The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s softball playoffs will undergo a major change next spring, one AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese predicts “will make high school softball even bigger and better than before.”
The AHSAA Central Board of Control, in its annual July meeting, approved unanimously a format to create four regional tournaments for the softball playoffs–similar to the regional tournament format basketball has enjoyed since 1994.
The playoff format for softball has included area tournaments, two sub-state rounds at home sites where two schools met in a best-of-3 series, and a 48-team state tournament with eight teams in each of six classes competing in a double elimination tourney.
The new format will still start with an area tournament. Instead of two sub-state rounds, the winner and runner-up will now advance to one of four regional tournaments to be held at Gulf Shores, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville. Each regional will include eight teams in a double elimination tourney in each of six classes. The winner and runner-up in each class will advance to the state tournament the next week.
“The new softball region format is exciting for the AHSAA and our schools since softball is a tournament sport,” Savarese said. This new format eliminates the two sub-state games, days missed out of school and cuts travel. The format was introduced by the AHSAA softball coaches committee.
“We have four great regional sites,” said AHSAA assistant director Wanda Gilliland, who has coordinated the state tournament for years. She organized the new regional format after the AHSAA Softball Committee recommended it in May.
“Each site has six fields and the format is the same as the state tournament.” she said. “This gives college coaches four new sites to evaluate our state softball talent.”
The format will also reduce travel expenses, said Savarese. “Most important of all, I think, is that it will be a great experience for the kids.”
The AHSAA Central Board also approved expanding the state cross country championships from four to five divisions. The state meet on Nov. 8 will include boys and girls competition in Classes 1A-2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A. Previously Classes 3A and 4A had competed in one class.
“We had twice the number of schools competing last year in Class 3A-4A,” said Savarese. “It was the fair thing to do.”
A cross country committee was also approved as an advisory group to the AHSAA. Committees already function for football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, tennis, track, golf, swimming and wrestling. Each district will select one member to serve on the cross country committee.
And in a major move to cut the escalating travel costs schools expect to incur this coming year, the Central Board approved having playoff participants face opponents from adjoining regions or areas in the first few rounds. Officials will also be assigned to call games in their local areas – a move that will reduce travel costs considerably, said Savarese.
“This is He added. “If we can save money, then we will be able to give back more money to the schools on the back end, too, through our new profit-sharing initiative.”
Other actions by the Central Board:
--Approved, as in recent years, waiving the annual membership dues of schools once again.
--Approved raising the mileage allowance to be paid to schools for playoff travel as well as raising the mileage allowance for game officials.
--Approved re-organizing the Junior High/Middle School Committee to include Bi-District minority representation like the Central Board.
--Welcomed new Central Board president Moe Smith, Glencoe High School principal who follows out-going president Richard Robertson of Andalusia.