But right now we have got five more series ahead of us so that is where our heads are at.”