The Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, ESPN Events’ owned-and-operated college softball tournament returns to the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. for its seventh year. The four-day invitational – Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 12-15 – will showcase 16 teams, including 10 in the preseason top-25.

All 40 games will be presented across ESPN networks, including 19 televised contests. Games will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network and ESPN+. All 40 games throughout the four-day invitational can also be found on the ESPN App.

Three teams in this year’s field – Tennessee, Texas Tech and UCLA – advanced to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City last spring, while 12 teams earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

For a seventh straight year, ESPN will deploy an all-star commentator roster to call the non-stop action:

Field 8: The Women’s College World Series finals trio of Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will reunite in the booth to kickstart the 2026 season. The voice of softball, Mowins, will call play-by-play with Smith and Mendoza serving as analysts. Mendoza is a four-time All-American at Stanford and two-time Olympic medalist, while Smith is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time All-American at Oklahoma State. The trio will be joined by Holly Rowe for Sunday night’s Texas Tech-Nebraska game on ESPN (6 p.m. ET).

Field 8/9: The crew of Chuckie Kempf and Madison Shipman will cover games on both field 8 and 9 throughout the four-day invitational. Kempf will be handling play-by-play duties as he teams up with three-time All-American, SEC Player of the Year (2014) and Tennessee alumnus Shipman.

Field 8/9: Matt Schumacker will handle play-by-play alongside Amanda Scarborough, the two-time All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year at Texas A&M for games across both Field 8 and 9.  The duo will be joined by Rowe for Sunday night’s Tennessee-Florida State game on ESPN (8 p.m. ET).

Field 1: Play-by-play commentator Mike Couzens will announce the action joined by three-time Arizona All-American, three-time NCAA Champion and 1996 National Player of the Year Jenny Dalton-Hill.

Field 3: Play-by-play commentator Mark Neely will join 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Danielle Lawrie for the call. At Washington, Lawrie was a three-time All-American and NCAA Champion.

For full tournament details, please visit www.clearwaterinvitational.com.

2026 Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Matchups Schedule 

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

About Shriners Children’s:
Shriners Children’s is a leader in providing care for orthopedic conditions, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries and other spine disorders, rehabilitation, sports injuries and craniofacial conditions. We also offer specialized services, including orthotics and prosthetics and motion analysis. We strive to provide the care and support our patients need to reach their goals and discover their full potential. In addition, our healthcare system conducts research to improve our patients’ quality of life and offers outstanding educational programs for medical professionals. All care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay or insurance status.

Shriners Children’s is a nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, including the full range of care disciplines, please visit shrinerschildrens.org.

About Visit St. Pete-Clearwater:

Nestled on a sun-soaked peninsula on Florida’s west coast, separating the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay, St. Pete-Clearwater is the gateway to world-class cultural experiences along with 35 miles of award-winning white-sand beaches annually ranked among the world’s best. Immerse yourself in our picturesque sunsets & go beyond the beaches to explore our unique cultural heritage, interactive art exhibits, sporting & recreational activities, a culinary scene serving an innovatively delicious dining experience, & great local shopping. St. Pete-Clearwater is your only destination with spectacular beaches complimented by world-renowned museums, family fun & endless sunshine.  To learn more about St. Pete-Clearwater, visit VisitStPeteClearwater.com.