There were 39 games featuring 16 teams playing under the Florida sunshine at the inaugural St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational over the weekend. From Florida State's undefeated run to two no-hitters to some six dozen home runs, here are five takeaways from the early-season extravaganza.
The defending champs are really good
It'd be hard to argue Florida State is not the top team in the country after its 6-0 performance over the weekend. The No. 2 Seminoles posted convincing wins over No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 7 LSU, which all took undefeated records into the weekend. FSU dominated those games, and it showcased a high-powered offense to stave off challenges from unranked Minnesota and Florida Atlantic University. The Seminoles had the toughest schedule of any team and still were the only one to come out of the weekend undefeated. That's quite a statement.
James Madison is dangerous
James Madison (3-2) entered the weekend ranked No. 25 in the country, so we had a hint that the Dukes could make some noise. And they did. Megan Good, one of three finalists for the 2017 USA Softball player of the year, went 2-1 in the circle and hit two home runs after missing all of last season with a knee injury. And, behind three home runs from Kate Gordon, the Dukes knocked off No. 6 Tennessee 6-2 to ruin the Lady Vols' chances at running the table. Gordon hit four home runs in 17 at-bats and scored six runs over James Madison's first five games.
Safety in numbers
It was impossible to get through the invitational riding just one horse in the circle. No. 22 Oregon was a prime example of that. The Ducks won when Jordan Dail started; they lost when she didn't. Dail threw a gutsy game against No. 7 LSU to get Oregon an 8-5 upset, but she was unavailable later that night as Oregon fell to James Madison. After throwing a no-hitter Saturday morning against Florida Atlantic (Mariah Lopez of Oklahoma also no-hit FAU), Dail came into the game vs. Kentucky in relief, but she couldn't stop the bleeding in a 12-3 loss. Pitching depth wasn't determinative, but when so many games are played in such a small amount of time (think Oklahoma City), teams without multiple options struggled.
SEC check-in
Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky combined to go 10-6 over the weekend in Florida. Tennessee and LSU each picked up their first two losses of the season, and Kentucky (6-5) added losses to Big 12 powers Oklahoma and Texas. LSU topped No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 23 Ohio State and No. 12 Texas, but the Tigers fell to an Oregon squad determined to make some noise. Similarly, Tennessee unexpectedly lost to JMU, but posted quality wins against No. 24 Notre Dame and a formerly ranked team in Minnesota. Sure, the Lady Vols also lost to No. 2 Florida State, but so did everyone else. Kentucky dropped its first game against Oklahoma, but it is the only team so far to say it got the better of James Madison's Good. The Big 12, for the record, went a combined 10-4, courtesy of Oklahoma (4-1), Oklahoma State (3-2) and Texas (3-1) .
Fantastic February environment
We have to make it through 100 more days until the start of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City on May 30, but the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational was an ideal way to mimic the fun that's in store for softball fans. The stands were crowded with fans watching high-quality teams in February. Home runs flew over the fences -- Florida State alone had 15 for the weekend -- and big plays were made in the outfield (did you see that Dani Morgan catch?). And defending champion Florida State left us with this final thought: The Seminoles -- with spectacular offense, defense and pitching -- are still the team to beat.