Oklahoma Softball Expands to 100 Percent Capacity for Regional Play
The Oklahoma Softball team just got a big boost this postseason.
The NCAA has officially lifted seating capacity limits, effective May 20, the NCAA announced in a press release.
"Beginning May 20, local public health authorities will determine fan capacities at championship events," the release stated. "The NCAA will not set a predetermined limit.
The release went on to state that masks and physical distancing will not be mandated by the NCAA, and those determinations would also be deferred to the guidance of local public health authorities.
"The effectiveness and prevalence of vaccinations in out country have allowed the Medical Advisory Group to provide this guidance that has tremendous impact on student-athletes, coaches and fans attending the NCAA Championships," NCAA Chief Medial Officer Brian Hainline said in the release. "It's still important for anyone attending championships to remember common sense measure like hand washing, hand sanitization and proper etiquette when coughing or sneezing."
The change in protocol is in line with new health and safety guidelines announce by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the release said.
On the heels of the NCAA's announcement, the University of Oklahoma has expanded capacity to this weekend's regional to 100 percent, with additional tickets going on sale at 10 a.m. on May 20.
OU also announced that the campus-wide mask mandate would be lifted, though the University encouraged "the entire OU Community" to get vaccinated.
Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com previously reported the news earlier today that NCAA was going to allow 100 percent fan capacity for the 2021 baseball and softball championships, a reversal of their previous determination.
Before May 20, the NCAA had capped attendance at 50 percent for the spring championships.
This means that the Women’s College World Series, played in Oklahoma City, could be held at full capacity, giving the Sooners one of the greatest home field advantages in college softball.
“I definitely think this is like our home field,” Sooner slugger Jocelyn Alo said last Saturday after Oklahoma captured the Big 12 Championship at USA Hall of Fame Stadium, the site of the Women’s College World Series.
This year’s Women’s College World Series will mark the 30th consecutive time the event has been played in Oklahoma City after there was no Women’s College World Series in 2020.
The event in 2021 could set new attendance records too.
Recent renovations have added 4,000 new seats to the upper deck at Hall of Fame Stadium, brining the total seating capacity to 12,000. Renovations to the entire complex totaled $27.5 million, ensuring the Women’s College World Series would stay in Oklahoma City through 2035.