FORT COLLINS, CO -- Triple Crown Sports and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) have joined forces to bring back the National Invitational Softball Championships, a 48-team postseason Division-I event that will highlight the explosive growth of women’s softball and the depth of talent on college rosters from coast to coast. The NISC returns to the scene in May of 2017, with Selection Day set for May 14. The announcement of the NISC field will be made about an hour after the NCAA releases the 64-team bracket for its tournament. The NISC will place six teams in eight separate regionals, with a double-elimination format determining the final eight teams; those eight teams will play at one site in another double-elim event to determine a champion. "The time is right to add a postseason tournament in softball. There is tremendous parity throughout the country and fan interest is at an all-time high,” said Carol Bruggeman, Executive Director of the NFCA. “The NISC will create postseason opportunities for highly competitive and successful teams. Triple Crown Sports will run a first-class tournament allowing one more team to finish their season with a championship victory." The NISC will feature 32 teams receiving automatic berths – one from each of the nation’s 32 conferences. The next 16 teams are at-large selections, with metrics such as RPI, record vs. top 50 RPI and other rankings systems being used. Teams must also have a record of .500 or better. “In regards to the difficulty for teams to get an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament from a mid-major conference, this event now gives them an opportunity to build their fan base and program around during the magic of a postseason experience,” said Dave King, CEO of Triple Crown Sports. For more information, visit the website: www.womensnisc.com or follow the NIVC on Twitter @WomensNIVC. NISC Schedule: May 14 – Selection Day May 16-18 – Regionals May 21-24 – Championship Round About Triple Crown Sports Based in Fort Collins, CO., Triple Crown Sports has been producing events in youth athletics and the college ranks for more than 30 years. TCS runs both the preseason and postseason WNIT basketball events and produces the men’s and women’s Cancun Challenge tournaments in November, which have been recognized by Sports Illustrated as a top-5 destination tournament for D-I basketball programs. With established relationships throughout all of collegiate athletics, Triple Crown has expanded its college event slate with the addition of the National Invitational Softball Championships (NISC) and National Invitational Volleyball Championships (NIVC), both set to debut in 2017. |