The collegiate softball world will have their eyes on the city of Fullerton this weekend as Cal State Fullerton will host their annual Judi Garman Classic.
The Titans will welcome a stacked field, six of the 14 teams participating are ranked in the USA Today coaches’ poll.
To add to the tournament’s resume, four of those ranked teams are in the top of seven (No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Florida, No. 5 Washington, No. 7 Tennessee). Other ranked teams in the classic include No. 20 Oregon and No. 22 Auburn.
The tournament will also host some of the best programs in softball. Eighteen of the 37 Women’s College World Series championships have been won by the participating teams: UCLA leading with 12, Florida with two and CSUF, Washington, Fresno State and Michigan each with one win. Last year, UCLA, Florida, Oregon and Washington all appeared in the WCWS.
Since being introduced in 2006, the tournament has honored former Titan head coach Judi Garman. Garman coached the Titans from 1980-1999, finishing her career with a .708 winning percentage. She also won nine conference titles and the Titans’ only national championship in 1986.
The five-day tournament will have a total 36 games at CSUF, with 20 being played at Anderson Family Field and the remaining 16 taking place at the adjacent PGF/secondary Field.
The classic will kick off Wednesday night with a championship rematch between UCLA and Florida at 6 p.m. After both teams won their opening match up in Oklahoma City last year, the Bruins defeated the Gators 6-5, although both teams would not make the finals of the WCWS.
The Titans will start the classic on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against the reigning Pac-12 champions, Oregon.
The Ducks are led by sophomore left-hander Jordan Dail, who won all of her nine starts this season, and has a 2.33 ERA. Dail pitched six complete games, with two of them being shutouts. However, the Ducks will be coming off a morning game with the Gators, which might benefit the Titans, as the other Duck pitchers have a 10.30 ERA and are 2-4 this year.
CSUF’s second tournament game will be against UConn on Friday. The Huskies started the season 3-0, but have lost each of their last nine games.
Saturday’s game will be against the University of Texas- San Antonio. The Roadrunners are currently on a seven game win streak, and went 5-0 in the Cardinal Classic this past weekend in Texas. During their win streak, UTSA pitched four shutouts, and outscored opponents 16-0 in their last three games.
The Titans will play a doubleheader on the final day of the tournament, with the first game at 11:15 a.m. against last year’s national runner-up, Washington. This will be the second time of the season that the Titans face the Huskies. Washington defeated CSUF 1-0 this past Saturday at the Mary Nutter Classic.
CSUF will conclude the weekend against New Mexico at 1:30 p.m., who will also be coming off a double header against UConn. The Lobos are led by sophomore, Bailey Klitzke, who is hitting .400 this year.
All games for the tournament will be broadcasted on Flo Softball.
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