Top 25 Face-offs
Five Top 25 matchups highlight the schedule across all of Division I, and there are a plethora of other games that should not be missed in an unexpectedly-full opening week schedule.
Easily the weekend’s biggest tournament happens in Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns from the 40 Acres will take on Alabama and Arizona in a tournament that also includes Colorado State and Sam Houston State. The Longhorns, Tide, and Wildcats are all consensus top-10 teams nationwide, and each will play one another round-robin style this weekend. This will be an early test for all three teams, as each comes in as a postseason favorite, but each with questions. Texas will see, for the first time under Mike White, what they look like without Miranda Elish in the circle and at the plate. For Alabama, it is imperative that they begin the 2021 season in a very different fashion than how they started 2020 (if you’ll recall, the Tide emerged from opening week a year ago with a 1-3 record). For Arizona, their lineup is one of the most potent in the country, but their pitching needs to shine and shine brightly.
The JoAnne Graf Classic – of course, named after the legendary ex-FSU coach – is now a 3-team tournament that will be highlighted by a face-off between host Florida State and Missouri. Florida A&M was initially scheduled to also participate in the tournament, but had to withdraw due to a positive test within their program and subsequent contact tracing. That move was announced on Wednesday. FSU and Mizzou will play twice on the weekend, and both teams will also face off twice against Memphis. Florida State simply needs to get the ball rolling, and Missouri will want to duplicate their hot start from the 2020 season. Don’t miss Memphis, too; they may be the ‘little sisters’ of the weekend on paper, but they’re sure to come away with advantages that will serve them well through the rest of the year.
Down on the Bayou, the Ragin’ Cajun and the Baylor Bears will face off twice in the course of the weekend tournament. The field also includes Missouri State. The Cajuns will only be able to have a percentage of their famous rabid fan base in attendance, at least to start the year, but will take on the Bears in a weekend that has already seen some changes due to weather. Summer Ellyson is back in the circle as a “super senior” and the Cajuns’ batting order could be the nation’s deepest, on paper at least. But paper has to translate to the field, and Gerry Glasco’s club will have an opportunity in week one to see what they’re made of.
A pair of other tournaments in the state of Louisiana round out the slate; LSU’s 5-team tournament sports a field that includes Duke, Kansas, McNeese, and Central Arkansas, in addition to the Bayou Bengals. The Tigers will face off in a single game against Duke this weekend, the highlight of the week in the Red Stick. In the northern part of the state, Oklahoma State and Arkansas are part of a 6-team field at the Best of the Bayou Classic in Monroe, Louisiana. The Cowgirls and the Hogs will face off at 3 pm on Thursday afternoon, one of the first games played to mark the return of D1 softball.
Best of the Rest
Teams don’t have to each show up in national rankings to make for a quality matchup, and there are some fun matchups worth keeping an eye on outside the Top 25. A handful of them…
Virginia Tech @ Kennesaw State – Pete D’Amour returns to the spot of his first head coaching job, where he took the Owls to the NCAA tournament in just his second year at the program before taking the position with the Hokies. Both teams are strong NCAA tournament contenders – and both have the chance to build a case for an at-large bid, should they miss out on winning their conference tournament.
Kickin’ Chicken Classic – Coastal Carolina’s season-opening tournament still wins the award for the best tournament name anywhere. This year, the Chanticleers are scheduled to play host to Tennessee, UConn, Ohio, and Akron. Almost the entire tournament field figures to contend for their respective conference titles.
Longwood @ North Carolina State – Megan Brown’s first test as a head coach is a doozy. North Carolina State might be a mid-level ACC team, but the Wolfpack have a hearty lineup and a new ace in the circle now that Abby Trahan is finally eligible. Trahan has performed to expectations at each of her last two stops and now has one final season to finish her career. This weekend will give good insight into how this year might go for both teams.
UCF @ Florida Gulf Coast – A three-game set between two mid-major powers in the Sunshine State promises to deliver some excellent softball. UCF has high expectations for this season, and David Deiros’ FGCU club is one of those programs that’s never out of the hunt.
Carolina Classic – Bev Smith reunites with her mentor, Donna Papa, as the Tar Heels and two other teams are scheduled to visit South Carolina this weekend. The tournament is also set to include fellow Carolinas foe UNC-Greensboro, as well as Louisville.
Changes, Always Changes
In addition to the afore-mentioned Florida A&M departure from the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee, SIU-Edwardsville has also pulled out of the Lion Classic in Hammond, Louisiana. San Diego and San Diego State were initially supposed to open their seasons in a cross-town matchup on Friday, but that’s now been postponed to a doubleheader on the 17th due to what sources told JWOS was a weeklong pause in SDSU’s activities for as-yet unknown reasons. George Mason and Norfolk State have also had their season-opening quadruple-header postponed due to inclement weather on the East coast.
Early Thursday morning, the weekend 3-game series between Texas Tech and Texas State was postponed due to expected inclement weather.
In addition to cancellations and postponements, some games have been unexpectedly added to the opening week schedule. Campbell and Army will play a doubleheader on Saturday down in Buies Creek, as the Black Knights travel to face the Fighting Camels on their home turf. Both teams are in the middle of their own conference projections, and both have the potential to be quality mid-major squads this year.
Where to Watch
Texas’ hosted tournament will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network; Alex Loeb and Tyler Denning will handle play-by-play duties for the tournament, while Amanda Scarborough will be the in-person color analyst and Michele Smith will call some games remotely.
Additionally, a number of games are being broadcast on ESPN+, SEC Network+, and ACC Network+, all subscription-based ESPN streaming options. A full schedule of those games can be found here.