Rest will be the last thing on the softball team's mind over Spring Break.

In Tampa, the Lady Lions will take on Temple and Connecticut March 9, followed by double-headers against South Florida the next evening and Hofstra March 12 before entering the South Florida Invitational.

"We're hoping to get off to a good start this year," junior outfielder Denise Oswald said. "If we can get off to some early wins, we can set a good tone for the rest of the season."

During last season's Spring Break trip, the Lady Lions went to Texas to compete against some of the top teams in the nation. They played 18 games in 10 days, and returned home with only two wins. This time, they hope things will be different.

"Last year, we played well but we didn't get any breaks," team captain Joyce Tinner said. "We're young, but we still have a lot of experience and we can't overlook our own abilities."

Twenty teams divided into four pools will play in the South Florida Invite. Penn State will have to play No. 7 Florida State, Adelphi, Virginia and Samford in the first round of the tournament. Big Ten and Top 20 foes Iowa and Minnesota will also enter the tournament, but in different pools. The top three teams from each pool will then advance to the second, single-elimination round.

"There will be some real good Top 20 teams in this tournament, so this will be a good chance for us to get ready for the rest of the season," Coach Sue Rankin said. "These teams will be what we'll see for the rest of the year, and it will be good to get used to it now."

After the sluggish start in Texas last season, the Lady Lions went on to win 20 of their last 34 games and are looking to carry that momentum over to this season.

"I think the team is excited, because last year it wasn't too successful of a trip," Amy Tortorella said. "We're looking forward to starting the season with a win. Last year was kind of frustrating, but we had a good fall season and we'll be able to compete in all these games."

The Lady Lions return two of their top pitchers, junior Dawn Hoover and sophomore Leigh Bakun, from last year's squad. Hoover led the team last season with her 10-9 record and carried a 2.22 ERA over 120 innings. Bakun went 6-10 with a 2.24 ERA in 115.2 innings, but pitched more effectively than her record indicates.

The defense will be anchored by a solid infield led by Northeast Region All-America selection Tinner at second base. She will be joined by Tortorella at first, Ellie Traino at third and freshman Rebecca Wisnoff at short. Team captain Marie Hawkins will return to take care of catching duties.

After committing only nine errors the past two seasons, sure-handed Oswald will assume center field duties again, flanked by either Hoover, Julie Shalom or Rebecca Starrett in right and left.