The Arizona softball team travels to Arizona State for an Easter weekend two-game tilt with the Sun Devils and its second and third true road games of the year.
The No. 1 Wildcats (38-1, 2-0 Pacific 10 Conference) will face ASU (30-16, 0-2) in Tempe today and tomorrow at 7 p.m.
The Sun Devils are tied for last in the league with No. 2 UCLA, which the UA swept last weekend.
"The rivalry's just like any other Pac-10 game ÷ anytime you hook up schools like Arizona and Arizona State, there's a little bit of that extra interschool rivalry," UA acting head coach Larry Ray said. "We obviously are going to approach this just like we do any other game and not put any more emphasis on it.
"But I tell you, when I look at our season long schedule, there are two games I just do not want to lose. One is UCLA, and one is Arizona State."
Early in the rivalry, the Sun Devils owned the Wildcats. But the UA leads the all-time series 83-72, including 9-3 in the NCAA Tournament.
From 1991 to 1999, Arizona had a 39-game win streak in the series. Last time ASU beat Arizona was 2002 in the KIA Klassic.
The UA had a punching dummy decorated with the interlocking ASU logo and the face of the Sun Devil mascot at practice this week.
"It's pretty intense, a big rivalry between the two of us," junior right fielder Candace Abrams said. "Being from Tucson, growing up here my whole life, I just can't stand them. But it is good, it is respectful, a good rivalry."
While UA head coach Mike Candrea is the USA Olympic softball head coach, ASU head coach Linda Wells is coach of the Greek team.
In last year's UA-ASU matchup in Tempe, a near-record 1,579 fans ÷ split down the middle between red-and-gold-clad fans ÷ attended the game. The top seven attendance marks for Farrington Stadium are against Arizona.
In the Wildcats' first true road game of the year, they had their way with then-No. 17 Cal State Fullerton in the Kia Klassic 5-0. Ray said the UA does not treat the games with ASU any differently.
"We approach it for what we do and not necessarily for what they do," Ray said. "They have a couple outstanding players that we have to be aware of. Phelan Wright is an outstanding player, but Desiree Serrano, their pitcher, can be very tough if we allow her to."
Wright, a senior third baseman, a two-time All-American and USA Softball Player of the Year finalist, is the Devils' all-time leader in home runs and batting average, and is second all-time in RBIs. Serrano (15-5), a sophomore, has a 1.45 ERA.
Wells, who has California head coach Diane Ninemire as an assistant on the Greek team, is not taking a leave of absence like Candrea with Team USA. The Greeks will instead start a tour this summer called "Road to Athens."
Many of the players on the Greek team may need a map to the host city. Greece isn't exactly a softball power, as only two of its players are from the country. Greece didn't have a national team until two years agos.
Former Sun Devil catcher/third baseman Stacey Farnworth, along with UNLV infielder and native Tucsonan Pauline Glenn, is on the team.
A couple of weeks ago, Greece trained and competed at the Olympic softball stadium, an actual finished venue, in a tournament with the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Russia.
In the Pac-10, Arizona is first in batting average (.353), runs scored (289), doubles (51) and total bases (578).
The Wildcats are also No. 1 in the conference in strikeouts (429). ASU is second with 329.