Talk about learning quickly: The softball team will play more games this spring break than it has year.
Penn (2-2 ) will travel to Orlando, Fla., to take part in the Rebel Spring Games. They will play 10 contests over six days, with just one day off.
Their opponents include seven different teams from all over the country: Cleveland State, Butler, Tenesee-Martin, Indiana-Purdue, Robert Morris, Monmouth and Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Though there will be little time for relaxation, the softball team is excited to travel and get into the flow of its season.
"This is going to be our first huge chunk of games played," senior tri-captain Christina Khosravi said. "It will definitely set the tone for the attitude of the team when we get back."
The Red and Blue hope to use this week to get more experience before their Ivy League slate, which starts fewer than two weeks after they return.
Last year, Penn was the South Division champion, but lost in the Ivy League Championship series to Harvard. Most of those Quakers, though, are gone - eight players on this year's 14-player roster are freshmen.
"Our main objective of this trip is to prepare for the Ivy League," coach Leslie King said. "We want to get a lot of questions answered by the time we come back."
King added that the pitchers need to be sharper and the hitters need some more experience facing top collegiate pitching.
But the Quakers also plan to improve their record.
"I think we can take all ten games, to be honest with you," Khosvari said.
Besides the softball, the trip will feature some fun, including what King called the "highlight of the trip" - when the players put on skits for their families and coaches. The players will also take part in the Florida lifestyle.
"I did the whole Disney world thing as a freshman," Khosvari said. "Now I take the time to relax and sit by the pool or watch movies."
Plus, Khosravi said, the Sunshine State will be a nice respite from the Philly winter.
"No one is gonna turn down an opportunity for some warm weather," she said.
