Arizona first baseman Tiana Hejduk pointed to a maroon and gold tackling dummy at the UA softball team's practice on Monday and asked, "What's that?"

"That's Sparky," pitcher Nancy Evans replied with a bit of surprise in her voice.

Sparky is, of course, Arizona State's mascot. So forgive Hejduk - who transferred this year from Boston University - if she's not well versed on the UA-ASU rivalry.

After tonight, she and the rest of UA's newcomers - freshman shortstop Michelle Churnock and junior catcher Tanya Farhat - probably will be.

The 20th-ranked Sun Devils will be at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium tonight for a doubleheader set to begin at 6.

And if there was any concern that the top-ranked Wildcats (33-4 overall, 7-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference) would be looking ahead to their Saturday showdown with UCLA, it should be noted that the Sun Devils split with the Bruins in Los Angeles. Therefore, looking ahead is not an option.

"That has been the key to our season - not looking ahead," assistant coach Stacey Hill said. "We are definitely not looking past these guys."

The mid-week game may also have helped to keep Arizona pitchers, junior Carrie Dolan (22-4) and freshman Lisa Pitt (8-0), focused.

"I think in a way it (the mid-week game) is kind of good," Hill said. "When they have the full week off (between games), they tend to take a day or two off, but with a game they stay a little bit sharper."

The Sun Devils (22-15, 10-6) will likely counter Dolan and Pitt with sophomores Roxanne Tsosie (11-8, 1.69 ERA) and Carrie Breedlove (7-3, 2.16).

The Wildcats are powered by senior second baseman Jenny Dalton. Dalton was named Pac-10 player of the week for the second time this year after her 7-for-13 performance against Cal and Stanford over the weekend. Dalton also received the honor for the week of March 20.

However, the Wildcats will be without the services of sophomore center fielder Alison Johnsen. She sprained her ankle rounding third base on Friday night against the Cardinal. Johnsen was walking without crutches on Monday and said she would most likely b e ready to go on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Tonight is also College Student Night. All students will be admitted free with ID. The first 100 students in the stadium will receive a free Arizona softball T-shirt. Also, the first 600 hot dogs sold at the game will go for 25 cents a piece.