NCAA Announces Full Capacity Crowds For Baseball And Softball Tournaments

With the recent announcement from the CDC stating that fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear masks inside, society is beginning the process of returning to normal. 

The return of sports — with fans in the stands — is an indicator that we’re almost there. 

On Wednesday, the NCAA — the National Collegiate Athletic Association which regulates student athletics — announced they will allow full capacity crowds for the upcoming softball and baseball tournaments, if schools and state guidelines allow for full attendance. 

According to the NCAA website, the announcement comes after guidance from the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, which is a departure from the NCAA’s previous stance allowing 50% capacity for its spring postseason tournaments.

“The effectiveness and prevalence of vaccinations in our country have allowed the Medical Advisory Group to provide this guidance that has tremendous impact on student-athletes, coaches and fans attending NCAA championships,” NCAA chief medical officer Dr. Brian Hainline said. “It’s still important for anyone attending championships to remember common sense measures like hand washing, hand sanitization and proper etiquette while coughing or sneezing.” 

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The NCAA baseball regionals will begin June 4 and, in a move deemed necessary by the NCAA due to health and safety protocols, 20 predetermined sites have already been announced for hosting the baseball regionals. The NCAA committee will select the official 16 regional sites on May 20. 

“Certainly, this has been a unique season, but the committee is very appreciative of all of the schools that submitted bids to host. We received a number of quality bids from schools around the country that were interested in being a part of this championship, including a few potential first-time hosts,” chair of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee Jeff Altier said. “We are extremely excited to bring the Division I Baseball Championship back in 2021 and let the student-athletes, coaches and fans once again experience this terrific event.”

Arizona, Arkansas, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida, Gonzaga, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt were selected as the predetermined regional sites. 

Many southern schools have been open for full capacity crowds for the past few months, and the announcement will more than likely give additional SEC schools the ability to fully pack their stands for the NCAA regionals and super regionals.  

“(Full capacity) would be great for all schools,” Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin said. “You hate to see situations going forward where you played all year, and the stadiums that could be potentially packed are not. (A full stadium) is great for the game, great for the kids.”

The 2020 NCAA spring championships amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including the College World Series. The college baseball championship have been played in Omaha, Nebraska since 1950. The 2021 College World Series begins June 4.

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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