The 2024 college softball season is off to an exciting start. Opening weekend brought upsets to several top teams and impressive play from many newcomers.

You can expect even more action this weekend, as the 2024 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield returns for the fifth year. This weekend’s slate will feature 16 teams — including 10 ranked in the preseason top 25 — in 40 games.

The invitational kicks off Thursday at 10 a.m. ET with Stanford taking on Georgia Tech (ESPNU) and concludes Sunday at 8 p.m. ET with a huge matchup between Florida State and Tennessee (ESPN).

We picked out an X factor for each competing team and included schedules. Here’s your guide to the Clearwater Invitational.

Jump to:
Florida State | Georgia | Georgia Tech | Kentucky
LSU | Minnesota | North Carolina | Northwestern
Oklahoma State | Stanford | Tennessee | Texas
UCF | UCLA | Washington | Wisconsin

Florida State Seminoles

2024 record: 4-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Stanford (Thursday, 4 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. UCLA (Friday, 1 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. Georgia (Saturday, 10 a.m. ESPN2)
vs. Tennessee (Sunday, 8 p.m., ESPN)

X factor: C Michaela Edenfield, aka “Area 51.” The 2023 WCWS All-Tournament Team selection is a viral sensation not just for her impressive makeup looks but also for her incredible power from the right side of the box. Edenfield’s nickname was inspired by her jersey number and how many moonshots she hits. She led the Seminoles with 16 home runs as a freshman and subsequently did the same with 13 last season.

Georgia Bulldogs

2024 record: 5-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Wisconsin (Thursday, 1 p.m., SEC Network)
vs. Oklahoma State (Friday, 10 a.m., ESPNU)
vs. UCLA (Friday, 4 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Florida State (Saturday, 10 a.m., ESPN2)
vs. Minnesota (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: OF Jayda Kearney. She returns for her fourth season in Athens after playing a major role in the Bulldogs’ 2023 success. The two-time first team All-SEC selection was 17th in the country in slugging percentage (.799) while leading Georgia in home runs (19). She was also tied for second on the team with 58 hits, earning her a spot in the top 50 of the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2024 record: 3-3

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Stanford (Thursday, 10 a.m., ESPNU)
vs. LSU (Thursday, 2 p.m., ACC Network)
vs. Minnesota (Friday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Northwestern (Saturday, 9 a.m., ACC Network)
vs. Tennessee (Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Oklahoma State (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Solid defense. After missing out on the NCAA tournament last season, the road back to the top 64 teams starts in the field for coach Aileen Morales’ squad. Last season, the Yellow Jackets recorded the fewest errors in the ACC (30) despite sharing a conference with Florida State and Clemson. Georgia Tech was also second in the ACC in fielding percentage (.978).

Kentucky Wildcats

2024 record: 4-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. North Carolina (Thursday, 11 a.m., ACC Network)
vs. Wisconsin (Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Washington (Friday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN+)
vs. UCF (Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Texas (Saturday, 7 p.m., Longhorn Network)

X factor: SS Erin Coffel. With Kayla Kowalik graduated, it’s time for Coffel to step into the limelight of the Wildcats’ lineup. That won’t be too much of a transition, given how she led the nation in on-base percentage (.629), walks (66) and walks per game in 2023. The two-time first team All-SEC selection also supplies plenty of power, with her 19 home runs last season setting a Kentucky record for the most by a junior.

LSU Tigers

2024 record: 5-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday, 2 p.m., ACC Network)
vs. Northwestern (Friday, 12 p.m., SEC Network)
vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday, 10:30 a.m., SEC Network)
vs. Washington (Saturday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Graduate senior leadership. Ciara Briggs, Raeleen Gutierrez, Taylor Pleasants, Karli Petty and Hannah Carson are back in the purple and gold. The five accounted for 45% of the teams’ 489 hits in 2023, and Carson will have an increased impact returning from an injury that limited her to two games last season. The class brings offensive prowess to the Tigers, with Briggs and Pleasants concluding last season ranked second and third among the team’s starters in batting average, and Gutierrez and Pleasants had the fewest strikeouts (31 combined) among starters. Coach Beth Torina also added Washington standout Kelley Lynch from the transfer portal.

Minnesota Gophers

2024 record: 3-2

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Washington (Friday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Georgia Tech (Friday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Stanford (Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Georgia (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Junior duo Taylor Krapf and Kayla Chavez. Both players started in all 57 games last season at catcher and third base, respectively. The pair finished with team-high .342 batting averages, with Krapf first in RBIs (48) and Chavez leading in hits (69). They have significant power numbers as well, combining for 35% of the Gophers’ home runs.

North Carolina Tar Heels

2024 record: 4-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Kentucky (Thursday, 11 a.m., ACC Network)
vs. UCF (Friday, 2 p.m., ACC Network)
vs. Texas (Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Washington (Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ACC Network)
vs. UCLA (Sunday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Thundering Herd influx. After five years at the helm for Marshall, Megan Smith Lyon returned to her alma mater to take over the Tar Heels program from her former coach Donna J. Papa. Graduate catcher and Sun Belt triple crown winner Autumn Owen and junior outfielder Alex Coleman came with Smith Lyon from Marshall, bolstering North Carolina’s offensive power.

Northwestern Wildcats

2024 record: 4-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. LSU (Friday, 12 p.m., SEC Network)
vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday, 9 a.m., ACC Network)
vs. Oklahoma State (Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Texas (Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2)
vs. UCF (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: New-look starting nine. Northwestern graduated five of last season’s starters, including ace pitcher Danielle Williams. Coach Kate Drohan immediately hit the portal and added Michigan State transfer Ashley Miller to round out the pitching staff that already included Lauren Boyd and Cami Henry. The back-to-back Big Ten regular-season champs will have a one-up on their conference competition with eight freshmen in the running to fill the holes in the starting lineup.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls

2024 record: 5-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Georgia (Friday, 10 a.m., ESPNU)
vs. Wisconsin (Friday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. LSU (Saturday, 10:30 a.m., SEC Network)
vs. Northwestern (Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Georgia Tech (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Underdog mentality. Oklahoma State finds itself right back to being underestimated after losing five graduate starters and star pitcher Kelly Maxwell to in-state rival Oklahoma. It’s a perception that has served the Cowgirls well before, with the team searching for its fifth straight WCWS appearance. Coach Kenny Gajewski will look to graduate pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl for leadership with 16 underclassmen on the roster.

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Oklahoma State adds insurance in the 5th with 3 HRs

Katie Lott, Rosie Davis and Tallen Edwards each homer in the fifth inning to put Oklahoma State up 8-1 over UCLA.

Stanford Cardinal

2024 record: 3-2

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Georgia Tech (Thursday, 10 a.m., ESPNU)
vs. Florida State (Thursday, 4 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. Tennessee (Friday, 3 p.m., ESPN2)
vs. Texas (Friday, 9 p.m., ESPN2)
vs. Minnesota (Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN+)

X factor: RHP NiJaree Canady. She was arguably both freshman and breakout player of the year last season, leading the Cardinal to their first WCWS appearance since 2004. Canady finished her first campaign leading the nation in ERA (.57), strikeouts-per-seven innings (11.3) and strikeouts-to-walk ratio (10.38 K/BB) that can be credited to both her velocity and upward movement. The biggest challenge will be managing Canady’s workload with Alana Vawter’s transfer to South Carolina.

Tennessee Volunteers

2024 record: 3-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Stanford (Friday, 3 p.m., ESPN2)
vs. Texas (Friday, 6 p.m., Longhorn Network)
vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. UCLA (Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. Florida State (Sunday, 8 p.m., ESPN)

X factor: WCWS experience. Coach Karen Weekly and the Vols returned to Oklahoma City in 2023 for the first time since 2015 and for the eighth time in program history. Tennessee brought back 17 players from the squad that made it to the WCWS semifinals, highlighted by D-I home run leader Kiki Milloy and All-SEC first team selection Zaida Puni. Add in Oklahoma transfer Sophia Nugent fresh off back-to-back national championship wins, and Tennessee’s roster is chock-full of players hungry for another trip to the WCWS.

Texas Longhorns

2024 record: 5-0

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Tennessee (Friday, 6 p.m., Longhorn Network)
vs. Stanford (Friday, 9 p.m., ESPN2)
vs. North Carolina (Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Kentucky (Saturday, 7 p.m., Longhorn Network)
vs. Northwestern (Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN2)

X factor: Offensive consistency. Regardless of which players are in the lineup, Texas knows how to score runs — it outscored its opponents 64-5 during opening weekend. The team ranked eighth nationally in batting average last season (.325) and 14th in runs per game (6.07). Two of the biggest contributors to that success returned in 2024, with junior Mia Scott and sophomore Leighann Goode combining for 105 runs, 73 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.

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Reese Atwood drills solo HR for Texas

Texas goes up on UCLA 1-0 after Reese Atwood smacks a solo homer to left-center.

UCF Knights

2024 record: 4-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. North Carolina (Friday, 2 p.m., ACC Network)
vs. Wisconsin (Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Kentucky (Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Northwestern (Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. UCLA (Sunday, 6 p.m., ESPN)

X factor: Big (12) shoes to fill. Now officially a power conference member school, UCF will need to go up against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State to earn its third straight conference tournament championship. Coach Cindy Ball-Malone will likely look to former portal players Jasmine Williams, Sarah Willis and Chloe Evans to help set the tone for UCF’s inaugural season in the Big 12. The Knights are already fitting in well so far, as their pitching staff ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (29).

UCLA Bruins

2024 record: 2-3

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Florida State (Friday, 1 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. Georgia (Friday, 4 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Tennessee (Saturday, 4 p.m., ESPNU)
vs. North Carolina (Sunday, 1:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. UCF (Sunday, 6 p.m., ESPN)

X factor: Chip on their shoulder. The Bruins had it all in 2023: power in the circle, speed on the basepaths, impact transfers and freshman phenoms. Then their season screeched to a 0-2 halt as UCLA became the third top-five national seed to be eliminated in a regional by a non-Power 5 conference team. Its path back to the top will have to be led by Pac-12 Player of the Year and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top three finalist Maya Brady, who has one more season to try to win a national title.

Washington Huskies

2024 record: 3-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Kentucky (Friday, 9:30 a.m., ESPN+)
vs. Minnesota (Friday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Wisconsin (Saturday, 10 a.m., ESPN+)
vs. LSU (Saturday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. North Carolina (Sunday, 9:30 a.m., ACC Network)

X factor: RHP Ruby Meylan. ​​As one of three freshmen to strike out over 200 batters last season, Meylan is primed to step into the Huskies’ ace role with WCWS experience under her belt. She finished with an 18-7 record, highlighted by eight shutouts and seven saves to tie Washington’s single-season program record. The third team All-American and first team All-Pac-12 selection was the only Washington player to be named to the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list in January. Meylan started the 2024 season hot against the reigning champion Oklahoma Sooners, striking out seven of their players.

Wisconsin Badgers

2024 record: 4-1

Tournament schedule (all times ET):

vs. Georgia (Thursday, 1 p.m., SEC Network)
vs. Kentucky (Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Oklahoma State (Friday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. UCF (Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN+)
vs. Washington (Saturday, 10 a.m., ESPN+)

X factor: Scoring by committee. It takes more than one-for-one substitutions to fill the offensive holes Kayla Konwent and Katie Keller left after graduating. Thankfully for coach Yvette Healy, the Badgers wasted no time finding their groove in the batter’s box in 2024. Through Wisconsin’s first five games, Brooke Kuffel, Ava Kuszak and transfer Emmy Wells have mixed and matched to contribute to all four mercy-rule wins. Kuffel is providing plenty of power as well, with four of her eight hits being home runs.