The 2019 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 February 7, 2019. The season will progress through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and will conclude with the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament and 2019 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament will be held annually in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, will end in June 2019.
Realignment and format changes Liberty, after 27 seasons in the Big South Conference, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) on July 1, 2018. USC Upstate, after 11 years in the ASUN, moved to the Big South.
Ballpark Changes The 2019 season will be the last for the Virginia team at The Park. The team will move to the new University of Virginia Softball Stadium in 2020.
Season outlook USA Today / NFCA DI Top 25 Coaches Poll RankingTeam12UCLA34Oklahoma5678T9AlabamaT91112131415Louisiana16171819202122232425ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 RankingTeam1UCLA234Oklahoma567891011AlabamaT12T121415161718Louisiana19202122232425Softball America RankingTeam123UCLA4Oklahoma567891011 12Alabama 13Louisiana141516 17 1819202122232425
Conference standings
Conference winners and tournaments Of the 31 Division I athletic conferences that sponsor baseball, 27 end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament or a double elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. Four conferences, the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference do not hold a conference tournament. The winners of these tournaments, plus the Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12, and West Coast Conference regular-season champions, receive automatic invitations to the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament. ConferenceRegular Season WinnerConference Player of the YearConference Pitcher of the YearConference Coach of the YearConference TournamentTournament Venue • CityTournament Winner America East Conference Melissa Rahrich, Stony Brook Courtney Coppersmith, Pitcher/Utility, UMBC Danielle Henderson, UMass Lowell 2019 America East Conference softball tournament Hartford Softball Field • West Hartford, CT American Athletic Conference Sarah Barker, Houston & Julia Hollingsworth, Tulsa Georgina Corrick, USF USF 2019 American Athletic Conference softball tournament Cougar Softball Stadium • Houston, TX South Florida Atlantic 10 Conference Jenna Cone, George Washington Madie Aughinbaugh, Fordham Melissa Inouye, Fordham 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference softball tournament UMass Softball Complex • Amherst, MA Fordham Atlantic Coast Conference Cait Brooks, Notre Dame Carrie Eberle, Virginia Tech Pete D'Amour, Virginia Tech 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference softball tournament JoAnne Graf Field • Tallahassee, FL Atlantic Sun Conference Hannah DeVault, Lipscomb Megan Garst, North Alabama Kristin Ryman, Lipscomb 2019 Atlantic Sun Conference softball tournament FGCU Softball Complex • Fort Myers, FL LipscombBig 12 Conference Oklahoma Sydney Romero, Oklahoma Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma Patty Gasso, Oklahoma 2019 Big 12 Conference softball tournament ASA Hall of Fame Stadium • Oklahoma City, OK OklahomaBig East Conference Paige Rauch, Villanova Madison Morris, St. John's St. John's 2019 Big East Conference softball tournament Ballpark at Rosemont • Rosemont, IL Big Sky Conference Takesha Saltern, Weber State Savanna Corr, Sacramento State Mary Kay Amicone, Weber State 2019 Big Sky Conference softball tournament Shea Stadium • Sacramento, CA Weber StateBig South Conference Alyssa Oakes, USC Upstate Christina Biggerstaff, USC Upstate Kathy Riley, Longwood 2019 Big South Conference softball tournament Amanda Littlejohn Stadium • Buies Creek, NC LongwoodBig Ten Conference Kayla Konwent, Wisconsin Amber Fisher, Minnesota Kate Drohan, Northwestern 2019 Big Ten Conference softball tournament Andy Mohr Field • Bloomington, IN MichiganBig West Conference Ari Williams, Cal State Fullerton Brooke Yanez, UC Davis Kelly Ford, Cal State Fullerton No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid Cal State Fullerton Colonial Athletic Association Odicci Alexander, James Madison Megan Good, James Madison Loren LaPorte, James Madison 2019 Colonial Athletic Association softball tournament Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park • Harrisonburg, VA James Madison Conference USA Louisiana Tech & North Texas Jazlyn Crowder, Louisiana Tech Abby Trahan, Southern Miss Mark Montgomery, Louisiana Tech & Rodney DeLong, North Texas 2019 Conference USA softball tournament Mary Bowers Field • Birmingham, AL Louisiana Tech Horizon League Kayla Wedl, UIC Ashley Mauser, Detroit Mercy John Conway, Detroit Mercy 2019 Horizon League softball tournament Flames Field • Chicago, IL Ivy League Micah Schroder, Dartmouth Katie Duncan, Harvard Jennifer Teague, Columbia 2019 Ivy League Softball Championship Series Campus sites Harvard Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference & Madysen Cossack, Siena Alyssa Irons, Monmouth Joe Ausanio, Marist 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference softball tournament Softball Park at Gartland Field • Poughkeepsie, NY Monmouth Mid-American Conference Brenna Brownfield, Kent State Andrea Scali, Kent State Clarisa Crowell, Miami 2019 Mid-American Conference softball tournament Firestone Stadium • Akron, OH Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Damali Young, Morgan State Alexis Bermudez, Bethune-Cookman James Inzana, Norfolk State 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference softball tournament Sunnyland Park • Ormond Beach, FL Bethune–Cookman Missouri Valley Conference Sammey Bunch, Northern Iowa Nicole Newman, Drake Rich Calvert, Drake 2019 Missouri Valley Conference softball tournament Petersen Hotels Field at the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex • Peoria, IL Drake Mountain West Conference Amber Nelson, Colorado State Jenessa Ullegue, San Jose State Jen Fisher, Colorado State No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid Colorado State Northeast Conference Hailey Desrosiers, Sacred Heart Elena Valenzuela, LIU Brooklyn Roy Kortmann, LIU Brooklyn 2019 Northeast Conference softball tournament LIU Field • Brooklyn, NY Ohio Valley Conference & Rachel Anderson, Southeast Missouri Faith Sims, Jacksonville State Mark Redburn, Southeast Missouri 2019 Ohio Valley Conference softball tournament Choccolocco Park • Oxford, AL Southeast Missouri State Pac–12 Conference UCLA& Rachel Garcia, UCLA Rachel Garcia, UCLA Jessica Allister, Stanford No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid UCLA Patriot League Alex Heinen, Boston University Ali DuBois, Boston University Joey Lye, Bucknell 2019 Patriot League softball tournament BU Softball Field • Boston, MA Boston University Southeastern Conference Alabama Abbey Cheek, Kentucky Sarah Cornell, Alabama Patrick Murphy, Alabama 2019 Southeastern Conference softball tournament Davis Diamond • College Station, TX Southern Conference Marissa Guimbarda, Furman Celie Hudson, Chattanooga Janelle Breneman, UNC Greensboro 2019 Southern Conference softball tournament Frost Stadium • Chattanooga, TN Southland Conference Lindsey McLeod, Sam Houston State Lindsey McLeod, Sam Houston State Garrett Valis, Sam Houston State 2019 Southland Conference softball tournament Lady Demon Diamond • Natchitoches, LA Sam Houston State Southwestern Athletic Conference Texas Southern Tamia Lee-Barbadillo, Alabama A&M Crystal Castillo, Prairie View A&M Cassandra Brown, Alabama A&M 2019 Southwestern Athletic Conference softball tournament Barbara Williams Softball Complex • Montgomery, AL Alabama State Summit League North Dakota State Katie Shoultz, North Dakota State KK Leddy, North Dakota State Darren Mueller, North Dakota State 2019 Summit League softball tournament Tharaldson Park at the Ellig Sports Complex • Fargo, ND North Dakota State Sun Belt Conference Louisiana Alissa Dalton, Louisiana Summer Ellyson, Louisiana Gerry Glasco, Louisiana 2019 Sun Belt Conference softball tournament Bobcat Softball Stadium • San Marcos, TX LouisianaWest Coast Conference BYU Lexi Tarrow, BYU Arissa Paulson, BYU Sami Strinz-Ward, Loyola Marymount No Tournament, regular season champion earns auto bid BYUWestern Athletic Conference Seattle Nikki Butler, New Mexico State Samaria Diaz, New Mexico State Kathy Rodolph, New Mexico State 2019 Western Athletic Conference softball tournament Stapleton-Pierson Stadium • Phoenix, AZ Seattle
National Invitational Softball Championship
UTA Mavericks defeated the Iowa State Cyclones in the championship; Aileen Garcia was named MVP for the series.
Women's College World Series
Participants School Conference Record (conference) Head coach WCWS appearances† (including 2019 WCWS) WCWS best finish†* WCWS W–L record† (excluding 2019 WCWS) Alabama SEC 57–8 (18–6) Patrick Murphy 12 (last: 2016) 1st (2012) 17–21 Pac-12 47–12 (19–5) Mike Candrea 23 (last: 2010) 1st(1991, 1993, 1994, 19961997, 2001, 2006, 2007) 61–32 SEC 49–16 (12–12) Tim Walton 10 (last: 2018) 1st(2014, 2015) 26-16 Big Ten 46–12 (20–2) Jamie Trachsel 1 — — Oklahoma Big 12 54–3 (18–0) Patty Gasso 13(last: 2018) 1st(2000, 2013, 2016, 2017) 30–17 Big 12 44–15 (13–5) Kenny Gajewski 8(last: 2011) 3rd (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994) 11–14 UCLA Pac-12 51–6 (20–4) Kelly Inouye-Perez 29 (last: 2018) 1st (1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 19891990, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2004) 94–29 Pac-12 50–7 (20–4) Heather Tarr 14(last: 2018) 1st(2009) 24–21 † = From NCAA Division I Softball Championship Results
Bracket The 2019 Women's College World Series will begin on May 30 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Season leaders Batting Batting average: .507 – Courtney Cashman, UMass Lowell River Hawks RBIs: 84 – Bailey Hemphill, Alabama Crimson Tide Home runs: 29 – Jessie Harper, Arizona Wildcats
Pitching Wins: 39-6 – Summer Ellyson, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns ERA: 1.03 (30 ER/203.2 IP) – Brooke Yanez, UC Davis Aggies Strikeouts: 423 – Nicole Newman, Drake Bulldogs
Records NCAA Division I season perfect games: 5 – Nicole Newman, Drake Bulldogs
Freshman class single game strikeouts: 27 – Kelly Nelson, Holy Cross Crusaders; March 6, 2019 (16 innings)
Team consecutive wins streak: 41 – Oklahoma Sooners; February 24-May 19, 2019
Awards USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year: Rachel Garcia, UCLA
Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Honda Sports Award Softball: Rachel Garcia, UCLA
Honda Sports Award Softball: Rachel Garcia, UCLA
NFCA National Pitcher of the Year: Rachel Garcia, ULA
espnW Softball Player of the Year: Rachel Garcia, UCLA
Softball America Player of the Year: Rachel Garcia, UCLA YEAR G AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B TB SLG BB SO SB SBA 2019 61 172 34 59 .343 57 11 1 9 103 .588% 35 20 0 0
YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP 2019 29 1 36 25 19 7 4 202.0 117 40 33 43 286 1.14 0.79
NFCA National Player of the Year: Abbey Cheek, Kentucky YEAR G AB R H BA RBI HR 3B 2B TB SLG BB SO SB SBA 2019 60 152 54 65 .427 53 20 0 13 138 .908% 64 14 8 9
Softball America Pitcher of the Year: Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP 2019 28 4 39 32 15 7 0 186.1 97 41 37 38 269 1.39 0.72
NFCA National Freshman of the Year: Danielle Williams, Northwestern Softball America Freshman of the Year: Danielle Williams, Northwestern YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP 2019 31 8 44 36 26 13 2 230.0 129 57 51 46 317 1.55 0.76
Softball America Defensive Player of the Year: Sis Bates, Washington
Softball America Freshman Pitcher of the Year: Shealyn O'Leary, Texas
NFCA Catcher of the Year: Dejah Mulipola, Arizona
NFCA Golden Shoe Award: Jaquelyn Ramon, Southeastern Louisiana
Senior CLASS Award: Katie Reed, Kentucky
Coaches NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year: UCLA NFCA West Regional Coaching Staff of the Year: UCLA