TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 22, 2019) - Fresh off a strong training camp, the nationally-acclaimed Salt Lake Community College softball program will open its 2019 campaign Friday.

The Bruins, who are ranked 14th in the NJCAA preseason poll that was released Tuesday, will travel to Las Vegas to participate in the Southern Nevada Kickoff, a two-day tourney hosted by the College of Southern Nevada. Salt Lake will open the season with three games on Friday, followed up by two games on Saturday.

SLCC coach Cyndee Bennett said her team is ready for the opportunities that await them.

"We are headed to Las Vegas and will be playing the best of the best from Arizona," she said. "We are excited to see all of our hard work out on the field."

Salt Lake will face off against Central Arizona, Pima Community College and Arizona Western on Friday. Saturday's games will feature matchups against Yavapai College and Eastern Arizona, who advanced to the 2018 NJCAA tourney in St. George. 

The Bruins will travel a formidable lineup to Las Vegas, with returners like Dayna Hokanson, Kiara Grover and Summer Stensgard. Along with that talent will be a variety of newcomers that Bennett is impressed with.

"We have a lot of bats we are excited to get Into the lineup and see how they produce under the pressures of a game," she said. "We have sophomore leadership in the circle and on the field. We also have very talented freshmen who are ready to make their presence known."

 Friday's game against Central Arizona will start at 10:30 a.m. PST, with the Pima game starting at 3:30 p.m. The Arizona Western game will start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's game times are 10:30 a.m. versus Yavapai and 1:00 p.m. against Eastern Arizona. Salt Lake will play its home opener on March 1 against Colorado Northwestern.