Basketball has its madness in March. But college softball can lay claim to some mayhem of its own that begins in mid-May and runs into June.

Programs never want to get left behind early in the college softball season, and UCLA and Tennessee are two teams where the idea especially applies.

The names of the perennial Women’s College World Series teams embarking on California’s Coachella Valley for the 2022 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic are some of the most well-known programs in softball: UCLA, Arizona, Tennessee, Missouri, and reigning national champion Oklahoma.

After her freshman season ended in 2019, Ashley Rogers had already cemented herself as one of the top young pitchers in college softball. An NFCA All-Southeast Region and All-SEC First Team selection, Rogers posted 21 victories, third-best in the conference and 41st in the nation. Her 1.94 ERA was best on the team and put her seventh in the SEC.

You wouldn’t be blamed for finding the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic a bit overwhelming.

If you like plenty of offense in your softball, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic is probably the event for you.

If you were waiting for a perfect time to get your early-season softball fix, this is it.

With just over two weeks until the start of the 2022 NCAA Division I Softball season, USA Softball has announced the Top 50 “Watch List” for the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Entering its 20th season, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players from across the nation.

Here's how to watch the 2022 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on FloSoftball.