We continue our list of the Top 15 Softball Stories of 2020, which will run through December 31st when we’ll present our No. 1 story of the year.
Here are the previous stories (clink on link to read):
- #15… NCAA Allows College Athletes to Be Compensated for “Their Name, Image & Likeness”
- #14… The Emotional Tribute for Texas Tech Signee Jaycee Hamlin
- #13… Two USC Union College Teammates Killed in Car Accident by Drunk Driver
- #12… USA Stand Beside Her Tour… Great Start for Team USA’s Barnstorming Event
- #11… The Scrap Yard Dawgs Tweet Controversy & the Quick Dissolution of the Pro Team
- #10… Maggie Bowle’s Softball Career Was Short… but Her Legacy Lives On
- #9… The Explosive Growth & Impact of AthletesGoLive
- #8… How Softball Recruiting Morphed in the Year of the Coronavirus Pandemic
- #7… Athletes Unlimited’s New Pro Model
- #6… The Florida Gulf Coast League – A Big Success in Season #1
- #5… The Alliance Fastpitch Creation Adds New Dynamic to Travel Ball
- #4… PGF & Perfect Game Partner to Create “PG Softball”
We’ve surveyed the softball community and talked internally as well to come up with what were the most impactful and relevant stories of the year pertaining to the world of fastpitch softball.
Where applicable, we are providing the text to the original articles and/or references when the story first happened.
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2019
- Click Here to see the Top 15 Stories of 2018
To provide comments, insights or thoughts, email: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
Today’s story…
#3: With the cancellation of much of the college spring seasons, the NCAA made a surprising announcement in March: players could have an extra year of competition. That sounds great in theory, but in reality, it raised additional questions and concerns. Quickly, top players, especially seniors at top programs, began announcing they’d be coming back; at some Top 25 programs there were as many as a half dozen or more who said they’d play that extra year and with incoming freshmen added to the mix, some universities quickly saw they’d have more than 30 on a roster! And many wondering how this would impact recruiting down the road, especially for those in classes like 2022 and ’23.
Here is a sampling of the articles we had on the story, in chronological order, including a three-part series where we asked those in the softball community what their thoughts and concerns were on the subject…
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Breaking News: NCAA Will Grant Extra Year of Eligibility for Spring Sport Athletes
Originally published Mar. 13, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
The whirlwind that has been caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) leading to the cancellations of the Women’s College World Series and the rest of the 2020 season in many conferences has taken another twist today.
After lobbying from influential softball figures such as Heather Tarr, the head coach of the University of Washington and even heavily supported online petitions (see our article earlier today titled “Softball & the Coronavirus: Where Are We After the Last Two Days?”), it looks like the NCAA is willing to give an extra year of eligibility to athletes in spring sports, including softball.
Within the hour, the NCAA tweeted the following:
Division I Council Coordination Committee agrees eligibility relief is appropriate for spring sports: pic.twitter.com/u7hwYOyTDV
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) March 13, 2020
Additionally, the NCAA reported on its site today the following:
NCAA to allow eligibility relief for Division I student-athletes who participated in spring sports
The NCAA released the following statement Friday, announcing eligibility relief was found to be appropriate for student-athletes who participated in spring sports this year:
Council leadership agreed that eligibility relief is appropriate for all Division I student-athletes who participated in spring sports. Details of eligibility relief will be finalized at a later time. Additional issues with NCAA rules must be addressed, and appropriate governance bodies will work through those in the coming days and weeks.
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Widely-esteemed basketball writer Jeff Goodman tweeted today that it’s going to happen (and also that the NCAA could release a 68-team 2020 Men’s Basketball Championship bracket).
Players in spring sports get another year of eligibility.
NCAA looking into what to do with those who played winter sports. https://t.co/7YXwFpV4pM
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 13, 2020
Jenna West of Sports Illustrated has also confirmed the report in her piece today:
The NCAA reportedly plans to grant spring student athletes relief for a season of eligibility after canceling winter and spring championships due to coronavirus https://t.co/3rCmjOVIPc
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 13, 2020
More to come on this breaking story…
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Breaking News: NCAA Grants Eligibility for Student-Athletes Impacted by COVID-19 (Schools Make the Decisions)
Originally published Mar. 30, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
For the last week, there had been some doubt if the NCAA would allow athletes impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to have the choice to compete an extra year. Or if it would be just seniors, if allowed at all.
The answer came Monday afternoon: a lot of the decisions will be left up to the individual institutions. You can bet this will become the subject of a lot of discussion (and debate!) in the months to come!
Here’s the NCAA’s official release:
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Division I Council extends eligibility for student-athletes impacted by COVID-19
Schools can authorize an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility
The Division I Council on Monday voted to allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility.
Members also adjusted financial aid rules to allow teams to carry more members on scholarship to account for incoming recruits and student-athletes who had been in their last year of eligibility who decide to stay. In a nod to the financial uncertainty faced by higher education, the Council vote also provided schools with the flexibility to give students the opportunity to return for 2020-21 without requiring that athletics aid be provided at the same level awarded for 2019-20. This flexibility applies only to student-athletes who would have exhausted eligibility in 2019-20.
Schools also will have the ability to use the NCAA’s Student Assistance Fund to pay for scholarships for students who take advantage of the additional eligibility flexibility in 2020-21.
Division I rules limit student-athletes to four seasons of competition in a five-year period. The Council’s decision allows schools to self-apply waivers to restore one of those seasons of competition for student-athletes who had competed while eligible in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 spring season
The Council also will allow schools to self-apply a one-year extension of eligibility for spring-sport student-athletes, effectively extending each student’s five-year “clock” by a year. This decision was especially important for student-athletes who had reached the end of their five-year clock in 2020 and saw their seasons end abruptly.
“The Council’s decision gives individual schools the flexibility to make decisions at a campus level,” said Council chair M. Grace Calhoun, athletics director at Penn. “The Board of Governors encouraged conferences and schools to take action in the best interest of student-athletes and their communities, and now schools have the opportunity to do that.”
Winter sports were not included in the decision. Council members declined to extend eligibility for student-athletes in sports where all or much of their regular seasons were completed.
The Council also increased the roster limit in baseball for student-athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the only spring sport with such a limit.
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Breaking News: Wisconsin Won’t Allow Spring Sport Seniors to Return in 2021
Originally published Apr. 9, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
According to today’s Wisconsin State Journal, the University of Wisconsin will not allow spring sports seniors to return for another season of competition in 2021.
In a statement released by the athletic department Thursday, Wisconsin said that it had “made the decision to not pursue waivers that would extend the eligibility of our senior student-athletes,” according to a statement from the athletic department. “Student-athletes in their fourth year of eligibility have concluded their careers with us.”
Part of the school’s reasons was that a “substantial percentage of the seniors that were eligible to return under the NCAA’s waiver are schedule to graduate before next spring.”
The Badgers have close to three dozen seniors in 10 sports including softball. Head Coach Yvette Healy’s softball roster lists five seniors—pitcher Caroline Hedgcock; infielder/DP Kayla Konwent; pitcher Kaitlyn Menz; infielder Jordan Little; and outfielder Heather Rudnicki and one graduate student, Stephanie Lombardo.
On his monthly radio show in Wisconsin yesterday, Alvarez told WIBA-AM listeners that “What we tried to do was encourage our seniors to go ahead and, if you’re going to graduate, graduate and move on with your life. We appreciate everything that you’ve done. But move forward. The future is in question, and we can’t promise you anything.”
The NCAA Division I Council had voted and announced its ruling on March 30 that college athletes who had this year’s seasons cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic could have a year of eligibility restored. However, the NCAA left it up to the schools if they wanted to provide the financial aid that would allow the seniors to return while also dealing with the complexities of having new freshmen come in this fall and count towards the number and dollar amount of scholarship.
Wisconsin is the first Power 5 Conference school to announce that its seniors that they will not be allowed to return and make up the lost time because of the premature end to the spring sports seasons in 2020.
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Topical Issue (Part I): What Will Be the Impact of the Extra Year of College Eligibility?
Originally published Aug. 24, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
On Friday (Aug. 21, 2020), the NCAA Div. I Board of Governors granted an extra year of eligibility for those that participate in fall sports and whose seasons were canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This is similar to when the NCAA voted in March to “allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility.”
It also gives the college institutions the ability to increase rosters above their present scholarship limits taking into consideration incoming signees and seniors expected to leave (those who would have completed their eligibility in 2019-2020.
So what does this mean for softball?
When the opportunity to return for seniors became a possibility, many current collegians jumped at the chance.
At Oklahoma, the trio of seniors in Giselle Juarez, Nicole Mendes and Shannon Saile issued a joint statement via Twitter saying they would be back:
#2021 pic.twitter.com/mSf49wC0bF
— nicole mendes (@nicole_mendes_) April 3, 2020
That can be great to have standout players return to a program when it was thought they would be leaving due to graduation, but it can also pose logistical challenges: at Alabama, for example, all seven seniors on the roster, including talents like Bailey Hemphill, Elissa Brown and Oregon transfer Alexis Mack, indicated they were interested in returning.
With five freshman signees from last November joining the Tide’s team, that would put Pat Murphy’s roster at 25. In a teleconference with the media last spring he admitted, as reported by the Tuscaloosa News: “That would be the largest roster we have ever had. The SEC has a travel roster of 22 and the NCAA has a travel roster of 20 for regionals and postseason. There would be a lot of issues with that.”
We'll see you next year at Rhoads Stadium🥎
All of us🤝#BamaSB #RollTide pic.twitter.com/hqMhBiWcOM— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) May 4, 2020
At Arizona, all six members of the Wildcats’ senior class announced in April they would be returning including stars such as Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, Jessie Harper and Mariah Lopez, which gives Head Coach Mike Candrea a loaded roster but comes at the “cost estimate of $600,000 to keep them around,” per an article on Tucson.com.
Arizona softball seniors Jessie Harper and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza informed the media during a Zoom chat this afternoon that they plan on returning to play for the Wildcats next year after having their season cut short last month. pic.twitter.com/DV9QQpqGts
— GOAZCATS.com (@GOAZCATScom) April 13, 2020
There is, understandably, a wide array of opinions on the subject at all levels.
It sounds great for players, coaches and fans of these and other universities, but we also know of Power 5 conference players who wanted to return and were told there wasn’t roster space and/or financial aid available to them.
DI coaches have told us privately they are stressed because they have as many as 30 players potentially on their rosters if all that wanted to return did so along with incoming recruiting classes as big as 10 or more signees.
One college coach at a Top 25 program told Extra Inning Softball, “We’ve had to sit down some seniors who wanted to come back and say, frankly, it’d be best for you to move on with your post-playing career as we don’t have room for you.”
Recruits are nervous and justifiably so with the uncertainty of joining a team loaded with older and more experienced players.
For the high school grads now and in the near future, this adds another complicating factor after they’ve had to deal with the recruiting rule change that was implemented in April of 2018 (no early recruiting), as well as the implementation of the transfer portal and now eligibility granted to all college players.
One championship-winning travel ball coach told us this summer: “Many of the current ‘20’s, ‘21’s, ‘22s and even ‘23s have dedicated their lives and countless dollars for the same four-year experience. As I talk to college coaches, they all want to honor verbal commitments (to recruits) and that’s great, but in doing so along with giving all players the chance to return.”
“Coaches are saying the uncommitted 2021s and 2022s will suffer as there’s simply not as much room to recruit. It’s quite disheartening. Even the kids that do get recruited now have essentially five classes of players to compete against and are facing larger roster sizes, less travel and tighter budgets. And, of course, less playing time.”
“No one has really voiced concern for these kids who also lost most, if not all of, their high school seasons. They didn’t get to play 26-30 games like college athletes did. Who’s looking out for their interests?”
At Extra Inning, we have spoken to dozens of college coaches, current college players, signed recruits, club coaches and prospective student-athletes (PSAs) about their feelings on the subject of an extra year of eligibility granted to collegiate players (again, this isn’t just for seniors but for underclassmen as well).
Over the next couple of days, we’ll provide their thoughts with some on the record and some requesting anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject.
If you would like to share your opinion on the pros and cons of the extra year of college ability email me at brentt.eads@extrainningsoftball.com and indicate if you’d like your name to be included or not.
Tomorrow: Part II including those who love it… and others who are not so sure…
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
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Topical Issue (Part II): What Will Be the Impact of the Extra Year of College Eligibility… Coach & Parent Perspectives
Originally published Aug. 25, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
On Monday, we began our three-part series asking “What will be the Impact of the Extra Year of College Eligibility?”
We asked dozens of players, parents and coaches what they thought of the eligibility decision from when NCAA voted in March to “allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility.”
Today, we get the coaches and parents’ perspective…. Tomorrow, we’ll reveal what many current college and future college players said!
If you would like to share your opinion on the pros and cons of the extra year of college eligibility, email brentt.eads@extrainningsoftball.com and indicate if you’d like your name to be included or not…
Coming tomorrow: the players’ input….
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TJ Goelz (Head Coach of Tampa Mustangs 18U – TJ)
I have mixed feelings. I have former and current players in all ages in college and high school so I have seen the effects first-hand. I am happy for the college seniors, after experiencing what my high school team just did and our 10 seniors losing all that they lost (in the cancelled season). Sentimentally, I was happy for them.
Overall, though, I don’t like the decision. This awful experience is something everyone has had to go through. Granting a reprieve for the college players creates multiple ongoing issues going forward. Sentimentally… yes; business decision… no. Rip off the Band-Aid and let it heal.
I believe this will cause all kinds of questions and complications, now, not for just one year but for many. The 2020-2023 players’ paths, and perhaps partially why they chose where they chose, has been altered and I think there will be ongoing implications from this for many years.
As a fan of the game and as a competitor, you have five classes of athletes in school now instead of four and that should produce some competitive rosters and some great softball.
I think we will see redshirts increase for the 2020 class, I think we will see decommits, money changes, offers pulled for 2021 class, and I think the 2022s and 2023s will be re-thinking their paths. Don’t think the offers will change Sept. 1st for the top tier 2022s or the following Sept. 1 for the 2023s, but the next two tiers, they will certainly be much more patient on.
All and all , I think this will also cause an expansion of the transfer portal and many more players entering it. Coaches will allocate/leave money for transfers each year. Coaches will also budget in scholarship reductions and transfers out. Rosters could be bigger and good players will play and be found at all levels.
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A parent of a 2022 Top 100 player committed to a Power 5 university:
My heart goes out to the college students affected, but why are they given special circumstance in comparison to high school students who lost their seasons too?
Why do high school students lose their season and also opportunities due to increased roster sizes with players that college coaches already have a relationship with?
How many college coaches will choose a recruit over a current player? College students have the opportunity to get 4 ½ years while current high school students lose a year at high school, much of their summer travel season and have a very different college experience, if they are lucky enough to be offered a spot.
They have already lived through the early recruiting rule changes; this hardly seems like a fair decision.”
*** Scroll down to read more from coaches and parents on what they like, and don’t like, about the extra year of college eligibility….
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Topical Issue (Part III): What Will Be the Impact of the Extra Year of College Eligibility… The Players Speak
Originally published Aug. 26, 2020 on Extra Inning Softball
On Monday, we introduced the first of our three-part series asking “What will be the Impact of the Extra Year of College Eligibility?”
We asked dozens of players, parents and club coaches what they thought of the eligibility decision from when NCAA voted in March to “allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility.”
Yesterday, we presented insights from several club coaches and softball parents.
We finish the series today with the opinions of current college and future college players.
If you would like to share your opinion on the pros and cons of the extra year of college eligibility, email me at brentt.eads@extrainningsoftball.com and we may use your submission!
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
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2021 verbal commitment:
When the news first came out, I was panicked because of not knowing now if the school I committed to, would be able to still have room for me. At this time the coaches are saying I am OK, but I don’t feel really comfortable with so much unknown.”
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SS Brooke Blankenship (2021, Wichita Mustangs, Florida State commit)
The extra year of eligibility has inspired me to work even harder because there will be more competition when I get to college. This makes me feel anxious to hear from my coaches.
Some of my teammates have gotten calls already and some of us are nervously waiting. I feel like there will be more pressure for us to perform, not only because we are committed but because now we are proving why they should keep us.
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P Becca Zawistowski (2022, PA Strikers 16U Premier, uncommitted):
I am happy the college seniors get a chance to go out on their own terms, although some do not have the option to do so unless they transfer. I think some players will choose to move on with their life and some will not get that chance because some schools will not give them a 5th year.
How this all impacts my class of 2022 is hard to say as I think it will impact each 2022 differently and will depend on the schools that they are interested in. It also depends on how coaches will want to manage their roster sizes and how many players make the choice to stay or leave. Some schools may decide to recruit one to two fewer players in each class over the next four years or drop a recruiting class altogether.
With the new eligibility rule, the only thing I may have to do (as a 2022) is expand my research of schools that I see as a great fit for me. I was focusing on 5-6 schools, but I know I need to add options, just in case. The good news is that this hard time has given me more time to make myself better – both physically and mentally. I believe we will be back on the field soon and when we are, I will be ready. I cannot wait to be back on the field with my Striker family.
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IF Elizabeth Nitka (Colgate University freshman):
I think the 5th year of eligibility granted to the seniors is a good idea. The seniors lost their last season and they deserve a chance to play one last time. With that being said, I know that means it’s going to be tough for the incoming freshman. But the 5th year of eligibility should just push the freshman to work harder and earn their spot on the field even more. A little friendly competition never hurt anybody!
As for next year, all I know is that the seniors were granted another year to play with their college team. Next season will be tough for the incoming freshman but I’m sure if we continue to work hard and have fun, it will all work out in the end! I think the best way to approach next year is with a positive attitude and lots of dedication to the sport.
*** Scroll down to read more player comments—pro and con—on the extra year of eligibility….
