Cougs Face No. 9 at Louisville Slugger Classic

PROVO -- After finishing its first tournament 5-0, the BYU women's softball team heads to Las Vegas to compete in the 2008 Louisville Slugger Desert Classic on Feb. 14-16.

The Cougars will face Northwestern State on Thursday at 5 p.m. for their first contest of the Tournament. On Friday at noon, they will play No. 9 Oklahoma, who is 3-2 on the season. The Cougs then play 3-2 Missouri at 3 p.m.

During its final day at the Tournament, BYU faces Kansas at 9 a.m. and San Jose State at noon. Kansas is 5-1 on the season, while San Jose State is 1-3.

Oklahoma will be the first time the Cougars have faced a top-10 team this season. The Sooners finished last season ranked No. 9, and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals.

The competitive opponent will be a big test for the young BYU team, which has only three seniors and three juniors.

While the Cougars are a young team, they are led by the offensive power of sophomore Angeline Quiocho, who has nine hits and four homeruns.

Hurlers Christie Zinanti and Christina Gwyn Trice provide experience and skill from the circle. Zinanti has maintained a .000 ERA in the 10 innings she has pitched this year, while Gwyn Trice lead the Cougars with 23 strike outs in 12 innings.

Live stats for the Northwestern State, Oklahoma and Kansas games are available at www.byucougars.com.