ITHACA, N.Y. -- When the Cornell softball team took the field on Sunday, March 8, 2020 in Fairfax, Va., there was a world of possibility in front of it. The Big Red was off to its best eight-game start since 2012 and, with a young nucleus, was ready to make some noise in the Ivy League standings.

Less than 96 hours later, the remainder of the season was canceled. Then, 2021 was wiped out by the worldwide pandemic.

Nearly two years after that last first pitch, Cornell has some unfinished business on the diamond, and much of that 2020 team will be ready to lead that charge beginning this weekend.

Despite the lost time, when the Big Red takes the field for the first time in 2022 against Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, Feb. 25 as part of the Spring Games, it won't have a decidedly different look than the last time it put on the uniforms.

Only two starters from that game against Canisius from March of 2020 have departed. All-Ivy first baseman Bridgette Rooney, who graduated fifth on the school's career home run list (25), and slick-fielding outfielder Brianna Straley, who started 89 career games in less than two and a half seasons, have graduated. All-Ivy infielder Erin Rockstroh is also gone after starting 90 games and hitting .410 as a sophomore with a .460 on-base percentage.

Cornell returns seven position starters and three of its top four pitchers from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. That group began the campaign 4-5 with wins over Albany, Stony Brook and Hofstra behind a staff that was posting a 3.19 ERA - a mark that would have been the lowest since 2009.

At the plate, Cornell was hitting just .239, but had flashed serious power with eight home runs in nine games. Junior Celia Macari was off to a .375 start with a home run and five RBI as a freshman, with now-senior Emily McKinney at .370 with a homer and five RBI. Senior All-Ivy infielder Alison Kerce also returns and is a career .286 hitter with seven home runs in 55 contests (all starts). Additionally, six players will be seeing their first action this spring and bring an additional talent boost to head coach Julie Farlow's lineup.

A group of promising arms return, led by juniors Gabrielle Maday and Mia Burd. Both posted ERAs under 3.00 during the Big Red's shortened 2020 season, with Burd in particularly impressive with a 3-1 record and a 2.63 ERA in 24.0 innings of work. She struck out 20 in those 24 innings. Maday was 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA and senior Ashley Delany was 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 9.1 innings of work. They will be joined by freshman Maxine McCraw as part of the pitching corps.

The Big Red opens on Friday at 4 p.m. against Florida Gulf Coast (6-5), then plays a Saturday doubleheader against Siena with first pitch at 1:30 p.m. The team departs Florida on Sunday, but not before games against Iowa (6-3) at 9 a.m. with Rutgers (7-3) immediately following at 11:30. The games will be broadcast on FloSoftball.