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ESPN Announces 2027 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Softball Invitational Schedule

2027 includes national runner-up Texas Tech, as well as eight teams that made the NCAA Tournament.
Nicole Reitz|
For the eighth time, the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational is back to open the college softball season, Feb.18-21.
For the eighth time, the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational is back to open the college softball season, Feb.18-21. | Florida State Athletics

For the eighth time, the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational is back to open the college softball season, Feb.18-21. The four-day invitational, held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla., will feature a field of 11 teams and 27 games. 

This year’s tournament is quite smaller than past, as 2026’s featured 16 teams and 40 games, and 13 of those programs qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, while three advanced to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS). 2027 includes national runner-up Texas Tech, as well as eight teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

Teams Attending 

  • Clemson Tigers
  • East Carolina Pirates 
  • Florida State Seminoles 
  • Liberty Flames
  • Oklahoma State Cowgirls
  • South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Texas A&M Aggies
  • Texas Tech Red Raiders 
  • UCF Knights
  • Virginia Tech Hokies
  • Washington Huskies

5 Games to Watch

Liberty vs. Texas A&M

If you remember, in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Liberty shocked the nation by knocking off the No. 1 Aggies in the Bryan-College Station Regional. The two did not face each other during the 2026 season, so this could either be revenge for Texas A&M or more bragging rights for the Flames. 

Texas A&M is coming in hot with seven transfers, earning a top-five transfer-class ranking from D1 Softball (No. 5) and Softball America (No. 4).

Texas Tech vs. Washington 

With eight new transfers, the Red Raiders will begin the season with a Power 4 matchup. 

Texas Tech went 5-1 in last year’s Clearwater Invitational, outscoring opponents 35-3. A lot is on the line for the Red Raiders after they finished two straight seasons as national runners-up. 

As for the Huskies, they last competed in the Clearwater Invitational in 2024, going 3-0. Their 2026 season ended in the Fayetteville Regional, finishing 37-20 on the year. 

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State

The last time these two met was at the 2025 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, with the Seminoles dominating 8-0. Now, these teams look a lot different. Florida State will be without its star, Isa Torres, who transferred to Texas, and Oklahoma State will debut a five-player transfer class that has been ranked No. 3 by D1 Softball and Softball America.

Florida State had an uncharacteristic ending to the 2026 season, falling at home in the Tallahassee Regional, while Oklahoma State was destroyed in two games by Nebraska. 

East Carolina vs. South Carolina 

This early in-state matchup has the potential to bring drama, as the Gamecocks won by just one run when the two last faced off at the Clearwater Invitational in February 2025.

After falling to UCLA in the NCAA Regional finals, South Carolina has put in the work this offseason to land eight outstanding transfers, ranking No. 3 in Softball America’s transfer class rankings. 

The Gamecocks hope to make a stronger presence in the SEC in 2027, while East Carolina has added four transfers to its roster in hopes of advancing through the American Conference Tournament and beyond. The Pirates fell to South Florida in the American Softball Championship, narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament. 

UCF vs. Virginia Tech 

UCF and Virginia Tech have met only once before, with the Hokies winning 1-0 in 2022. 

The Knights, who are off a historic 2026 season after a strong Super Regional appearance and the first 40-win season since being in the Big 12, will also face several powerhouse teams throughout the weekend (Virginia Tech, Liberty, Florida State, South Carolina and Texas A&M) 

As for Virginia Tech, the team had a strong start to the 2026 season, with six consecutive wins. The Hokies finished 48–12 overall and 18–6 in the ACC, the most victories in a single season under head coach Pete D'Amour. They also finished first in the ACC in batting average (.362) and second in ERA (3.10), and eight players recorded at least 40 hits on the season.  

Tickets and How to Watch 

While no official programming schedule is available yet, all games will be broadcast across ESPN’s various networks. Tickets will go on sale Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. ET. 

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Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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