Junior Christina Khosravi is doing it for the seniors.
The whole Penn softball team is.
This weekend, the Quakers (21-15, 12-4 Ivy) travel to Princeton, N.J. to play the Tigers (18-25, 8-4) in two doubleheader matches that could clinch the Ivy League South Division title for the Quakers and give them a berth to the League Championships.
"I think that the seniors will play with the heart that they have played with all year and bring everything that they've been bringing to all the games," Khosravi said.
The magical ride began with a simple goal at the beginning of the year: finish with a winning record, according to Khosravi. The Quakers have never had an above-.500 record under coach Leslie King.
That humble goal, however, soon blossomed into something much greater as the weeks dragged on and Penn stood strong.
"The 10 seniors have pulled everyone on the team up and made everyone feel positive," Khosravi said. "The fact that we're in first place is pretty huge considering our performance in the past. I think it speaks a lot to the experience of the team [as] well as to the coaching."
Everything came together in a do-or-die situation against former league-leaders Cornell on Tuesday. After splitting a doubleheader against the Big Red last Saturday, the Quakers stared down the league juggernauts on Tuesday and dominated in both games.
This feat leaves the team with one more task in order to claim a spot in the title game: defeat Princeton to close out the year.
"When we've got pitching, defense and hitting going, we're unstoppable. No team can beat us," Khosravi said.
Furthermore, this year's Princeton team is not as dominant as they usually are. King described the Tigers as going through a "rebuilding year to a certain extent." But she says that Princeton is "still a very solid club."
A major factor in the games lies on the shoulders of the Penn pitchers.
"Together, the staff that we have is doing enough to keep us in games," King said. "We have the depth to be able to give them lots of different looks."
Since Penn's pitchers do not work by overpowering opposing lineups, they will have to hit their spots.
"If we miss, we'll get punished, and they know that," King said of the pitchers.
Offensively, the Quakers look to take advantage of the weakened Tigers pitching staff.
"Princeton for the last four years has had a very dominant pitcher who's now graduated," said King, referring to Erin Snyder, who left behind a 0.83 ERA in her senior year.
Khosravi stressed that the team needed to get off to a quick start against the younger Princeton pitchers.
Heading into this weekend, "everyone is in high spirits," according to Khosravi.
Like any team, the Quakers do not want to see their seniors go. This weekend, they will have a rare opportunity: the chance to extend the seniors' stay here a little longer.
