The men’s D1 softball championship features six teams: reigning champions Barracudas de Montpellier, Rabbits de Clapiers Jacou, Comanches de Saint-Raphael, Huskies de Rouen, Stade Toulousain de Toulouse, and Panthères de Pessac.
The opening matchday is set for March 11-12.
The first four rounds of the championship will be three-team tournaments. This means each team will play 3 or 4 games over two days.
The fifth and final round won’t be a three-team tournament but rather two head-to-head matchups, promising an exciting finish to the regular season.
A standings will be established, and two pools will be formed. On one side, the teams ranked 1, 2, and 3, and on the other, the teams ranked 4, 5, and 6.
This second phase, or Phase B, actually consists of one tournament for each pool with 4 games per team. The top two teams from the upper pool will face off in the final, best-of-five series.
The last-place team from the lower pool will play playoff matches against the D2 leader.
As with the women’s championship, the winners will qualify for the European Champions Cup. This season also sees the return of the France Challenge, scheduled for May 6-8. Great news for men’s softball! This competition will increase the number of games played and, of course, qualify a team for the European Cup Winners Cup.
So much at stake ahead!!!
Raina Hunter
