CLEARWATER, Fla. – Kentucky won the 2025 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP. The Wildcats posted a 4-1 mark and took home the title with a run differential of 28, breaking the tie that included numerous one-loss teams.
The Wildcats opened with a 7-0 shutout of Pittsburgh before three big wins over Notre Dame (12-4), Morgan State (12-0) and Southern Miss (13-3) before dropping their final contest to No. 7 Duke, 6-3. They are the fourth straight Southeastern Conference school to win the tournament with the previous three all in the field, No. 15 Missouri, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 24 Mississippi State.
Joining UK in the one-loss category are the Lady Vols and No. 13 Texas Tech with 5-1 marks, while Mizzou and Mississippi State finished with 4-1 records. UT defeated Pittsburgh, 8-3 and the Red Raiders shut out Kennesaw State, 3-0. Tennessee by virtue of run differential is the tournament runner-up. The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the seventh to edge Iowa, 3-2, while the Bulldogs blanked No. 18 Nebraska, 3-0.
Tennessee’s and Texas Tech’s sixth games on Sunday do not count towards their overall tournament records.
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Also collecting wins on the final day of the tournament were Marshall, No. 21 Northwestern, Notre Dame and the previously-mentioned Duke Blue Devils. The Thundering Herd earned their first victory of the season, 10-4 over Morgan State. Ayana Lindsey’s solo home run in the top of the seventh lifted the Wildcats to a 2-1 triumph over Southern Miss. The Fighting Irish eaked out a pair of close wins, 4-2 and 1-0 over RV Penn State and Bethune-Cookman.
Pitt, No. 19 Nebraska and Northwestern posted 3-2 tournament marks with the Fighting Irish winning their last three to even out their record at 3-3.
Games were streamed live for free courtesy of NFCA Official Sponsor GameChanger, the sole streaming provider of the tournament. Full games and highlight clips are now available in the archives.
All-Tournament Team
Halyne Gonzalez, Bethune-Cookman
Cassidy Curd, Duke
Tatianna Roman, Iowa
Emma Friedel, Kennesaw State
Peyton Plotts, Kentucky
Paige Simpson, Marshall
Raelin Chaffin, Mississippi State
Stefania Abruscato, Missouri
Amber Rivas, Morgan State
Jordy Bahl, Nebraska
Kaylie Avvisato, Northwestern
Micaela Kastor, Notre Dame
Brooke Klosowicz, Penn State
Saleyna Daniel, Pittsburgh
Jana Lee, Southern Miss
Taylor Pannell, Tennessee
NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech
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