Throughout the 2017 softball season, the NFCA will feature some of the sport's highest-profile contests in our "Featured Five" Games of the Week.
Each weekly installment will be released on Thursday, providing live stat links, game notes, team info, social media accounts and any available broadcast links in hopes of becoming another reason for fans to visit us during the season for information on some of collegiate softball's best games.
As the year continues, we will attempt to expand our focus to include matchups throughout as many divisions as possible. This week's featured games come from NCAA Division I, including a loaded Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II field and NCAA Division III.
Make sure you follow the NFCA on our social media (NFCAorg) through Twitter, (Periscope), Instagram and on Facebook and let us know what you think of our "Featured Five" segment.
No. 1 Florida State (10-0) vs. No. 9 Arizona (11-0)
Feb 25 - 7:30 p.m. PT | Cathedral City, Calif. | Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II
Follow: Live Stats | Watch ($) | Audio (FSU)
On Twitter: @FSU_Softball | @UA_Softball
Series Notes: Arizona owns an 11-0 record in the series... Teams have not met since 2008
Florida State (Notes / Preview): Fresh off of making program history on February 21, the Florida State softball program will take its newly-earned No. 1 ranking on the road this week for six games, four against nationally-ranked programs... FSU enters the week with the nation’s best pitching staff holding a 0.22 ERA, giving up just two earned runs through the first 65 innings of the season... Redshirt sophomore Meghan King and freshman Cassidy Davis individually top the nation with their 0.00 ERAs... Redshirt senior pitcher Jessica Burroughs was named ACC and NFCA Pitcher of the week after giving up just three hits over 13.2 shutout innings last week.
Arizona (Notes / Preview): On the road for the first time this season after sweeping through two home tournaments... 11-0 for the first time since 2006... Arizona is third nationally in ERA (0.71), ninth in batting average (.384) and 15th in fielding percentage (.983)... The Wildcats are one of two teams (UCLA) in the country in the top 15 in all three categories... Katiyana Mauga's career home run chase is off to a good start with six homers... She is tied for second in the NCAA, giving her 73 career homers, 14 shy of Arizona's and 22 shy of the NCAA record, respectivley... Danielle O'Toole is 6-0 with a 0.37 ERA in 38.0 innings, boasts a 39/2 strikeout to walk ratio and has limited opponents to a .168 batting average.
No. 6 UCLA (10-1) vs. No. 11 Georgia (12-0)
Feb. 23 - 5:30 p.m. PT | Cathedral City, Calif. | Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II
Follow: Live Stats | Watch ($)
On Twitter: @uclasoftball | @UGAsoftball
Series notes: UCLA leads the all-time series, 13-2, including a 14-6 (5 inn.) victory during last year's tournament
UCLA (Preview): The Bruins return to Cathedral City after posting a 4-0 mark in the first weekend of the Mary Nutter Classic... UCLA boasts the sixth-best batting average (.393) and ERA (0.84) in the NCAA... Kylee Perez and Delaney Spaulding lead the way at the plate with a .564 and .500 average, respectively... Perez has a team-best 22 hits, seven doubles, 12 RBI and .575 OBP, while Spaulding leads the team with 13 runs, three home runs and a .917 slugging percentage... In the circle, Rachel Garcia and Johanna Grauer come in with 0.23 and 0.72 ERAs... Garcia has fanned 35 to just two walks and limited opponents to a .129 batting average, while Grauer has struck out 33 to just four free passes and has held the opposition to a .160 average... Garci was named Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week after helping the Bruins to a pair of wins last week, including a victory over #22 Kentucky.
Georgia (Notes / Preview): After a 7-0 week, Georgia enters the tournament at 12-0, having outscored its competition 106-14... The Bulldogs are hitting .448 (2nd in NCAA) as a team with 10 home runs and 42 stolen bases... Junior Cortni Emanuel leads the way with a .568 batting average and is 18-for-18 in stolen bases.. Sophomore Alyssa DiCarlo is tops with seven homers and 23 RBI, while senior Sydni Emanuel is third with a .526 average... In the circle, junior Brittany Gray is 7-0 with a 0.66 earned run average and 32 strikeouts in 32 innings, while sophomore Kylie Bass is 4-0 with a 0.76 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings... Head coach Lu Harris-Champer is two wins shy of 1,000 career wins.
No. 4 Oklahoma (6-2) vs. No. 15 Tennessee (9-0)
Feb. 23 - 3 p.m. PT | Cathedral City, Calif. | Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II
Follow: Live Stats | Watch ($) | Listen (OU)
On Twitter: @OU_Softball | @Vol_Softball
Statistics (UT)
Oklahoma (Notes / Preview): Riding a four-game win streak, Oklahoma heads to the Mary Nutter for the 12th consecutive season... Nicole Pendley leads OU in average (.433), hits (13), home runs (13), RBI (10) and slugging (.733) ... Sydney Romero has a team-high four doubles ... Caleigh Clifton leads the team in walks (7), hit by pitch (4) and on-base percentage (.613) and she’s the only Sooner to reach base in every game this year ... Clifton and Pendley are both hitting .500 at neutral sites this year ... neither Shay Knighten (24 AB) nor Fale Aviu (26 AB) have struck out this year ... Paige Parker has a 22:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the circle.
Tennessee (Notes / Preview): The Vols are coming off a 5-0 showing at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., winning four of their five games by run rule... UT scored eight or more runs in all five games and has scored seven or more runs in nine of its 10 contests this season... Freshman Caylan Arnold, tied for first in the country with a 0.00 ERA, is 4-0 and has yet to allow an earned run this season... Freshman Jenna Holcomb is batting .500 and has a hit in all 10 games this year... The Vols own one of the best offense in Division I, averageing 10.2 runs per game and rank in the top 15 nationally in scoring (third), batting average (third), on-base percentage (third), slugging percentage (eighth) and doubles per game (13th).
Other Notable Mary Nutter II Games
All Times Pacific
Live streams available at FloSoftball.com ($)
Feb. 23
10 a.m. - No. 12 Georgia vs. No. 23 BYU - Live Stats
12:30 p.m. - No. 9 Arizona vs. No. 23 BYU - Live Stats
5:30 p.m. - No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 18 Texas A&M - Live Stats | Listen (FSU / A&M)
Feb. 24
10 a.m. - No. 18 Texas A&M vs. No. 21 Arizona State - Live Stats | Listen ( A&M)
12:30 p.m. - No. 8 Washington vs. No. 20 Missouri - Live Stats
5:30 p.m - No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 UCLA - Live Stats | Listen (OU)
6 p.m. - No. 15 Tennessee vs. No. 17 Utah - Live Stats
Feb. 25
9:30 a.m. - No. 18 Texas A&M vs. No. 23 BYU - Live Stats | Listen (A&M)
12:30 p.m. - No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 18 Texas A&M - Live Stats | Listen ( A&M)
5:30 p.m. - No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 7 LSU - Live Stats
8 p.m. - No. 7 LSU vs. No. 17 Utah - Live Stats
Feb. 26
11:30 a.m. - No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 6 UCLA - Live Stats | Listen (FSU)
2:00 p.m. - No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 14 Michigan - Listen (FSU)
4:30 p.m. - No. 14 Michigan vs. No. 21 Arizona State
No. 13 James Madison (8-1) at No. 2 Auburn (9-1)
Feb. 25 & 26 - 4:45 p.m. / 1 p.m. CT | Auburn, Ala. | Tiger Invitational
Follow: Live Stats (G1 / G2) | Watch (SEC+ Sunday only) | Listen (G1 / G2)
On Twitter: @JMU_Softball | @AuburnSoftball
JMU: Went 5-0 at the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Invitational, which included a victory over then-No. 20 USF... Followng a 5-2 win over RV Oklahoma State, theh Dukes pitching staff did not allow a run the rest of the tournament, posting four straight shutouts... Two-time CAA Pitcher of the Week, Megan Good improved to 5-0 and is posting a 0.41 ERA with 52 strikeouts and three shutouts, while hold opponents to a .105 batting average in 34 innings of work... As a staff, James Madison ranks ninth nationally with a 0.93 ERA.... The Dukes have outscored opponents 57-13 to start the 2017 season.
Auburn (Notes / Preview): The Tigers are off to a 9-1 start, matching the second-best record in program history through 10 games... Auburn has started 9-1 or better 11 times, including three seasons under head coach Clint Myers... Carlee Wallace, who has reached base safely in all ten games, is batting .360 with nine hits, four doubles, 10 RBI, nine walks and a .520 OPB... Victoria Draper is tops on the Tigers with a .500 average (9-for-18) with eight runs and a .591 OBP... Makayla Martin (4-1, 0.71) and Kaylee Carlson (5-0, 0.88) are a combined 9-1 and have pitched all but 6.2 innings this season... Martin has recorded two shutouts and 25 strikeouts, while allowing just one extra base hit in 29.2 innings... Carlson has fanned 17 and held opponents to a .220 batting average.
Other Notable Division I Games
All Times Eastern
Feb. 24
6:30 p.m. - No. 25 USF vs. RV Ole Miss (Deland, Fla.) - Live Stats
Feb. 25
8:15 p.m. - No. 22 Kentucky at RV Florida Atlantic - Live Stats | Watch ($)
Feb. 26
10 a.m. - No. 25 USF vs. RV Ole Miss (Deland, Fla.) - Live Stats
DIII
No. Messiah (11-0) vs. No. 11 Emory (8-1)
Feb. 25 | 9 a.m. ET | Raleigh, N.C. | William Peach Triangle Classic
On Twitter: @MessiahSoftball | @EmorySoftball
Messiah: The Falcons were set to open their 2017 season on Thursday in North Carolina against Methodist prior to opening tournament play with its game against Emory. … Messiah lost three players from last year’s 47-6 squad, including NFCA Second Team All-America pitcher Courtney Allen (27-1, 1.59 ERA), but returns a veteran group, including senior shortstop Amanda Jones (.425 average) and two pitchers — Carrie Fix (9-3 last year, also a top hitter at .362) and Madelyn Yannetti (11-2, .223 opponent average).
Emory: The Eagles started the season ranked fourth in the NFCA Top 25, but dropped to 11th earlier this week after a 5-3 start, which included two losses to then-No. 6 Berry, who is now 10-0 and moved up to fifth in the rankings this week. Returning NFCA First Team All-America pitcher Brittany File tossed a no-hitter on Feb. 12 against Averett and is 3-1 with 36 strikeouts in 26.2 innings so far this season.
Other Notable DIII Games (All Times Eastern)
Feb. 24
4 & 6 p.m. - No. 4 East Texas Baptist at Mary Hardin-Baylor — Live stats | Video
7 p.m. – No. 1 Texas-Tyler at LeTourneau — Live stats | Video
Feb. 25
11 a.m. – No. 3 Messiah vs. William Peace — Live stats | Video
1 p.m. - No. 4 East Texas Baptist at Mary Hardin-Baylor — Live stats | Video
2 & 4 p.m. – No. 1 Texas-Tyler at LeTourneau — Live stats | Video
3 p.m. – No. 11 Emory vs. North Carolina Wesleyan