The Virginia softball team will open its 2007 season at the Best Western Invitational at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. Feb. 9-11. The four-team tournament includes the Cavaliers, the South Florida Bulls, the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
Virginia's first game will be against Western Kentucky at 10 a.m. The Hilltoppers were 29-28 last year and came in third in the Sun Belt Conference with a record of 8-7. The Cavaliers are 0-1 all-time against the Hilltoppers.
Virginia will then face off against Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. Virginia and Arkansas have a shared coaching history, as current Arkansas coach Jamie Pinkerton previously served as Virginia assistant coach from 1998-2000, and current Virginia assistant coach Carie Dever-Boaz was the Razorbacks' first head coach from 1995-2004. Virginia is 0-2 all-time against the Razorbacks.
The Cavaliers conclude their round-robin session of play at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow when they take on the Bulls. South Florida was 50-25 last year and enters the tournament as a solid preseason team. The Bulls are ranked 22nd in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 Poll and 23rd in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Poll. This will be Virginia's first ever meeting with South Florida.
Depending on how the Cavaliers fare in round-robin play, they will also play at either 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. The tournament ends Sunday with the consolation game at 10 a.m. and the championship game at 12:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers are looking forward to the opportunity to test their skills.
"We are excited to get the season started," Virginia coach Karen Johns said. "The team has worked hard in the off season and they are ready to see how they will measure up to the great competition they will face."
With local temperatures around the freezing mark lately, the players also expect to enjoy the respite from the harsh Virginia winter.
"We are looking forward to traveling to warmer places," senior second baseman Elea Crockett said.
The Cavaliers begin this year with a series of road trips that will take them to Tampa, Tucson, Ariz., Palm Springs, Calif. and Jacksonville, Fla.
"Starting off on the road is always difficult, but we believe we have the team focus for a road trip," senior catcher Michelle Salmiery said. "It'll be nice to get away to Florida, Arizona and California since it's cold here."
Virginia will play nationally-known teams in some of these tournaments, including some recent national champions.
"We play Michigan and Arizona who have both won World Series recently," junior outfielder Whitney Holstun said. "We're also playing against lots of top teams in California."
The softball team faces stiff competition early this season but the Cavaliers believe they are ready to face off against some of the nations' best.
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