Ohio State
Florida State
Clearwater Invitational Up Next for Ohio State
2/13/2025 7:21:00 AM | Softball
Buckeyes will face three ranked opponents this weekend
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fresh off a 4-0 start to the season last weekend, the Ohio State softball team will look to continue to build its early season momentum when it travels to one of the sport's premier events: the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield.
A Competitive Field
The 16-team field for the 2025 Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield features 14 teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including three teams that advanced to the Women's College World Series.
The Basics
Ohio State vs. No. 8 Florida State | Friday, Feb. 14 | 2 p.m. | Clearwater, Fla.
Watch: ACC Network/ESPN+ | Live Stats
Ohio State vs. No. 16 Missouri | Friday, Feb. 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Clearwater, Fla.
Watch: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Ohio State vs. No. 14 Alabama | Saturday, Feb. 15 | 10 a.m. | Clearwater, Fla.
Watch: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Ohio State vs. RV Clemson | Sunday, Feb. 16 | 10 a.m. | Clearwater, Fla.
Watch: ESPNU | Live Stats
Ohio State vs. UCF | Sunday, Feb. 16 | 1 p.m. | Clearwater, Fla.
Watch: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Basics on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State's season-opening weekend was powered by the bat of sophomore Jasmyn Burns (.714, two home runs, seven RBI) and the arm of freshman Lorin Boutte (3-0, 0.00 earned run average, 25 strikeouts), who were both honored by the Big Ten on Monday with weekly awards.
- As a team, Ohio State hit .359 with six extra base hits and a .446 on-base percentage. Burns, Kami Kortokrax (.571) and Morgan Frye (.429) all hit over .400 on the weekend.
- Of the 26.0 innings pitched, 21.1 came from freshmen. Lorin Boutte, Layna Gerhard and Kassandra Gewecke combined to strike out 36 batters and allowed just four earned runs.
- Through the opening weekend of games, Ohio State ranks in the top four among Big Ten teams in slugging percentage (.479), runs per game (7.50), on-base percentage (.439) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.31).
- The Buckeyes are returning to Clearwater for the first time since 2019 when they participated in the ESPN Elite Invitational.
Coverage Plans
- The four-day Clearwater Invitational, which will take place at the Eddie C. Moore Complex for the sixth time, will play host to a total of 40 softball games across ESPN platforms.
- Ohio State's weekend-opening game vs. Florida State will air on the ACC Network and ESPN+. Additionally, it's Sunday contest vs. Clemson is set to air on ESPNU. The other three games – vs. Missouri, Alabama and UCF – can be found on ESPN+.
Scouting the Competition
- Florida State, No. 8 in this week's NFCA Top 25 poll, went 4-1 last weekend at the Puerto Valla College Challenge.
- The Seminoles fell to No.10 Oklahoma State in the season opener on Thursday but rallied and went on to defeat Northern Colorado, Louisiana Tech (twice) and a run-rule win over Oklahoma State 8-0 in the second meeting of the weekend.
- This will be the second meeting between the Buckeyes and the Seminoles. The first one came almost exactly six years to the day on February 15, 2019.
- Missouri, No. 16 in this week's NFCA Top 25 poll, opened its season with a 4-1 record at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, which they won in 2024. The Tigers defeated No. 21 Northwestern, No.14 Duke, Iowa, and run-ruled Marshall. Their only loss came to Notre Dame, 4-3.
- This will be only the third meeting between Ohio State and Missouri, with the series being tied 1-1. The last game between the two teams came on March 17, 2017 and resulted in a 5-4 Ohio State victory.
- No. 14 Alabama enters competition in Clearwater with a 4-1 record. In the Candrea Classic this past weekend on the campus on the University of Arizona, Alabama recorded a win over Michigan State, two over Washington, and a run-rule over Western Michigan.
- This will be the fourth meeting between Ohio State and Alabama, yet the first in 19 years. Their last meeting was a 3-1 Buckeye victory on March 3, 2006.
- Clemson went 3-2 last weekend after competing in the Paradise Classic. The Tigers recorded wins over Kansas, Georgia State and Missouri State. Their losses came at the hands of Ole Miss and No. 25 Florida Atlantic.
- Central Florida is 6-1 thus far in the 2025 season. Its sole setback was to No. 12 Georgia, but UCF has since rallied to win four consecutive games following the loss, including beating Missouri in extra innings.
