The Virginia softball team will travel to Palm Springs, Calif., this weekend to compete in the Cathedral City Classic - one of the nation's premier softball tournaments. And although the Cavaliers are fully aware they are about to face some of the best programs from around the country, they are not shying away from the challenge.
"It's an exciting challenge, and it's going to be a great test," sophomore outfielder Taylor Williams said. "We're all really excited about it, and really none of us are nervous or anxious ... To be the best, you have to play the best, and that's how we're going into this weekend."
The Cavaliers (6-3) open the trying five-game tournament today with a doubleheader against two teams from the Mountain West Conference, No. 31 Brigham Young (6-4) and Utah (5-6). The squad then will square off against No. 41 Fresno State tomorrow morning.
Fresno State (3-0) is the only team in the nation that has qualified for all 29 NCAA tournaments in the sport's history. The Lady Bulldogs are bolstered both at the plate and in the circle by junior pitcher Michelle Moses. Last season Moses hit .351 with 19 homers, while also notching a 12-3 record and a 2.07 ERA in the pitching circle. Moses struck out six Cavaliers during seven innings of work in the two teams' most recent matchup last March, which Fresno State won, 1-0.
Saturday's slate of games, however, is shaping up to be the most challenging of the tournament, if not the entire season. The Cavaliers are scheduled to play in an afternoon-night doubleheader, first facing off against No. 11 Hawaii and then against No. 4 Arizona. Hawaii entered the season fresh off a trip to the College World Series, while Arizona is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the nation. The Wildcats have racked up eight national titles during the last 20 years.
"Every time you walk out on the field, you're going to be facing somebody good," coach Eileen Schmidt said. "There will be some great games this weekend, not just in our bracket but other brackets, too. [This tournament] is the best you're going to get in the country."
The quality of Virginia's opponents this weekend not only stimulates the team's competitive spirit, but also provides it with a standard to meet. Last season, the Cavaliers reached the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament, and this season they are determined to prove it was not just a one-time deal. Schmidt's squad is young team, fully committed to building a top-tier program like those at Hawaii and at Arizona.
"These are teams that historically are known for a tradition of excellence," Williams said. "We want to become that kind of program, and to go out and play the teams with that type of tradition is the only way for that to happen."
The Cavaliers are not merely content to compete against these formidable powerhouses; they want to upset them as well. The road to victory, however, looks to be a difficult one.
Arizona (10-1) features a lineup that returns nine of its 10 regular-season starters from a year ago - a season during which it was one series away from another NCAA crown.
The Rainbow Wahine (11-1), meanwhile, boasts a roster that features two players on the pre-season National Player of the Year award Watch List - senior third baseman Melissa Gonzalez and sophomore centerfielder Kelly Majam. Majam belted a NCAA-best 30 home runs last season en route to earning All-American honors following her freshman campaign.
Despite the imposing nature of their opponents, the Cavaliers believe they can match up favorably with the level of competition at the Cathedral City Classic.
"If you look at it as a whole it can be a little daunting," Schmidt said. "But if you look at it as one game at a time, one inning at a time, and kind of break every team down into what they have and what they don't have - their strengths and weaknesses - then this group is pretty good at focusing on one play, one pitch, one team at a time"
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