Softball | 2/11/2016 10:37:00 AM

ELLENSBURG, Wash. (Feb. 11) – Fresh off a 4-1 weekend in Las Vegas, the Central Washington University softball team will travel to northern California to take on a trio of PacWest opponents on Feb. 12-14.
 
The Wildcats picked up a third-place finish in the Desert Stinger that featured 24 teams.  Pitcher Kiana Wood pitched her way to the all-tournament team going 2-0 and picking up a save for the Wildcats en route to a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week selection.
 
"There were a lot of good things to take away from last week," CWU Head Coach Mike Larabee said.  "The players gave us effort all weekend long, which is what we ask of them, and as long as we continue to give effort and strive to be excellent, we will accomplish a lot."
 
This week the Wildcats look to build upon their early success when they take the 16-hour bus ride to take on Academy of Art, Dominican University and Notre Dame De Namur.
 
"We don't focus on the other teams and what they bring to the table,  we focus on being excellent in what we do.  " Larabee added.  "If we can be excellent in what we do, it doesn't matter what the other team does.  And if we are excellent, and we lose, we will tip our cap to the other team and move on.  We are treating every game like it is opening day, win or lose, the next game is the most important game we have to play, regardless of what team we are facing."
 
Scouting Academy of Art:
 
Academy of Art has played four games so far this season and stand with a 1-2-1 record, losing once to 13^th ranked Humboldt State University and splitting a double header with Chico State.
 
In 2015 the Urban Knights went 28-26 with three of those loses coming against CWU.
 
Brenna Youngquist who is batting .417 with a homerun and two RBI leads the Academy of Art offense.  Youngquist is the only batter on the team hitting over .273 so far this season.
 
Scouting Domincan:
 
Dominican has also had a rocky start to 2016 having won just a single contest in six games so far this season. 
 
Last season the Penguins and the Wildcats split their two games series in San Rafael, Calif., as Domincan finished the season with a 14-32 record.
 
The Penguins have just three extra base hits on the season, while giving up 20.
 
 
Scouting Notre Dame De Namur:
 
The Argonauts have yet to play a game in 2016, and by the time the Wildcats face them on the 14^th, they will have played just one game against San Francisco State.
 
Last season NDNU went 24-29, 18-14 in conference, with 13 of their wins coming at home.