COVID-19: Where are we now?
Announcements are continuing to be made regarding softball (and all collegiate athletics) at all levels of play. High school and travel programs, as well as community initiatives, have been announcing their plans to ensure player safety in the wake of COVID-19, while collegiate governing bodies have been laying out plans for softball (and all its sports) after the pandemic. On this page, please find the most current information that we have regarding all levels of play. While we know the world has more pressing issues than the game of softball, we are committed to keeping you informed and aware when we hear "play ball," we will all be able to share in the passion of the greatest game on Earth.
NCAA DI | NCAA DII | NCAA DIII | NAIA
NJCAA | Cal JC | NWAC | High School | Travel Ball
College General
Sport Sponsorship & Competitive Changes Amid COVID-19
NCAA General
NCAA Eligibility Center recently extended COVID-19 relief to students graduating from high school during the upcoming 2021-22 school year. CLICK HERE FOR FAQ
Two-Year College Student Transfer Best Practices
Suspended application of Academic Progress Rate penalties for two years
COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group
NAIA General
Two-Year College General
Two-Year College Student Transfer Best Practices
COVID-19 Guidelines and Recommendations (NJCAA)
NCAA Division I
REMINDER: Division I is in a recruiting DEAD PERIOD through May 31, 2021. A dead period precludes all in-person recruiting. Phone calls and correspondence can continue to occur. All sports will return to their regular recruiting calendars on June 1.
April 15 - All Division I sports will return to their regular recruiting calendars beginning June 1. The Division I Council approved the return to recruiting activities during its videoconference this week. READ MORE
April 14 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 or 2022-23 academic years and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
March 29 - Preliminary-round sites will be predetermined for the 2021 Division I Softball Championship. Deadline to submit bids is April 12.
March 24 - The Division I Council provided a waiver allowing college athletes to participate in limited competition with other collegiate opponents without using a season of eligibility if their schools and or conferences cancel or suspend spring sport seasons. READ MORE
Feb. 17 - The Division I Council extended the recruiting dead period for all sports through May 31. As part of the vote, members also committed to providing clarity on plans for the transition back to recruiting calendars, including potential modifications for the return to in-person recruiting activity, no later than April 15. READ MORE
Sept. 16 - Division I Council approved a package of proposals to move the 2020 fall championships to the spring of 2021. The recommendations now go to the Division I Board of Directors for approval. READ MORE
Sept. 16 - Division I Council approved that Division I student-athletes will not practice and compete, among other countable athletically related activities, on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 every year, including the upcoming Election Day on Nov. 3. READ MORE
May 13 - The Committee on Academics made two adjustments to the Academic Performance Program as a result of the group’s holistic review of the program. READ MORE
May 6 - Division I Council Coordination Committee approved three blanket waiver requests made by several Division I conferences late last month and adjusted recruiting regulations to allow for more flexibility during the dead period. READ MORE
April 30 - Mandatory bat barrel compression testing for Division I competition delayed to spring 2022. READ MORE
April 17- High school students intending to play NCAA Division I or II sports whose final semesters of their senior year were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic will have several pathways to meet the NCAA’s initial-eligibility requirements this year. READ MORE
Get up-to-the-minute NCAA Legislation information on eligibility, scholarships, countable activity, and more in this Question and Answer Guide. Weekly updates will be made to this document.
NCAA Division II
April 14 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 or 2022-23 academic years and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
DII membership voted to eliminate the nonqualifier status and allow all college-bound student-athletes access to athletics aid and practice through the partial qualifier status (Effective Aug. 1). READ MORE
Feb. 5 - The Management Council approved changes to the format and the dates of selection and regional competition for the Division II 2021 softball championships. 2021 Championships will consist of one round of regional competition to advance to the finals, eliminating the super-regional round. READ MORE
Jan 15, 2021 - NCAA DII adopted legislation permitting schools to provide athletics aid and access to practice to all incoming freshman student-athletes and two-year college transfers regardless of initial eligibility status. READ MORE
Aug. 21 - The NCAA DII Presidents Council approved a measure that would prohibit schools from reducing or canceling athletics aid for student-athletes who decide by October 1 not to participate during the 2020-21 academic year. READ MORE
August 14 - Division II sports resume their normal recruiting calendars Sept. 1. READ MORE
July 29 - The Division II Administrative Committee continued providing scheduling flexibility for all Division II sports for the 2020-21 academic year as a response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
July 22 - Division II student-athletes will not be charged with the use of a season for the 2020-21 academic year if their team can complete only 50% or less of the sport’s maximum contests/dates of competition because their season is canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
May 19 - The NCAA Division II Presidents Council approved changes to the maximum number of contests (44 for softball) and dates of competition, minimum number of contests for sports sponsorship, and minimum number of contests for championships selection for the 2020-21 academic year only, as a result of the financial impact of COVID-19. READ MORE
May 14 - The Division II Administrative Committee approved a blanket waiver for the 2019-20 academic year regarding progress-toward-degree requirements for all continuing Division II student-athletes due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
April 30 - Division II softball teams will still be required to do regular-season bat testing by spring 2022. READ MORE
The Division II Administrative Committee also published the following information regarding transfers:
"The committee recommended providing the enforcement staff additional authority to address COVID-19-related challenges with the NCAA Transfer Portal and permission-to-contact violations. For example, schools that fail to provide permission to contact within the legislated time frame of 14 consecutive calendar days may temporarily be granted flexibility from normal enforcement penalties. Student-athletes still automatically would be granted permission to contact by default. Also, for violations of contacting a student-athlete who does not have permission to contact, staff will have flexibility to apply enhanced enforcement penalties for tampering."
NCAA Division III
NCAA Division III championships in fall sports for 2020-21 have been canceled. READ MORE
Oct. 21 - Management council recommends blanket waiver for all DIII student-athletes READ MORE
Sept. 15 - The Division III Championships Committee recommended that winter and spring 2021 national championship brackets and field sizes not exceed 75% of their standard capacity. READ MORE
July 9 - Division III student-athletes will not be charged with participation for the 2020-21 season if their team can complete only 50% or less of the sport’s maximum contests/dates of competition due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE
July 1 - Membership Committee statement on return to sports READ MORE
May 8 - The Division III Administrative Committee approved a recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to cancel championships banquets and move all sport committee meetings to digital platforms for the 2020-21 academic year. READ MORE
April 30 - Division III softball teams will still be required to do regular-season bat testing by spring 2022. READ MORE
The Division III Administrative Committee approved measures giving schools additional flexibility when it comes to student-athletes, as well as participation and membership requirements.
The Division III measures approved on Friday, March 13, include an additional semester and season of eligibility for all student-athletes participating in spring sports, the removal of a minimum threshold of sponsored spring sports, and the flexibility for schools to assist students with travel, lodging and meals as a result of campus displacement.
In Division III, student-athletes have 10 semesters or 15 quarters to get in four seasons of participation. With this move by the committee, the 2020 spring semester will not count toward their 10 semesters or four seasons.
No actions were taken with regard to additional recruiting restrictions, as Division III does not have specific recruiting periods.
NAIA
Nov. 4 - COVID-19 screening enhancements READ MORE
July 28 - NAIA Council of Presidents voted to postpone the national championships in cross country, men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's volleyball to spring 2021. READ MORE
In their March 16, 2020 announcement that NAIA would be canceling all spring sport championships, the association also made an immediate statement concerning student-athlete eligibility:
"In an effort to provide relief, no spring sport student-athlete will be charged a season of competition. Any spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled full-time in 2020 will be awarded two additional semester terms of attendance or the equivalent."
NJCAA Cal JC | NWAC
Two-Year College Student Transfer Best Practices
Dec. 3 - California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) will forgo formalized 2020-21 CCAA conference schedules and championships for all winter/spring sports. READ MORE
Oct. 22 (NJCAA) - All 2020-21 NJCAA sport seasons will not count towards student-athlete eligibility. The eligibility relief is provided to all NJCAA student-athletes regardless of sport season participation in the 2020-21 academic year. READ MORE
July 9 (NWAC) - Announced plan to move majority of sports to winter and spring quarters. READ MORE
July 9 (CCCAA) -Board of Directors announced contingency plan for return to sports. All sports will have a 30 percent reduction to maximum number of contests and the softball season will be held April 10-June 23. READ MORE
July 9 (NJCAA) - Announced majority of competition will be moved to the spring semester of 2021. READ MORE
NWAC Return to Play (6/24)
Path for 2020-21 NJCAA Sports (6/19)
CCCAA COVID-19 Working Group Update (6/5)
May 11 - The NJCAA, with support from the Board of Regents. has made the decision to lift the current in-person recruiting ban, effective 11:59 p.m. local time on Friday, May 15 for all sports. With the dead period lifted from the National Offfice, individual regions are permitted to implement rules and restrictions as necessary and in accordance with state and local regulations. Otherwise it is a college-by-college decision to enforce necessary rules regarding recruitment.
Regarding eligibility for spring sports, no spring sport student-athlete who was enrolled at an NJCAA or CCCAA member college in 2020 will be charged a year of participation.
The NJCAA will explore the opportunity to expand allowable Letters of Intent for spring sports for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years under the recommendation of the NJCAA Eligibility Committee.
Junior college transfers who will be enrolling on NCAA Division I institutions in the fall of 2020 will NOT immediately be given an additional year of eligibility. Those NCAA institutions WILL need to follow specific procedures to have an extra year of eligibility granted to junior college transfers.
High School
Current high school student-athletes with the goal of playing at the collegiate level should register for the Eligibility Center’s upcoming webinar on May 13. This webinar is focused specifically on what high school student-athletes need to know and do in order to be eligible to play once they step foot on campus. Please encourage students and their families to register: on.ncaa.com/Web_05132021
April 14 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 or 2022-23 academic years and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
Oct. 23 - Sports seasons modifications update.
Aug. 17 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
July 10 - Georgia High School Association special cosiderations and softball rules modifications READ MORE
April 17 NCAA Update - High school students intending to play NCAA Division I or II sports whose final semesters of their senior year were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic will have several pathways to meet the NCAA’s initial-eligibility requirements this year. READ MORE
While high school decisions vary greatly from one community and state to the next, the NFCA is providing the most up-to-date information possible through this interactive map (click on image). If you have updates for your respective area, please send them to Joni Schmidt (NFCA High School Liaison).
If you are in doubt of the best practices for your organization during this time, we encourage you to follow the CDC guidelines, available below.
Travel Ball
April 14 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 or 2022-23 academic years and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
Aug. 17 - Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 academic year and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. READ MORE
Travel ball is in a unique situation with no overarching governing body. To protect your student-athletes, we recommend that CDC guidelines (linked above) and high school association shutdowns are strictly followed.
The NFCA has compiled the below relevant and accurate information for you to refer to as you navigate these waters:
