20 Frequently Asked Questions About Extra Inning Softball Rankings

Every year, thousands of families, coaches, and organizations turn to Extra Inning Softball’s regional and national rankings to understand where their athletes stand — and how they can be recognized.

Evaluating players between the ages of twelve and eighteen, EIS has built a reputation as a trusted source in the softball community, with college coaches who trust our rankings and love our methodology.

But with that trust comes questions. How does the process actually work? What goes into a nomination? Why don’t rankings change once they’re published? Below, we break down the most common questions we hear about the rankings process, straight from how our committee actually evaluates athletes.

NOMINATIONS

Does my athlete need to be nominated to be ranked?
Yes. To be considered for any EIS ranking, athletes must be nominated, and every nominated player is evaluated by the rankings committee and becomes eligible for region and national rankings. You can submit a nomination directly on our site.

What is guaranteed once my athlete is nominated?
Every athlete who is nominated is guaranteed a region ranking and will be considered for national rankings. Results are published on our new leaderboard, complete with a photo and bio for each athlete.

Who can submit a nomination — does it have to be a coach?
Parents are welcome to submit nominations, though EIS encourages families to collaborate with the coach first to ensure the most accurate and complete submission.

What do I need to submit in order to nominate an athlete?
A complete nomination should include the athlete’s key information along with verified statistics — nominations require screenshots from GameChanger or another verified statistics platform to help maintain the integrity of the process.

Providing complete, accurate, and detailed information upfront gives the Rankings Committee the strongest foundation to work from during its evaluation. For a full breakdown of what’s required, visit our nomination criteria page.

How does Extra Inning Softball determine its rankings?
Every nominated athlete is evaluated through EIS’s proprietary SERV™ Methodology — Software, Evaluate, Research, and Verify. Software organizes and analyzes performance data, evaluation is conducted by the Rankings Committee and regional leaders, research builds a fuller picture of each athlete using additional sources, and verification confirms accuracy before rankings are finalized.

RANKINGS

Does it cost to have my athlete ranked?
There is no cost to having your athlete evaluated. However, due to the extensive time and resources it takes to evaluate athletes, we ask the community to support us through membership to Extra Inning Softball. Members have the ability to view rankings outcomes on our leaderboards.

Note that Extra Inning Softball also offers free MyEIS360 athlete profiles for paid members. These profiles allow each athlete to share all her recognition and accolades without requiring others to be a paid member to view it. This feature is launching in September 2026.

Who is behind the rankings?
Unlike some competitors who are owned by large organizations, Extra Inning Softball is an independent, family-owned company. We’ve built our team by hiring women who played and coached softball at the college level — collectively, our staff brings more than 71 years of playing experience to the evaluation process.

How long does the rankings process take?
Nominations are open for one month, and rankings are published roughly one month after that. During that window, the committee reviews nominations, statistics, schedules, tournament performance, video, recommendations, and additional research before finalizing rankings. You can view upcoming dates on our rankings schedule page.

Can athletes be added after rankings are published?
No. Once rankings are published, they remain final. While factual errors may occasionally require correction, athlete placements are not changed because of outside influence or public disagreement — consistency is essential to maintaining trust in the rankings process.

Does Extra Inning Softball offer position-specific rankings?
Yes. In addition to overall regional and national rankings, EIS evaluates athletes by position, giving families and coaches a clearer picture of how an athlete compares to others who play the same role — since a top-tier shortstop and a top-tier pitcher bring very different skill sets to the field.

Which regions does Extra Inning Softball provide rankings for?
EIS ranks athletes based on the state in which they reside, grouping states into defined regions across the country. Families and coaches can explore the full breakdown on our region map page.

Are rankings based only on statistics?
No. Statistics are an important part of the evaluation, but they’re only one piece of the overall picture. EIS also considers competition level, strength of schedule, athletic ability, positional impact, consistency, long-term projection, video evaluation, recommendations, and other supporting information submitted through the nomination process.

Why do EIS rankings differ from other companies?
Because methodologies vary between companies, ranking numbers should never be compared without understanding how they were determined. Families are encouraged to evaluate the process behind any rankings system — not just the final number.

Why doesn’t Extra Inning Softball use tied rankings?
Unlike other ranking services, EIS does not tie players, which helps avoid conflicts within the softball community among players, parents, and coaches. Every athlete earns an individual national ranking through the SERV™ Methodology and comprehensive evaluation process — every ranking represents months of research, discussion, verification, and collaboration.

How are the EIS National Rankings structured?
National Rankings are broken into three tiers: the Extra Elite 100 (rankings 1–100), the Extra Select 101–200, and the Extra Prospect 201–300. And within all three tiers, EIS does not use tied rankings — every athlete earns an individual placement, which helps avoid conflicts within the softball community among players, parents, and coaches, and ensures every ranking reflects months of research, discussion, verification, and collaboration.

Does a high stat line guarantee a high ranking?
Not on its own. EIS evaluates schedules, competition level, tournament participation, and performance history together, meaning a stat line is never evaluated in isolation.

How large is the evaluation network behind the rankings?
EIS collaborates with over 100 organizational leaders nationwide to help ensure accurate and comprehensive rankings.

How else can I get my athlete recognized by EIS?
Beyond the national and region rankings, EIS provides tournament performance rankings free of charge to tournament directors who want their athletes ranked for a specific event — giving those tournaments an added layer of recognition and helping athletes get noticed beyond the standard nomination cycle.

How are younger athletes currently evaluated?
Youngest athletes, including 8U and 12U, are evaluated for EIS’s three-tier Futures Watchlist — Futures Premier, Select, or Prospect — rather than receiving a numerical ranking at this stage.

What if I have more questions about the process?
Families and coaches can contact the Rankings Committee directly at rankings@extrainningssoftball.com with questions about the process, nomination requirements, or evaluation methodology.

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