February 5, 2024
Once again showing its ability to capture the attention and skills of the nation’s premier softball programs, the 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge is ramping up for two February sessions that will help kick off the 2024 NCAA D-I campaign and shape the narrative in the hunt for a berth to the Women’s College World Series.
Powered by Triple Crown Sports, the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge began in 2015 and was the first sanctioned NCAA softball event played outside the borders of the United States. Games are played at Nancy Almaraz Stadium.
All games will be live-streamed by FloSoftball. Here's the schedule for both sessions:
Session 1 schedule (all times CT):
Feb. 8
10:30 a.m. – Utah Valley vs. Oklahoma
1 p.m. – Duke vs. Oklahoma
4 p.m. – Iowa State vs. Utah Valley
6:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Washington
Feb. 9
10 a.m. – Duke vs. Iowa State
12:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska
3 p.m. – Long Beach vs. Nebraska
6 p.m. – Utah Valley vs. Washington
8:30 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Washington
Feb. 10
10:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah Valley
1 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Long Beach
4 p.m. – Washington vs. Iowa State
6:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Long Beach
Feb. 11
10 a.m. – Iowa State vs. Long Beach
Session 2 schedule (all time CT):
Feb. 14
Noon – Clemson vs. Wichita State
Feb. 15
10 a.m. – UC San Diego vs. Clemson
12:30 p.m. – UC Davis vs. Auburn
3 p.m. – Utah vs. Auburn
6 p.m. – Utah vs. South Carolina
8:30 p.m. – Wichita State vs. South Carolina
Feb. 16
10 a.m. – Mississippi State vs. UC Davis
12:30 p.m. – South Carolina vs. UC Davis
3 p.m. – UC San Diego vs. Mississippi State
6 p.m. – Auburn vs. Wichita State
8:30 p.m. – Clemson vs. Utah
Feb. 17
10 a.m. – South Carolina vs. UC San Diego
12:30 p.m. – UC Davis vs. Wichita State
3 p.m. – Clemson vs. Auburn
6 p.m. – Mississippi State vs. Utah
8:30 p.m. – Mississippi State vs. Clemson
Feb. 18
10 a.m. – UC San Diego vs. Utah
Teams in the 2024 event are well-positioned in the preseason ESPN/USA Softball poll, with Oklahoma sitting at No. 1. Clemson is at No. 7, with the top 10 including No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Washington. Also earning early regard is No. 16 Utah, No. 17 Nebraska, No. 20 Auburn and No. 22 South Carolina.
TEAM CAPSULES
Auburn (43-19 in 2023) – The Tigers reached the NCAA Regionals last season; they’ll bring it back with defending SEC pitcher of the year Maddie Penta, who had a monster 2023 with 27 wins, 303 strikeouts in 220.2 innings and a 1.33 ERA. Offensively, Auburn is paced by Nelia Peralta, who hit .329 last season with nine home runs and 39 runs scored. The Tigers had a winning record in the SEC for the first time since 2017 and were picked to finish fifth this year in the demanding SEC.
Clemson (49-12) – The Tigers made it through to Super Regionals in 2023, losing a nine-inning game to eventual champion Oklahoma to end the run. USA Softball and ACC player of the year Valerie Cagle is back with her dominant two-way skillset – she hit .469 last year with a program-record 83 hits to go with 19 home runs and 57 RBI. In the circle, she won 25 games with a 1.56 ERA, striking out 188 batters in 193 innings.
Duke (48-12) – The Blue Devils earned a spot at Super Regionals, capping a remarkable push since the program didn’t even exist until 2018. There’s a deep core of strength where it matters – at pitcher – with the return of Cassidy Curd (18 wins, 1.65 ERA last year), Jala Wright (12 wins, 2.51 ERA) and the addition of Pitt grad transfer Dani Drogemuller, who threw 136 solid innings for the Panthers. Keep an eye on sophomore centerfielder D’Auna Jennings (.462, 48 runs, 21 stolen bases).
Iowa State (25-30) – The Cyclones had a rare sub-.500 season but fought to the end, beating No. 15 Baylor in the Big 12 tournament. Milaysia Ochoa is back after starting every game last year; the senior hit .319 and scored 44 runs. Saya Swain is the primary returning pitcher; she had a 3.87 ERA and struck out 120 batters in 97.2 innings, but senior Karlie Charles is ready for a bigger role after her 3.35 ERA effort over 60.2 innings.
Long Beach (31-23) – The Beach didn’t go down without a fight in 2023, earning a spot in the NCAA Regionals and coming up just short against Stanford (1-0) and Loyola Marymount (2-1). Back for more is senior leftfielder Sara Olson, who hit .329 last year at stole 13 bases. In the circle, junior Shannon Haddad returns after going 13-10 with a 2.71 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 146.1 innings. Head coach Kim Sowder topped 500 career wins last year.
Mississippi State (28-25) – The Bulldogs will look to muscle up in the tough SEC; a 14-game losing streak there last year hampered the season’s progress. A key returner is Paige Cook, who hit .320 (.428 OBP) with 11 home runs. In the circle, MSU relied on multiple arms, with no one throwing more than 80 innings – sophomore Josey Marron had a 2.38 ERA over 79.1 innings and notched 95 strikeouts.
Nebraska (36-22) – The Cornhuskers almost got through Regionals, losing a final-inning lead to Oklahoma State in a true nail-biter. The team has every reason to rebound with a vengeance with the transfer of World Series MVP Jordyn Bahl from Oklahoma, who was 22-1 with a .090 ERA and 192 strikeouts in 147 innings. Sophomore Katelyn Caneda hit .366 last year; Billie Andrews had 16 home runs and scored 50 runs.
Oklahoma (61-1) – The Sooners, sitting at No. 1 overall in every significant preseason poll, stormed to the NCAA crown in 2023, their third straight and seventh under coach Patty Gasso. There are changes in the pitching circle, but Nicole May (18-0 last year, 0.91 ERA) and Oklahoma State transfer Kelly Maxwell (two-time All-American, 1.58 career ERA) are well-positioned to keep Oklahoma on track for another title.
South Carolina (40-22) – The Gamecocks got to Regionals last year and nearly got through, falling to No. 3 Florida State 1-0 at the end. Six different players started at pitcher that season, but there’s an obvious anchor this year in grad transfer Alana Vawter, who flexed a 1.81 ERA over 190 innings for Stanford. Junior infielder Brooke Blankenship hit .300 last year, starting all 62 games.
UC Davis (29-22) – The Aggies bounced back nicely after a couple of losing seasons – Big West Conference player of the year Anna Dethlefson returns after hitting .408 and scoring 46 runs along with 42 stolen bases. In the circle, senior Kenedi Brown has the deepest resume after going 16-12 in 157.1 innings (1.96 ERA) and 156 strikeouts. Head coach Erin Thorpe was the first-ever coach at Boise State, posting three 30-win season with the Broncos.
UC San Diego (19-33) –Tritons head coach Patti Gerckens enters her 32nd year with the program, guiding UCSD up from D-III to D-II to D-I. Two seniors will be leaned on at pitcher, Shelby Thompson and Gabby Williams, with JUCO transfer India Caldwell in the mix. Junior outfielder Morgan Eng hit .291 in 46 games last year and stole 35 bases in 36 attempts.
Utah (42-16) – The Utes reached the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 1994; senior Mariah Lopez is back and ready to dominate in the circle, going 23-7 last year (2.23 ERA) with 206 strikeouts over 197.2 innings. Fifth-year star Haley Denning hit .394 with 33 stolen bases, and senior Aliya Belarde is back after hitting .393 and scoring 53 runs with an OBP of .451
Utah Valley (17-32) – The Wolverines have a solid power bat in junior Megan Gibbs, who had 11 home runs and 39 RBI last year with a .390 OBP. Looking to boost the fortunes of the pitching staff is Utah transfer Halle Morris and freshmen Cam Davis and Avery Sapp, the latter who was a two-time Gatorade player of the year honoree from Utah.
Washington (44-15) – The Huskies stormed into the Women’s College World Series, the eighth trip there for head coach Heather Tarr since 2007. Sophomore pitcher Ruby Meylan had a dominant debut, going 18-7 (2.14 ERA) with 204 strikeouts over 180 innings. UW nearly hit .300 as a team but had a lot of pieces graduate; one key bat in 2024 will be San Diego State grad transfer Jillian Celis.
Wichita State (44-12) – The Shockers made it to regionals and made it interesting, coming up just short at the end vs. Nebraska (9-8) in a nine-inning thriller. The pitching staff returns all three hurlers who topped 100 innings last year in Alex Aguilar, Alison Cooper and Lauren Howell. Senior Lauren Lucas hit .396 with 15 doubles and 60 RBI; Addison Barnard hit .379 with 14 home runs and stole 22 bases.