PROVO, Utah - From the looks of the 2004 BYU softball regular-season schedule, the Cougars will be put to the test early and face many quality teams before hitting conference play.

"I think we have a well-rounded schedule that's going to give us a combination of potential top-25 teams as well as exposure with teams we haven't played before," BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said.

At the 2004 Hawaii Paradise Classic, the first tournament of the year, BYU will compete against top-25 teams such as Hawaii and Oregon State, plus face other quality teams including Tennessee, the University of Alabama-Birmingham and St. Mary's.

Not only will the level of competition be high in Hawaii, but also the level of distractions. It will be challenging for the Cougars along with other mainland teams to maintain focus as they are presented with many distractions, one being the four-hour time change.

"Right out of the new (BYU) indoor practice facility we're going to be tested quickly in Hawaii," Eakin said. "It's going to be a real challenge for us to come out and play well in that tournament."

The level of competition will not diminish, as BYU will compete at the Softball by the Beach Invitational against more quality teams. The Cougars will battle against Florida International, Central Florida and the host school Santa Barbara. In the following tournament, BYU will match up with the University of Houston, which is another gifted team.

During the March part of the season, the Cougars will have the chance to measure up against teams they don't know much about and have never played before.

"We're excited to get a chance to compete with the new schools we've never competed against before," Eakin said.

The Cougars will match up again with Hawaii and play other top-quality programs such as Stanford and Illinois before jumping into conference play.

In the middle of conference play, BYU will be bringing in the University of Pacific, a top-25 team, to compete at Gail Miller Field.

"Our well-rounded schedule will provide us an opportunity to be ready for championship play when we get to that point," Eakin said.

The team will continue to work out, but not start official practice until the third week in January 2004.