EAST LANSING— The spring season officially takes off for the Michigan State softball team as they go to Tucson, Arizona, for the Candrea Classic this weekend.  

The Spartans take on No. 16 ranked Arizona to start the classic on Thursday and then will take on No. 11 Alabama and Western Michigan to round out the weekend.  

The Spartans are led by juniors Hannah Hawley and Britain Beshears and freshman Jacey Schuler, who were all named to the 2025 Big Ten Softball Players to Watch by the conference earlier this week.  

Hawley was the Spartans’ lone returning All-Big Ten selection and was named to the D1 Softball preseason 100 players ranking, and Schuler was named to the D1 Softball Freshman watch list. 

Hawley had a huge breakout season last year as a sophomore, leading the team in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, hits, extra base hits, and walks.  

Beshears was not only the best power hitter on the team but also in the Big Ten. She finished last season with 15 home runs, which ranked third in the Big Ten, and after last season her 15 home runs ranked second for MSU in program history.  

If the Spartans want to succeed this weekend, they will need senior starting pitcher Madison Taylor to be consistent. Last season Taylor pitched really well down the stretch. In her last 16 appearances, Taylor had a 2.84 ERA over 69 innings pitched, leading the Spartans in innings pitched in that stretch.  

In Taylor’s first 35 innings pitched, she recorded a 6.00 ERA. If the Spartans want to win, they will need to see the Taylor that pitched in the second half of the season.  

Arizona is led by senior infielder Carlie Scupin, who led the team in RBIs with 58 and had 13 home runs. The Wildcats had two pitchers last season with a sub 4.00 ERA: sophomore Aissa Silva and graduate student Miranda Stoddard. Silva had 110 strikeouts and one complete game last season.  

The Thursday matchup will stream on ESPN+ at 7 p.m.