| College softball | |
|---|---|
 A NCAA Division III softball game in 2022 | |
| Governing body | |
| First played | 1910[1][2] |
Club competitions | |
College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is normally played by men.
As with other intercollegiate sports, most college softball in the United States is played under the auspices of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Over 600 NCAA member colleges are sponsors of women's softball programs. The women's softball championships are held in Division I, Division II, and Division III. The NCAA writes the rules of play, while each sanctioning body supervises season-ending tournaments.
The final rounds of the NCAA tournaments are known as the Women's College World Series (WCWS); one is held on each of the three levels of competition sanctioned by the NCAA. The Division I Women's College World Series is held annually in June at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City near the site of the National Softball Hall of Fame.
- ^ The History of Softball on St. Bonaventure University Archives
- ^ College Softball: A Brief History one of the NCAA's Female-Only Sports by Alexis Peltzer on GMTM.com]