RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Sixteen teams converge on Clearwater, Florida today to kick off the inaugural St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, which is significant as it is ESPN Events first entry into the softball world (ESPN Events owns and operates 32 collegiate sports worldwide).
The tournament boasts a number of top 25 teams and teams considered to be championship contenders, including defending national champions Florida State and former twice-defending national title winners Oklahoma.
Impressively, half of the 16 teams are ranked this week in the Extra Inning Softball/JWOS Power Rankings with five of them being in the Top 10!
Appropriately billed already as one of the top college softball events of the year–even in its inaugural campaign–the Invitational features several games that not only have postseason implications, but could be foreshadowings of matchups that we could see in a Super Regional setting or even the Women’s College World Series.
Some teams enter Clearwater riding a high, while others look to redeem themselves after so-so opening weekend showings.
With that in mind, here are our keys to the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational…
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Questions To Be Answered
How good is LSU’s pitching?
The Tigers will face off against Oklahoma State; Oregon; Texas; and Florida State, decidedly-better competition than what they faced in Tiger Park on opening weekend. The Tigers’ young pitching staff performed well, including a no-hitter by Shelby Wickersham, but will need to maintain that consistency and effectiveness in the circle against high-powered offensive teams like Texas and Florida State, especially. After turning some heads with high-octane offense and effective pitching during the opening six games, anything less than a 3-1 showing in Clearwater might be a disappointment for Tiger fans.
Can Oregon sustain?
Missy Lombardi’s Ducks quieted a lot of doubters swiftly with a 14-run onslaught against Kansas to open the season. Some have already eaten crow after publicly doubting the team’s chances to reach a double-digit win total, but many have simply taken a wait-and-see approach and given the team and Lombardi time to prove themselves on the field. Rachel Cid and Hannah Galey each hit three home runs, while Allee Bunker went a perfect 3/3 on the basepaths. Jordan Dail looked impressive for the Ducks, shouldering 2/3 of the team’s innings in the circle and posting a 2.51 ERA, collecting 26 strikeouts. She allowed 11 runs, eight of them earned, but gave up five home runs. The Ducks may not remain perfect in Clearwater, but they need to show out at times to continue to quiet their critics.
