Ardmore's Brooklyn Calder connects on a pitch for a two-run single Wednesday afternoon in the Tigers' 17-0 win over Lee-Huntsville.

You might not see any similarities between Ardmore’s softball team and the dominant University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, but there is at least one.

Both teams must play a strong non-area or non-conference schedule to make up for being in a weak area or conference.

While the UConn Huskies toil away in the American Athletic Conference, in which they have never lost a game in five years, they have to prepare themselves for the NCAA Tournament by scheduling as many top 25 teams in the non-conference as they can.

Ardmore has that same issue playing in Class 5A, Area 15, which is an area Tigers coach Stephen Baugh called “the weakest area in 5A by far.”

Ardmore’s area opponents consist of Lee-Huntsville, Mae Jemison and St. John Paul II. The Tigers have already played Lee and Mae Jemison home and away, and won those four games by a combined score of 71-0, including Wednesday afternoon’s 17-0 blowout of Lee.

Madison Lewis had two hits and three RBIs against Lee, while Sydney Hall and Brooklyn Calder also had two RBIs. L.B. Smith also had two hits to go along with one RBI. Hall was also the winning pitcher, as she and Reagan McNeill combined on the shutout.

Ardmore has yet to play St. John Paul II, but they don’t expect to have much of a problem with them, as the Falcons sport an 0-5 record and have been outscored 74-1 in those five games.

“As you can see, we need to schedule other teams outside our area,” Baugh said after Wednesday’s game. “In the regular season, we play (defending Class 6A state champion) Hazel Green, Athens, Sparkman, and we also schedule the best tournaments we can play in.”

The Tigers are taking advantage of this week’s spring break to play in two such tournaments. Last weekend, Ardmore took part in the Commando Classic just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. They fell 3-1 to Hazel Green in the championship game.

“We go all the way up to Nashville and wind up playing Hazel Green,” Baugh said with a laugh. “They beat us in extra innings.”

Thursday through Saturday of this week, the Tigers are in Murphreesboro, Tennessee, taking part in the Southern Warrior Classic, where they will face teams from Arkansas and New Jersey.

“That tournament is going to be fun,” Baugh said. “Our philosophy scheduling is we’re going to go to the best tournaments we can possibly schedule. Because those are the kinds of teams we’re going to face in Montgomery (at the state tournament) if we’re lucky enough to get there.”

Ardmore made the state tournament last season before falling in the semifinals. Baugh said playing a tough schedule outside of its weak area will help the Tigers get back there this season.

“We’re not going to win every single one of these games, but when you’re playing teams like Hazel Green and facing good competition from out of state, it only helps you,” he said. “It’s about competing with them and seeing good quality pitching.”