CLEARWATER, Fla. — The No. 15/18 Tennessee softball team will battle some of the nation’s top competition this week as the Lady Vols travel to Clearwater, Florida, for the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. Sponsored by ESPN, the four-day event runs Thursday to Sunday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex with 16 teams playing 40 games on four fields over the course of the weekend.

The Lady Vols open the tournament Thursday with two nationally televised games on ESPNU, taking on Notre Dame and No. 6/5 Florida State at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET, respectively. Friday’s matchups pit the Lady Vols against No. 5/6 Washington (12:30 p.m. / SEC Network) and No. 12/15 Clemson (6:00 p.m. / ESPN+) before UT wraps up the weekend in Clearwater against No. 24/24 UCF Saturday at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN+.

Lady Vols Softball / Credit: UT Athletics

FOLLOW LIVE: All five games will be carried by the ESPN family of networks, while voice of the Lady Vol softball team Brian Rice will be on the call for an online audio broadcast. Watch and listen links for each contest can be found by visiting the official Tennessee softball schedule page.

Live stats will also be provided throughout the tournament via StatBroadcast.

STRONG START: The Lady Vols began the 2022 campaign with an undefeated showing at the Felsberg Invitational last week in Miami, finishing opening weekend 4-0 with victories over UNC Greensboro, Maryland and FIU (twice). Tennessee’s dynamic, veteran pitching duo of Ashley Rogers and Erin Edmoundson combined for a 0.29 ERA and 34 strikeouts while the hitting lineup cranked six homers and outscored opponents 17-5 on the weekend.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Rogers was tabbed SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week for her efforts in Miami, going 2-0 on the weekend with one save in three appearances. She posted a 0.00 ERA and totaled 20 strikeouts across 13.0 innings and spun a one-hit shutout performance in the season opener vs. UNCG.

RANKINGS UPDATE: The Lady Vols moved up in all four major softball polls and are ranked as high as No. 15 by ESPN.com/USA Softball and D1Softball. The USA Today/NFCA poll has Tennessee slotted 18th, while Softball America tabs UT No. 21 in the country.

NOTING THE FIELD: Tennessee has a challenging early-season test ahead that includes four consecutive games against consensus nationally ranked opponents at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational.

Notre Dame (5-0)

Head Coach (Record at ND): Deanna Gumpf (790-336-1)
Ranking (USASB/NFCA): RV/RV
Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 3-2
Last Meeting: W, 8-0 (Feb. 15, 2019 in Clearwater, Fla.)

Florida State (4-0)

Head Coach (Record at FSU): Lonni Alameda (617-182-3)
Ranking (USASB/NFCA): No. 6/5
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 5-2
Last Meeting: L, 2-5 (Feb. 17, 2019 in Clearwater, Fla.)

Washington (5-0)

Head Coach (Record at UW): Heather Tarr (711-266-1)
Ranking (USASB/NFCA): No. 5/6
Series Record: Tennessee leads, 3-2
Last Meeting: W, 1-0 (June 1, 2013 in Oklahoma City)

Clemson (3-1)

Head Coach (Record at CU): John Rittman (66-17)
Ranking (USASB/NFCA): No. 12/15
Series Record: First meeting

UCF (3-1)

Head Coach (Record at UCF): Cindy Ball-Malone (99-46-2)
Ranking (USASB/NFCA): No. 24/24
Series Record: UCF leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: L, 1-9 (Feb. 22, 2020 in Tampa, Fla.)

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols round out their three-week road stretch at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California. Tennessee will play six games in three days on the West Coast, highlighted by a doubleheader against No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 26. All MNCC games will be streamed online via FloSoftball.

UT’s home opener is set for Wednesday, March 2, against Tennessee Tech before the Lady Vols host the Tennessee Invitational March 4-6 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball, follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.

-UT Athletics