LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NFCA welcomes 18 teams to Columbus, Ga. for the 2025 NFCA NJCAA Leadoff Classic, Feb. 21-23 at the South Commons Complex. The field is comprised of two of the three NJCAA national champions and a national runner-up from a season ago, along with four more programs that vied for a national title.

Headlining the field is NJCAA Division I champion Indian River State College and NJCAA Division III champion Patrick & Henry Community College. IRSC, which took home its second national title, won 57 contests, was the Division I’s preseason favorite and is off to a 4-0 start in 2025. P&HCC, Division III’s preseason No. 1, won the program’s first national crown last season and is 5-8 heading into this weekend.

Tournament Schedule (PDF) • Tournament Central  • Purchase Tickets

Division III’s runner-up and 2023 national champion North Dakota State College of Science is also in the field. The second-ranked Wildcats are 6-1-1 and will play two against P&HCC in a rematch of last year’s title game. Five of the six Division II programs – No. 4 Jones College, No. 7 Johnson County Community College, No. 9 Des Moines Area Community College, No. 11 Pearl River Community College and No. 13 Danville Area Community College – in the field are ranked.

Complete Schedule (PDF) | Purchase Tickets | Tournament Central

The tournament kicks off on Feb. 21 at 11 a.m. with three games, two of which feature nationally-ranked matchups – No. 1 Indian River (4-0) vs. No. 13 Danville Area (0-0) and No. 4 Jones (13-3) vs. No. 9 DMACC (2-0), along with Seminole State (12-1) against Southeastern Illinois 0-0).

Full listing of ranked matchups over the course of the three days are:

Friday
No. 9 DMACC vs. No. 4 Jones
No. 1 Indian River vs. No. 13 Danville Area
No. 7 Johnson County vs. No. 11 Pearl River
No. 11 Pearl River vs. No. 1 Indian River

Saturday
No. 13 Danville Area vs. No. 11 Pearl River
No. 1 Patrick & Henry vs. North Dakota SCS (2 games)
No. 13 Danville Area vs. No. 4 Jones
No. 5 Walter State vs. No. 1 Indian River
No. 1 Indian River vs. No. 7 Johnson County
No. 5 Walters State vs. No. 11 Pearl River
No. 7 Johnson County vs. No. 11 Gulf Coast State

Sunday
No. 2 North Dakota SCS vs. No. 5 Walters State
No. 11 Gulf Coast State vs. No. 5 Walters State

All teams will play five games over the three days and can be watched for free. Check out all the details on our tournament central page HERE.

2025 participating teams: Chipola College, Danville Area CC, Des Moines Area CC, Gulf Coast State College, Illinois Central College, Indian River State College, Johnson County CC, Jones College, Monroe University, North Dakota State College of Science, Patrick & Henry CC, Pearl River CC, Pellissippi State College, Roane State CC, Seminole State College of Florida, Southeastern Illinois College, Tallahassee State College, Walters State CC

The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) 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 webinars to awards, to in-person and virtual events, and a National Convention.

Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining over 7,000 coaches today!