Though they are just beginning the regular season, the Lady Toppers’ schedule resembles one that they would face in the Women’s College World Series.
“It’s an opportunity,” coach Tyra Perry said of the schedule. “Right now, we’re the underdog and we are going in there with nothing to lose.”
Western plays five teams currently ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll: no. 4 Arizona State, no. 15 Hawaii, no. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette, no. 23 UNLV and no. 25 Oregon State.
The Lady Toppers open up their schedule with their highest ranked opponent, Arizona State, who played in last season’s Women’s College World Series.
UNLV has played their way into the no. 23 spot in the rankings going 3-1 with one tie in their first five games, including a victory over Arizona State. Western plays Oregon State in the Kajikawa Classic. Oregon State currently has a record of 2-3 and will play the Lady Toppers in the first game of a double-header.
The Lady Toppers meet Hawaii in Las Vegas during the UNLV Eller Media Classic.
“It’s fun for us because it’s a challenge,” junior pitcher Jennifer Kempf said. “I think that’s something our team really needs. We need to push ourselves and know that the talent on our team can compete with these top ranked teams.”
Western will play its last ranked opponent of the regular season in a three-game series against Sun Belt Conference rival Louisiana-Lafayette on Mar. 25 and 26. The no. 17-ranked team won the Sun Belt two years ago and has been picked to finish second, two places ahead of Western, in the conference this year.
These five teams aren’t the only difficult games on the schedule this year. The Lady Toppers also take on defending Sun Belt champion Florida Atlantic.
Perry said the team is excited about the upcoming season and the opportunity to play tough opponents.
“We can go out and play our game and play hard,” Perry said of the game against Arizona State. “It’s a game that no one really expects us to win anyways, and we can go in and hopefully play well and give ourselves a shot at an upset.”
The Lady Toppers kick off their season at 6 tonight against Arizona State in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
Reach Corey Ogburn at sports@chherald.com.
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