Does the University of Colorado Have Softball?
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Athletics are a common part of life at virtually every major American university. College sports run the gamut, and some are not only quite popular, but major drivers of revenue for the universities themselves.
At the University of Colorado Boulder, sports are integrated into the culture. One of the most commonly asked questions is, “Does the University of Colorado have softball?”
Yes, it does, but not at the Division I level. So, you can’t really see them on the Colorado sports betting news, but the state is developing the sport. Read on to find out more.
First and foremost, the University of Colorado does have softball available. That said, it is important to make one distinction clear and that is the fact that it is not an official program of the school, but rather a club team.
What is a club team? Essentially, club teams are officially affiliated with the university, but they are not funded or sponsored by the school. A club program is funded by the students or student-driven programs/contributions.
Softball at the University of Colorado is in the club format as of now. The club team has been around going back to the 2011-12 season and shares the Mid-American Conference with other club programs from Air Force, Colorado Mesa, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, and now Western Colorado.
Though the premise of playing games versus other universities and colleges is much the same, the structure and organization are a bit different. For starters, there are conferences and a regular season much as there is in Division I sports.
Tournaments will decide which teams move on, often to regionals, where the highest-ranked teams play each other. In addition to tryouts, students are often full-time, pay membership dues, and need to apply to play in that club sport.
It is entirely possible for club softball teams to be given grants from sports club offices and the city in which the team exists. Fundraisers and other drives are also key, allowing the team to pay for uniforms, practice time, and games versus opposing clubs.
As previously mentioned, the University of Colorado club softball team has been around going back to the 2011-12 season. That season, there were just five teams in the Mid-American Conference: Colorado, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado College, and Weber State.
The structure of the conference has since changed exponentially. While Colorado, Air Force, and Wyoming remain, Weber State and Colorado College have since departed. In their place, Western Colorado, Colorado Mesa, and the Northern Colorado club team have taken their place.
The National Club Softball Association began organizing the NCSA World Series Championship beginning in 2016-17. As of this season, the Buffs have yet to make it into the bracket.
Though the club softball team for the University of Colorado is still relatively young, there have been some notable seasons so far. Let’s take a look at each of them to see how the Buffs’ club softball team fared.
Things historically had not gone all that well for the Buffs’ club team. From 2014-15 through 2016-17, the club went winless in 30 games. Marginal improvement had been shown in the four seasons between the 2016-17 and 2021-22 seasons.
The 2021-22 season would be by far the best for the club team in its short tenure. Though they finished on a two-game losing streak, the Buffs managed to win 9 of their first 10 games in conference. They finished just behind Air Force (10-2) for tops in the conference.
A banner year in every substantial way for the Buffs. They not only scored the most runs for them in a season (191) while allowing the fewest runs (96) as well. Though all of their games would be in conference, the Buffs would finish on a tear, winning their final six games to finish just behind the 12-0 (15-6 overall) Air Force Falcons.
The most robust season to date. The Buffs took a step back in wins, falling to 11 thanks largely to a dismal 2-4 record on their home field. Even still, they finished second to Air Force yet again, who managed an incredible 30-2 overall record, losing just one game each at home and on the road.
Though it is one of the few women’s sports without an official Division I entry, college softball is alive and well at the University of Colorado. Part of the immense club softball scene across U.S. colleges, the Buffs continue to recruit and grow support.
Though the club is still relatively new and attempting to grow, there is good local support. Whether it becomes an official D1 sport for the university remains to be seen. Currently, Colorado is just one of three Pac-12 programs that doesn’t have Division I softball.
