Softball team plays first games of year at ASU tournament
The USU women’s softball team will open its season with five games at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Tempe, Ariz., beginning Friday.
This is the third consecutive year the Aggies have competed in this tournament, which features some of the top programs in the country. Nine of the 16 teams playing are ranked in the pre-season Top 25 poll, including three teams in the top 10.
USU will play the University of Missouri and host Arizona State University – ranked No. 6 – on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. Play will continue Saturday as the Aggies square off against the University of Georgia at 9 a.m. and the University of Wisconsin at 1:30 p.m.
Play will conclude Sunday when the Aggies play Texas Tech University at 8 a.m.
Although this tournament will pit the Aggies against some of the better teams in the country, USU head coach Pam McCreesh said a balanced Aggie lineup will make them tough contenders.
“I think this year, one through nine, everyone’s going to put the ball in play and make things happen,” she said. “There will be no easy outs.”
Last year, the Aggies finished 2-3 at this tournament, defeating the University of Kansas and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and falling to Oregon State University, Mississippi State University and Arizona State. All three of those teams are ranked in the top 25.
Following this tournament, the Aggies will travel to San Diego, Calif., to play in a tournament next weekend.