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Roundup of 2022 Mary Nutter Classic and on to the Judi Garman

 Teams compiling the best records against the toughest competition in last weekend's Mary Nutter Classic were as follows:

  • Oklahoma (5-0 and 15-0 on the season) with wins over Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, Arizona, Tennessee, and Utah. The win over the Vols was very tight, however, 9-8 in 10 innings.
  • UCLA (5-0) with wins over Iowa State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Baylor, and Missouri. Tough-luck Tennessee also took UCLA to extra innings, losing to the Bruins 2-1 in eight.
  • Oregon State (5-0) with wins over Tennessee, Baylor, Cal State Northridge, Southern Utah, and UC San Diego.
  • Missouri (4-1) with wins over Oregon, Texas Tech, San Diego State, and Washington, and a loss to UCLA.
Washington was a bit of a disappointment, posting a 2-3 record with wins over Loyola Marymount and Iowa State and losses to San Diego Stage, Mizzou, and Northwestern.

One last team I wanted to mention is Texas Tech, where I'm on the faculty. In the preceding weekend's St.Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, the Red Raiders went 0-6, but were competitive against nationally ranked Washington (losing 1-0) and LSU (losing 2-0). Texas Tech moved on to the Mary Nutter Classic, beating Cal Baptist, but losing one-run decisions to Mizzou, UCLA, and Long Beach State. Finally, in their last game of the Nutter Classic, the Red Raiders got a breakthrough win against a nationally ranked opponent, knocking off No. 18 Northwestern 4-2.

* * *
This weekend, we have the third of what might be called the Big Three tournaments, the Judi Garman Classic. Host Cal State Fullerton acquitted itself well in the Mary Nutter Classic, going 3-2 including wins over Arizona and Northwestern. The 12-team tournament is mostly a West Coast affair, led by UCLA, Arizona State, and Utah of the Pac 12. Teams coming in from other parts of the country are Texas A&M, Kansas, and Penn.

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