Michele Smith was impressed with Texas’ pitching and OSU’s demeanor during college softball’s opening weekend, but the ESPN analyst says this weekend’s Clearwater Invitational will provide even more clarity on who’s WCWS material.

Michele Smith was surprised to see so much parity on college softball’s opening weekend. That level of competitiveness has the ESPN analyst fired up about what’s to come, first this weekend at the Clearwater Invitational, then as the season progresses toward the Women’s College World Series. Smith, the former Oklahoma State pitching legend, talks about all that plus how her college experience would’ve been different if she were playing today and what her experience with a traumatic injury might tell us about the recovery facing former OU ace Jordy Bahl. All that and much more on The Jenni Carlson Show.

Episode highlights:

2:00: What Michele Smith expects at the Clearwater Invitational, which features 10 teams ranked in the top 25.

3:40: What teams is Smith excited to see in person in Clearwater?

5:45: Players that are worth keeping an eye on this weekend.

7:20: How does Smith think her experience would’ve been different as a player if she were playing today?

9:45: The impact of Jordy Bahl’s injury and Smith’s own experience with a terrible injury.

11:40: Was Smith expecting so much parity to be so obvious so soon this season?

13:30: What were Smith’s impressions of Oklahoma State?

15:25: Might UCLA’s dominance be waning?

18:00: Is Texas a legitimate challenger to Oklahoma?

20:15: What are Smith’s early impressions of the Sooners?

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