Finishing their preseason, Weber State University’s softball team will return to Wildcat Softball Field for Big Sky Conference play on March 31.

“We’ve learned so many new things from pre-season after playing against these ranked teams,” Wildcat outfielder Mia Rushton said. “We’re really excited to show what we learned in our Big Sky play.”

Last season, Weber State finished 13–1 in the Big Sky and had an overall record of 38–18. Crowned as the 2022 conference champions, the Wildcats won their ninth title as a program.

Weber State kicked off their pre-season tournament on Feb. 10 with a trip to Las Vegas for the UNLV tournament. The Wildcats left the tournament with a 1–4 record, beating the Running Rebels 4–0 on Feb. 11.

Traveling from Las Vegas to Phoenix, Weber State participated in the Grand Canyon Tournament from Feb. 17-19, going 2–3.

Weber State participated in four more pre-season tournaments from Feb. 25 to March 18, playing in the Utah Tech Tournament, Arizona Tournament, part of the Long Beach/Fullerton Tournament and the Omni Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City.

Rushton said opponents are starting to see the Wildcats differently after their performance last year.

“We were used to seeing some second pitchers, third-string pitchers,” Rushton said. “We’re kind of seeing everybody’s aces because they know just how hard we played and how hard we worked last year.”

Almost finished with pre-season softball, Weber State currently has a 6–20 record with all of their games to this point being outside of Ogden. While they were supposed to play their first home game on March 15 against the University of New Mexico, the game was canceled due to rain.

“Our pre-season this year has been the toughest that we’ve ever had, and that’s pretty exciting to be a part of,” Rushton said. “During this difficult preseason, it really challenges us and shows what we’re really made of.”

To kick off the 2023 Big Sky softball season, Weber State will be hosting a three-game series at the Wildcat Softball Field against Idaho State University, starting on March 31. Weber State currently has a 13-game win streak and a 28–16 record against the Bengals. The last matchup between the two ended in a 10–0 win for Weber State.

“It’s honestly the best time for us when the Big Sky play starts back up,” Rushton said. “We’ve been preparing for this year the whole year and we’re really excited to show what we’re made of.”

Before their at-home Big Sky matchup, the Wildcats will travel to play a double-header against the University of Utah on March 25, with the first game starting at 1 p.m. and the second at 3 p.m.