The schedule for the final day of the 2025 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California, may include fewer games, but if the early contest between No. 4 UCLA and No. 14 Duke is any indication of what’s to come, the day won’t be boring.

Now that the Duke softball team has been to the NCAA Women’s College World Series, anything less than another trip might feel like a letdown for the Blue Devils.

Duke has been a rising star in the collegiate softball world since bursting onto the scene in 2018, and this is the first time in their history the Blue Devils are looking to improve on a season that ended at the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

The Duke softball team is coming off its first appearance at the NCAA Women’s College World Series, having quickly risen to the top tier of collegiate softball.

The Duke softball team has only been around since the 2018 season, but the program hasn’t wasted any time rising to national prominence.

Lenoir-Rhyne is coming off a memorable 2023 postseason run that saw the Bears advance to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division II Football Championship.

With five seconds remaining in Saturday’s game between Richmond and Campbell, there was potential disarray ahead for the Coastal Athletic Association Football standings, but Richmond kicker Brandon Peskin put an end to the whispers and speculation with a 36-yard game-winning field goal.

The North Carolina A&T football team had some growing pains in 2023, debuting in the Coastal Athletic Association with a new head coach.

Elon will open its 2024 season with a pair of nonconference road games close to home – at Duke and North Carolina Central – before a four-game homestand kicks off a string of 10 consecutive games that will be streamed live on FloFootball.

Campbell debuted in the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023, finishing in the middle of the pack as one of five teams with a 4-4 conference record. The Camels were 5-6 overall.

Sure, it’s still super early in the 2024 collegiate softball season, especially when it comes to conference play, but getting out to a good start can be crucial.

Campbell is new to the Coastal Athletic Association and immediately making its presence known in the conference’s softball standings. It’s early, but the Camels are 3-0 and tied for the top spot with UNCW and Elon.

On the cusp of a Coastal Athletic Association title last season, Elon baseball’s path to the top isn’t exactly getting any easier this year.

Having dominated its old league, Big South, over much of the past decade, Campbell baseball has sought a new frontier.

From being just a figment of imagination to twice being one round away from Oklahoma City, it’s safe to say it has been a wild decade for Duke softball.