Rounding Third Softball

RTS has learned that the Division I Football Oversight Committee will recommend to the NCAA DI Management Council that the “Dead Period” that has lasted since March 2020 be lifted after May 31 in favor of a “Quiet Period”. A Quiet Period allows for institutes to host Prospective Student-Athletes on-campus and hold institutional camps. However, the move would still restrict coaches from going off-campus to recruit or work non-institutional camps. Although each sport can decide their own recruiting periods, the football and men and women’s basketball committees have steered the last eight extensions of the Dead Period and there is no indication that trend would change. Division I Softball Coaches have not been off their campuses recruiting since the fall of 2019 and a move into a Quiet Period could possibly wipeout another summer in the prime recruiting season for DI Coaches. RTS obtained a memo sent from the Intercollegiate Coach Association Coalition (ICAC) to the NCAA imploring them to lift all recruiting restrictions starting April 16, 2021 until “sports specific recruiting calendars are resumed.” The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) which steers legislation on recruiting for the sport of softball, is a member of the coalition. Along with softball; representative organizations of soccer, volleyball, baseball, tennis, rifle, golf, field hockey, ice hockey, and swimming were all represented and supported the memo/request to resume regular recruiting activities.

The NCAA has sent a second communication out to all-session ticket holders for the Women’s College World Series June 3-9. The email states, “At this time, no determination has been made regarding fan attendance for the 2021 WCWS. We are closely monitoring federal, state and local COVID-19 restrictions in Oklahoma and we will reach out again when venue capacity and fan attendance have been determined.” The email sets a bleak outlook on the possibility of fan attendance with the event less than three months away. It also brings in question why the NCAA has set a 25% capacity for the Men and Women’s Basketball Tournaments that start this month and are obviously held indoors, but will make no determination on the WCWS held outdoors in Oklahoma City in June. NCAA had sent a survey earlier this year to regular all-session ticket holders gauging whether they would be attending or not indicating the association was trying to get an initial feel on capacity prospects.

Chipola College Associate Head Coach Jimmy Hendrix has resigned citing personal reasons. Hendrix a three time NJCAA Coach of the Year, help lead the Indians to three National Championships in 2007, 2016, and 2019. His wife, Head Coach Belinda Hendrix, will continue leading the program.

East Texas Baptist remained No. 1 in the NFCA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll this week. The Tigers received all eight first-place votes. ETBU is 8-0 on the season and haven’t been beaten since 2019. They sat 15-0 when the season ended prematurely in 2020.

Rank	Team	2021 Record	Points	Previous
1	East Texas Baptist (8)	8-0	200	1
2	Texas Lutheran	4-2	192	2
3	Virginia Wesleyan	10-1	184	4
4	Christopher Newport	9-3	176	3
5	Salisbury	2-4	168	5
6	Linfield	7-1	160	6
7	DePauw	8-0	152	9
8	Kean	0-0	144	8
9	Berry	8-1	136	10
10	St. John Fisher	0-0	128	11
11	Transylvania	7-0	120	12
12	Birmingham-Southern	15-2	106	18
13	St. Olaf	0-0	103	14
14	Milwaukee School of Engineering	0-0	95	15
15	Eastern Connecticut State	0-0	86	16
16	Carthage	0-0	77	17
17	Moravian	0-0	70	19
18	Geneseo	0-0	54	20
19	St. Catherine	2-0	50	NR
T20	Trine	0-0	41	22
	Wartburg	7-1	41	NR
22	Randolph-Macon	0-0	28	23
23	Tufts	0-0	18	24
24	Carroll (Wis.)	2-0	17	NR
25	Belhaven	11-3	14	NR

Others receiving votes:  Central (Iowa) 13, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 11, Wisconsin-La Crosse 9, Illinois Wesleyan 6, Rowan 1.

Dropped out: Averett, Ferrum, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Manhattanville, Maryville (Tenn.), Mount Union, Williams and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Southern Arkansas (2-0) has held on to the top spot in this weeks NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. SAU returns to the field today after not being in action since January 30. The Muleriders picked up 13 of 16 first-place votes while No. 2 North Georgia (12-0) picked up 2 votes and No. 3 Texas A&M-Commerce (10-4) 1 vote.

Rank	School	Points	2021 Record	Last Poll
1	Southern Arkansas (13)	395	2-0	1
2	North Georgia (2)	386	12-0	2
3	Texas A&M-Commerce (1)	361	10-4	5
4	Augustana	356	4-2	3
5	Valdosta State	323	10-2	9
6	Lincoln Memorial	299	14-1	8
7	Rollins	295	0-0	6
8	UT Tyler	294	10-4	10
9	Concordia Irvine	289	4-1	7
10	Oklahoma Christian	258	12-2	11
11	Saint Leo	235	3-1	4
12	Rogers State	220	6-2	12
13	UAH	199	9-3	14
14	Indianapolis	185	5-1	17
15	Winona State	171	4-0	16
16	Saint Anselm	158	0-0	15
17	Young Harris	157	11-4	13
18	Texas A&M-Kingsville	144	9-1	19
19	West Texas A&M	97	12-4	17
20	Grand Valley State	71	6-2	21
21	West Chester	64	0-0	22
22	Colorado Mesa	50	8-0	RV
23	West Florida	48	12-5	RV
24	Angelo State	37	9-6	23
25	Central Oklahoma	19	7-3	RV

Dropped Out: No. 20 Lenoir-Rhyne, No. 24 Tampa, No. 25 Lubbock Christian

Receiving Votes: St. Cloud State (18), Trevecca Nazarene (16), Saginaw Valley State (12), Lubbock Christian (10), Tampa (9), Western Washington (8), Anderson (7), Auburn University at Montgomery (4), Minnesota State (3), Lenoir-Rhyne (2).

Oklahoma secured 31 of 32 first-place votes in this weeks USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll. The No. 1 Sooners are out to a 17-0 start showcasing one of the most prolific offenses in the game. No. 2 Arizona picked up the other first-place vote and was 12-0 before being handed their first loss of the season yesterday by No. 24 Central Florida.

Rank	School	Points	Record	Last Week
1	Oklahoma (31)	799	17-0	1
2	Arizona (1)	757	12-0	2
3	UCLA	731	10-1	4
4	Alabama	705	19-1	3
5	Oregon	658	13-1	6
6	Florida	655	14-1	5
7	Oklahoma State	580	18-1	9
8	Washington	563	16-2	8
9	Kentucky	516	19-0	10
10	Texas	512	10-2	7
11	Arizona State	486	15-1	11
12	LSU	449	13-6	13
13	Duke	396	15-1	14
14	Louisiana	390	13-4	12
15	Florida State	353	11-4	16
16	Virginia Tech	290	7-2	15
17	Missouri	267	15-4	18
18	Georgia	233	14-2	19
19	Arkansas	212	16-2	20
20	South Carolina	205	12-3	17
21	Auburn	141	15-1	24
22	Tennessee	126	17-1	25
23	Michigan	100	4-2	21
24	UCF	70	12-3	22
25	Clemson	58	13-2	RV

New to Poll: No. 25 Clemson

Dropped Out: No. 23 Iowa State

Receiving Votes: Baylor (28), Southern Illinois (27), Iowa state (26), Illinois (23), Northwestern (16), Liberty (8), Stanford (6), Mississippi State (4), Notre Dame (3), South Alabama (2), Texas State (2), Wichita State (2), James Madison (1).

RTS will be on-site in Clearwater at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex later today for the scheduled training session of the U.S. Women’s National Team at 4:45 pm EST. Team USA is in Day 5 of their 16 day Florida Training Camp in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Follow RTS on Twitter @Rounding3rdSB for updates and info from the scheduled three hour training session.

The Italian Softball Federation has named Federico Pizzolini Head Coach of the Women’s National Softball Team and will guide the squad in the upcoming Olympic Games this summer in Tokyo. The federation confirmed the appointment 10 days after Enrico Obletter, former head coach of the national team, passed away due to complications from COVID-19.

RTS will be in Tampa this weekend for a two-game matchup between No. 2 ranked Arizona and South Florida. First pitch for Game 1 of the set is 1 pm EST Saturday at the USF Softball Stadium. Game 2 will be Sunday also with a start time of 1 pm EST. Follow RTS on Twitter @Rounding3rdSB for real-time in game updates.

USA Softball has announced additional exhibition games as part of their training camp currently being held in Florida through March 18. In addition to their already announced three-game exhibition with Team Mexico March 8-10 in Clearwater, the U.S. National Team will now play a three-game exhibition against the University of South Florida March 12-14 in Tampa and then cap the training camp exhibitions in Gainesville March 16 against the University of Florida.