CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard softball begins its Ivy League slate in New Haven, Connecticut this weekend, as the Crimson is set to take on Yale in a three-game slate at 5K Corral Field at DeWitt Family Stadium on Saturday, Mar. 21 and Sunday, Mar. 22.

The doubleheader against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Mar. 21 begins at 12:30 p.m., while first pitch for the series finale on Sunday, Mar. 22 is slated for 12:30 p.m. All three games this weekend will air live on ESPN+.

CRIMSON UPDATES

• Harvard softball enters conference play with an 8-11-1 record, as the Crimson swept Sacred Heart in a midweek doubleheader.
• The first game of the twinbill against the Pioneers saw a three-run fifth inning lift the Crimson to a 4-1 victory. Junior pitcher Nicolette Hunter tossed her third complete game of the season, picking up five strikeouts while only allowing one run. At the plate, a two-run home run from junior infielder Sophie Sun in the fifth inning made the difference for Harvard in the win. A native of Austin, Texas, Sun leads the Crimson in home runs (4) and RBIs (22) this year.
• Harvard ended its time with a definitive 11-3 win, as those 11 runs are the most for Harvard in a single game this season. In the circle, senior pitcher Riley Flynn struck out a career-high 12 batters across a complete game effort, allowing only four hits and three runs in the process. In her fifth start of the season, sophomore catcher Hailey Neuner posted career-highs in both hits (3) and RBIs (2) against the Pioneers.
• Across both contests at Sacred Heart, Harvard outscored the Pioneers, 15-4, as four different Crimson combined for three hits and seven different Crimson drove in at least one run.
• Harvard leads the Ivy League in earned run average (3.14) and WHIP (1.50), while the Crimson rank second in hits with 157. The Crimson is the only team in the Ivy League with a team ERA below 4.00.
• Harvard's team captains this year are senior pitcher Ryan Grace, junior outfielder Audrey Szollosi and junior utility Megan Davies.
• Head coach Jenny Rohn is in her third season at the helm of the Crimson softball program, leading Harvard to the Ivy League Tournament in back-to-back seasons and an Ivy League regular season title in 2024. Rohn is 96-88-1 in her career and 61-41-1 in her Crimson tenure.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Yale enters the weekend with a 7-13 record and a 1-2 mark in Ivy League action, as the Bulldogs defeated Hofstra, 5-4, and dropped a 4-1 decision against Bryant in its midweek contests. Yale started its Ivy League season last week against the Big Red, winning the series opener, 14-4, before dropping the next two games of the series.
• The Bulldogs currently lead the Ivy League in both shutouts (2) and triples (8).

SERIES HISTORY

• One of the longest running series in Ivy League softball history, Harvard and Yale have met on the softball diamond 112 times since the series began in 1981. The Crimson lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs, 85-27.
• Last season saw Harvard take all three against Yale at Soldiers Field. After earning a 6-5 walk off win in the series opener, the Crimson outscored the Bulldogs, 12-4, across the last two games of the series to complete the sweep.

LIGHTS OUT

• Harvard's pitching staff is one of the most talented crews in the Ivy League, as the Crimson is defined by its skill and depth at the pitching position.
• After 20 contests, Harvard leads the Ivy League with an ERA of 3.14, as the Crimson is the only team with an ERA below 4.00 in the Ivy League this year.
• Hunter, who won Ivy League pitcher of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks earlier this year, is second in the Ivy League in both ERA (1.84) and strikeouts (47). Hunter has tossed three complete games this season, the most on the team.
• Grace's ERA of 1.73 across 24.1 innings of work leads the Ivy League, as she also ranks second in the Ancient Eight with an opposing batting average of .253.
• Harvard is the only school in the Ivy League to have two pitchers with an ERA below 2.00 this year.

R.O.Y FACTORY

• The last three Ivy League Rookies of the Year are all products of the Crimson, as Harvard is the first school in Ivy League history to produce three consecutive Rookie of the Year honorees.
• In 2025, sophomore utility Alexa Muller won Ivy League Rookie of the Year after shining at the plate, especially in conference play.
• Muller led all first-years last season in the Ancient Eight in batting average (.368) and hits (28). A native of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Muller ranked third in batting average (.436) and second in on-base percentage (.515) in Ivy League contests last season.
• The 2024 season saw Sun orchestrate one of the greatest rookie seasons in recent memory, leading all first-years in the NCAA in slugging percentage (.797) and ranked third among all first-years in the nation in batting average (.421).
• Flynn was the 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year after setting a new program record for saves in a season with six, as the Phoenix, Arizona native was the 2023 Ivy League Tournament Most Outstanding Player after tallying 11 innings in all three wins for the Crimson.
• To start the season, first-years Sheila Forbes and Hannah Ziecik have both earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors. Ziecik ranks second on the team in OPS (.907) and batting average (.365). A native of Naples, Florida, Forbes is batting .300 this season.

HERE COMES THE SUN

• In her third season with the Crimson, Sun is one of the most explosive offensive talents in the Ivy League.
• Starting in all 20 games this season at shortstop, Sun leads the Crimson in batting average (.400), OPS (1.136), RBIs (22), total bases (39), slugging percentage (.650) and on-base percentage (.486). Sun's 22 RBIs leads the Ivy League this year.
• The first student-athlete in conference history to win Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season, Sun ranked in the top five in the Ivy League in batting average (.411), on-base percentage (.469), runs scored (33), hits (53) and total bases (81) during the 2025 season.
• A 2024 Top 10 Finalist for the Tucci/NFCA Freshman of the Year award, Sun is the current all-time program leader in career batting average (.413) and slugging percentage (.702).
• Sun ranked No. 98 in D1Softball's D100 Top 100 Mid-Major players, only one of three Ivy League student-athletes to receive the honor to start the season.

IVY LEAGUE EXCELLENCE

• Over the last five full seasons, Harvard is one of the top softball programs in the Ivy League, owning a league-best 90-36 record in conference play from 2018 to 2025.
• In that time span, Harvard is the only team in the Ancient Eight to not drop double-digit conference games in a single season.
• Harvard won back-to-back Ivy League regular season titles in 2023 and 2024, as it won the inaugural Ivy League Tournament in Princeton in 2023.

CRIMSON ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY

• Harvard softball is rolling with a roster that pulls talent from across the nation this season.
• 11 different states are included on the Crimson's roster this season including Arizona, New Jersey, Hawaii, Washington, California, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina.

UP NEXT

The Crimson return to Soldiers Field next weekend, as Harvard hosts Dartmouth for the home opening series on Saturday, Mar. 28 and Sunday, Mar. 29.

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