The following release was retrieved from NCAA.com.
INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Softball Committee announced today 20 predetermined preliminary round sites for this year’s Division I Softball Championship.
Due to the health and safety protocols surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it was deemed necessary to conduct NCAA championship competition at predetermined sites. Of the 20 selected sites, the committee will choose 16 to host regional round games. Eight of those 16 regional sites will be in contention to host super regionals.
The 20 potential host site institutions are as follows:
“The committee would like to thank all of the schools who submitted bids to host. It was exciting that we received so many quality bids from schools around the country that were interested in being a part of this championship,” said Matthew Larsen, chair of the committee and director of athletics at North Dakota State. “We can’t wait to have the Division I Softball Championship back in 2021 and believe these hosts will provide a safe and memorable championship experience for all of the student-athletes, coaches and fans.”
Based on recent guidance from the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, the NCAA will allow up to 50% fan capacity at these predetermined sites. Exact capacity percentages will vary by site, depending on state and local health mandates due to the pandemic.
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The designation of predetermined sites will have no bearing on the teams selected to participate or for seeding in the 2021 Division I Softball Championship. The championship field will consist of 31 conference automatic qualifiers and 33 at-large qualifiers.
Participating teams and the final 16 predetermined sites will be revealed during the selection show on Sunday, May 16, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
All games of the NCAA Division I Softball Championship will be broadcast on ESPN’s family of networks with regionals taking place May 21-23, followed by super regionals May 27-30. The 2021 championship will culminate with the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from June 3-9.
