Caroline Taber had the opportunity to make a verbal commitment Thursday night to become a Division I softball player. Her dream. At Princeton University. Ranked No. 1 this week in the U.S. News 2016 America's Best Colleges.

And neither of her parents were home.

“I was like, 'I'll have to call you back in an hour,'” Taber, a Fitch High School senior, said of her conversation with Princeton head coach Lisa (Sweeney) Van Ackeren.

But Taber's decision didn't wait long.

Last year's Gatorade Connecticut Softball Player of the Year, leading the Falcons to their second straight Class L state championship game, Taber happily told Van Ackeren “yes,” pending her acceptance to the Ivy League school.

A two-time all-state selection, Taber had a 19-0 record headed into the state tournament last year with a 0.12 earned run average, 210 strikeouts and eight walks in 121 innings. She also hit .415 with 30 RBI.

She is The Day's two-time All-Area Softball Player of the Year and is ranked second in her graduating class with a grade point average of 4.28.

“To be a Division I athlete, that's so crazy,” Taber said Saturday, still giddy. “A couple years ago I was playing for Mystic Little League. Oh, my gosh, I couldn't be any happier. … I have a smile plastered across my face.”

Taber said Princeton was a late addition to the recruiting process, or, to be more precise, an option which had fallen off her radar for some time.

In August, Van Ackeren, a former four-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year at Lehigh and a New Jersey native, called to talk to Taber and the pair hit it off. The coach drove to Connecticut to watch one of Taber's pitching lessons and had gotten the word to Taber's summer league coach, Neil Swanchak of the Connecticut Charmers, that she was very interested.

Van Ackeren told Taber that she would love to have her hit and play first base, in addition to pitching.

Taber is looking forward to being a member of the Tigers (18-24 last season), even though that's still a whole year from now.

“I couldn't be more excited,” said Taber, who plans to major in something related to medicine. “To be able to wake up and go lift, go to practice after class, having a set schedule, not just laying in my dorm and watching Netflix all night.”

Taber also looked at Tufts, the three-time defending Division III national champion — “that is so cool,” she said — Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown and Lafayette, she said, before giving Van Ackeren her final answer.

“I've always been lucky to be with the same group of girls,” Taber said. “Even though I'm playing Division I, I'm looking for camaraderie.”

And of Princeton: “All the Gothic architecture there, it's so gorgeous. I'm in love with everything there.”

v.fulkerson@theday.com

Twitter: @vickieattheday