TYLER, TEXAS – They say "everything is bigger in Texas." Over spring break, the St. Catherine University softball team has a chance to find out how true that statement is at it takes on three of the top teams in Division III at the Irwin Classic, hosted by the University of Texas at Tyler.
 
Over the course of the three-day tournament, the Wildcats will take on the 2016 National Champion in Texas-Tyler and will also play Mary-Hardin-Baylor and Mount St. Mary's. Live stats and video will be available for all three contests, and score updates can be found on St. Kate's official Twitter page (@stkateswildcats).
 
Here are the five things to know before the Wildcats take Texas by storm:
 
3 – The Patriots were the No. 3 ranked team in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top-25 poll. In fact, Texas-Tyler has either been ranked at the top or at least in the top-5 since the 2016 season when it won its first national championship in the sport of softball. The Patriots were also the runner up in 2015 and finished third in at the championship series in 2017.
 
II – This will be, though, Texas-Tyler's last season as a Division III affiliate. After this year, the Patriots will make the transition from a Division III to a Division II institution. As a DII school, Texas-Tyler will be able to give out scholarship and start the recruiting process earlier, among other things.
 
2 – The Patriots aren't the only conference champion and national qualifier St. Kate's will take on in the Irwin Classic. Mount St. Mary's won the Skyline Conference in 2017 behind a 17-1 conference record and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament thanks to a 1-0 win over the Sage Colleges in the Championship game. However, the Knights were 0-2 in the NCAA Regional, as they lost to No. 11 Christian Newport 2-0 and fell in an elimination game to Neumann University 2-1.
 
23 – In addition to taking on the Texas-Tyler and Mount St. Mary's, St. Kate's will also face Mary-Hardin-Baylor on its trip to the state of Texas. The Cru have played a grand total of 23 games this season, compared to the Wildcats 10, posting an overall record of 16-7. Fifteen of Mary-Hardin-Baylor's 23 games have also come in conference play, and the Cru has posted an 11-5 record against American Southwest Conference (ASC) foes.
 
2015 – This will be the second trip to Texas for six of St. Kate's current student-athletes: Krista Flugstad (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson), Kailee Berquam (Kenyon, Minn. / Kenyon-Wanamingo), Ashley Sis (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / Osseo), Bethany Del Real (Los Angeles, Calif. / Marshall), Claire Woebke (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) and Kylie Macziewski (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson). The six student-athletes played in a tournament in San Antonio their first year with the program, which they often refer to as a turning point in their collegiate softball careers. The Wildcats posted a 5-2 record on their trip to Texas, with wins over Schreiner University, Huston-Tillotson College and Howard Payne University.