LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reigning national champion Redlands tops a strong field for the 2027 NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP, which will be held March 5-7 at the South Commons Softball Complex in Columbus, Ga.
The Bulldogs went 48-6 this past spring and swept defending titlist Trine in the best-of-three Division III championship series in June to capture their first NCAA crown in just their second World Series appearance. Redlands had finished tied for fifth in its first trip to the finals site in 2025, after winning the NFCA Leadoff title earlier that season.
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The past three Leadoff champions are all in this year’s 17-team tournament field, including reigning titlist Berry and 2024 winner Linfield, which joined Redlands in advancing to the final eight in Salem, Va. Berry went 30-15 last year and fell in the NCAA regional round, while the Wildcats were 43-8, winning regional and super regional crowns.
In all, the tournament features 10 teams that played in the NCAA tournament last season. Central, Denison, Emory, Huntington, Illinois Wesleyan, Middlebury and Pacific Lutheran are the seven not already mentioned above. Those 10 teams alone combined to win more than 72 percent of their games in 2026.
Berry, Denison, Emory, Huntingdon, LaGrange, Maryville, Pacific Lutheran and Stevens all competed in last year’s Leadoff. The remaining 2027 tournament teams are Asbury, Eastern, Emmanuel and SUNY Purchase.
All teams are scheduled to play six games in the tournament, with two games each day. This will be the 13th Division III Leadoff — including the fifth straight, and seventh in the past nine editions, held at South Commons. This will also be the ninth Leadoff contested in the state of Georgia. The event has also been played twice each in Tucson, Ariz. (2018, 2020), Panama City Beach, Fla. (2007, 2010), and LaGrange, Ga. (2001, 2004).
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Leadoff Classic tournaments, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
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