When South Dakota takes the field against Indiana today, the Coyotes will have played in as many games in Arizona as they have on their home field in three-plus seasons under head coach Robert Wagner (30).
 
Wagner, of course, spent eight seasons at Arizona State University where he won national titles with the Sun Devils in 2008 and 2011. He will face his former team for the third consecutive year on Tuesday. It's part of a string of 12 games in nine days for USD inside the Grand Canyon State. Competition includes four 2019 NCAA Tournament teams including nationally-ranked Arizona and Arizona State, and first meetings with Indiana and Ohio State out of the Big Ten.
 
"We are elated to return to Arizona for Spring Break," said Wagner. "It is a homecoming for so many members of our program. We look forward to playing in warm weather, first-class venues, and elite competition before jumping into conference play. It is something we look forward to every spring."
 
Tucson, Tempe and Phoenix are the destinations. All those are easily within driving range from the hometowns of six current Coyotes: Aleesia Sainz, Jordyn Pender, Alexis Devers, Lauren Eamiguel, Kierstin Denning and Skylar Arellano.
 
Pender and Eamiguel are the top-two hitters in the Summit League at .439 and .414, respectively. Sainz leads the team in home runs. Devers is an all-Summit pitcher. Denning and Arellano have rotated at catcher throughout the season.
 
Recall that this team trained for a week in Mesa, Arizona, back in January and everything comes full circle. USD has played 21 games since then, won 11 of them and begins conference play March 21 with a three-game set at an improved Omaha squad.
 
Notes on the Coyotes:

• South Dakota first traveled to Arizona in 2017 and have competed there every year since.
• The Coyotes are 10-19 in Arizona
• USD is meeting Indiana, Pacific and Ohio State for the first time
• USD met Arizona and Boise State back in 2018
• Lauren Eamiguel has won the last two Summit Player of the Week Awards. She's batting .625 (20-for-32) during a career-best 10-game hitting streak, the second-longest by a Coyote since 2015.
• Jordyn Pender leads the Summit in hitting (.439) and on-base percentage (.500) while ranking sixth in slugging (.614)
• Sarah Lisko has won five of her last seven starts. Her seven wins rank second in the Summit and 30^th nationally.
• Alexis Devers has a 1.56 ERA in six starts and seven appearances over the last two weekends. She has 21 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings of work in that span.

 
Arizona's Wildcat Invitational – Tucson, Arizona
Friday, March 6
12:30 p.m. (MT) vs. Indiana (6-7) | Live Stats | Watch (FloSoftball$)
5:30 p.m. (MT) at #4 Arizona (17-3) | Live Stats | Watch (Arizona Stream)
Saturday, March 7
11:30 a.m. (MT) vs. Indiana (6-7) | Live Stats | Watch (FloSoftball$)
7 p.m. (MT) vs. SIUE (10-3) | Live Stats | Watch (FloSoftball$)
Sunday, March 8
1:30 p.m. (MT) vs. Boise State (12-8) | Live Stats | Watch (FloSoftball$)
 
Tuesday, March 10 – Tempe, Arizona
6 p.m. (MT) at #15 Arizona State (17-6)
 
Grand Canyon's Wildcat Invitational – Phoenix, Arizona
Wednesday, March 11
2:30 p.m. (MT) vs. Lehigh (6-4)
5 p.m. (MT) at Grand Canyon (4-16)
Friday, March 13
10 a.m. (MT) vs. Lehigh (6-4)
3 p.m. (MT) vs. Pacific (13-6)
Saturday, March 14
2 p.m. (MT) vs. Ohio State (6-7)
6:30 p.m. (MT) at Grand Canyon (4-16)

Note: Team records as of Thursday, March 5