Report: NCAA Recommends 50% Capacity For Postseason
Unfortunately, COVID-19 protocols may limit seating capacity for the postseason of the respective 2021 college baseball and softball campaigns.
Adam Sparks, who writes for the Nashville Tennessean, reported on Thursday that the NCAA has recommended that Regional and Super Regional baseball hosts allow a maximum of no more than 50% of capacity at stadiums.
The guidelines apply to all spring sports, including baseball, softball, tennis, and track.
These are only recommendations and not mandates, so none of this is etched in stone.
The other thing to keep in mind is that even if the NCAA mandates 50% capacity, the host schools would still have to deal with their state mandates, which, of course, would those of the NCAA.
For instance; if a host school is in a state in which the capacity mandate is at 25%, then capacity wouldn't increase.
The recommendation, which could become a mandate, would really only affect schools that are in states which allow more than 50% capacity.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced back in March that he instituted coronavirus rules that brought the state into Phase 3 of the reopening plan, allowing stadiums to hold 50% attendance. Athletic venues had been capped at 25% capacity.
Attendance restrictions vary among states. For example; Mississippi is allowing 100% capacity, while Arizona currently is at only 16%.
Host sites for the respective Regionals will be announced the week of April 26 for softball, as well as the week of May 10 for baseball.
The best news, of course, is that it certainly appears like there is going to be a postseason this year, unlike in 2020, when there was no postseason for any of the spring sports.