There should not be any questions about Virginia Tech softball’s strength of schedule in 2027.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced the participants and the schedule for its Leadoff Classic tournament from Feb. 11-14 in Clearwater, Fla., which includes the Hokies. They find themselves matched up with four teams that made last season’s College World Series, including national runner-up Texas Tech.
Tech will face World Series participants Mississippi State (43-21), Nebraska (52-8), Tennessee (49-12) and Texas Tech (61-10), along with NCAA Tournament participant Wisconsin (33-21).
Here is the Hokies’ complete schedule for the event:
“We’ve never shied away from games that challenge us in the preseason,” Virginia Tech head coach Pete D’Amour told Tech Sideline. “Being tested early will help prepare us for our conference season and will give us a chance to enhance our resume for the postseason. Our players have been motivated this fall, but seeing the opponents we’ll face early should motivate them even more.”
There are 18 participants in the NFCA Leadoff Classic: Auburn, Bethune-Cookman, Cal Baptist, Indiana, Jacksonville State, Liberty, LIU, Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Tennessee State, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
In a unique twist for the four-day competition, the teams will compete for part of a $100,000 prize pool in an “Elevate The Game Incentive,” made possible by a donation by Texas Tech softball alum Tracy Sellers and her husband, John. The Sellers have been strong supporters of Red Raiders athletics over the years and have donated over $11 million.
The “winner” of the tournament will take home $50,000. Since it isn’t a formal tournament format, the NFCA developed a detailed tiebreaker process, as shown below.
Another $40,000 of the prize pool will be distributed to the team statistical leaders in each of the following categories ($10,000 per category) — two for offense and two for defense:
• Home runs (highest per game total)
• Stolen bases (highest per game total)
• Strikeouts (highest per game total)
• Runs allowed (lowest per game total)
The final $10,000 of the prize pool will be awarded based on voting by head coaches, umpires and credentialed media members:
• A $5,000 Inspire Award, given to the team that “best embodies sportsmanship, integrity and the mission of the NFCA.”
• A $5,000 Coach Award, presented for “an outstanding coaching performance, strategic execution and overall team leadership.”
The Hokies will stay in Florida after that weekend and compete in the Shriners Children Clearwater Invitational the following weekend (Feb. 18-21). That event will also be held at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
Although pairings for that tournament have not yet been announced, it is also a quality field, with eight of the 11 participating teams having made the NCAA Tournament last season.
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