Softball head coach Leslie King can now check another accomplishment off the ol' to-do list.
Last year's record-breaking season - the team's first winning campaign since 1984 - could not satiate the squad's newfound competitive streak.
After the Quakers' unprecedented 8-2 run over this year's spring break, King's players feel they're on their way to having their best season ever.
"[It's] the best record we have ever had at this point," King said.
Sunnier skies and 10 straight contests awaited a young Penn team in Orlando, Fla., home to the annual Rebel Spring Games.
Coming into the tournament with a 2-2 record, the Quakers rebounded from a loss to a formidable Butler team (0-7) in the early rounds to win five straight games.
After a close loss to Robert Morris, Penn scooped up its last two contests against Monmouth and Wisconsin-Green Bay and called it a week.
"It was extremely satisfying to have a young team do so well," said King.
"The whole climate of our team has changed. It's a team that expects to win, and that's the biggest difference from the team I inherited five years ago."
Though tri-captain seniors Christina Khosravi and Annie Kinsey continued to prove their resiliency with frequent clutch hits, King's freshmen often sealed the wins for Penn.
Standing out among her class was freshman Jessie Lupardus, who was just named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week.
Winning every game she started, Lupardus emerged from the Rebel Spring Games with a miniscule 0.41 ERA and an 8-1 record. In 36 innings, the rising star pitcher gave up just two runs.
"Her play was just phenomenal," King commented. "She was lights out down in Florida."
Freshman Taylor Tieman will also return home from Orlando with a shiny souvenir - her first collegiate home run, which she almost smashed into the adjacent men's baseball field in the seventh inning of the UT-Martin game.
Her homer all but guaranteed Penn's 4-1 win over the Skyhawks, setting the week's pace.
"For a team that's starting six freshmen, [these wins] have given us great confidence," said King.
"The freshmen had to step up. If they don't, we don't win. They definitely have shown that they are ready to and capable of winning."
Penn's only blemish on its roadtrip - the early Sunday loss to Butler - was avenged the next day, as the Quakers stepped up their hitting and handily defeated the Bulldogs, 4-0.
This year, Penn is armed with a pitching staff that is arguably its best ever, with freshman ace Lupardus as icing on the cake.
"Having good pitching puts you in a position to win games. It's given us a lot of options and made us a lot more confident."
And if the Quakers can take home the Ivy League Championship this year, King's list will be all but complete.
