Girls high school softball is an institution in the state of Iowa, producing talented athletes who represent their communities while playing the sport they love.
The IGHSAU sanctioned softball in 1955, and Iowa is the only state in the nation that holds its softball season in the summer. Since 1970, the annual Iowa Girls High School State Softball Tournament has been held at Rogers Park in Fort Dodge.
Dates & Guidelines
The following dates and guidelines are approved for the 2025-26 school year.
First practice: May 4th
First game: Monday, May 18
First tournament: Friday, May 29th
Games: 40
Scrimmages: 3
Regional Tournament Dates:
Class 1A and 2A: July 6, 8, 10, 13
Class 3A, 4A, 5A: July 9, 11, 14
State Tournament: July 20-24 in Fort Dodge for all classes
Official tournament ball: Dudley SB 12L RF Y FP — Red stitch (.47 COR)
Bound reporting dates: Bound will be checked every Tuesday during the regular season
Scholarship dates: May 18th - eligibility resumes at 12:01 a.m. on June 7th.
Individual and Team Limitations
A team is permitted to play no more than three games in any single day. Tournaments may include no more than 16 teams. No more than four games per team may be played in any tournament. A school may play in only one tournament at a time and play no more than three games on a calendar day. No junior varsity teams are allowed in varsity tournaments except in emergency situations (must be approved by the IGHSAU).
Individuals may play a maximum of 65 games and play in only three games per day (includes all levels of play). EXCEPTION: A varsity player who enters the game only as a courtesy runner and serves only in that capacity for the entire game shall not be charged a game played toward the three-game daily limitation. If she enters the game in any other capacity (i.e. pinch hitter, pinch runner, or defensive player), the game counts and she is subject to the three-game daily limit. This exception applies only to the varsity level player and is intentionally narrow in scope. The intent is to allow younger players to fully participate at lower levels and still be available for this limited varsity role without reaching the three-game limit.
Eighth grade students are eligible to practice (including scrimmages) with the high school team on the first date of practice and compete on the first date of competition. Eighth graders may compete on the junior high team, high school team or both. If competing in junior high and high school, they may play in only three games on a calendar day.
Sixth graders may participate (practice or play) on the junior high team on the first day of practice, as set by the school district.
PITCHERS & CATCHERS
Pitchers and catchers may voluntarily practice at a facility under a coach’s supervision from January 1 through the end of the summer period using equipment required for these two positions only. No batting practice & no hitting of ground balls may be performed by pitchers or catchers. Pitchers and catchers may stretch, run and play catch (short and long distance). Coaches may now provide instructions to catchers during these sessions.
HITTING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
A high school program (9-12) is allowed 10 total days of hitting skill development from January 1 until the first day of practice. This is a program limitation and not a team or individual limitation. Regardless of the number of students who utilize the hitting skills development at any one time, a day is utilized in the 10 days.
The 10 days must be on file with school administration and may include only skill instruction related to hitting. No base running or fielding drills are to be done during these sessions. Students can field batted balls and throw balls back to the pitching area; however, throws across the infield are not to occur. Hitting instruction can take place either indoors or outdoors. Students and coaches may throw to batters from a flat surface behind an L-screen, in a cage or in a soft-toss hitting drill. Pitchers and catchers may also use this time as their contact period.
Outside of the designated 10 days of hitting instruction, no other coaching contact and/or instruction may be provided until the first legal practice date. Coaching contact with pitchers must be in a separate facility if other players are present for any voluntary hitting and fielding activity.
TEAMS NOW ALLOWED FIVE ADDITIONAL DEFENSIVE CONTACT DAYS: In addition to the 10 days of hitting instruction coaches can provide to players prior to the official start of practice, softball teams are now allotted an additional five days of contact to work on defense for a total of 15 dates. Like the 10 hitting days, coaches will need to file those defensive workout days with their activity directors and these dates cannot take place until after January 1, 2026. Schools may combine defensive work with one of the hitting days, but that will count as two of the 15 contact days.
