Sorry I took so long to jump in. As mentioned my DD did not play in the NESCAC, but at Babson College in the NEWMAC. She did play several NESCAC teams while at Babson(they played at least 2 games vs Tufts every year) She was also recruited by some NESCAC schools and attended 2(excellent) softball camps at Tufts hosted by coach Cheryl Milligan. One of her friends and High School teammates played at Bowdoin College and loved it. Bowdoin has some of the best rated college dining food including frequent lobster nights(it is in Maine!)
Congrats on being considered for a NESCAC school. These are some of the most academically challenging schools in the country. They are often referred to as the "little ivies" and have very loyal and wealthy alumni. With the exception of Tufts and Trinity, they are all located in very rural and beautiful locations. Hamilton and Amherst have some of the most beautiful campuses you will ever see,
The softball teams are all very competitive and Tufts has one a few National Championships recently. They are broken into two divisions(east & west) and do not have any fall games
As far as recruiting- Grades, Grades and Grades!!! Coaches have little to no wiggle room when it comes to getting athletes in. Frankly if your daughter does not have the academic chops it would not be good to go to one of these schools since the academics could be overwhelming. Where athletics gives an advantage is that it gives the athlete a leg up on similar applicants without athletics. The coaches also have the ability to tag applications of academically qualified athletes they have recruited.
Good luck-New England is a beautiful place.