ORLANDO – The UCF softball team will make its return to the Tax Act Clearwater Invitational during the 2023 season, their second straight year as part of the event.
Tabbed as one of the top tournaments in college softball, the Clearwater Invitational will be held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex from Feb. 16-19, 2023 with all game being broadcasted on the ESPN family of networks. Tickets for the event will go on sale later this fall.
UCF was one of 16 teams invited to the event last season and earned a pair of thrilling victories in six games. The Knights came back after being down a run in the sixth inning to win 7-3 in the eighth inning against Texas Tech. The next day, the Black and Gold won a back-and-forth contest against No. 11 Texas, coming from 7-4 down to win by a score of 15-10.
The full field of 16 teams includes UCF, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, South Florida, UCLA and Virginia Tech. The Knights, along with Florida State, Michigan, Oklahoma State, South Florida and UCLA, are making their return to the event after being a part of the 2022 field. The other 10 teams will be making their debut at the Invitational come February 2023.
15 of 16 teams in last year’s field made it to the NCAA Tournament. Six of those 15, one of those being UCF, made it to this year’s Super Regionals.
The Knights’ Clearwater Invitational opponents and schedule will be released later this fall. (Photo Courtesy of UCF Athletics)
