If the slog of the winter sports season was getting a little too repetitive, you’re in luck.

The college softball season will break out in full force in early February, beginning a five-month grind that’ll culminate in one NCAA champion at the Women’s College World Series in June in Oklahoma City.

But before the elite teams in America can think about a national title, they first must get out on the right foot in early-year games. At the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge from Feb. 10-13 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a trio of NCAA Tournament teams from last season within a six-team field will attempt to ensure a great start happens.

Looking forward to some softball in the sun to start the 2022 season? Here’s what to expect for every team in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, every game of which will be broadcast live on FloSoftball.

NOTE: All games listed are in Eastern Time and are subject to change.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Last season: 43-11 (19-5 Southeastern Conference), eliminated by Arizona in the Fayetteville Super Regional

The lowdown: The reigning SEC champions are looking to avenge being two wins away from the Women’s College World Series last year—and they’re doing it while hauling in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, per Extra Inning Softball. Losing a First Team All-American from 2021 in infielder Braxton Burnside hurts, but the good news for the Hogs is that last year’s SEC Pitcher of the Year, redshirt senior Mary Haff (26-7, 198 strikeouts, 1.55 ERA), is still going to be dealing on the mound in an Arkansas uniform. Second Team All-American infielder Danielle Gibson (.355 avg. .994 fielding percentage) and former First Team All-SEC outfielder Hannah McEwen (.318, .476 OBP) are back, too, but expect at least one member of the loaded freshman class to play a significant role in the Razorbacks’ success this year. Early picks to break out include one (or both) of the Camenzind twins—Hannah and Lauren—who were each top-25 recruits nationally, as well as speedy Texan outfielder Reagan Johnson, who hit .606 as a junior and stole 109 bases in her prep career without being caught.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Rutgers at 11 a.m. Feb. 10
vs. Memphis at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Washington at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Long Beach State at 7 p.m. Feb. 12
vs. Washington at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 12

Washington Huskies

Last season: 45-14 (18-5 Pac-12), eliminated by Oklahoma in the Norman Super Regional

The lowdown: How many programs across the country can say they have a player who spent their summer at the Olympics? Washington can with Aussie pitcher Gabbie Plain—who played for her country in Tokyo—as the reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year gets to have another year of terrorizing hitters stateside. Plain led the country last year with 32 wins, finished with a teeny 1.45 ERA and had nearly seven strikeouts (6.88) to every walk, and can cement her status as a campus legend along the likes of former Huskies ace Danielle Lawrie with another monster year. Senior infielder Baylee Klinger should once again be the main driver of UW’s offense (.416 avg./.507 OBP/.792 SLG last year) after a stellar year in being named a Pac-12 First Teamer and a Second Team All-American, but watch for freshman shortstop Kinsey Fiedler to potentially break into the mix. The Missouri native was named as the No. 1 overall recruit in the FloSoftball 2021 Hot 100, an honor that several former All-Americans—such as Oklahoma State’s Miranda Elish and Florida’s Amanda Lorenz—have earned in the past.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Lamar at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10
vs. Long Beach State at 4 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Arkansas at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Rutgers at 4 p.m. Feb. 12
vs. Arkansas at 9:30 p.m. Feb. 12

Long Beach State Beach

Last season: 30-11 (22-2 Big West), eliminated by UCLA/Minnesota in the Los Angeles Regional

The lowdown: A consistent presence in the postseason—coach Kim Sowder has taken the Beach to eight Regionals in 15 years at the helm—LBSU clearly had a core it relied upon at the plate with Alyssa Gonzalez, Suzy Brookshire, Naomi Hernandez and Breezy Wise the only players on the squad to start at least 40 games. However, only Hernandez (.383 avg., 16 RBI, 32 runs) is returning this year, leaving a gap in production as the quartet knocked in over half of Beach's total runs last season (123 of 220). Where Long Beach is most likely to make waves is on the mound: sophomore pitcher Shannon Haddad (8-0, 2.05 ERA) was named the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year despite missing the final month of the season due to injury, and should move squarely into the ace role after 16-8 hurler Kellie White graduated.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Memphis at 11 a.m. Feb. 11
vs. Washington at 4 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Memphis at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12
vs. Arkansas at 7 p.m. Feb. 12
vs. Lamar at 11 a.m. Feb. 13

Memphis Tigers

Last season: 9-41 (2-22 American), eliminated by South Florida in the AAC Tournament

The lowdown: It’s safe to say last season was tough for the Tigers. The 9-41 record was the Tigers’ worst mark since the school started the softball program in 2006, though nine of those defeats came by three runs or less, signifying coach Natalie Poole’s team was often right in the thick of games before fading toward the end. Senior catcher/utility player Alyssa Dean’s return was big for the program as the Louisiana native was far and away the Tigers’ best all-around hitter (.300 avg./.391 OBP/.508 slg.), while sophomore outfielder LaNya Bates (.284 avg. in 30 starts) showed flashes of potential as a true freshman with six multi-hit games. However, weak starting pitching—no Memphis hurler had better than a 5.34 ERA last year—was undoubtedly the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel and must improve if the Tigers want to find success. Finding an everyday pitcher was clearly on Poole’s mind in recruiting as Memphis’ six-player rotation features three freshmen.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Rutgers at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 10
vs. Lamar at 5 p.m. Feb. 10
vs. Long Beach State at 11 a.m. Feb. 11
vs. Arkansas at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Long Beach State at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Last season: 8-36 (8-36 Big Ten), no postseason

The lowdown: The Scarlet Knights’ record is perhaps skewed a little bit, because, like all of their fellow Big Ten teams during the regular season, they didn’t play non-conference games due to the league’s COVID-19 restrictions. With plenty of non-league tune-ups coming up in the early days of this season, expect that record to improve, but much more production across the board is still much needed. Rutgers finished second-to-last in the Big Ten last year in batting average (.207), home runs (15) and on base percentage (.283) while being even poorer among the conference on the bump, with a league-worst 6.64 ERA and 56 home runs allowed—21 more than the second-worst, Penn State. But the good news is that the two most consistent pieces of the lineup, junior infielder Payton Lincavage (.283 avg., 17 RBI) and grad student utility player Gabrielle Callaway (.278 avg., 17 RBI), both returned after starting all 44 games for Rutgers last year.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Memphis at 11 a.m. Feb. 10
vs. Arkansas at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 10
vs. Lamar at 7 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Lamar at 11 a.m. Feb. 12
vs. Washington at 4 p.m. Feb. 12

Lamar Cardinals

Last season: 8-43 (4-23 Southland), no postseason

The lowdown: When things went wrong for Lamar last season, they went really wrong. After splitting a doubleheader with Houston to start the 2021 season, the Cardinals then proceeded to lose 26 of their next 27 games, albeit with some of those coming to teams ranked in the USA Today Top 25 like Oklahoma State, Texas, Baylor and Tennessee. By the time Southland play came along, morale was poor and Lamar ended up finishing dead last in the conference. The Cardinals have arguably the easiest slate of the entire event, only playing mighty Arkansas and Washington once combined, but it’s still going to be an uphill battle to snag any wins in Puerto Vallarta. Sophomore outfielder Audry Fleming (.265 avg./.351 OBP/.353 slg.) and senior outfielder Aleka Xayaseng (.230/.255/.243) are Lamar’s most reliable sources of offense and will need to get going early if the Cardinals don’t want to be blown out of the sky.

Games in Puerto Vallarta:
vs. Memphis at 5 p.m. Feb. 10
vs. Washington at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10
vs. Rutgers at 7 p.m. Feb. 11
vs. Rutgers at 11 a.m. Feb. 12
vs. Long Beach State at 11 a.m. Feb. 13