Nation's Toughest Female Athletes Take the Plate in Tournament Featuring 11 Ranked Teams


IRVINE, Calif., -- California State University, Fullerton will play host to the U.S. Olympic team and 11 of the Top 25 women's fastpitch college teams when the Kia Klassic collegiate softball tournament swings into action March 17.


As one of the most prestigious softball events in women's sports, widely regarded as second only to the NCAA College Softball World Series among collegiate women's fastpitch tournaments, the Kia Klassic is filled with teams highly ranked on the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pre-season Poll. The five-day, 16-team tournament includes five of the top 10 teams in the nation: Arizona (2), Oklahoma (4), Washington (5), Nebraska (8) and Louisiana (9)

In addition, Top 25 teams participating in the event include DePaul (12), CS-Fullerton (13), Texas A&M (18), Florida Sate (19), Arizona State (20) and Fresno State (23). Rounding out the field are Illinois, UNLV, Princeton, Pacific and the US Olympic fastpitch team.

"Kia Motors is excited to once again sponsor the popular Kia Klassic softball tournament," said Peter M. Butterfield, president and CEO, Kia Motors America. "With the US Olympic fastpitch team joining us for the very first time, this year promises to deliver a memorable tournament for women's college sports."

The Kia Klassic gets underway March 17 at 5 p.m. when Nebraska takes on UNLV and Arizona battles Illinois. Immediately after, the contest will feature California State University, Fullerton versus the U.S. Olympic Team and Pacific taking on Princeton at 7 p.m.

Pool play continues March 18 with games beginning at 9 a.m. and running through the day and evening. Pool play concludes the afternoon of March 19, followed by the start of the 16-team championship/consolation bracket format. That format will carry through Saturday, March 20, and conclude Sunday with semifinal games at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The championship game starts at 2 p.m.

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