SPOKANE, Wash. - The Whitworth College softball team, nationally ranked for the first time in the ten-year history of the program, travels to California this weekend for five games that will have a very familiar flavor.

The Pirates are rated 20th in the latest NFCA Division III Top-25 poll. Whitworth is off to an 11-0 start, the best in school history, earning the national ranking. Click here for the entire poll. Whitworth is two wins away from tying the all-time school record for wins in a season (13), set in 2004 and tied last season.

This weekend the Bucs will play three schools that all appeared with Whitworth in last season's NCAA Division III regional playoffs. On Saturday Whitworth will take on Redlands in a double header at Noon. The Bulldogs (12-5 overall, 9-3 SCIAC) are two-time SCIAC champions. The Bucs will then make their only appearance at the SunWest tournament this season, a single game against host Chapman on Sunday at 1:00 pm. The Panthers (19-8) are ranked 6th in the latest NFCA poll. Whitworth will then finish the trip with a doubleheader at La Verne (10-12 overall, 6-4 SCIAC) on Monday at Noon.

The Pirates will return home to host George Fox in a four-game Northwest Conference series the weekend of March 31 and April 1.