2023 NCAA Division I softball season College softball in the United States
The 2023 NCAA Division I softball season , play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 2023. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2023 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2023 Women's College World Series . The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA tournament and held annually in Oklahoma City at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium , ended in June 2023.
Realignment
Five schools began transitions from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1, 2022.[ 1]
A total of 17 softball-sponsoring schools changed conferences after the 2022 season.
Austin Peay , Belmont , and Murray State left the Ohio Valley Conference. Peay joined the ASUN,[ 2] and Belmont and Murray State joined the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).[ 3] [ 4]
Bryant and Mount St. Mary's left the NEC, respectively for the America East Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).[ 5] [ 6]
Hampton , Monmouth , North Carolina A&T , and Stony Brook joined the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA; since renamed the Coastal Athletic Association ). Hampton and A&T left the Big South Conference (the latter after only one season), Monmouth the MAAC, and Stony Brook the America East.[ 7] [ 8]
Hartford , which began a transition to NCAA Division III in the 2021–22 school year, left the America East to become an independent for 2022–23 before joining the D-III Commonwealth Coast Conference in 2023.[ 9]
James Madison , Marshall , Old Dominion , and Southern Miss joined the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). James Madison left the CAA, while the others left Conference USA (CUSA).[ 10] [ 11]
Lamar , which had announced it would leave the WAC to return to its former home of the SLC in 2023–24,[ 12] expedited this move to 2022–23.[ 13]
UIC left the Horizon League for the MVC.[ 14]
UT Arlington left the SBC for the WAC.[ 15]
Incarnate Word had announced plans to leave the SLC for the WAC after the 2022 season,[ 16] but days before that move was to take effect, the school announced it was staying in the SLC.[ 17]
The 2023 season was the last for 14 softball schools in their current conferences, as well as the aforementioned Hartford's only season as a D-I independent.
BYU , Houston , and UCF moved to the Big 12 Conference . BYU left the West Coast Conference , while the others left the American Athletic Conference (The American).[ 18] [ 19]
Campbell left the Big South for the CAA.[ 20]
Charlotte , Florida Atlantic , North Texas , UAB , and UTSA left CUSA for The American.[ 21]
Jacksonville State , Liberty , New Mexico State , and Sam Houston joined CUSA. Jacksonville State and Liberty left the ASUN, and New Mexico State and Sam Houston the WAC.[ 22]
Western Illinois left the Summit League for the Ohio Valley Conference .[ 23]
Other changes from 2022
Two Division I members, both sponsoring softball, adopted new names after the 2022 season. Neither school's nickname was affected.
Other headlines
On December 29, 2022, the Big West Conference announced it would add a softball tournament effective as early as the 2025 season.[ 26] The 2025 start date was later confirmed by a vote of the conference chancellors and presidents, with an official announcement in October 2023.[ 27]
Season outlook
Conference standings
2023 NCAA Division I softball independents standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Hartford
–
–
16
–
16
.500
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of April 27, 2023 Rankings from NFCA/USA Today
Awards
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year : Valerie Cagle , Clemson [ 66]
NFCA National Player of the Year : Skylar Wallace , Florida [ 67]
Softball America Player of the Year : Valerie Cagle , Clemson [ 68]
NFCA National Pitcher of the Year : Ashley Rogers, Tennessee
Softball America Pitcher of the Year : Montana Fouts , Alabama [ 69]
NFCA National Freshman of the Year : NiJaree Canady , Stanford [ 70]
Softball America Freshman of the Year : NiJaree Canady , Stanford [ 71]
Softball America Defensive Player of the Year : Grace Turk , Oklahoma [ 72]
NFCA Catcher of the Year : Terra McGowan, Oregon
NFCA Golden Shoe Award : Mihyia Davis, Louisiana
All-America Teams
The following players were members of the All-American Teams.[ 73]
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
See also
References
^ McLeod, Justin (July 1, 2022). "What July 1st Means for College Softball Realignment" . extrainningsoftball.com . Retrieved December 24, 2022 .
^ "ASUN Conference Welcomes Austin Peay State University as its Newest Member" (Press release). ASUN Conference. September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021 .
^ "Belmont to Join MVC in 2022–23" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. September 28, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022 .
^ "Murray State University Joins The Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022 .
^ "Bryant University to Join America East Conference as Newest Member Institution" (Press release). America East Conference. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022 .
^ "MAAC Welcomes Mount St. Mary's University as Newest Member Institution" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022 .
^ "CAA Welcomes Hampton University, Monmouth University and Stony Brook University as New Members" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022 .
^ "CAA Welcomes North Carolina A&T as Newest Member of the Conference" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022 .
^ "CCC Grants Full Membership to University of Hartford, Beginning Competition in 2023–24" (Press release). Commonwealth Coast Conference. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022 .
^ "James Madison to Compete in the Sun Belt Conference Beginning Fall 2022" (Press release). Sun Belt Conference. February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022 .
^ Thamel, Pete (March 29, 2022). "Move of Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss from Conference USA to Sun Belt now complete" . ESPN.com . Retrieved March 29, 2022 .
^ "Lamar University Is Coming Home to the Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
^ "Lamar University Prepares for Early Move to Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022 .
^ "UIC to Join the Missouri Valley Conference" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022 .
^ "University of Texas at Arlington Accepts Invitation to Join WAC" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022 .
^ "University of the Incarnate Word Accepts Invitation to Join the WAC" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021 .
^ "University of the Incarnate Word Staying in the Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022 .
^ "Big 12 Extends Membership Invitations" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021 .
^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022 .
^ "Campbell University Accepts Invitation To Join The CAA In 2023" (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022 .
^ "American Announces Entrance Agreements With Incoming Members for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022 .
^ "Conference USA Adds Four Members" (Press release). Conference USA. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021 .
^ "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023 .
^ Tanner, Courtney (November 10, 2021). "Dixie State gets final approval from Utah lawmakers to drop contentious name" . The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved November 11, 2021 .
^ "Houston Baptist University Changes Name to Houston Christian University" (Press release). Houston Christian University. September 21, 2022. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022 .
^ "Big West Board of Directors Address NCAA Transformation and Future Championships at Annual Fall Meeting" (Press release). Big West Conference. December 9, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2024 .
^ "The Big West Expands Fall Championship Broadcast Coverage" (Press release). Big West Conference. October 23, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2024 .
^ "USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (Preseason)" . NFCA.org . National Fastpitch Coaches Association. January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023 .
^ "ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 – Preseason" . teamusa.org . USA Softball. January 24, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023 .
^ "2023 D1Softball Preseason Top 25 Rankings" . d1softball.com . D1Softball. January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023 .
^ "2023 NCAA Division I Softball Top 25" . softballamerica.com . Baseball America Enterprises. January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023 .
^ "America East Softball Standings" . AmericaEast.com . America East Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "AAC Softball Standings" . TheAmerican.org . American Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Atlantic Sun Softball" . ASUNSports.org . Atlantic Sun Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Atlantic 10 Softball Standings" . Atlantic10.com . Atlantic 10 Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 ACC Softball Standings" . TheACC.com . Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved June 8, 2023 .
^ "Big 12 Softball Standings" . Big12Sports.com . Big 12 Conference. Retrieved June 8, 2023 .
^ "Big East Softball Standings" . BigEast.com . Big East Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Big Sky Conference Softball Standing" . BigSkyConf.com . Big Sky Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Big South Softball Standings" . BigSouthSports.com . Big South Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Big Ten Softball Standings" . BigTen.org . Big Ten Conference. Retrieved May 28, 2023 .
^ "Big West Softball Standings" . BigWest.org . Big West Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "CAA Softball Standings" . CAASports.com . Colonial Athletic Association. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 Softball Standings" . Conference USA. Retrieved May 21, 2023 .
^ "Horizon League Softball Standings" . HorizonLeague.org . Horizon League. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Ivy League Softball Standings" . IvyLeague.com . Ivy League. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 Softball Standings" . GetSomeMaction.com . Mid-American Conference. Retrieved May 21, 2023 .
^ "MAAC Softball Standings" . MAACSports.com . Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 14, 2023 .
^ "2023 Softball Standings" . MEACSports.com . Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference MEAC. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "MVC Softball Standings" . MVC-Sports.com . Missouri Valley Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Mountain West Conference Softball Standings" . TheMW.com . Mountain West Conference. Retrieved May 28, 2023 .
^ "Northeast Softball Standings" . NortheastConference.org . Northeast Conference. Retrieved May 14, 2023 .
^ "Ohio Valley Conference Softball Standings" . OVCSports.com . Ohio Valley Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Softball Standings" . Pac-12.com . Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved June 5, 2023 .
^ "Patriot League Softball Standings" . PatriotLeague.org . Patriot League. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 Standings" . Southeastern Conference. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023 .
^ "2023 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll (Final)" . NFCA. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023 .
^ "Southern Conference Softball Standings" . SoConSports.com . Southern Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Texas A&M University-Commerce Officially Joins NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference" . Texas A&M University-Commerce. July 1, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022 .
^ "Southland Conference Softball Standings" . Southland.org . Southland Conference. Retrieved May 21, 2023 .
^ "SWAC Softball Standings" . SWAC.org . Southwestern Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "The Summit League Softball Standings" . TheSummitLeague.org . The Summit League. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 Softball Standings" . SunBeltSports.org . Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved May 28, 2023 .
^ "WAC Softball Standings" . WACSports.com . Western Athletic Conference. Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 WCC Softball Standings" . D1 Softball . Retrieved May 20, 2023 .
^ "Valerie Cagle Named 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year" . clemsontigers.com . May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023 .
^ "Florida's Wallace, Tennessee's Rogers capture major DI end-of-year awards" . nfca.org . June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "2023 NCAA Player Of The Year: Clemson's Valerie Cagle" . softballamerica.com . June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023 .
^ "2023 NCAA Pitcher Of The Year: Alabama's Montana Fouts" . softballamerica.com . June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 .
^ "Stanford's Canady named 2023 TUCCI/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year" . nfca.org . May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023 .
^ "2023 NCAA Freshman Of The Year: NiJaree Canady" . softballamerica.com . June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023 .
^ "2023 NCAA Defensive Player Of The Year: Oklahoma's Grace Lyons" . softballamerica.com . June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023 .
^ "2023 NFCA Division I All-America Teams" . NFCA.org. May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023 .