Down to No. 2 ASU for Invitational

PROVO -- With a 9-5 record, the BYU women's softball team heads to the Wilson/Demarini Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., on Feb. 29 to face Drake (4-6) Creighton (9-3) and No. 2 Arizona State (16-1).

The Cougars play two games on Friday. The first will be against Drake at 11 a.m., followed by another outing against Creighton at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday BYU faces Creighton again at 3:30 p.m. and then Arizona State at 5:30 p.m.

"We are steadily getting closer to the level of play that we are capable of," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin Said. "I expect to play close to our expectations as a team, because of the amount of talent we have."

The Invitational marks the fourth time BYU has faced a top-25 team this season. Currently, the Cougars are 2-1 against ranked opponents. They fell to No. 6 Tennessee, 8-2, and No. 9 Oklahoma, 8-5, but defeated No. 22 Missouri, 4-0.

The Sun Devils lead the all time series against the Cougars at 4-0. BYU faced ASU three times last season. The last time the two faced was at the 2007 NCAA Regional Championship game, where BYU fell 6-3 to end its season.

The Cougars defeated Drake in the teams' first meeting in 2004, 12-1. Although the Bulldogs carry a losing record, they shut out No. 11 Michigan, 2-0.

Friday will also mark the first time the Cougars and Creighton have played. The Jays boast wins against two teams BYU has faced, defeating Northern Colorado twice and Loyola Marymount once. The Cougars defeated both opponents at the Red Desert Classic.

The Cougars come to the invitation after splitting their previous tournament, 2-2. BYU looks to improve on the season during their four games at the Wilson/Demarini Invitational.

Live stats are available against ASU at www.byucougars.com.