| College softball | |
|---|---|
 A NCAA Division III softball game in 2022 | |
| Governing body | |
| First played | 1930s |
| Club competitions | |
College softball issoftball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions ofhigher education, predominantly in theUnited States. College softball is normally played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereascollege baseball is normally played by men.
As with other intercollegiate sports, most college softball in the United States is played under the auspices of theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Over 600 NCAA member colleges are sponsors of women's softball programs. The women's softball championships are held inDivision I,Division II, andDivision 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 theWomen'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 atUSA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium inOklahoma City near the site of theNational Softball Hall of Fame.
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 theAmateur Softball Association and theDivision for Girls' and Women's Sports.[2][3] The first under NCAA auspices was held in 1982.[4]
In 2004 theInternational Softball Federation (ISF) held the first World University Softball Championship just two months after the2004 Olympic competition.[5] It was an eight country championship, withTeam USA defeating Chinese Taipei for the gold medal.[6] In 2006 theFédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) held the second World University Softball Championship in Taiwan,[6] and in 2007 softball was added to theWorld University Games of FISU.[5][7]
TheNational Junior College Athletic Association was founded on May 14, 1938.[8]
Softball at the:
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| Division I |
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| Division II |
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| Division III |
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| Single-division or National Collegiate sports and championships |
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| Litigation | ||
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| NAIA |  | ||||||
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| Sports and championships |
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