The U Eyes Softball!

Who should be next?!

Earlier this week, CaneSport reported that along with realignment talk (ugh) and some updates on changes with basketball, Miami Hurricanes Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich alluded to adding another sport, which the general consensus seems to be that sport would be softball. 

FINALLY! Much like football, Florida is saturated with softball talent, and has wildly successful Division 1 programs that crisscross the state. As the sport continues to grow in popularity and gains more eyeballs and accessibility, it is becoming more and more glaring when a school isn’t fielding a team. What made Miami’s lack of a program all the more egregious is their success as a baseball program. While yes, they are obviously not the same sport, the two diamond sports are cousins in their own way, so it’s odd that it has taken so long for The U to finally get on this. 

Miami looking at a softball program shouldn’t come as a surprise. At his previous stop as an AD, Radakovich successfully helped bring softball to Clemson which has been a slam dunk in terms of competition, fan support, and recruiting. So, he knows how to do this the right way. In the same conference, Duke has also come on as a strong program over the last couple of years, and with the ACC adding Stanford and Cal, the ACC looks to continue to grow as a softball powerhouse. 

Wofford will also be playing their inaugural softball season in 2024, but this got me thinking. Which schools should be looking to add softball so long as the budget and scholarships allow for them to do so? Miami was at the top of that list for me, but there are some others that should get on this ASAP.

Vanderbilt

SEC softball top to bottom is probably the most competitive league with the new additions of Oklahoma and Texas moving forward and the PAC-12 dissolving. Vanderbilt being the only SEC school without softball is criminal, especially considering how much they love and support their baseball team. Rumor has it they are adding volleyball soon, but I truly think the Commodores should get in on the other spring diamond sport too. 

USC (Southern Cal)

I know that USC fields a lot of other women's sports, and maybe they have an unwritten agreement with UCLA about this. But much like Florida, California is bursting with softball talent and a top-notch athletic department without a softball team in the state just doesn’t feel right. They are the only PAC-12 team moving to the Big 10 not bringing softball along with them. Oregon, UCLA, and Washington are poised to truly show who the haves and have nots are in the Big 10 moving forward, so USC should explore this option too. Like I said, there’s plenty of talented ballplayers out in Cali!

ODU/Arkansas State

I am not lumping these two together because they aren’t “Power 5”, but because this has been a stated mission of the SunBelt commissioner Keith Gill. Of the midmajors, the SunBelt has a case for being the strongest softball conference moving forward. Perennial power Louisiana and the sustained success of JMU since it started fielding a team in the early 2000’s helped to carry names in the conference. Add in historically successful programs like Southern Miss and Marshall, along with the recent successes of Texas State and South Alabama, it is a league that expects multiple postseason bids. After all, the conference received 4 bids in 2021, before adding in a JMU team that went to the WCWS that same year.

This is why Arkansas State and ODU should start exploring the option. Finding money is harder for mid majors, and there’s also the issue of space which has been a stated concern for ODU. But I think it would be good for both athletic departments. And, quietly as it's kept, Virginia is kind of a softball superpower in its own right. JMU and Virginia Tech fly the flag the highest with Liberty right behind. But Longwood and Radford are also great programs with postseason runs, and UVA has started to come along. This makes it a no brainer for ODU, and Arkansas State should come on in to complete the set.

West Virginia

I genuinely think that West Virginia has bigger problems than fielding a softball team at this time, but they should have one regardless. They have a thing where they root for Iowa State’s softball team because they have one and Iowa State roots for West Virginia’s baseball team because the Cyclones don’t have one. I mean ok, sure, that’s nice. But, WVU should have softball. As I said, lowkey lots of talent in those Virginias and especially along the I-81 corridor in the Shenandoah Valley.

SMU/Wake Forest

With SMU joining the ACC along with two softball powers, their lack of a team sticks out like a sore thumb for those of us who are big fans of the sport. Wake Forest also not having a team while fielding great baseball like Miami gives off the same vibes. With Miami on the cusp of adding a team, SMU and Wake Forest should also look to do so. This conference is going to be a powerhouse moving forward, and they should look to get in on the action.

Washington State

Their conference future may be uncertain, but if the passion of their football fans is any indication, the Cougars would wholeheartedly embrace having a softball team. Once the conference situation sorts itself out, they could find themselves in a place depending on the league they went to, and with the right recruiting, having the same success Clemson did when starting their softball program. 

TCU/Kansas State/Colorado/Cincinnati

The new Big 12 obviously lost its two biggest programs in Texas and Oklahoma, but backfilling with Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, BYU, and UCF ain’t too shabby from a softball perspective. Each program has a history of success and will keep the conference as one of the best in the country. That said, there’s room to improve. Cincinnati fields a club softball team but TCU, Kansas State, and Colorado should get in on this as well. The “Bigger 12”, as coined by the Sickos Committee, has the opportunity to solidify itself as potentially the 3rd best softball conference after the SEC and ACC in terms of depth across the board. 

VCU/William & Mary/Richmond

As previously stated, Virginia has A LOT of softball talent. And while a ton of it is caught by JMU and Virginia Tech respectively, top notch performers do make their way out of the state. Sandercock and Cagle come to mind for me. So, I don’t know what it is about the Richmond/Williamsburg area, but they don’t have a single program??? Hampton and Norfolk State are in the 757, George Mason and a handful of teams in DC like George Washington and Howard are also coming along as well, and we already covered the Shenandoah Valley. Don’t get me wrong, I have a bias here wanting JMU to get as many great players as possible, but I also find it odd that none of the above-mentioned teams, and also ODU as previously mentioned, don’t have softball. It seems like there’s an opportunity there to own the middle of the state in that regard.

So, those were my quick thoughts. I have been wanting to write on this subject for a while, and the Miami news just sparked me to put pen to paper. The more opportunities for scholarships and athletes to perform at the collegiate level, I am all for. And with the sport of softball continuing to grow, I hope to see more athletic departments looking to add softball and doing so seriously!