Changes announced for girls softball season
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The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Board of Directors approved the following softball changes at its Oct. 14 meeting. These changes will go into effect for the 2026 season.
Beginning in 2026, softball teams may begin competition in Week 46 (May 18). With the implementation of 10 allowable hitting days and five fielding days during the preseason, many schools are ready to begin competition after two weeks of practice. The new start date aligns with the start and finish of the baseball season. The goal is to provide more flexibility in scheduling while allowing for additional practice time throughout the regular season. Although the new competition date coincides with the State Track and Field Meet, schools are not required to begin their softball season that week.
The format for the 2026 State Softball Tournament has been finalized. Each class will play all its games on a designated field until the championship, where all championship contests will be played on Channel Seeds Field (the site of all previous title games).
Field Designations
Class 4A – Channel Seeds Field
Class 3A – Iowa Central Field
Class 5A – Yankee Field (turf field)
Classes 1A & 2A – Fenway and Wrigley (the two new diamonds)
All five fields will have lights, and the field designations will rotate each year.
Each class will be divided into two brackets, with the champion from each bracket meeting in the championship game (ensuring the finalists have not played each other earlier in the tournament).
Group One: #1 vs. #8 and #4 vs. #5
Group Two: #2 vs. #7 and #3 vs. #6
Each class will play one game on Monday (four games per diamond). Following the first round, five games are scheduled for Tuesday. Depending on results, three to five games will be played on Wednesday to determine the championship finalists.
The championship schedule will remain similar to past tournaments, with two championship games on Thursday and three on Friday. For 2026, Classes 2A and 4A will play on Thursday, while Classes 1A, 3A, and 5A will play on Friday. There will be no third-place games, and class schedules will rotate annually. Game start times will be staggered.
Pitchers Permitted to Use Electronic Devices
Pitchers may now use electronic devices
during games
This is an Iowa-specific adaptation of the NFHS rule that currently allows catchers and coaches to use such devices.
Postseason Weather Policy
When a postseason softball game is suspended due to weather, play will now resume at the point of suspension on the next playable date. This IGHSAU adaptation eliminates the previous rule that made a game official after five innings in the event of weather interruptions.
Additionally, postseason games halted by weather may not be resumed if three hours have passed since the designated start time. This change provides clearer guidance for site managers and umpires when managing games affected by inclement weather.
