by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Weber State Littlewood Classic Preview
After a 1-4 start in Vegas, the Weber State Wildcats are off to Phoenix, AZ to partake in the Littlewood Classic. With more tough competition ahead, the ‘Cats are preparing to leave Arizona with better results than Nevada in their second slew of non-conference games.
The five-game tournament will take place from Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19. In order, the ‘Cats will face DePaul, Illinois State, Oregon State, Grand Canyon, and #22 Arizona State.
Friday 11 am MST
DePaul at Weber State
The duel to kick off the Littlewood Classic for Weber State will be against the DePaul Blue Demons. The Blue Demons, having hosted the first tournament of their 2023 season, come to Phoenix a perfect 4-0. DePaul made a clean sweep of the visiting teams, taking down Valparaiso, Bowling Green, Saint Louis, and Evansville en route to their early perfect record. Over the four games, the Blue Demons limited opponents to a total of nine runs, so they will pose a challenge for the ‘Cats, who posted 12 runs in their five games. Senior Tori Meyer won Big East player of the week, batting .432 with five RBI and four runs.
Friday 1:30 pm MST
Illinois State at Weber State
The 1-3 Illinois State Redbirds are the next team on the docket for Weber State. In their first three games of the University of South Florida Tournament, the Redbirds were competitive, losing to Boston University and Boston College in low-scoring affairs before grabbing an 8-3 victory over Saint Joseph’s. The weekend ended on a sour note, though, with a grueling 21-0 loss to the #3 Florida Gators. There certainly are holes for the Wildcats’ offense to exploit to get on the right track in non-conference play. Weber State’s pitching will also have opportunities to take advantage of Illinois State’s lack of offensive production. The Redbirds were held to one run in the three games outside of their lone victory.
Saturday 1:30 pm MST
Oregon State at Weber State
Saturday kicks off with a battle against the Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers had a shaky go in the LSU Invitational, going 2-3 in their five games. There was no in-between for Oregon State, winning in close competition against New Mexico and Nicholls but being shut out in their three losses against New Mexico and LSU. The Beavers showed precious little on offense in the five-game span, and the ‘Cats need to take advantage.
Saturday 6:30 pm MST
Weber State at Grand Canyon
The Wildcats close Saturday with the Grand Canyon Antelopes. At a perfect 5-0, the Antelopes look to be one of the toughest teams Weber State will face in the tournament. Grand Canyon made easy work of their competition at the Cardinal Invitational, handily beating Green Bay, Eastern Illinois, and Incarnate Word. The Antelopes outscored opponents 39-1 in their five-game dominance, putting down any team that came their way. Weber State will have its hands full with last year’s WAC tournament winners and one of the co-hosts of the tournament.
Sunday 10:30 am MST
Weber State at #22 Arizona State
The ‘Cats cap off the tournament against the other co-host: #22 Arizona State Sun Devils. The Sun Devils were an impressive 4-1 at the San Diego State Season Kickoff. They took down CSUN, San Diego State, Northern Illinois, and Memphis in the season’s first tournament but fell to Notre Dame 7-1. Though Grand Canyon poses a threat, Arizona State is one of the top teams in the nation. The Sun Devils were a win shy of going to the College World Series last year and will be looking to improve in 2023. They sport a high-scoring offense that Weber State needs to contain or match to win against the ranked opponent.
The Weber State Wildcats look to make the most of their time in Phoenix against the strong cast of rosters at the Littlewood Classic in preparation for another successful season in the Big Sky.
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