Pair of NAIA Softball Programs Set to Begin Realignment Process to Join Division II

A pair of college softball programs are in line to begin the reclassification process from the NAIA to become NCAA Division II programs.

An announcement from the NCAA on Thursday noted that Thomas More University, the University of South Carolina Beaufort, and Westmont College have all been accepted into the reclassification process to eventually become full D2 members. The three-year process will begin for the schools with the 2022-23 academic year.

Thomas More (Crestview Hills, Kentucky) and USC Beaufort (Bluffton, South Carolina) both sponsor varsity softball programs; Westmont does not.

Division II’s full membership will stand at 296 programs during the 2022-23 academic year and will continue growing thereafter – in addition to the programs newly joining the reclassification process (not counted in the official membership roster), four other schools are at various stages in the same reclassification process, as well.

Noted in a USC Beaufort press release, “achieving full NCAA Division II membership typically takes three years, provided the athletic department successfully completes each phase of the membership process. The NCAA committee reviews each school in the process annually to determine if the institution should repeat any year or advance to the next year in the process. There is not a guarantee to move from one year to the next.”

Previously a Division III program before moving to the NAIA, Thomas More finished the 2022 softball season with a 17-29 overall record and an 11-20 conference record. In fourteen seasons under head coach Lindsay Eagan – who also serves as the Saints’ Senior Woman Administrator – the program boasts a 364-222 overall record. The Saints will continue competing against NAIA programs during the 2023 season before transitioning into membership in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in 2024.

USC Beaufort will boast dual membership in the NAIA and NCAA during the 2023 season. The Sand Sharks – who are coached by former South Carolina Gamecock Codee Yeske – will play a Peach Belt Conference (D2) schedule while maintaining membership in the NAIA’s independent conference and vying for an NAIA postseason tournament bid. The Sand Sharks finished the 2022 season with a 21-28 overall record, their first year with Yeske as head coach.