the simple prospect

The Super Competitive World of Female, Fast Pitch Softball

Female, fast pitch softball participation rates in the United States and worldwide are at an all time high. Over 1.6 million girls participate in youth softball on an annual basis. According to the 2014 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 573,535 girls participated in fast pitch softball at the high school level. This is fantastic news for the sport of female, fast pitch softball. However, the greater the number of  participants, the greater the level of competition for playing time at the high school and college levels and the greater the competition for coveted college softball scholarships. Unfortunately, talented players get overlooked every day by college recruiters and coaches. If you want a chance at the limited number of college softball scholarships, YOU MUST create, develop, maintain and publicize your “SOFTBALL BRAND NAME” and effectively market you’re playing skills to college recruiters and coaches.

College Softball Participation Rates

The NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA (Junior Colleges) reported the following softball player participation rates:

NCAA Division I --- 5,285

NCAA Division II ---4,905

NCAA Division III --- 6,964 

NAIA Division I --- 1,920

NAIA Division II--- 1,948   

NJCAA (Junior College) Division I --- 3,291

NJCAA Division II --- 1,353

NJCAA Division III --- 965   

Number of Schools Offering College Softball

NCAA Division I--- 289

NCAA Division II--- 265

NCAA Division III--- 381

NAIA--- 198

NJCAA Junior College Division I, Division II, Division III ( combined) --- 339

Total --- 1632

Softball Scholarships Available At Each Collegiate Level

NCAA Division I --- 12 scholarships (per school) 

NCAA Division II --- 7.2 scholarships (per school) 

NCAA Division III --- 0 scholarships  

NAIA --- 10 scholarships (per school)

NJCAA Division I and II --- 24 scholarships ( per school)

NJCAA Division III --- 0 scholarships

The total scholarships listed above pertain to schools that are fully funded with large athletic budgets due to lucrative football and basketball revenues. Unfortunately, most college softball programs are NOT FULLY FUNDED, which makes a softball scholarship a highly valued commodity.