Softball Returns Home for Ivy League Series Against Harvard

Saturday, April 13

New York, N.Y.

12:30 PM

Columbia University

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

Softball Returns Home for Ivy League Series Against Harvard

4/12/2024 2:30:00 PM | Softball

Live Stats

The Lions will celebrate Pride Day during Saturday’s doubleheader

By: Garret Sulak

NEW YORK – The Columbia softball team returns home to the Columbia Softball Stadium to host Harvard for an Ivy League weekend series after spending the past two weeks on the road. The Lions and Crimson will play a doubleheader Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. before finishing the series with a 12:30 p.m. game Sunday.

This weekend's games between Columbia (12-15, 7-2) and Harvard (15-13, 6-6) will be streamed live on ESPN+ or followed via live stats.

Game 1 Watch Link
Game 2 Watch Link
Game 3 Watch Link

CONTINUING THE IVY LEAGUE SLATE
Columbia enters the weekend having won eight of its last nine games after earning a series sweep at Penn last weekend. The Lions sit at 7-2 in conference play after earning series wins against Princeton, Cornell and Penn to start the league slate.

STAT LEADERS
The back-to-back Ivy League Player of the Week Cami Neal leads the team with a .375 batting average that includes 30 hits, five doubles, a team high seven home runs and a team high 19 RBI. Jaden Hill, Maddie Souza and Payton Shimansky are also batting over .300 as the Lions have established some dominance at the plate over the past few weekends.

Sarah Mikami owns a team best 5.51 ERA in the circle as she has earned eight starts and secured five wins and a save. Raquel Reyes has also been a mainstay in the circle with 13 starts and 16 appearances this season. Reyes owns a 5.61 ERA with five wins this season.

RECORD WATCH
Neal is currently in the hunt for three single season records. Neal's .375 batting average currently ranks fourth in on the single season record list, while her .700 slugging percentage ranks second. Neal needs two more home runs to move into a tie for fourth for home runs in a single season. Hill has 99 career hits and will be looking for her 100^th this weekend. Hill currently ranks 4^th in career stolen bases with 24. The program record is 31.

SCOUTING HARVARD
Harvard has won five of its last seven games entering the weekend, including a series victory over Princeton at home last weekend. Harvard then defeated Dartmouth on Tuesday in a makeup game from the series earlier this season. Harvard holds a 6-6 mark in Ivy League action with series wins over Dartmouth, Brown and Princeton. Harvard's only series loss came via sweep against Yale.

Harvard currently has four players batting over .300 this season as Sophia Sun leads the team with a .418 average and a team high 33 hits, six home runs and 17 RBI. Nicolette Hunter holds a team best 1.53 ERA in 16 appearances. Anna Reed has earned 10 starts and has a 2.81 ERA.

THE SERIES
Harvard leads the overall series, 40-13 dating back to the first meeting in 2001. The Crimson have won the last 10 meetings with the Lions going back to 2019. Columbia took one game in the regular season series against Harvard in 2019 before the Crimson won two games against Columbia in the Ivy League playoff series to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

PRIDE DAY
Softball will celebrate Pride Day during Saturday's doubleheader. This will be the team's second annual Pride Game, which celebrates the University's and surrounding community's LGBTQ+ community. Pride bracelets will be available for fans until they run out.

FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Softball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsSoftball), Instagram (@culionssoftball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaSoftball).