Two-time defending national champions Oklahoma will face a stacked field at the Mark Campbell Invitational to begin their pursuit of a historic third straight Women’s Collegiate World Series title.

Six teams that qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, four teams that made the top 25 of the D1Softball preseason, and three programs that qualified for a Super Regional or played in Orange County, California, will have the opportunity to start in 2023. issued a statement.

Check out the full schedule of the Mark Campbell Invitational below and see the lineup of teams coming to Irvine.

All times listed are Pacific Standard.

Thursday, February 9

10am – Duke vs. Washington

12:45 pm – Loyola Marymount vs. Stanford

4pm – Duke vs. Oklahoma

7:00 PM – Liberty vs. Oklahoma

Friday, February 10th

9am – San Jose State vs. Duke

11:30 am – San Jose v Washington

2pm – Liberty vs. Duke

4:30 PM – Liberty vs. Washington

7:30 PM – Oklahoma v Stanford

Saturday, February 11th

10am – Liberty v San Jose State

12:45 PM – San Jose State v Stanford

15:30 – Duke vs. Stanford

7:00 p.m. – Oklahoma v Washington

February 12 (Sun)

9am – Liberty v Stanford

12:00 PM – Oklahoma v San Jose State

duke

Ranked in the top 20 in most polls, the 2023 Blue Devils Open advanced to the Super Regional a season ago. A trip to Oklahoma City is the next horizon for a rapidly rising program under his coach Marissa Young, who is currently overseeing a 44-win campaign in a row.

And another one featuring the Blue Devils 👀👀👀#Team6 | | #GoDuke pic.twitter.com/UQYyzyTnn9

— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) January 24, 2023

Duke’s roster has undergone a few changes since pre-season, replacing Christina Foreman, Jameson Cabell and Rachel Crabtree. 349 and . 318 batting averages in his 2022, and outstanding base stealer Ana his gold also returned to Blue his Devils.

Arizona State-transferred Christiana Watson adds strength to the plate Duke knows well.Watson hit a three-run walk-off against the Blue Devils last February.

Jarra Wright is poised to become the ace of Duke’s pitching staff after a 13-5 season with a 2.09 ERA in 107 innings. Also returning in this rotation is two-way player Clare He Davidson, who posted a 1.94 ERA and a .189 batting average in 47 innings. Lefty Cassidy Cards is a highly touted recruit and could be a name to remember as 2023 rolls on.

freedom

The Liberty’s recent dominance of the ASUN Conference has made the Flames a regular fixture in the NCAA Tournament. Building around a veteran corps with his three hitters who batted .312 or better in over 60 games last season is a good starting point for another postseason run.

Caroline Hudson is part of that trio and has 17 homers and a .649 slugging percentage as a sophomore. Devyn Howard boasted a .316 batting average and a .417 on-base percentage, and Mary Claire Wilson rounded out the group with her team-high 12 stolen bases in her 22nd year.

Carly Keeney split the duties of starting pitcher one season ago, becoming the top arm of the Flames rotation featuring various rookies.

Loyola Marymount

The reigning champions of the West Coast Conference, Loyola Marymount, travel a short distance south from the El Segundo area and are ready to rumble against the best of college softball.

In 2022, LMU won 37 games, faced Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament, and defeated nationally-ranked Arizona State in the regular season. Jenna Perez shined in some of the Lions’ biggest games last year, and in 2023 she’ll be back as the LMU’s ace.

Perez went 18–7, posting a 1.63 ERA in 155 innings, stealing 199 along the way, and holding hitters to a . Her work in her circle complements her offensive approach to the Lions’ small balls, which emphasizes boarding and moving with aggressive steals and skillful contact at bat. Sidney Poole and Morgan Debord combined for her 41 stolen bases last year.

Oklahoma

College softball hasn’t seen as many teams as Oklahoma has dominated each of the last two national championship seasons. There’s no reason to expect the Sooners to slow down in 2023, returning with a roster full of dangerous hitters and underwhelming pitchers.

The team’s first appearance this year comes from the Mark Campbell Invitational, and Crimson and Cream has a lot to get excited about. San Pedro native Tiare Jennings hits only one home run at the Invitational. She was a frontrunner for the National Her Player of the Year award, which her teammate Jocelyn Aro earned in her previous two campaigns.

Woke up a national champion… again 😎😎😎 #Back2Back pic.twitter.com/iCpeKl9fkI

— Tiare Jennings (@_tiarejennings) June 10, 2022

Of course, she’ll have competition within her own roster, including on the other side of the field with pitcher Jordy Burr. Once she’s back in rotation at full time, the Sooners in the circle will be reloaded, adding transfer Alex Storako. Strako makes Sooners debut in Irvine.

San Jose

SJSU is the only participant in the Mark Campbell Invitational who did not reach the NCAA Tournament last season. But there’s no better way to prepare for the new season and pursue the postseason than to face the best the country has to offer, and the Spartans certainly plan to open 2023 that way. I have no hesitation.

SJSU embarks on a new season with a veteran roster featuring all but one of the field’s 2022 starters and its top pitchers. Alyssa Graham is a two-time All-Mountain West selection and leads the Spartans in batting average every year at San Jose State.

The Jenessa Uleague, who also earned All-MW certification in 2022, pitched a team-leading 140.2 innings, posting a 2.79 ERA, 117 strikeouts and a .309 batting average in 110 at-bats.

Stanford

Stanford last year advanced to the super-regional for the first time since 2011, marking the culmination of the program’s rise from a rough patch in the mid-2010s. Cardinal has his WCWS potential in 2023, earning pre-season rankings and being considered as a contender for the ever-loaded Pac-12.

The Cardinals will bring back First Team All-Pac-12 Alana Bouter, Second Team All-Pac-12 outfielder Taylor Gindlsperger, and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team winners Sidney Huff and Emily Young.

Gindlesperger, Huff and Young all batted .312 or better and scored a total of 83 runs last season, with Huff and Young recording 11 doubles and 12 doubles on defense. Vaughter’s work over his 227.2 innings in the circle yielded 164 strikeouts and he produced a 1.97 earned run average and his WHIP of .

Washington

Reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year in the United States, Bailey Klingler is trying to get back on his feet as he leads the Washington team, which was hesitant to advance to the Super Regional last year.

Klingler is one of the best players in the nation, a great hitter with a consistent batting average (.434) and underpowered (24 home runs, .948 slugging percentage). She led the conference in batting average, hits, home runs, and RBI, and put the Pac-12 triple on her way to the crown.

𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩 👀

Bailey Klingler is @USA softball Selected for the College Player of the Year watchlist for the third year in a row!

>> https://t.co/9qEciSumrN#MightyAreTheWomen pic.twitter.com/mnDObzuxDx

— Washington Softball (@UWSoftball) January 25, 2023

Her return will power the Huskies in 2023, with Sami Reynolds, Madison Husky, and Olivia Johnson all returning in purple and gold. , the replacement of pitcher Gabby Plain looms as one of the pressing issues.