Latest news with #JenicaMatos
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Does college softball have a pitch clock? Action clock length, rules explained
Does college softball have a pitch clock? Action clock length, rules explained Show Caption Hide Caption Legally blind pitcher Jenica Matos to play D1 softball The Cheshire High School star in Connecticut can't see home plate but threw three no-hitters last year and will play Division I for the Red Storm. Over the last few seasons, the pace of play in baseball has become more fan-favorable as the games have shortened due to the pitch clock. The same can be said about softball. Though the two sports have numerous differences — college softball is a seven-inning game and baseball is a nine-inning game, for example — both sports' efforts to speed up the game overall is perhaps one of their more notable similarities. REQUIRED READING: Who's in Super Regionals? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament Here's what you need to know about the pitch clock in softball leading into the super regional round of the NCAA softball tournament and the Women's College World Series: Is there a pitch clock in college softball? Yes, college softball does have a pitch clock. What is the pitch clock limit for college softball? As noted by the NCAA, college softball has a pitch clock length of 20 seconds. This means pitchers have 20 seconds to begin their delivery toward the plate after receiving the ball from their catcher. Prior to the 2024 season, the pitch clock in softball was set at 25 seconds. Here's what Rule 10.18 of the NCAA rule book says on the pitch clock, including the three possible violations that could come: The pitcher has 20 seconds from when they receive the ball from the catcher to separate their hands which indicates the beginning of the pitch. Violation of this results in a ball being awarded to the batter. The batter has 10 seconds to take their position in the batter's box. Violation of this results in strike being assessed to the batter. The catcher has 10 seconds to take their position in the catcher's box. Violation of this results in a ball being awarded to the batter. College softball action clock, explained The action clock is the visible pitch clock that is used to monitor the pace of play, and is often seen on the backstop at the field. It can also be seen on the scoreboard or perhaps a built-in box/riser stand in the outfield. However, if there is no action clock visible at a stadium, it becomes the umpire's responsibility to keep track of time. More from the NCAA rule book: Rule 6.7.1: For all games (media or non-media), teams are allowed a maximum of 90 seconds between half innings and at the start of the game for warmups. The time between half innings begins when the last defensive player crosses the foul line. For all games (media or non-media), teams are allowed a maximum of 90 seconds between half innings and at the start of the game for warmups. The time between half innings begins when the last defensive player crosses the foul line. Rule 10.18: The pitcher has 20 seconds from the time they receive the ball from the catcher to separate their hands and deliver the pitch. The catcher must be in the catcher's box and the batter in the batter's box within 10 seconds after the pitcher receives the ball in preparation to pitch or after the umpire calls, "Play ball." The pitcher has 20 seconds from the time they receive the ball from the catcher to separate their hands and deliver the pitch. The catcher must be in the catcher's box and the batter in the batter's box within 10 seconds after the pitcher receives the ball in preparation to pitch or after the umpire calls, "Play ball." Rule 11.2.1: The batter must be within the batter's box and the catcher within the catcher's box within 10 seconds after the pitcher receives the ball in preparation to pitch or after the umpire calls, "Play ball." Here's a look at the action clock from the SEC softball tournament in the upper corner of the backstop: Though the pick clock is continuous through the game, there are five instances where the clock should be stopped and won't result in a pitch clock violation:
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
How long are NCAA softball tournament lightning delays? Weather update protocols
How long are NCAA softball tournament lightning delays? Weather update protocols Show Caption Hide Caption Legally blind pitcher Jenica Matos to play D1 softball The Cheshire High School star in Connecticut can't see home plate but threw three no-hitters last year and will play Division I for the Red Storm. Over the last handful of seasons, the NCAA softball tournament has delivered fireworks as 64 teams compete for one of the coveted eight spots in Oklahoma City and play for the eventual national championship. After all, it is called the "Greatest Show on Dirt" for a reason. But that isn't the only thing the NCAA softball tournament delivers over its near month-long run from regionals, super regionals and the Women's College World Series. As sure as softball will be played in the months of May and June, there also will be weather delays as the humid weather rolls in. REQUIRED READING: Who's in Super Regionals? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament Here's what you need to know about lightning delays and what they mean during the NCAA softball tournament: NCAA Softball lightning delay, explained NCAA rules state that if lightning strikes within at least six miles of the venue of the event, the game must be suspended. In addition, the NCAA uses the "Flash to Bang" method, meaning if lightning is observed, count the seconds until thunder is heard and divide the number of seconds by five to obtain the distance in miles. That means that if thunder is heard 30 seconds after the lightning strike, the storm is six miles away, therefore initiating a delay. "To resume athletics activities, lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and after the last flash of lightning is at least six miles away, and moving away from the venue," the NCAA states. "If lightning is seen without hearing thunder, lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat. At night, be aware that lightning can be visible at a much greater distance than during the day as clouds are being lit from the inside by lightning. This greater distance may mean that the lightning is no longer a significant threat. At night, use both the sound of thunder and seeing the lightning channel itself to decide on when to reset the 30-minute return-to-play clock before resuming outdoor athletics activities." NCAA Softball lightning delay proximity of strike Closest proximity: Six miles Six miles Farthest proximity: Eight miles The NCAA notes that for a lightning delay to be issued, a lightning strike needs to be seen and heard within at least six miles of the stadium and as far as eight miles. How long is a lightning delay in softball? Lightning delay length: 30 minutes Once lightning is detected in the area and the game goes into a lightning delay, it is either delayed or suspended for approximately 30 minutes. However, that 30-minute clock can be altered. For every lightning strike that follows the initial lightning strike, the 30-minute clock is reset. NCAA softball, WCWS weather policy Knowing the likelihood of a weather delay, especially in the spring/summer, the NCAA has a fully written-out weather policy on what should happen for a WCWS game. Here's a closer look at the NCAA's weather policy for the NCAA softball tournament and the NCAA's other outdoor sports:
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who's in Super Regionals? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament
Who's in Super Regionals? Updated bracket, schedule for NCAA softball tournament Show Caption Hide Caption Legally blind pitcher Jenica Matos to play D1 softball The Cheshire High School star in Connecticut can't see home plate but threw three no-hitters last year and will play Division I for the Red Storm. The 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament regional round is wrapping up. That means the field in contention for the Women's College World Series shrinks from 64 teams to 16 ahead of next weekend. The next round is the super regionals, a three-game series between two programs with the chance to advance to the WCWS in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The top eight seeds are in line to host the super regional round. However, one of the remaining top 16 seeds could be in line to host if one of the top eight seeds falters. The 2025 tournament has already provided upsets with No. 10 LSU falling ahead of Sunday's championship games. A handful of other ranked teams enter Sunday needing two wins to keep their seasons alive. Here's what you need to know about who is advancing to the Super Regionals, the hosts and when the games start: Who's in NCAA softball tournament Super Regionals? This list will be updated as programs clinch spots in the Super Regional round of the 2025 NCAA softball tournament. No. 7 Tennessee (Will host Knoxville Super Regional) Super Regional schedule, how to watch All times Eastern Schedule will be updated as it becomes available. When are the NCAA softball tournament Super Regionals? The 2025 NCAA softball tournament super regionals are scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 22, and run through Sunday, May 25. Across eight super regional sites, 16 teams will play three-game series to determine who advances to the WCWS.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who will make Women's College World Series? NCAA softball tournament picks, predictions
Who will make Women's College World Series? NCAA softball tournament picks, predictions Show Caption Hide Caption Legally blind pitcher Jenica Matos to play D1 softball The Cheshire High School star in Connecticut can't see home plate but threw three no-hitters last year and will play Division I for the Red Storm. The field has been set for the 2025 NCAA softball tournament, which means the road to the Women's College World Series is set, too. As was expected going into the selection show, the SEC dominated: Fourteen of the conference's 16 teams are heading to the postseason, led by SEC tournament co-champions Texas A&M and Oklahoma, the top two seeds of the tournament, respectively. The SEC claimed seven of the top eight seeds and nine of the top 16 overall. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball tournament winners, losers, snubs from 2025 selection show The Sooners are aiming for a dynastic fifth straight national championship, which would place them in rarefied air in all sports. But the field looks more perilous than it has in years past this year, with Patty Gasso's team lacking its usual pitching depth. Here's a look at our predictions for the 2025 softball NCAA Tournament and Women's College World Series: Bryan-College Station Regional No. 1 Texas A&M (45-9) Marist (47-7-1) Liberty (47-12) Saint Francis (26-24) The Aggies should breeze through their regional with two wins and reach the championship game. Texas A&M will advance to the super regional. Norman Regional No. 2 Oklahoma (45-7) Boston University (39-17) Omaha (39-11) Cal (35-19) The Sooners are going to be motivated after not getting the No. 1 overall seed. Fully expect Gasso and Oklahoma to turn up the heat in their regional. Gainesville Regional No. 3 Florida (43-14) Mercer (38-24) Georgia Tech (27-22) Florida Atlantic (44-10) Florida was the No. 2-ranked team in RPI at the end of the season. The Gators finished sixth in the SEC, but played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Fayetteville Regional No. 4 Arkansas (40-12) Saint Louis (34-22) Oklahoma State (33-18) Indiana (33-18) The Razorbacks have arguably the best player in the nation in Bri Ellis. That alone should carry them through the regional. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball tournament bracket: TV schedule, game times for regional round Tallahassee Regional No. 5 Florida State (46-9) Robert Morris (30-16) USF (43-14-1) Auburn (32-22) Florida State is playing as well as any team in the country, with a deep pitching staff and the best hitting lineup in the ACC. The Seminoles should breeze through their regional. Austin Regional No. 6 Texas (46-10) Eastern Illinois (34-20) Michigan (38-19) UCF (33-22-1) Big Ten tournament champion Michigan could prove to be a tough test for the Longhorns, but Texas is as battle-tested as any program in the country and should ultimately prevail. Knoxville Regional No. 7 Tennessee (40-14) Miami (Ohio) (35-24) North Carolina (40-15) Ohio State (43-12-1) The Lady Vols have one of the best pitchers in college softball in Karlyn Pickens and no one else in the regional can match her arm talent. Tennessee advances. Columbia Regional No. 8 South Carolina (40-15) Elon (33-19) North Florida (45-13) Virginia (37-17) South Carolina snuck in for the final super regional host site. The Gamecocks will take full advantage and have the opportunity to host UCLA in the next round. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball bracket: Matchups, top seeds, regional sites for 2025 NCAA Tournament Los Angeles Regional No. 9 UCLA (49-10) UC Santa Barbara (34-24) San Diego State (37-17) Arizona State (35-19) The Bruins, like Oklahoma, are going to be motivated after being "snubbed" for the final super regional host spot. Baton Rouge Regional No. 10 LSU (41-14) SE Louisiana (48-14) UConn (35-17) Nebraska (39-13) Jordy Bahl transferred to Nebraska to bring home a national championship. Bahl delivers for the Cornhuskers as they upset host LSU to advance to the super regionals. Clemson Regional No. 11 Clemson (44-12) SC Upstate (39-14) Northwestern (29-18-1) Kentucky (29-26) The Tigers should feel confident entering their regional after winning the ACC softball tournament championship. Clemson has the "it" factor when it comes to making comebacks and should be good enough to carry on to the super regional. Lubbock Regional No. 12 Texas Tech (45-12) Brown (33-15) Washington (34-17) Mississippi State (37-17) The Red Raiders outscored their opponents 26-0 over three games in the Big 12 Tournament and appear to be playing their best softball. It also helps to have NiJaree Canady on your side. Tucson Regional No. 13 Arizona (45-11) Santa Clara (32-20) Grand Canyon (46-6) Ole Miss (37-17) The Wildcats are ready for the regional round following wins over Alabama, Stanford and UCLA in nonconference play. But don't sleep on Ole Miss and Grand Canyon giving them a run for their money. Durham Regional No. 14 Duke (38-16) Howard (31-18) Coastal Carolina (41-17) Georgia (31-20) How about the Bulldogs showing off the strength of the SEC with a major upset over Duke in the Durham Regional? Georgia has the talent to pull off the upset. Tuscaloosa Regional No. 15 Alabama (37-21) Jackson State (28-23) Belmont (40-14) Virginia Tech (41-11) Virginia Tech had a strong season in the ACC and has a talented pitcher in Emma Lemley. She could carry the Hokies past host Alabama into the super regional round. Eugene Regional No. 16 Oregon (47-7) Weber State (28-30) Binghamton (36-12) Stanford (40-11) Oregon is another program that could feel "disrespected" after barely clinging on for the last national seed. The Ducks had nonconference wins over Florida State and Tennessee and won the Big Ten regular season championship. REQUIRED READING: NCAA Softball Committee Chair explains why Texas A&M is No. 1 over Oklahoma Super Regionals Bryan-College Station Super Regional No. 1 Texas A&M vs. No. 16 Oregon: Aggies win in three games The Aggies are ranked No. 1 in RPI for a reason. Texas A&M is talented in all three phases of the game and, despite having a strong roster, Oregon is not a match. But the Ducks do force the "if necessary" game. Norman Super Regional No. 2 Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech: Oklahoma sweeps The magical run for the Hokies ends here with a motivated Oklahoma squad looking to make history. The Sooners just prove too much for Virginia Tech and earn the sweep. Gainesville Super Regional No. 3 Florida vs. Georgia: Florida sweeps Who doesn't want to see the Gators and Bulldogs battle in the postseason, regardless of the sport? Florida will earn a sweep over their rivals and reach the WCWS once again. Fayetteville Super Regional No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Arizona: Arizona wins in three games This could be a fun back-and-forth super regional with both teams ranking inside the top 12 in RPI. However, in the end, the Wildcats pull off the upset and advance to the WCWS. Tallahassee Super Regional No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 12 Texas Tech: Florida State wins in three games Texas Tech has a strong batting lineup and Canady. However, the Seminoles are deeper in pitching and batting. Austin Super Regional No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Clemson: Texas wins in three games The Longhorns and Tigers present another strong super regional matchup. However, the home field advantage for Texas proves to push the team over the top to advance to the WCWS again. Knoxville Super Regional No. 7 Tennessee vs. Nebraska: Nebraska wins in three games Bahl vs. Pickens will be a treat for all college softball fans on a national stage. However, Bahl is going to continue to carry the Cornhuskers over the Lady Vols into the WCWS. Columbia Super Regional No. 8 South Carolina vs. No. 9 UCLA: UCLA wins in three games The Bruins are motivated following the snub behind the Gamecocks. Expect UCLA to flex its offensive power against South Carolina and get back to the WCWS following a short stint away. Women's College World Series No. 1 Texas A&M No. 2 Oklahoma No. 3 Florida No. 5 Florida State No. 6 Texas No. 9 UCLA No. 13 Arizona Nebraska WCWS championship series Prediction: No. 1 Texas A&M over No. 3 Florida in three games The Aggies have been the most impressive team in college softball this season. Texas A&M will go 3-0 in the WCWS to get to the championship series. The Gators will dispose of the Sooners during their run but ultimately fall to Texas A&M in three games in the championship series.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA softball tournament winners, losers, snubs from 2025 selection show
NCAA softball tournament winners, losers, snubs from 2025 selection show Show Caption Hide Caption Legally blind pitcher Jenica Matos to play D1 softball The Cheshire High School star in Connecticut can't see home plate but threw three no-hitters last year and will play Division I for the Red Storm. The NCAA selection committee has spoken, and the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament field is set. Sixty-four teams will begin their road to a potential appearance in the Women's College World Series at the end of May and beginning of June in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The teams included in the field are the 31 automatic qualifiers for conference champions and 33 at-large teams. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball tournament format: How bracket works in 2025 Starting on May 16, these teams will play in 16 regionals across the country, hosted by the 16 national seeds. The winner of each region will advance to play in a best-of-three super regional round, with the eight remaining teams advancing to Oklahoma City for the WCWS. The last two teams standing will play in a best-of-three series to determine the national champion. However, just like every year, there will be a handful of teams shaking their heads following the NCAA softball selection show. Some teams will feel they should have been a regional host, while some will feel they were poorly ranked and got a bad shake of which regional they have to travel for. Of course, several teams felt like they were unfairly left out of the tournament. Here's a look at the winners, losers and snubs from the 2025 NCAA women's college softball field: Winners The Southeastern Conference The SEC had an NCAA Tournament record-14 teams, including seven of the top eight national seeds and nine of the top 15, capping off a great season. That means if chalk holds through the regional round, only one non-SEC team will host a super regional: No. 5 seed Florida State. Texas A&M The Aggies are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA softball tournament for the first time in program history. The Aggies edged out the four-time defending champion Oklahoma due to their No. 1 ranking in the RPI at the end of the season. Texas A&M did not have a chance to defeat the Sooners in the SEC softball tournament championship game, but could face the Sooners in Oklahoma City. NCAA softball tournament first-timers Belmont, Mercer, North Florida, Saint Louis and Santa Clara are first-timers reaching the NCAA softball tournament this season. The Bruins defeated Southern Illinois in the MVC Championship game to earn their first-ever berth, while Mercer was crowned the Southern Conference champions. The Ospreys earned their first ASUN Tournament title in program history, while the Billikens secured the 2025 Atlantic 10 Softball Championship title with a walk-off win. The Broncos earned their first West Coast Conference championship to automatically qualify. South Carolina Seeding matters when it comes to the NCAA softball tournament, and a single seed line can make a huge difference. The Gamecocks edged out No. 9 UCLA for the final top-eight seed. That means they'll be set to host the Bruins at home in the super regional, if both teams advance. REQUIRED READING: NCAA softball bracket: Matchups, top seeds, regional sites for 2025 NCAA Tournament Losers UCLA The Bruins ended the season with an RPI of No. 4 and were the runners-up to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament. However, none of that was enough for UCLA to clinch the last top-eight seed to earn a hosting bid. Instead, if the No. 9 seed Bruins advance to the super regional, they'll have to travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina on the road. Virginia Tech The Hokies had an impressive season but fell apart during the sixth inning of the ACC tournament championship game against eventual champion Clemson. For its trouble, Virginia Tech has to travel to No. 15 seed Alabama in the Tuscaloosa Regional, where the Hokies and Crimson Tide split two games during the Easton Bama Bash in February. Oregon The Ducks won the regular season Big Ten championship in their first year in the conference. They also took two out of three games against UCLA during the regular season, but are ranked as the last nationally seeded team at No. 16. The Ducks also had wins over No. 5 seed Florida State (2-0) and No. 7 seed Tennessee (1-0) in nonconference play. REQUIRED READING: When does 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament start? Regional schedules, venues Snubs Nevada The Wolf Pack posted a 41-14 record playing against a top-70 strength of schedule. It also finished with an RPI of 36 but, after losing in the Mountain West Tournament, was excluded from the tournament. Oklahoma It's hard to say the No. 2 overall seed was snubbed in any way — but as the four-time defending champs, the Sooners had a real argument as the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season SEC championship in the toughest conference in the country.
