It is about that time for conference play to begin in NCAA softball. This is when everything begins to get a little bit more serious. Every game matters even more than in preseason. You are playing for a spot in your conference’s postseason play. You need to be in that postseason tournament because you need to win the entire tournament in order to receive a birth to the NCAA Championships.
So, conference play is a very big deal. If you go to school in the south, or locations on the west coast, you will most likely play these very crucial games in warm, sunny weather. However, if you are of the majority of NCAA schools, game number one of league play will be anything but pleasant.
You will be bundled up in three layers of undergarments, have hand warmers in all pockets, and most likely be driving through snow flurries attempting to make a catch. Therefore, it is necessary that we start to consider softball as a fall sport for a few reasons.
1. March is unpredictable
Although some years, March is sunny with 50-degree temperatures and pleasant breezes, more often than not, there are still snowstorms, brisk temperatures, and extreme winds. Playing softball is supposed to be fun, but it is hard to enjoy the game when you are shaking uncontrollably and cannot feel your hands on the bat.
2. August and September are more predictable
Although temperatures do begin to get colder progressing into the school year, if the season began in late August and September, the majority of conference games would get to be played in warmer weather. This would be more pleasant for the players.
3. Post Season locations could be held in pre-determined warm locations
As the weather begins to get cooler in what would be the post-season, the NCAA could place the regional tournaments in the warmer locations. Already, there is a set location for the Women’s College World Series, so it would not require any major tournament changes.
4. Performance would increase.
The fewer distractions and uncontrollable hindrances there are in a softball game, the better the players will play. If they have to worry about how cold it is, or how it hurts when they hit, they are not going to be as successful as when they are warm, loose, and in the sun.
Teams already play games in the fall; so, its proven that it could work. With the in climate weather that always seems to plague preseason and conference play, moving the season would be a very viable option. Girls would not have to worry about hurting themselves because of tight, cold muscles. They would be able to feel their hands while batting, and their overall performance would be able to increase.
Moving the NCAA softball season to the fall would be safer, more pleasant, and increase the performance of players in all conferences and divisions throughout the entire country.
