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The National Collegiate Softball Federation (NCSF) announced today that starting January 1, 2020, Division I, II, III and NAIA college softball players will be able to compete for six years instead of the current four years of eligibility.
There will not be a red-shirt year available, however, even for injuries of athletes who currently receive a medical red-shirt year. This was the major concession for those driving the legislation. The two extra years of playing time that will be covered by scholarships were part of a compromise to further the proposal into ratification.
According to a spokesman for the NCSF, the drive to add two extra years was primarily because of the costs necessary to cover extra school years, as more softball athletes are taking five to six years to complete their undergraduate degree.
If the athlete is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in four years, this will allow them to get going an extra two years on scholarship to get a Master’s Degree. Many coaches are in favor of additional degree to get the athletes a leg up in their career fields.
Previous Graduates Can Return
The biggest surprise of the newly passed legislation is that those who competed in the previous four-year window of eligibility can now return to their universities to play an additional two years.
For example, Lisa Fernandez and Cat Osterman will now be able to return to the circle to pitch for UCLA and Texas, respectively, if they desire.
In theory, Monica Abbott could be in the same pitching rotation as current freshman standout Ashley Rogers and Lauren Haeger and Kelly Barnhill could be caught once again by Aubree Munro. And last year’s World Series hero, Jessie Warren, could return to Florida State’s infield next spring and try to get a second ring with the Seminoles.
Many feel this will allow the sport to increase attendance and revenues as “legends of the game” will join the line-up with current stars.
Postseason Time Limited to Specific Days
However, players returning to their schools instead of simply extending active careers will be limited in their postseason playing time, only eligible to take the field for their team in games played on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
May coaches across the nation are excited to have their college athletes for a longer time to help bring continuity and success to their programs as they can work with the players longer.
Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Gerry Glasco expressed excitement at the extended eligibility legislation, saying, “We are ecstatic about the opportunities that this could give our program. The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better!”
Blue- and Green-Shirts Replacing Red-Shirts
There will be a new learning curve for those in the game, as the returning fifth- and sixth-year players will be said to be “blue shirt” and “green shirt” seniors. One additional portion of the proposal specifies that all blue- and green-shirt players must physically wear their appropriately-colored shirts over their uniforms during games.
Once the first pitch is thrown by the returning players in an official game, their two-year clock of “return eligibility” will begin.
“These new changes are an amazing turn of events for the game of softball!” believes Justin McLeod, Extra Inning Softball’s College Correspondent and creator of popular site JustinsWorldOfSoftball.com.
“How great will it be to see Jennie Finch facing Rachel Garcia, and Jennie Ritter back in the Maize and Blue at Michigan, for instance! What a great opportunity for active players to get to learn first-hand from legends of the game. From a media perspective, I am excited to see what transpires from today’s announcement.”
Increased Number of Scholarships
To accommodate this, the NCSF will push for a vote to allow the number of scholarship athletes on a Div. I, II, III or NAIA team to be at 30 per team. Critics of the legislation say this will only lead to more transfers and lack of roster stability.
Back In the Olympics
One other benefit, supporters of the legislation say, is it will ensure the sport will be back in the Olympic Games starting in the 2024 Paris Games and will never, ever, ever be bumped for recreational activities miscategorized as “sport” like Breakdancing.
And, oh, by the way, Happy April Fool’s Day… in case you didn’t realize it, all the above was us pulling your leg—which you may have picked up on from the opening sentence from the fictional “National Collegiate Softball Federation.”
But it did create a lively discussion internally with us as to how legendary hurlers Monica, Cat and Lisa would do against today’s hitters—we think they’d be as dominant as they were in their own time period… and that’s no joke!