Following the 2022 NJCAA Convention held April 11-15, the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Board of Regents passed a number of amendments to “enhance the national championship experience.”
As part of those amendments, changes were made to the championship structure for NJCAA D1 and D2 softball, as well as the playing dates for NJCAA D1-3.
The NJCAA DI and DII Softball Committees have approved proposals to expand the national tournaments to a 20-team bracket. The national tournaments will feature 16 automatic district qualifiers with four at-large selections. The new tournament format will add nine games and one additional day of competition to the national tournament.
While already ratified, the changes will not take effect until the 2024 season; that year, the NJCAA D1 championship will be held in Oxford, Alabama while the D2 tournament will be held in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Additionally, per an NJCAA press release, the NJCAA Softball Committees jointly approved a proposal to transition the number of allowable contests during the spring championship season from 30 dates to 60 games. Participating teams will also be permitted an additional four competition dates in the fall semester for a total of 14 dates. This proposal will take effect beginning with the 2022-23 academic year.
