TUCSON, Ariz. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team kicks off its season in Arizona. SMU will play 10 games in seven days, beginning Sunday against Haverford College.

Spring Trip Schedule and Opponents:
Sunday, March 6: vs. Haverford College, 2 p.m.
Monday, March 7: vs. Coe, 5 p.m.
Monday, March 7: vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, March 8: vs. Wheaton, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, March 8: vs. Coe, 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 10: vs. Wheaton, 2 p.m.
Thursday, March 10: vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, 4 p.m.
Friday, March 11: vs. Southwestern University, 2 p.m.
Friday, March 11: vs. Central-Iowa, 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 12: vs. SUNY Oneonta, 8 a.m.

Cardinals vs. Spring Trip Field:
Coe and Central-Iowa are the only teams the Cardinals will face this week than they have played before. SMU is 4-1 all-time against the Kohawks, with their last meeting a 5-4 Coe win on March 9, 2007, in Panama Beach, Fla. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are 4-5 against Central-Iowa, falling to the Dutch 6-2 in their last meeting on March 20, 2009 in Tucson, Ariz.

Saint Mary's Cardinals Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 12-18 | 2010 Overall Statistics
After going 10-12 in the MIAC a year ago, the Cardinals improved to 13-9 in conference play in 2010, finishing in a tie with St. Olaf for fourth place in the conference standings. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, SMU lost the tiebreaker with the Oles for the fourth and final MIAC Post-Season Tournament berth. … Kellie Simons (Richfield, Minn.) enjoyed a career year in 2010, hitting .353 with 47 hits in 133 at-bats en route to earn All-MIAC First-Team and NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-Region Third-Team honors. … One of just three players to start all 40 games, Simons collected 14 extra-base hits — 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs — while driving in 21, compiling 67 total bases and posting a .504 slugging percentage. … Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) was also named to the All-Region Third Team after finishing her freshman season with a .350 batting average, with team-highs in at-bats (147), runs (29), hits (48) and doubles (12). The Cardinal leftfielder also launched her first two collegiate home runs, while driving in 18 runs and walking 10 times. … Katy Gannon (Roselle, Ill.) joined Simons on the All-MIAC First Team, while Joanna Mangan (Chicago, Ill.) and Mallory Betzold (Farmington, Minn.) were honorable-mention selections. … Mangan closed out the 2010 season as the team's batting leader, boasting a team-high .375 average. Five other players — Simons (.353), Stenseth (.350), Gannon (.338), Betzold (Farmington, Minn. / .303) and Paige Carter (Rosemount, Minn. / .302) — also finished the season hitting above .300. … Stenseth also led the team in at-bats (137), hits (48) and doubles (12), while Gannon was the team-leader in runs (30), home runs (5), total bases (67) and slugging percentage (.515). … Stenseth put together a pair of lengthy hitting streaks during her freshman campaign, hitting in 10 straight games early in the season, then closing out the year with hits in nine consecutive games. … Gannon's fifth home run of the season was her first collegiate grand slam against UW-River Falls on May 4. … Five Cardinals hit their first collegiate home runs during the 2010 season — Stenseth (vs. Augsburg on April 17), Carter vs. Hastings, Neb., on March 18), Betzold (vs. Carleton on May 2), Angie Diercks (Red Wing, Minn.) (vs. Hamline on April 20) and Morgan Stock (Amboy, Minn.) (vs. Saint Benedict on April 25). … The Cardinals scored 10 or more runs in a single inning twice last season — plating 10 runs in the first inning of Game 2 vs. Carleton on May 2, while erupting for a season-high 11 sixth-inning runs in Game 2 vs. Concordia on April 24. … SMU scored three of more runs in all 16 of its wins — including a season-high 12 runs vs. Concordia in Game 2 on April 24. … SMU scored 10 or more runs 10 times in 2010. … SMU's 9-8 loss to UW-River Falls in Game 1 of their final doubleheader of the season was the Cardinals' fifth extra-inning game of the season — with all four games being decided in the eighth inning. … The Cardinals put an end to a 20-game winless streak against nationally ranked St. Thomas with a 3-0 win over the Tommies on April 13. The streak dated back to a 1-0 SMU victory during the 2001 season — when current head coach Jen Miller was the team's starting catcher. SMU also had the honor of snapping a pair of lengthy UST streaks — 71 games without a shutout loss and 165 straight games without a shutout loss to an MIAC school, dating back to a 1-0 loss to Gustavus in 2003.

Southwestern University Pirates Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 33-13 | 2011 Overall Record: 8-6 | 2011 Overall Statistics
In just their second year as a varsity collegiate program, the Pirates won the SCAC Championship a year ago, earning their first-ever NCAA Division III regional tournament appearance. SU opened with back-to-back 3-2 wins in the regional, then lost to top-ranked Louisiana College (10-2), before being eliminated by eventual national champion East Texas Baptist (3-1). … Southwestern heads to Tucson, Ariz., riding a four-game winning streak. The Pirates dropped their first four games of 2011, but have gone 8-2 since. … Hayley Hughes — a Third-Team NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-West Region selection after leading the team in virtually every offensive category a year ago — is hitting .314 through the first 14 games this season. In 2010, Hughes hit a team-leading .387, while also boasting team highs in at-bats (155), hits (50), doubles (20), tripls (2), home runs (5), RBIs (47), total bases (99) and slugging percentage (.639). … Kaitlyn Pavlicek (.381) and Taylor Turpin (.327) are also hitting above .300 this season. … Lyndsy Maus returns to the mound after a stellar sophomore campaign a year ago. Maus, who led the team in ERA (2.34), wins (18), appearances (35), innings pitched (146.0) and strikeouts (116) in 2010, has picked up right where she left off, going 3-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 34 strikeouts in seven games. … Lauren Zearfoss has shared the majority of the pitching duties this season, going 5-2 with a microscopic 0.76 ERA in 47.1 innings. She has struck out 44 and walked just 12. … The Pirates have been outscored in every inning but the sixth and eighth this season — Southwestern owns a 10-1 scoring edge in the sixth and a 2-1 edge in the eighth. … The Pirates have led after the sixth inning in all eight of their wins this season.

University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Panthers Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 19-20 | 2010 Overall Statistics
Pittsburgh-Bradford returns 10 players from last year's squad that won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season championship. Of the 10 players returning, three — Sarah Angeletti, Lauryn Weaver and Lauren Kinniburgh — were first-team all-conference performers. … Angeletti led the team in wins (15), ERA (2.74), and strikeouts (165). She was also the team's top offensive threat with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs, while hitting .430. … Angeletti started 25 games last year, all others Panther starters combined for 14 starts. … Weaver led the team with a .460 batting average, while also boasting team highs in at-bats (126), runs (34), hits (58), doubles (13) and total bases (91). She also hit four home runs and collected 35 RBIs.

Coe Kohawks Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 25-16 | 2010 Overall Statistics
With their 25 wins a year ago, Coe posted its 11th straight winning season. … The Kohawks have qualified for 10 NCAA tournaments, reaching the Division III World Series in 2006 and 2009. … Ashlee Simon was named to the All-Iowa Conference and NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-Central Region Second Teams for the second straight season a year ago. … Simon started 31 of the team's 41 games on the mound, compiling a 1.39 ERA and a 21-9 record. She also led the team in appearances (35), complete games (22), shutouts (11), innings pitched (185.2) and strikeouts (327). … Simons' 327 Ks broke Coe's single-season strikeout record. … Simons struck out 10 or more batters 19 times last season — including a season-high 16 twice. … The Kohawks are without the services of graduated senior Chelsea Zaugg, the team's offensive leader in batting average (.415), hits (51), doubles (11), RBIs (29), total bases (74), slugging percentage (.602) and on-base percentage (.455). … Abby Wedemeier scored a team-best 28 runs in 2010, while Callie Morningstar was the team-leader in home runs with five. … Morningstar also led the team in stolen bases, going a perfect 8-for-8. … Coe coach Bob Timmons is 383-146 in his 13 years as the Kohawks' head coach, while boasting a 758-308 record in his 24 years as a collegiate head coach.

Central-Iowa Dutch Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 30-14 | 2010 Overall Statistics
The Dutch are coming off their 22nd NCAA tournament appearance in 2010, falling to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 8-4 and to University of Chicago 8-2. … Central, winner of 10 Iowa Conference crowns, has reached the national finals 12 times, while owning four NCAA Division III national titles. … Central coach George Wares is the NCAA Division III victories leader among active coaches, posting an 870-294-3 (.746) record over 26 seasons. … Central returns seven position starters and the top two starting pitchers from last year's 30-14 squad. … Central enters play in Arizona ranked No. 9 in the latest NFCA Division III poll. … Katie Tenboer earned NFCA/Louisville Slugger Third-Team All-America honors a year ago and was named the Iowa Conference Position Player of the Year. Tenboer hit .381 in 2010, while also setting a single-season school record with her 40 RBIs. Tenboer, who matched the second-highest total in school history with her eight home runs, boasted a .659 slugging percentage and finished the year with nine doubles, one triple, 83 total bases and four stolen bases. … Kiley Lythberg enters the season as a two-time NFCA all-region honoree. She compiled a 19-9 record last year and a 2.47 ERA with team-highs in appearances (35), games started (31), complete games (13), shutouts (5), innings pitched (155.2) and strikeouts (114). She also batted .360 with 31 RBIs. … Central closed out 2010 9-1 on its home field. … This is Central's second appearance in Tucson, Ariz., going 15-1 during their 16-game stay in 2009.

Haverford Fords Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 17-17 | 2010 Overall Statistics
The Fords graduated just two players off of last year's 17-17 squad, one those two, however, is all-conference pitcher/outfielder Cassandra Searls, who hit a team-best .381, rapping out 37 hits — including nine doubles, three triples and three home runs. She also boasted a team-best .629 slugging percentage. On the mound, Searls posted a single-season career-high eight wins, compiling a 2.37 ERA and 95 strikeouts. … Haverford returns five players who played all 34 games a year ago, and two others who played more than 30 games. … Maggie Cronin and Lisa Karmel return as a potent one-two punch on the mound. Cronin went 5-5 with a 2.83 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 59.1 IP, while Karmel was 4-8 with a 2.90 ERA and 54 Ks in 67.2 innings. … Haverford returns four players who hit above .300 in 2010, led by Laura Iwanyk's .333 average. Iwanyk is also the team's top returner in hits (34), home runs (3), RBIs (27), total bases (50) and slugging percentage (.490). … The Fords finished with 29 stolen bases on 34 attempts a year ago. … The Fords played 12 one-run games in 2010, going 7-5. Haverford scored the winning run in their final at-bats in four of those seven one-run games. … Among Haverford's 17 wins were a 2-1 victory over eighth-ranked College of New Jersey, and a 1-0 victory over Dickinson, the Centennial Conference tournament champion and NCAA tournament qualifier.

Oneonta State Red Dragons Around The Horn:
2010 Overall Record: 21-17 | 2010 Overall Statistics
The Red Dragons boast 11 returning players — including six starters who helped Oneonta State to a second-place tie in the SUNYAC in 2010. … Oneonta went 1-2 in the conference tournament last season, opening with a 5-2 win over SUNY Geneseo, before falling to SUNY Plattsburgh (7-4) and SUNY Brockport (5-2). … With their 21 wins in 2010, the Red Dragons have now won 20 or more games in three straight seasons, and 15 times in the last 16 seasons. Oneonta State won a program-best 38 games in 2001, when it finished 38-10. … The Red Dragons boast a wealth of experience on the mound, where they return the trio of Jessica Bartalsky and Jessica Luliano return after combining for 20 wins a year ago. Bartalsky started 18 games last season, going 11-7 with a 2.77 ERA and 81 strikeouts. Luliano, meanwhile, started 19 games, going 9-8 with a 2.82 ERA and 50 strikeouts. … Oneonta State will need to replace the numbers put up by graduated senior Bethany Truax, a three-tie NFCA All-Region selection. Truax closed out her career hitting .320 with a team-high four home runs and 14 RBIs. … Jillian Serraro earned NFCA All-Region honors in 2010, after hitting a team-best .349. She also led the team with 14 doubles, 23 RBIs and 59 total bases. … The Red Dragons scored a season-high 11 runs three times last season — beating Marywood 11-0,, SUNY Potsdam 11-0 and Fredonia 11-3. …