Canada vs. USA

There are many schools that offer softball programs in both Canada and the United States.

In Canada, there are three main softball associations for postsecondary schools: the Ontario Intercollegiate Women’s Fastpitch Association, the Ontario College Athletic Association, and the Western Collegiate Softball Association. Between the three leagues, there are 25 Canadian colleges and universities that offer competitive intercollegiate fastpitch softball.

The Canadian intercollegiate softball season typically runs from approximately early September to late October, with try-outs being held in mid-August. All three leagues offer a high level of competition between schools, as well as competition in a National Championship tournament.

SCHOOL	LOCATION	LEAGUE	TEAM NAME
University of Alberta	Edmonton, AB	WCSA	Golden Bears
University of Calgary	Calgary, AB	WCSA	Dinos
University of Lethbridge	Lethbridge, AB	WCSA	Pronghorns
University of Regina	Regina, SK	WCSA	Cougars
University of Saskatchewan	Saskatoon, SK	WCSA	Lady Saxons
Mount Royal University	Calgary, AB	WCSA	Cougars
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology	Calgary, AB	WCSA	Trojans
Constoga College	Kitchener, ON	OCAA	Condors
Durham College	Oshawa, ON	OCAA	Lords
Humber College	Toronto, ON	OCAA	Hawks
Mohawk College	Hamilton, ON	OCAA	Mountaineers
Seneca College	North York, ON	OCAA	Sting
St. Clair College	Windsor, ON	OCAA	Saints
Brock University	St. Catherine’s, ON	OIWFA	Badgers
Carleton University	Ottawa, ON	OIWFA	Ravens
McMaster University	Hamilton, ON	OIWFA	Marauders
Queens University	Kingston, ON	OIWFA	Gaels
Wilfred Laurier University	Waterloo, ON	OIWFA	Golden Hawks
York University	Toronto, ON	OIWFA	Lions
University of Guelph	Guelph, ON	OIWFA	Gryphons
University of Ottawa	Ottawa, ON	OIWFA	Gee Gees
University of Toronto	Toronto, ON	OIWFA	Varsity Blues
University of Western Ontario	London, ON	OIWFA	Mustangs
University of Windsor	Windsor, ON	OIWFA	Lancers

*Clicking on SCHOOL NAME directs to main school website.Clicking on TEAM NAME directs to team/school athletics website*

The Ontario Intercollegiate Women’s Fastpitch Association (OIWFA) was founded in 2002 and features universities from across the province of Ontario. The University of Western Ontario Mustangs have been particularly successful in recent years, winning four of the last six OIWFA Championships.

The Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) offers fast pitch softball as one of the sports in its lineup of ten different intercollegiate sports. Colleges from across Ontario have competed for the OCAA Championship since fastpitch was introduced in 1981. Durham College has been extremely successful, winning eight titles in the past twelve years (and a second place finish in the other four years).

The Western Collegiate Softball Association features colleges and universities from Alberta and Saskatchewan. The University of Saskatchewan Huskies have won the past three WCSA Championships.

Colleges and universities in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces may offer club softball teams that are affiliated with the schools, but do not operate under a sanctioned league.

Additionally, two universities in British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, offer American-level fastpitch competition. The UBC Thunderbirds are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a part of the Association of Independent Institutions, while theSimon Fraser Clan are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II members that compete in the Great Northwest Athletics Conference. These two institutions compete against American universities, offering an ever high level of competition than the three Canadian leagues.

Finally, there are American schools. As touched upon in the last paragraph, there are two main leagues that American colleges and universities operate under – the NCAA and the NAIA. The NCAA has three levels of competition – Division I, Division II, and Division III. Division I features the highest level of competition and the largest schools, while Division II and III feature smaller schools and a somewhat less competitive level of play. All in all, there are more than 900 NCAA and 205 NAIA schools with competitive fastpitch softball programs.

More Resources:
http://www.canadiancollegesoftball.ca/
athleticscholarships.net
http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/softball.htm

FUN FACT: American Thanksgiving 1887 was the first time the game was played. Source: http://www.sportsknowhow.com/softball/history/softball-history.shtml