5 years ago

ESPN’s Road to the Women’s College World Series Begins in Clearwater

Softball season is upon us, and the road to the 2019 Women’s College World Series on ESPN begins with the inaugural St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational Presented by Wilson. ESPN Events’ first owned and operated softball tournament will be held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., February 14-17, 2019. Of the 39 games that comprise the invitational, 25 will be available across ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network and ESPN3. As previously announced, there are 16 teams participating in the invitational and all 16 participating teams will be showcased at least once.

Ten of the participating teams in the invitational are ranked ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Pre-Season Poll: Reigning national champions No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 10 LSU, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 16 Texas, No. 21 Oklahoma State, No. 22 James Madison, No. 23 Minnesota, and No. 24 Ohio State. Rounding out the field are California, Florida Atlantic University, Hofstra, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Utah.

The Invitational will lead into ESPN’s regular season NCAA Division I softball coverage which will include more than 120 televised games, with thousands more available on ESPN3 and ESPN+, the premium direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) and ESPN. A full, regular season television schedule will be released in the coming days.

All Star Line-Up
With the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational getting the season in full swing, ESPN’s Women’s College World Series commentator line-up now bookends the college softball season led by the voice of softball Beth Mowins, lead softball analysts Michele Smith and Amanda Scarborough and sideline staple Holly Rowe. Kayla Braud and Danielle Lawrie will also serve as game analysts. Covering play-by-play duties will be Tiffany Greene, Kevin Fitzgerald and Kristen Karbach.

7Innings Podcast
ESPN’s 7Innings Podcast returns for its second season, now a part of ESPN Audio, to keep fans updated on the latest in softball news. There will be new episodes available via the ESPN APP, Apple Podcasts and Google Play (among others), throughout the tournament.  Viewers will also be able to interact with ESPN’s talent line-up during games via the podcast’s twitter handle @7InningsPodcast.

The Packaged Deal
Co-founded by lead ESPN softball analyst Amanda Scarborough, The Packaged Deal is the number one softball clinic in the world with an elite staff of coaches that includes former collegiate softball stars, All-Americans, National Champions and U.S. National Team members. On Friday, Feb. 15, The Packaged Deal will offer a pitching and catching clinic and on Saturday, Feb. 16 will offer an overall softball clinic. Registration for each clinic includes a day pass to attend the St. Pete/Clearwater Invitational. More details on the clinics and how to register can be found here.

For more information on the invitational, please visit www.clearwaterinvitational.com and follow @SPCEliteInvite.

2019 St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational Schedule

Date Time Game Network
Thu, Feb. 14 10 a.m. No. 10 LSU vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State
Tiffany Greene, Amanda Scarborough
ESPNU
  1 p.m. No. 16 Texas vs. Cal
Tiffany Greene, Amanda Scarborough
ESPNU
  4 p.m. No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe
ESPNU
  7 p.m. No. 4 Oklahoma vs Note Dame
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe
ESPN3
Fri, Feb. 15 9:30 a.m. No. 24 Ohio State vs. No. 3 FSU
Kevin Fitzgerald, Danielle Lawrie
ESPN3
  10 a.m. Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Tennessee
Tiffany Greene, Amanda Scarborough
ESPNU
  12:30 p.m. Oregon vs. No. 10 LSU
Kevin Fitzgerald, Danielle Lawrie
SEC Network
  1 p.m. No. 3 FSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith
ESPNU
  3 p.m. No. 23 Minnesota vs. No. 8 Tennessee
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
  4 p.m. No. 16 Texas vs. No. 10 LSU
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe
ESPNU
  5:30 p.m. No. 22 James Madison vs. Oregon
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
Sat, Feb. 16 10 a.m. No. 4 Oklahoma vs. Hofstra
Kevin Fitzgerald, Danielle Lawrie
ESPN3
  No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 16 Texas
Tiffany Greene, Amanda Scarborough
SEC Network
  1 p.m. No. 10 LSU vs. No. 3 FSU
Tiffany Greene, Amanda Scarborough
ESPN3
  Cal vs. No. 21 Oklahoma State
Kevin Fitzgerald, Danielle Lawrie
ESPN3
  4 p.m. Oregon vs. No. 15 Kentucky
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe
ESPNU
  No. 22 James Madison vs. No. 8 Tennessee
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
  7 p.m. Notre Dame vs. Cal
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Holly Rowe
ESPN3
  7:30 p.m. No. 3 FSU vs. No. 23 Minnesota
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
Sun, Feb. 17 10 a.m. Notre Dame vs. No. 24 Ohio State
Tiffany Greene, Danielle Lawrie  
ESPNU
  Cal vs. No. 23 Minnesota
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
  1 p.m. No. 15 Kentucky vs. No. 22 James Madison
Tiffany Greene, Danielle Lawrie  
ESPN3
  Hofstra vs. Utah
Kristen Karbach, Kayla Braud
ESPN3
  4 p.m. No. 3 FSU vs. FAU
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Amanda Scarborough
ESPN3
  7 p.m. No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 3 FSU
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith, Amanda Scarborough, Holly Rowe
ESPN2

Other invitational games include: Hofstra vs. Kentucky (Feb. 15), FAU vs. Oklahoma (Feb. 15), Texas vs. FAU (Feb. 15), Cal vs. James Madison (Feb. 15), Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State (Feb. 15), Utah vs. Kentucky (Feb. 15), Oklahoma State vs. Utah (Feb. 15), FAU vs. Oregon (Feb. 16), Ohio State vs. LSU (Feb. 16), Minnesota vs. Notre Dame (Feb. 16), Oklahoma State vs. Hofstra (Feb. 16), Tennessee vs. Utah (Feb. 16)


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