Iowa softball will soon play 4,000 miles away from Iowa City, and the team can leave its winter gear at home.

The Hawkeyes are set to compete in the Hawaii Invitational this weekend. That’s new territory for many Iowa players.

“I’ve never been to Hawaii before,” junior pitcher Lauren Shaw said. “The flight is probably going to be the worst part, but it’s going to be worth it to be able to go to the beach. I heard it’s beautiful from everybody.”

Though this seems like a vacation, the Hawkeyes are in Hawaii for work. They face Portland State and Missouri-Kansas City today. On Saturday, Hawaii will be their opponent, and they will face one other opponent based on their results up to that point. They will finish the tournament with one game on Sunday.

The Hawkeyes have back-to-back games today. Head coach Renee Gillispie knows that this will be a challenge for the team.

“A lot of what [the trip] will do is just see how we can tolerate the travel,” Gillispie said. “We’re on the road for six weeks as it is. But you’re going is going to be eight hours on a flight, being able to turn around in two hours to play your next game and see how they can sustain them and be able to quickly recover.”

Even with a tough itinerary, the Hawkeyes want to have fun on this trip.

“I went [to Hawaii] once in kindergarten, but obviously I don’t remember much,” junior infielder Mia Ruther said. “I’m really excited just to see everything. I know it’s a longer trip, so it leaves a little bit more room for like fun team activities. I’m super excited about that.”

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The Hawkeyes are coming off two good weekend tournaments. In the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, the Hawkeyes went 4-1, including a win over Virginia Tech. Down in Atlanta for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Hawkeyes went 3-1, including two wins over Boston College and one over Georgia Tech.

Pitching is what’s carrying the team so far. Last weekend, Shaw and senior Allison Doocy had impressive performances. Doocy had a one-hit complete game shutout against Boston College, and Shaw through two complete games with 18 strikeouts on the weekend.

For her performance, Shaw was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. After redshirting last year because of a knee injury, she’s grateful being in this position.

“What I went through is [like] doing something for good,” Shaw said. “Like, it’s making me realize that everything I did has a purpose.”

None of the Hawkeyes’ opponents this weekend has a winning record. Yet, the Hawkeyes aren’t taking them likely.

“Hawaii is going to be the toughest one,” Gillispie said. “They’re always challenging team to play, and I played them a couple times in the past, so they’re always big hitters. They love to go all out when they’re hitting. So, it will be a challenge with our pitchers going against that tough of a hitting team, but I think they’ll be alright.”