With the opening month of the softball season nearing completion, seven of the eight Big West softball clubs continue the march toward conference play with tournament play against solid competition.
Pacific is the lone conference club that has to pack its bags for an out of state journey as the Tigers head to Gainesville, Fla., for the Cox Invitational.
The Tigers will play a bevy of tough big-name opponents during their time in Gainesville. Pacific faces Illinois and tournament host Florida Friday, South Florida and Texas Tech Saturday and the Red Raiders again Sunday. The Tigers have been hot of late, winning four in a row after opening the season with four losses in its first five games.
Two Big West teams will host tournaments this week as Cal State Fullerton hosts the DeMarini Invitational and Long Beach State hosts the Mayfair Tournament.
Before the Titans welcome the Demarini participants to campus, CSF welcomes Southern California rival UCLA to Anderson Family Field Wednesday. The clubs played a pair of games last season with Cal State Fullerton winning the regular season showdown, 1-0, while the Bruins took the NCAA Tournament game between the two clubs, 8-3.
After that midweek affair, the Titans are part of a field that features Indiana, Stanford, Nevada, Minnesota, UC Riverside, Auburn, Cal Poly, Oregon State, and California. CSF takes on the Golden Bears, Golden Gophers, Tigers and Cardinal over the three-day schedule.
Fellow conference teams Cal Poly and UC Riverside have tough schedules as well. The Mustangs take on the Beavers, Tigers, Cardinal, Hoosiers and Wolfpack, while the Highlanders face off against the Hoosiers, Beavers, Cardinal, Golden Gophers and Golden Bears.
Long Beach State's Mayfair Tournament gives 49er fans the first opportunity to see the defending Big West champions at home.
LBSU takes on Iowa State twice, Brigham Young, Wisconsin and Fresno State in their home away from home in Mayfair Park in Lakewood, Calif. Joining the 49ers in Lakewood is Cal State Northridge, who returns to California after spending last weekend in El Paso, Texas. The Matadors, who have won three of their last five games, face Wisconsin twice, Iowa State, Brigham Young and Fresno State in the Mayfair.
League-leading UC Davis looks to continue its hot start to the season with a midweek game and the San Diego Classic, the first of two Classics hosted by the University of San Diego.
The Aggies, who have won seven of their first 10 games, first take on Northern California foe Santa Clara Wednesday afternoon at LaRue Field. This will be the third attempt at a home opener for the Aggies after the first two tries were rained out. The forecast is calling for a 30% chance of rain so UCD hopes the rains stay away long enough to play seven innings of ball.
Over the weekend, UC Davis will head down to San Diego to take on Utah, the host Toreros, Oregon and Colorado State at the tournament.
UC Santa Barbara is the lone club to not participate in tournament play this weekend. The Gauchos have a three-game road set against Cal State Bakersfield over the weekend. A doubleheader is set for Saturday, while a single game is scheduled for Sunday.