CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 4 Tennessee and No. 13 Clemson opened their seasons with victories under the lights as the 2026 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP kicked off Thursday evening at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. Erin Nuwer twirled a no-hitter as the Lady Vols run-ruled BYU, 10-0, in five innings and the Tigers held on to defeat RV Southeastern Louisiana, 5-3, in eight innings.
The remainder of the 18-team field, along with the above-mentioned teams, will be in action tomorrow on the first full day of competition.
Please note that viewers who are unable to access the broadcasts on MLB Network, can still watch the games on the GameChanger app for free.
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After a scoreless five and a half innings, Southeastern Louisiana's Cyndee Schneider broke the deadlock in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single. Clemson, down to its last out in the seventh, took a brief 2-1 lead on Jameson Brockenbrou’s two-run homer only for the Lions to send it to extras with a run in the bottom half of the seventh.
The Tigers pushed three runs across in the top of the eight, capped off by Corri Hicks’ two-run round tripper, to grab a 5-2 advantage. KaLyn Watson’s run-scoring single cut the deficit to 5-3 and SLU was able to load the bases with two outs, but Sierra Maness, who started and reentered with one out in the innings, induced a groundout to short to end the rally.
Maness picked up the win, allowing a run on four hits with six strikeouts and five walks over 5.2 innings. Hicks and Marian Collins recorded two hits apiece for the Tigers. Maria Detillier was 3-for-4 for the Lions.
Nuwer struck out five and walked two, facing just 16 batters. Ella Morrison powered the Tennessee offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, home run and five RBI. Elsa Dodge also homered, blasting a two-run shot to highlight a three-run first inning. After two scoreless innings, Morrison launched a three-run long ball in a four-run fourth. They would add three more in the fifth to close out the Cougars.
All games will be streamed live for free courtesy of NFCA Official Sponsor GameChanger, the sole streaming provider of the tournament. Additionally, GameChanger, NFCA Official Sponsor Major League Baseball and the Association are teaming up to broadcast games, Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8, on MLB Network.
Friday’s full slate of 18 games begins at 10 a.m. with Boston College versus Eastern Kentucky, Pittsburgh against North Carolina Central and Penn State versus Missouri.
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its competitive Leadoff Classics, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from a highly-regarded Awards Program to a comprehensive drills database, to in-person events and a National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of 7,000 coaches today!
