High school softball will be played in Colorado, but some changes have led to some scrambling by athletic directors.
CHSAA announced last week that the state approved the plan for softball to be played in the fall sports season.
One of the key components in the guidelines was reducing the amount of games from 23 to a maximum of 16. Also, there will not be a regional round, with the season moving right into the state tournament following the regular season.
The state field will be determined by league champions and the CHSAA Seeding Index (RPI, Coaches Poll, MaxPreps).
The reduction in games sent Yuma High School Athletic Director Michael Dischner to work creating a new schedule. He said the Patriot League decided to go with a 16-team league-only schedule, meaning the Indians lost eight tournament games, as well as a doubleheader.
He said Monday morning that he had developed a 16-game schedule, but shortly thereafter got word from Weld Central that it would not be able to play a doubleheader on August 20.
As of earlier this week, YHS had 14 games scheduled.
The Indians’ season-opening double dip will be Saturday, August 22, at Fort Lupton.
They will host Faith Christian for two on August 25, then have a long break before traveling to Wray for two on September 15. They will host home double dips with Holyoke on September 19, and Burlington on September 22.
Yuma closes out the regular season September 26 at Chase County, followed by a twin bill at Limon on October 3.
The state tournament is scheduled for October 10.
The guidelines for softball this season include only 12 player per level suiting up for games.
Players must wear masks when arriving for practice, and coaches, volunteers and managers must wear a mask throughout practice. Maintain social distancing at practice and in the dugouts.
All equipment must be disinfected before, during and after each practice and game, and no sharing of personal equipment.
Any rules and regulations regarding fan attendance at games will be dictated by local, state and federal guidelines. Updated information on what will be allowed will be forwarded to schools and CHSAANow.com closer to the start of the season.
Look for more on the YHS team in next week’s Pioneer.
