TUCSON, Ariz. — The Saint Mary's University fastpitch softball team kicks off its 2013 season with a nine-game spring trip to Tucson, Ariz. SMU opens with games against Iowa Wesleyan College and Desales University on March 5.

SMU's Spring Trip Schedule:
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 | Tucson, Ariz.
SMU Cardinals (2012: 18-21) vs. Iowa Wesleyan Tigers (2012: 28-33), 9 a.m.
SMU Cardinals vs. Desales University Bulldogs (2012: 15-25), 11 a.m.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 | Tucson, Ariz.
SMU Cardinals vs. Iowa Wesleyan Tigers, 11 a.m.
SMU Cardinals vs. Desales University Bulldogs, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 7, 2013 | Tuscon, Ariz.
SMU Cardinals vs. Robert Morris Eagles (2012: 35-21), 10 a.m.
SMU Cardinals vs. Howard Payne Yellow Jackets (2012: 19-21), Noon
Saturday, March 9, 2013 | Tucson, Ariz.
SMU Cardinals vs. Howard Payne Yellow Jackets, 9 a.m.
Sunday, March 10, 2013 | Tucson, Ariz.
SMU Cardinals vs. Marian Sabres (2012: 21-20), 8 a.m.
SMU Cardinals vs. Chatham Cougars (2012: 13-23), 10 a.m.

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SMU vs. Spring Trip Field:
This week will mark the first time in program history that the Cardinals have squared off against Iowa Wesleyan, Desales, Robert Morris, Howard Payne, Marian and Chatham.

SMU Up Next:
SMU will get one more final tune-up before Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play begins when the Cardinals travel to the Rochester Dome in Rochester, Minn., for a 1 p.m. nonconference doubleheader against UW-River Falls on Sunday, March 17.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Cardinals boasted a pair of players — Erin Stenseth (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Alex Raske (Chicago, Ill.) — on the All-MIAC First Team, while Hailey Ohl (Bloomington, Minn.), Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.), and Melanie Hamilton (Homewood, Ill.) were honorable-mention selections. … Fueled by a clutch, April 29 sweep of Saint Benedict — and a little help from Carleton and St. Thomas the Cardinals earned their second-straight trip to the MIAC Tournament. …  Stenseth closed out her junior year boasting a team-leading .381 batting average. She was also second on the team in doubles (10), home runs (2), total bases (59) and slugging percentage (.522). … Ohl led the team in triples (2) and stolen bases (10), while finishing second in runs (32) and hits (46). … Carter, the team leader with 24 RBIs, and Raske finished with a team-best eight multiple-RBI games. … SMU had eight players with 10 or more RBIs. … The Cardinals hit eight home runs in 2012 — with three being collegiate firsts. Raske, Hamilton and Nicole Olson belted their first home runs as a Cardinal last season. … Kayla Peterson (Lewiston, Minn.) was the workhorse for the Cardinals in the pitching circle, collecting career highs in nearly every statistical category — including wins (15), appearances (37), complete games (16), shutouts (3), innings pitched (197.0) and strikeouts (73). … SMU boasted two MIAC Player of the Week honorees — Stenseth on April 23 and Peterson on April 30. … The Cardinals scored a season-high 12 runs in a 12-3, Game 1 win over Lebanon Valley on March 6. … SMU finished 3-4 in one-run games last season. … SMU was a perfect 13-0 when holding its opponent to two runs or less, and the Cardinals were 10-2 when leading after the sixth. … The Cardinals' 5-4, eight-inning loss against Macalester on April 22 marked the third straight extra-inning Game 1 in conference play for SMU — with all three games being decided in the eighth inning. … After collecting a 6-5, nine-inning win over Elizabethtown on March 10, SMU was 0-3 in its last three extra-inning games. … SMU's 6-5, nine-inning win over Elizabethtown was the Cardinals' longest game since beating Augsburg 5-4 in 10 innings of the second game of their MIAC doubleheader on April 13, 2011. … The Cardinals' 3-0 win over Saint Benedict on April 29, snapped a streak of six straight one-run decisions between SMU and Saint Benedict. Both teams won 3-2 in 2009, the Blazers won a pair of eight-inning games, 3-2 and 7-6, in 2010, and it was another 3-2, 3-2 split a year ago. … The Cardinals played back-to-back doubleheaders on back-to-back days against nationally ranked teams — squaring off against No. 22 St. Thomas on April 11 and against No. 4 Luther on April 12.

Scouting The Iowa Wesleyan Tigers:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Tigers head into the 2013 season after going 28-33 a year ago. … Iowa Wesleyan reached the NAIA national tournament in 2011, and came within one game of a repeat in 2012, falling to William Penn in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament title game. … The Tigers return six of their nine position players from last season. … Cari Smith — an All-MCC First-Team selection — hit a team-best .333 in 2012, while also leading the team in doubles (15), triples (2), home runs (9), RBIs (41), total bases (103) and slugging percentage (.602). … Smith also put together 18 multiple-hit games and a team-leading 10 multiple-RBI contests. … Tory Beaver, who owned a season-best 10-game hitting streak, was the team-leader in at-bats (197) and hits (58) — on more than Smith — while also stealing a team-best 19 bases on 22 attempts. … Iowa Wesleyan used four pitchers a year ago — but will enter the 2013 campaign without graduated senior and workhorse Sierrah Garcia, who posted a 2.50 ERA and a 14-17 record with 25 complete games and 221 strikeouts in 193.0 innings. … Jillian Leutscher returns as the top hurler for the Tigers. Leutscher went 5-8 with a 5.05 ERA and nine complete games in 102.2 innings a year ago.

Scouting The DeSales Bulldogs:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Bulldogs head into the 2013 season coming off a 15-25 record a year ago. … DeSales returns eight of its nine starting position players, as well as its top pitcher. … Taylor Kelly is back after earning second-team all-conference honors last season. She batted a team-high .365 batting a team-high .365, while also leading the team with 15 doubles. … Julie Brugger also returns after earning second-team all-conference honors a year ago. Brugger .360 with a team-highs of five home runs, 30 RBIs, 73 total bases and a .584 slugging percentage. … Brugger was second to Kelly with 13 doubles, while Brianna Chilcoat was a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases. … Chilcoat and Shelby Wilson each compiled four-hit games for DeSales last season, wihle Brugger owned a team-best six-RBI performance against Manhattanville on April 28. … Chilcoat accounted for 15 of the Bulldogs' 23 stolen bases last season. … As a team, the Bulldogs scored 10 or more runs twice, including a 14-run effort against Delaware Valley on March 24. …  Rachel Vogel returns as the ace of the Bulldogs' pitching staff, having logged 69.2 innings a year ago. Vogel compiled a team-best 2.81 ERA and a 6-6 record with 32 strikeouts.

Scouting The Robert Morris Eagles:
2013 Roster | 2013 Schedule
The Eagles head into the 2013 season after compiling a 35-21 overall record — and an appearance in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament. … Robert Morris will be without the services of graduated first-team all-conference selections Ariana Challenger and Samantha Arenkill. Challenger closed out her senior season with a team-best .400 batting average, Arenkill led the Eagle pitching staff in wins (14), strikeouts (91) and ERA (1.75). Her 1.75 ERA was third-best in the CCAC. … Leah Challenger, Andrea Falco, and Madlyn Joyce also earned post-season honors a year ago, being named second-team All-CCAC. … Leah Challenger finished the year second on team in runs batted in (41) and home runs (2), while also batting .311. … Falco hit .319 and was the team leader in stolen bases (12). … Joyce led the Eagles in doubles (20), home runs (3), and RBIs (45), while also finishing second to Ariana Challenger with a .380 batting average. … Joyce's 20 doubles were second-best in the CCAC.

Scouting The Howard Payne Yellowjackets:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Howard Payne, which finished 19-21 a year ago, was picked to finish third in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) West Division Preseason Coaches' Poll. … Howard Payne will have eight games under its belt when the Yellowjackets head to Tucson, Ariz. HPU went 3-1 — splitting a doubleheader vs. George Fox on Feb. 16 and sweeping Austin College on Feb. 22 — before taking part in the ASC First Pitch Tournament on March 1-2. … HPU's Katie Poerner was named ASC West Division Preseason Player of the Year. Poerner was the conference's player of the year last season, boasting a .397 batting average and a conference-high eight triples. Poerner also had seven doubles and was 16-for-16 in stolen bases. … Tylene Middleton led the way for the Yellowjackets in their first four games of the 2013 season, going 7-for-13 (.538). … Five of Middleton's seven hits were for extra bases — three doubles and two home runs. The junior owns a 1.231 slugging percentage. … Keeley Lowarance and Baillie Trumble have each thrown a team-best 12 innings, while Haleigh Caraway owns a perfect 2-0 record and an unblemished 0.00 ERA in six innings of relief. … Lowrance struck out 11 of the 48 batters she's faced in her two starts this season.

Scouting The Marian Sabres:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
Marian compiled a 21-20 record a year ago. … The Sabres reached the Northern Athletics Conference Tournament a year ago as the fourth seed, and were picked to finish fourth in the 2013 NAC Preseason Coaches Poll. … The Sabres officially kicked off their 2013 season with four games in Marquette, Mich., on Feb. 23-24. Marian fell to UW-La Crosse (7-6), UW-River Falls (2-1) and Finlandia (14-5), with their lone win a 32-2 shelling of Mount Mary. … In the Sabres' 32-2 rout of Mount Mary on Feb. 23, Nikki Ponticelli and Amber Johnson each recorded five hits, while Shannon Hofmann and Nikki Jakel tallied four hits each. From the number nine slot in the lineup against Mount Mary, Hofmann drove in eight runs in a 4-for-4 effort. … Marian returns just two starters from last year's squad, including senior Emilie Jansen, who boasts 13 career home runs — third all-time, and just nine HRs shy of the career record. … Jansen closed out 2012 hitting a team-best .374, while also boasting team-highs in hits (52), doubles (11), triples (2), home runs (8), RBIs (44), total bases (91) and slugging percentage (.655). … Jansen was one of four Sabres to start all 41 games a year ago. … The Sabres split their doubleheaders against the top-three teams in the Northern Athletics Conference a year ago, something they hadn't done since the league was established in 2007.

Scouting The Chatham Cougars:
2013 Roster | 2012 Final Statistics | 2013 Schedule
The Cougars enter their spring trip coming off a record-setting 2012 in which they won a school-record 13 games — eclipsing the previous record of nine set in 2011. … Chatham returns two All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) performers in Jenn Stefano and Natalie Vazquez. Stefano was an honorable-mention All-PAC pick a year ago, after leading the Cougars with a .475 on-base percentage and four stolen bases.  She was second on the squad with a .396 batting average, while adding 42 hits, 17 RBIs, and one home run.  … Vazquez hit .313, committed just two errors as the team's starting centerfielder, and was second on the team with 23 runs scored, eight doubles, and two triples, en route to her All-PAC Second-Team selection. … The Cougars are without graduated pitching workhorse Anne Marie Brnardi, who tossed 113.2 of the team's 235.1 innings. Brnardi went 7-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 24 appearances — including 20 starts — while also striking out a team-best 55 innings. … Olivia Traini is Chatham's top returning hurler, having thrown 25.1 innings in 2012, boasting a 1-4 record and a 7.11 ERA. … Chatham was outscored in every inning last season but the seventh, where the Cougars held a 17-6 scoring edge. … Chatham put together a season-best four-game winning streak a year ago, but were also mired in a season-high 12-game losing streak.