Pac 10 play gets underway tomorrow, with each pair of geographic rivals playing each other in a three-game series (Washington and UCLA are treated as paired rivals, as Washington State and USC don't have teams). Washington vs. UCLA is the marquee match-up, as the Huskies are a consensus No. 1 in the two major national polls, whereas the Bruins are a consensus No. 5. Arizona (No. 2/3) vs. ASU (No. 7/10) is also big, whereas Stanford-Cal, with each team on the outskirts of the Top Ten, isn't bad either. The conference's weekly press release contains extensive information on the teams and match-ups. One thing I noticed is that the Pac 10 apparently has changed its travel format. For example, all three ASU-Arizona games this weekend are listed as being in Tempe, whereas in previous years, there would be a 2/1 split between the two campuses. Similarly, all three Stanford-Cal games are in Palo Alto, and all three OSU-Oregon games are in Corvallis. I can understand avoiding a

Any list of the nation's most improved college softball squads (thus far) would have to include Texas Tech. From a 15-42 record a season ago, the Red Raiders are now 29-4. That record includes a 6-3 victory this afternoon against Iowa State. Shown above is the Tech squad celebrating at home plate after a Logan Hall home run, her first of two. I attended under blustery conditions and took some pictures, on which you can click to enlarge them. Raider senior Ashly Jacobs, shown warming between innings in the shots directly above and below, allowed the Cyclones only one run through six innings, before giving up a pair in the seventh. Texas Tech batters, including Ashley Hamada (below), left only one runner on base the whole game, compared to six for Iowa State ( box score ). The Cyclones' offense did perk up here and there, including when Heidi Kidwell beat out an infield hit in the third inning. Iowa State starter Rachel Zabriskie struck out six in five and one-third innings,

With March Madness and the climax of the health care reform debate going on this past weekend, I'm a little behind in writing my softball synopsis. Please forgive me. The key event in the college softball world was the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California and, for those who enjoy upsets, the Garman delivered! No. 1 Washington had its 18-game winning streak snapped by DePaul, who going into the weekend was listed as one of 2010's biggest disappointments on an Ultimate College Softball discussion thread. No. 2 Arizona, whose loss to No. 4 Michigan is documented in an earlier entry, also lost to unheralded Virginia. Finally, the aforementioned Wolverines lost to No. 15 Texas. Perhaps the Longhorn program, which hasn't done much in the post-Cat Osterman era, can return to the national spotlight.

No. 4 Michigan edged No. 2 Arizona, 1-0 in eight innings, earlier today in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, California. The Wolverines' Jordan Taylor allowed the Wildcats only one hit.

The Judi Garman Classic at Cal State Fullerton has gotten started with a couple of games today. The main action begins Thursday, however. The marquee match-up Thursday pits No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 4 Michigan, with a listed starting time of 11:15 AM Pacific. No. 1 Washington is also in the field, but has no game scheduled against Michigan (teams in the same conference, as are Washington and Arizona, generally do not play in mid-season tournaments, saving their contests for league play). Other Top Ten teams participating include Oklahoma and Arizona State (depending on which poll one looks at).

Conference play has begun in the SEC, and there was a key weekend series matching two Top Ten teams to mark the occasion. In that series, Alabama took two of three from Georgia. The SEC's website provides excellent recaps of each day of league play, so I'll direct interested readers there to find out more about the Bama-Georgia series. The Bulldogs were scheduled to play another tough series, against Florida, in the middle of last week, but those games were rained out . Starting dates for league play in other major conferences include: Big 10, March 27; Big 12, March 27; and Pac 10, April 1. Please see the conference and team webpages via the links section in the right-hand column.

Michigan used the home-run ball to defeat Alabama, 5-2, tonight, in a battle of Top Ten teams in Tuscaloosa.

Arizona and Washington went undefeated in the Cathedral City Classic, and Missouri did so in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, to highlight this past weekend's action. With so many games going on in these tournaments, there was bound to be a few upsets. Indeed, Central Florida took a 3-2 decision over Alabama in the NFCA tourney, whereas UCLA dropped two games in the Cathedral City event, including a 7-0 blowout loss to Ohio State.