College softball

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College softball
Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets Softball - 51999676764.jpg
A NCAA Division III softball game in 2022
Governing body
List
First played1930s
Club competitions

College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.

Contents

As with other intercollegiate sports, most college softball in the United States is played under the auspices of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Over 600 NCAA member colleges are sponsors of women's softball programs. The women's softball championships are held in Division I, Division II, and Division III. The NCAA publishes the rules of play, while each sanctioning body supervises season-ending tournaments.

The final rounds of the NCAA tournaments are known as the Women's College World Series (WCWS); one is held on each of the three levels of competition sanctioned by the NCAA. The Division I Women's College World Series is held annually in June at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City near the site of the National Softball Hall of Fame.

History

Franklin High School junior team of Seattle, in 1914 Franklin hs junior softball team 1914.jpg
Franklin High School junior team of Seattle, in 1914

Many early intercollegiate women’s softball games were part of play days or informal tournaments. The Midwest, particularly Wisconsin, played a pivotal role in the early development of women’s intercollegiate softball during the 1930s. [1] The first WCWS was held in 1969 in Omaha, Nebraska, sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association and the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports. [2] [3] The first under NCAA auspices was held in 1982. [4]

In 2004 the International Softball Federation (ISF) held the first World University Softball Championship just two months after the 2004 Olympic competition. [5] It was an eight country championship, with Team USA defeating Chinese Taipei for the gold medal. [6] In 2006 the Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) held the second World University Softball Championship in Taiwan, [6] and in 2007 softball was added to the World University Games of FISU. [5] [7]

Junior college softball

The National Junior College Athletic Association was founded on May 14, 1938. [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hartman, Chris. ""Health and Fun Shall Walk Hand in Hand": The First 100 Years of Women's Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison" (PDF). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  2. ↑ Mary L. Littlewood (1998). Women's Fastpitch Softball - The Path to the Gold, An Historical Look at Women's Fastpitch in the United States (first ed.). National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Columbia, Missouri. pp. 145, 208. ISBN   0-9664310-0-6.
  3. ↑ Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  4. ↑ Softball - DI Championship History on NCAA.com
  5. 1 2 "International Softball Federation - ISF Timeline". Archived from the original on 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
  6. 1 2 "Softball 2006". Archived from the original on 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
  7. ↑ "MA News: The Chinese Taipei Softball Team Sets Its Sight on the 2007 Bangkok Universiade". June 1, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
  8. ↑ "History of the NJCAA". NJCAA. Retrieved 2018-05-06.

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