With many college softball programs across the country either at, past or quickly approaching 20 games played, is it fair to begin making assumptions?

No. 1 UCLA hung on to beat No. 18 Kentucky on Friday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, but it wasn't easy.

Kentucky senior Kayla Kowalik broke the Wildcat record for hits during an 11-3, extra innings win over No. 8 Washington on the opening day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California.

College softball's biggest non-conference event is here as the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic begins at 12:30 p.m. ET from Cathedral City, Calif. on Feb. 23.

The 2023 college softball season begins in February as teams from across the country will play their first slate of games before conference season begins. Many of those games will take place at preseason events such as the Mark Campbell Collegiate Invitational, the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and 2023 Candrea Classic.

The 2023 NCAA softball schedule is in full swing as Division I teams from across the country begin their seasons on Feb. 9 with the goal of reaching Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.

The place to watch the best college softball being played on the planet is the Women’s College World Series, but there’s no closer equivalent during the regular season than the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

USA Softball has officially unveiled the Top 50 Watch List for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. With sights set on the highly anticipated NCAA collegiate softball season, the prestigious award will look to recognize a Collegiate Player of the Year based on outstanding play throughout the entire NCAA Division I collegiate softball season.

Kentucky shortstop Erin Coffel added a variety of positives to her life in the 2022 season: 1st Team All-Southeastern Conference honors, just the sixth All-American nod in UK program history, and a golden retriever named Jack.

Many leagues have tried to imitate the Southeastern Conference softball scene from top-to-bottom over the past few seasons, but no one has ever duplicated it.

Taters. Dingers. Long bombs. Moon shots.

The Mary Nutter Collegiate Invitational has a reputation for a reason.

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.

As much as the strain of winter is impacting areas across the country, the college softball scene should heat things up this February.

VTU was the only undefeated team last weekend at the highly competitive Northern Lights/Southern Nights Invitational in Leesburg, Florida. Returning All-American Keely Rochard was named Outstanding Player, as she picked up three wins and a save in the circle, throwing complete game wins over three top-25 teams in Northwestern, Missouri, and Kentucky. Kelsey Bennett was a hitting machine at the plate for the Hokies, with an OPS of 1.457 for the five games.