A week after its opening tournament in Miami, the Illinois women’s softball team (3-2) will head to warmer climates yet again for the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas this weekend.

The Illini had an up-and-down tournament last week against some of the elite teams in the country, but they will get another chance to prove themselves as they face a group of top teams including No. 1 Tennessee.

“There was great competition last week and there will be great competition this week,” head coach Terri Sullivan said.

Along with having the chance to play top competitors, the Illini will also look to have more consistent play.

Last week, the team had two impressive wins over No. 20 Louisville, but they also struggled to get hits and score runs against Oklahoma and Illinois State.

“We need to get better at the plate and make adjustments depending on the pitcher,” Sullivan said. “We really want to be more aggressive on offense.”

While the team continues to work on its hitting and finding the best possible batting order, the young pitching staff has carried its dominance from the fall into the spring.

Freshman pitchers Vicky Brown and Ashley Wright threw the most innings last weekend and played a crucial role in all of the Illini games.

Wright was the winning pitcher in two of the team’s three wins, while Brown had the most dominating performance with an impressive five-inning shutout against Louisville, posting a 0.91 ERA on the weekend.

“(Brown and Wright) showed a lot of maturity, especially with runners on base,” Sullivan said.

As the Illini continue to grow with their young pitching staff and veteran lineup, Sullivan said they look forward to another challenging tournament and making the most of their opportunity to play the best in college softball.

“We’re really excited to get this chance to play,” Sullivan said. “I always say with great competition comes great opportunity.”