2-game home series vs. No. 9 ASU looms this weekend

Heading into last weekend's road trip to Seattle and Los Angeles, the Arizona softball team knew it was going up against two of the most formidable opponents in not just the Pacific 10 Conference, but the entire country.

With this in mind, the No. 2 Wildcats wanted to use the three games against No. 14 Washington and No. 1 UCLA as a measuring stick to see where they stood.

What they ended up measuring, though, was something slightly different but nonetheless valuable - the difference between Pac-10 teams and those Arizona had played prior to them was astounding.

As has been the case in previous seasons, the Pac-10 contains most of the dominant programs in the country. Besides UA, UCLA and Washington, Stanford (fourth), California (fifth), Arizona State (ninth) and Oregon State (16th) are all ranked nationally.