Photo illustration by Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Like the saying goes, ‘You have to beat the best to be the best.’ Here is a peak at the competition the No. 14 Bulldogs will face in the Cathedral City Classic.

Team: No. 2 Florida Gators

2008 Record: 70-5, 27-1 in Southeastern Conference

Coach: Tim Walton (Fourth season, 171-53)

Key batter: Francesca Enea – the junior is one of four Gators batting over .500. Her average is currently .542.

Ace Pitcher: Stacey Nelson – the senior recorded 47 wins last season to lead the nation. Bulldog pitcher Morgan Melloh was behind her with 42 wins in the circle in 2008.

Series record: Fresno State leads the series 2-1.

Team: No. 12 Northwestern Wildcats

2008 Record: 40-16, 18-2 in Big Ten Conference

Coach: Kate Drohan (Eighth season, 284-122-1)

Key batter: Tammy Williams – the senior leads the team with a batting average of .467.

Ace Pitcher: Lauren Delaney – she has an ERA of 2.71 and a 5-3 overall record.

Series record: The Bulldogs lead the series 5-4, but Northwestern has won the last two meetings in 2006 and 2007.

Team: No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels

2008 Record: 50-12-1, 18-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference

Coach: Donna J. Papa (23rd season, 868-487-5 record)

Key batter: Christine Knauer – she leads the Tar Heels with a .364 average.

Ace Pitcher: Danielle Spaulding – she has 67 strikeouts and a perfect 4-0 record so far and is batting .333.

Series record: Fresno State is 3-0 all-time against UNC.

Team: No. 6 UCLA Bruins

2008 Record: 51-9, 17-4 in PAC-10

Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez (Third season, 95-29)

Key batter: Katie Schroeder – the sophomore has six home runs so far this year and a batting average of .464.

Ace Pitcher: Donna Kerr – she led the Bruins last season with an earned run average (ERA) of 0.93. She currently has 52 strikeouts and a 4-2 record.

Series record: UCLA leads the series 37-10. The Bruins are also 10-3 versus the Bulldogs in postseason play.