VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova softball has had a tough stretch of games to start the season, but this weekend may be the biggest challenge yet. The Wildcats head down to Arkansas to compete against No. 23 Baylor, No. 22 Arkansas, No. 9 Florida State and Kent State in the Wooo Pig Classic from Feb. 28 to March 1.
A Look at Villanova: The Wildcats are 8-7 overall and are coming off of a 2-3 weekend at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic. Villanova boasts one of the best offenses in the BIG EAST and has used that to outscore its opponents, 72-59, this season.
Paige Rauch leads the team with seven home runs, while
Chloe Smith and
Caroline Jones are tied with five apiece. However, eight players have gone yard this season and seven have at least nine hits.
A Look at Baylor: After receiving votes for the first few weeks of the season, the 14-2 Bears finally appeared in the polls this week, debuting at No. 23. Baylor has wins over then No.23 Auburn and No. 17 Minnesota this season. While they do not boast the same power that the Wildcats have, they do have nine players with double digit hits and 10 players with batting averages over .300. The Bears' pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 1.88.
A Look at Arkansas: The Razorbacks come into the weekend with a 12-2 overall record. Autumn Storms is the ace for Arkansas, holding a 7-0 record and a 0.62 ERA. Like Baylor, multiple players are getting the job done on offense, as eight players have registered a home run.
A Look at Kent State: The Golden Flashes are 7-3 overall and are coming into the weekend having lost their last game against No. 20 Texas Tech. Kent State is 0-2 this season against ranked opponents, dropping those games by a combined score of 19-2. Villanova and Kent State last met in 2018, a game that went in the Wildcats' favor, 4-2.
A Look at Florida State: Florida State may be the best-rested team headed into this weekend's action. The Seminoles were scheduled to face Central Florida on Feb. 26, but saw that contest canceled due to weather and have not played since Feb. 16. FSU is 7-4 on the season and 2-4 against ranked opponents (both wins against then-No. 1 Alabama) with four of their games ending in five innings.
