CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – With just ten games to go in the regular season, Harvard softball will host Brown in a key Ivy League series this weekend on Saturday, Apr. 19 and Sunday, Apr. 20. The series starts on Saturday, Apr. 19 with a doubleheader beginning at 12:30 p.m., as first pitch for the series finale on Sunday, Apr. 20 is set for 12:30 p.m.

Admission to Soldiers Field is free of charge as all three games will air live on ESPN+.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• Harvard softball is 19-8 this season with an 8-4 mark in conference play. The Crimson's .704 winning percentage is the highest in the Ivy League. With an eight game winning streak, Harvard also owns the longest active winning streak among the Ancient Eight.
• Last week saw the Crimson take all three games against Yale in a three-game set against the Bulldogs at Soldiers Field.
• A staple of the Crimson under the tutelage of second-year head coach Jenny Rohn it its resilience, as Harvard showcased that characteristic in the series opener against Yale. Down 5-1 in the fifth inning, the Crimson stormed back, scoring six unanswered runs to defeat the Bulldogs in nine innings.
• Harvard's offense left its mark in the second game, tallying double-digit hits in a 9-3 victory, as five different Crimson tallied two hits in the game.
• Propelled by a complete game effort from sophomore Nicolette Hunter in the circle, the Crimson completed its second sweep of an Ivy League foe with a 3-1 win in the series finale.
• As a team, Harvard batted .330 in the Yale series, leading to 18 runs. The Crimson pitching staff posted a 1.52 earned run average with 18 strikeouts across 23.0 innings.
• Harvard currently ranks second in both batting average (.316) and earned run average (3.12). The Crimson is the only to bat above .300 and have a team ERA below 4.00.
• The Crimson is capitalizing on fast starts this season, owning a 15-2 record when it scores first.
• Rohn is in her second season as the head coach of the Harvard softball program. A former Crimson assistant coach, Rohn is 46-25 in her Harvard tenure and 64-54 across her three-year head coaching career.

SCOUTING THE BEARS:

• Brown brings a 22-11 to Cambridge this weekend, as the Bears are currently tied for fourth in the Ivy League standings with a 7-5 record in conference play.
• In its last Ivy League outing, Brown took two-out-of-three games against Columbia on the road. The Bears faced Bryant in a midweek meeting, defeating the visitors, 7-6.

SERIES HISTORY:

• The Crimson and Bears have met 113 times on the softball diamond, with the first meeting arriving in 1981. Harvard leads the all-time series, 74-39.
• Harvard traveled to Brown last season, winning the series with two wins. The Crimson outscored the Bears, 8-3, over the first two contests of the series. Brown took home the series finale with a 2-0 shutout win.

HERE COMES THE SUN:

• The only student-athlete in conference history to win Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, sophomore infielder Sophie Sun is producing a stellar encore season.
• One of 10 semifinalists for the NFCA/Tucci Freshman of the Year award last year, Sun ranks in the top-five in the Ivy League in batting average (.402), runs scored (26), hits (37), home runs (7) and total bases (61).
• Across 225 career plate appearances, Sun owns a batting average of .413, making her the program leader in career batting average.

HUNTING SEASON:

• In her second collegiate season, Hunter is emerging as one of the top pitching talents in the Ancient Eight.
• An All-Ivy League honorable mention in 2024, Hunter is second in the Ivy League in ERA (2.32) and is seventh in opposing batting average (.266).
• Across her last five appearances in the circle, Hunter has only allowed five earned runs with 13 strikeouts.

BRINGING THE PAYNE:

• A native of Liberty Township, Ohio, junior infielder Finley Payne is enjoying the best season of her collegiate career.
• Payne leads the Crimson in OPS (1.130) and RBIs (21), as she also ranks second in batting average (.395) and home runs (6). All these marks represent career-highs from Payne.
• Her four hits against Columbia earlier this season are the most for a Crimson in a single-game in 2025.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS:

• The Crimson pitching staff is filled with talent this campaign, boasting a steady rotation of strong arms.
• Three of Harvard's pitchers rank in the top-five in ERA in the Ivy League. Hunter is second (2.32), while juniors Riley Flynn (2.45) and Ryan Grace (3.32) are third and fifth, respectively.
• Harvard is the only program in the Ivy League to have multiple pitchers hold a sub-3.00 ERA.
• Flynn leads the conference in opposing batting average (.209), while Grace is third with a mark of .219.
• As a team, the Crimson is second in both ERA (3.12) and opposing batting average (.242), as it also holds the No. 3 spot in strikeouts with 139.

WE BRING THE BOOM:

• The long ball has been a staple for the Crimson in recent contests.
• From Mar. 29 to Apr. 15, Harvard hit at lease one home run in six straight games, its longest streak since 2011, when it hit a home run in seven straight games.

IVY EXCELLENCE:

• Over the last five full seasons, Harvard is one of the top softball programs in the Ivy League, owning a league-best 75-30 record in conference play from 2018 to 2024.
• In that time span, the Crimson is the only team in the Ivy League to not drop double-digit conference games in a single-season.
• Harvard has won back-to-back Ivy League regular season titles, as it won the inaugural Ivy League Tournament in Princeton in 2023.

CAPTAINING THE CRIMSON:

• Seniors Katie Arrambide, Savannah Fitzpatrick and Grace are Harvard' team captains this season.

CRIMSON ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY:

• Harvard softball has found and recruited talent from all across the United States.
• The Crimson hail from 13 different states, including Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, Hawaii, Washington, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, California, Texas, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina.

UP NEXT:

The Crimson hit the road for the last time in the 2025 next week, heading to Boston University on Tuesday, Apr. 22. Next weekend sees Harvard travel to Dartmouth on Saturday, Apr. 26 and Sunday, Apr. 27.

For complete coverage of Harvard Softball, follow the team on Twitter (@HarvardSB) and Instagram (@harvardsb).