AURORA | The high school softball season already looked different than it ever had due to the coronavirus pandemic and now the Colorado High School Activities Association has changed the changes.
On Tuesday, CHSAA upped roster sizes from 12 to 15 and redesigned the format of state tournaments as several factors related to COVID-19 have changed since the opening of the season in mid-August.
State tournaments had typically been played over two days at the Aurora Sports Park, but only three games in each classification (semifinals and finals) will be played there this time on Oct. 10 in order to limit the number of people at the venue. The first two rounds of the state tournament will now to played at home sites.
The state tournament fields for Classes 5A, 4A and 3A will be finalized this weekend after the final week of the regular season. League champions receive automatic berths in the 16-team fields (depending on league rules) and the remaining teams will qualify and be seeded based on CHSAA’s formula that includes its coaches poll, RPI standings and MaxPreps rankings.
Smoky Hill, which opens the three-game Centennial League Challenge Tuesday, is currently the only Aurora team that will automatically be part of the state field as Centennial League champion. Cherokee Trail is currently ranked No. 9 and Regis Jesuit is ranked No. 14 in the RPI standings, giving them a chance to qualify.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
