SB Preview: 2026 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After a 5-0 start to the season, the third-ranked Lady Vols head back down to Clearwater, Florida, for the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational.

Tennessee will face a strong field as four of its five opponents are ranked in the top 25 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. UT opens action on Friday with a doubleheader against No. 11 Nebraska (noon) and James Madison (5 p.m.). On Saturday, the Lady Vols face No. 23 Florida Atlantic (noon) and No. 6 UCLA (4 p.m.).

In primetime on Sunday night, Tennessee closes out its stay in Clearwater with a showdown against No. 7 Florida State.

BROADCAST INFO
All five games will be available to stream on the ESPN app, with ESPN2 carrying the Nebraska game and ESPNU showing UT's contest against UCLA. Tennessee and Florida State will play on ESPN at 8 p.m.

Fans can also listen to Charley Collier call the action via a free audio stream on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics Gameday App. Streaming, live stats and radio links can be found by visiting the Tennessee softball schedule page at UTSports.com.

NOTABLE
WEEK 2 RANKINGS
Tennessee enters the second weekend of the 2026 season ranked in the top three in all four major polls. NFCA (3), USA Softball (3), D1Softball (3) and Softball America (2).

CLEARWATER! PART DEUX
Tennessee is back in Clearwater Feb. 13-15 after opening the season last weekend in the Gulf of Mexico City. The Lady Vols went 5-0 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, which included wins over No. 5 Oregon (2-0) and No. 21 Liberty (6-1).

ROAD WARRIORS
Over the past three seasons, the Lady Vols have gone 38-10 in true road games and 38-14 at neutral sites. That run includes three conference sweeps at No. 10 LSU (2023), at No. 16 Kentucky (2023) and at No. 23 South Carolina (2024).

MAGIC NUMBER
Since the beginning of the 2023 season, the Lady Vols' magic number has been three (3). Tennessee is 136-9 when scoring three or more runs over that span.

RING OF FIRE
Since 2023, the Lady Vols have taken a "staff" approach to pitching and that looks to continue in 2026. During the opening weekend, four different pitchers started in the circle - Pickens (2), Nuwer (1), Mardjetko (1), Rutan (1). Nuwer made two additional appearances out of the bullpen. The quartet combined for 42 strikeouts and just nine walks over 31 innings of work. They held the weekend's opponents to just 12 hits and surrendered two runs, while holding the opposition to a .120 batting average.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA

Head Coach (Record at Nebraska): Rhonda Revelle (1,173-682)

2026 Record: 3-2

Series Record: Tennessee leads 7-3

Last Meeting: W, 1-0, on 5/25/25

SCOUTING JAMES MADISON

Head Coach (Record at JMU): Loren LaPorte (258-123)

2026 Record: 2-1

Series Record: Series Tied, 3-3

Last Meeting: L, 3-1, on 5/22/21

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Head Coach (Record at FAU): Jordan Clark (126-48)

2026 Record: 5-0

Series Record: Series Tied, 3-3

Last Meeting: L, 3-2, on 2/17/18

SCOUTING UCLA

Head Coach (Record at UCLA): Kelly Inouye-Perez (878-222-1)

2026 Record: 5-0

Series Record: UCLA leads 10-5

Last Meeting: W, 5-4 (9), on 6/5/25

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE

Head Coach (Record at FSU): Lonni Alameda (819-226-2)

2026 Record: 5-0

Series Record: Tennessee leads 5-4

Last Meeting: L, 5-1, on 6/5/23

DUE UP
The Lady Vols will be back on the road next weekend, traveling to Birmingham, Alabama, for the UAB Green and Gold Classic Feb. 20-22.

University of Tennessee Athletics

SB Preview: 2026 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational

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