guide to division ii softball
membership
For the 2023-24 season, there are 299 colleges and universities classified for competition at the Division II level of the NCAA. Forty-four of the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and British Columbia are represented. Click on the map^ to see locations for each school. This can also be helpful if you are traveling to away games.
Of the 299 institutions, 274 of them (stretching over forty-two US states and British Columbia) compete in softball. The breakdown is as follows:
^ The schools that compete in softball are denoted with a softball logo. The schools that do not have softball programs are marked with an "X." The eight regions are separated in the table on the left and are identified by different colors on the map. An attempt was made to mark the exact coordinates of the softball fields used by the teams.
There are currently eleven schools that are reclassifying to Division II. They are Allen (full membership: 2024), Edward Waters (2024), Emory & Henry (2024), Jessup (2026), Menlo (2026), Roosevelt (2026), South Carolina Beaufort (2025), Sul Ross State (2026), Thomas More (2025), Vanguard (2026), and Westmont (2025). In order to reclassify to Division II, the NCAA requires a process of two years to move from a higher division and three years to move from a lower division.
Two schools' applications to Division II are currently pending (Middle Georgia State and Texas Dallas). If approved, the schools would join the Peach Belt Conference and the Lone Star Conference, respectively. Schools wishing to move within the NCAA to Division II must apply no later than February 1 of a given year, with the NCAA making its decision that July.
In addition to the schools being added above, the following changes are taking place for the 2023-24 season:
region model
The NCAA lists seven priorities for Division II. One of these is the regional competition model. As is stated on the NCAA organization's website, "Division II has eight competitive regions in most sports, which build healthy rivalries, reduce time away from campus, enable families to follow their student-athletes and keep athletics participation in perspective within the educational mission. The regional model also affords a representative access to championship finals and equitable pathway to championships."
Yes, softball is one of the sports that goes by this model. When the field is announced on Selection Monday after the conference tournaments have concluded, sometimes it is easy to say that the top 64 teams are NOT included. This model is completely different from Division I, so the top 64 teams according to rankings will never be in the championship field. Despite the differences, there are still inconsistencies in the Division I selection process as well which often lead to a lot of head scratching and frustration. In Division II, we just have to hope that the best eight teams from each region are represented in the final field of 64. Sometimes that does not happen (depending on upsets and the occasional selection hiccup), but more often than not, it is very close.
So, what are the regions and what makes them unique to Division II? As is mentioned above, there are eight regions. Seven of the eight regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, Southeast, and West) consist of three conferences. The only one that has just two conferences is the South Central. Another variant is that the Atlantic includes Salem (the lone remaining independent team). The box to the right shows how the regions are broken down for the 2023-2024 season, with the number of teams in each region and conference listed out to the side.
Here is what makes the region model unique... Before the end of the regular season, usually sometime in mid-April, the NCAA puts out a list of potential tournament teams from each region based on their performances up to that point in the season. They do not rank the teams, per se, in the initial publication but there are ten teams listed. However, the NCAA is gracious enough to provide the data that goes behind this list which provides a good indication on how the teams will be seeded once the initial regional rankings are released.
The following week, the initial regional rankings are released by the NCAA which includes teams ranked from 1 to 10 in each region. The regional rankings are formulated using a number of components including but MAYBE not limited to, 1) In-region DII win/loss record, 2) Division win/loss record, 3) Division SOS (strength of schedule), 4) Region RPI (rating percentage index - quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule), 5) Results vs Division Ranked Opponents, and 6) Division II Results vs Teams above .500. The regional rankings are typically released the last three or four weeks of the season so the NCAA can factor in teams that get hot or cold to end the regular season and through the teams' conference tournaments.
Quick sidebar... I wish the NCAA would release the final regional rankings to the public. I know they do not want to release them before Selection Monday because that would eliminate any suspense in finding out who makes the tournament, but I would like to see them after the selection process is completed. Maybe one day I could embark on running the data to see if I could figure it out for myself and anyone else that might be interested.
So, now how do we get to the final 64 teams that are chosen? Each region gets eight teams into the NCAA Tournament. Conference tournament champions (from the conferences that have tournaments) get automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament (if they are an active member of Division II and not in the process of reclassifying to Division II). If a current non-member wins their conference tournament, the runner-up will receive the automatic bid. In the case that the conference does not have a conference tournament, the regular season champion gets the automatic bid. (It is assumed that the same rules would apply for a team that is reclassifying to Division II that wins their conference's regular season title.) The remaining bids are provided based on the regional rankings (and again maybe more) compiled by the NCAA.
regionals
The eight teams in each region are seeded 1-8 and divided into two regionals. The format is double elimination (two losses = elimination). Regional 1 consists of the teams ranked #1, #4, #5, and #8. Almost exclusively, the #1 team is the host team for the regional (in rare instances teams do not apply for hosting duties or do not have adequate facilities to host). The opening round pits the #1 seed against the #8 seed and #4 versus #5. Regional 2 consists of the teams ranked #2, #3, #6, and #7. There are more instances of the #2 team not hosting in this regional but they get first dibs if they have applied and are capable hosts. The opening round pits the #2 seed against the #7 seed and #3 versus #6.
The two winning teams in the opening round move into the "winners' bracket" while the two losing teams fall into the "elimination bracket." After two teams are eliminated and two teams remain in the regional, one team will have 0 losses and the other team will have 1 loss. If the team with 0 losses wins, then that team moves onto the super regional. If the team with 1 loss wins, that team forces the "if necessary" game. The winner of the "if necessary" game advances to the super regional.
SUPER regionals
The super regionals consist of the two winners from the regional brackets. The format is again double elimination (or best two out of three). The highest remaining seed is typically the host team unless once again they have not applied to host or do not have the facilities to host. The first team to win two games moves to the NCAA Tournament Finals (a/k/a College World Series).
ncaa tournament finals
The NCAA Tournament Finals (a/k/a College World Series) consists of the eight super regional winners. Not sure if D1 has a trademark on the College World Series moniker, but wish D2 would adopt that title. Going forward, it will be referred to as the Finals. The Finals are held at a neutral site each year, but regionally, it is typically not neutral for most teams. That's okay though because the NCAA does a good job moving it around the country.
Second sidebar... My only contention with the NCAA happens at this stage of the tournament. Once the super regionals are completed, the NCAA committee reseeds the field, 1-8. Since this process began (I believe it was 2018), it has made no sense. The #1 seed is spot on but then it seems that the remaining seven teams are put in a hat and their seed is randomly drawn. This is not something to take lightly. It has a direct effect on the outcome of the Finals in my opinion. You cannot put a #1 seed against the hottest team in the tournament (2018) or put three or four of the best teams on one side of the bracket (2022). These are just a few examples of what has taken place in the handful of years that teams have been reseeded. The #1 seed has earned the right to play the #8 seed and so on and so forth with the other seeds. If that means pitting the same regions against each other each year, then so be it.
The format of the Finals is the same as it is for the regionals in almost every way: 1) it is double elimination, 2) there are essentially two separate brackets, and 3) the winner from each bracket faces of against each other for the championship. The championship series mirrors the super regionals in that it is best two out of three. The one difference is that the losers from each side of the bracket in the first winners' bracket game swap brackets.