There is a new club sport coming to the University of New Haven, and it is going to make its debut in fall 2019. Club softball will be the 18th club sport added to ChargerRec’s crowded slate of club sports. Club softball will join the likes of men’s and women’s rugby, club baseball, men’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s soccer who have all had recent success in their respective conferences.    

University of New Haven Athletics already has a successful NCAA softball team, but Executive Assistant for club softball Halie Flores felt there was a need to give girls a second chance at playing the sport they love.

“In the fall of 2017 we became aware that there were a lot of girls who loved softball but weren’t able to play for the school’s NCAA team,” said Flores. “Boys in this situation had the option of trying out for club baseball, but this alternative was not available for girls”.

Creating the club was both a want and a need for Flores and she believed it was right to create this alternative for girls that wanted to play softball at the collegiate level. With hard work and persistence, Flores was able to make her idea a reality.  

“We began working towards making the club and became a registered student organization at the end of the last academic school year, we held our first tryouts in the fall and had a turnout better than we had hoped for,” said Flores.

Even with the big turnout, the club is still looking for talented players that they feel can help the club get off the ground and contribute to some early success. The team will be competing in the National Club Softball Association (NCSA) beginning in fall 2019 and they will be competing for prominence against other schools in the region.

Even though this will be the club’s first full season, Flores believes the team will play well and mesh in a timely manner.  

“We expect to spend a lot of time working together and learning how everyone is able to contribute in their own way,” said Flores. “We hope to see the team grow in terms of both numbers and growth of individuals on the team. Everyone has been working together great so far and we are optimistic about our first season together”.  

Club softball will be coming soon to a field near you.