BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Matching up in a pair of tournaments and two nationally ranked opponents, Campbell softball departs for a host of contests across the country in California, taking its 11-3 record to Santa Clara, Fresno State and Stanford, in a round trip of over 6,000 miles.

"It's going to be fun to see the girls' reactions who haven't been this far away from home," said head coach Drew Peterson. "They're certainly excited about going to the West Coast and it will be fun to witness their reactions. The climate in that part of California is about the same as it is in North Carolina, so we won't be traveling to a tropical paradise, but we will get to do some sightseeing in San Francisco. The biggest issue, though, is getting the chance to play against Fresno State, Texas Tech and Stanford, teams that have World Series experience. Those games will be great opportunities for us and we'll look forward to that challenge."

Sophomores Amanda Littlejohn and Shayla Cullum will be very close to home on the trip, with Littlejohn's home in Lake Elsinore, Calif. about four and a half hours away and Cullum's Vasalia, just 45 minutes from Fresno.

"Amanda and Shayla are very excited," said Peterson of his Californians. "I would compare their feeling of anticipation to Christmas morning or the coming of a birthday. They are looking forward to seeing their friends and family and the opportunity for those individuals to see them play."

So far, the Camels have jumped out to a hot start, recently taking a pair of games from Winston-Salem State 12-0 and 8-0 in Buies Creek to extend their home mark to 6-0 on the season. The Camels are also 3-0 on neutral turf, holding a 2-3 mark in opposing territory.

The CU offense has been a key factor in the team's early success, tallying 18 home runs through 14 games, tying Brigham Young University for fifth nationally. Arizona State leads the country with 26, while Oklahoma State and Houston have 21. The Camels hit just 26 homers in 70 games last season, scoring 200 runs, while this year's squad has pushed 93 runners across home plate already.

"Assistant Coach Jay Pyron has done a great job taking over hitting for our team," said Peterson. "His philosophies and his teaching techniques have clearly been very successful, and the girls have enjoyed working with him."

Littlejohn has played a major role in CU's early success, fueling the Camels with six home runs and 24 RBI, batting .378 on the year. Her numbers alone, have helped the team match last season's totals, as the catcher batted .220 last season with three home runs and the same 24 runs batted in.

In the first contest of the season against the College of Charleston, Littlejohn totaled a 3-for-4 game with a homer and a double, batting six runs home, tying the second most in school history. First baseman Karlie Love, a junior hailing from Mt. Airy, N.C. also accomplished the feat this season, knocking in six against Howard just over a week ago.

In the circle a pair of Camels have split time, with sophomore Brittany Stanley and freshman Lauren Stephan pitching 86.1 of the team's 88.0 innings. The tandem has amassed 68 strikeouts with 12 complete games and two shutouts, earning a 2.27 ERA while holding opponents to a .254 average at the dish. Stanley is coming off a career high 11 strikeouts in last Tuesday's 8-0 win over Winston-Salem State, while Stephan grabbed her first career shutout with a 12-0 victory.

"I think our good start can be credited to the leadership we're getting out of Hilary Wheatley, Karlie Love, Amanda Littlejohn, Courtney Quinn and Cassie Webb as well," added Peterson. "What they do for our team means a lot to our program and has had a huge impact on our run."

The Camels will begin play on Friday at the Santa Clara Bronco Classic, meeting the host Broncos at 2 p.m. Pacific time, followed by Providence (2-6) immediately after.

Resuming play in the tournament on Saturday, Campbell will face Youngstown State, opening its 2008 season in California, for a 10 a.m. tilt before matching up with Drexel at 12 p.m. CU has faced the Dragons once already this season, downing DU 8-3 at the Georgia Southern Invitational.

On Tuesday, March 4, Campbell will make the 156 mile trip inland to No. 22 Fresno State, meeting the Bulldogs for a 6 p.m. twinbill. FSU stands at 10-3 on the year, coming off a pair of wins against Eastern Michigan.

From there, the Camels will travel back west, to Palo Alto, Calif. for the Stanford University Classic. While visiting the No. 8 Cardinal (16-1 record this year), CU will face Stanford to begin play on March 6 at 4 p.m., facing the College of Charleston (4-14-1), another team the Camels have already seen this season, and Texas Tech (0-12) on Friday, March 7 at 10 a.m. and noon.

On the final day of competition, Campbell is scheduled for contests with North Dakota State (15-3) and the Cardinal, again, to finish out tourney play.

After their West Coast swing, the Camels will head back east, taking part in the Charleston Southern Invitational March 14-15 in Charleston, S.C.