Big Money, Big Dreams: What NCAA Softball Budgets Reveal
According to a paid resource through the NFCA, some of the largest budgets in NCAA softball have been shared, unsurprisingly highlighting programs that provide luxury-level experiences.
A post by Joanna Lane, M.Ed., citing Matt Brown, owner of ExtraPointsMB.com, mentions that for the price of a fancy coffee, just $9/month, you can access this data and more.
🥎 Budgets reported to the NCAA are for team operational expenses (coach salaries, team travel, meals, equipment, game guarantees, recruiting, software, etc). Budget numbers don't include NIL payments. This is a partial list, but for $9/mo @MattBrownEP delivers. pic.twitter.com/yOijsijUed
— Joanna Lane, Ed.D. (@JoannaELane) June 3, 2025
Of course, I wanted to dig deeper into the matter to make sure we are reporting accurate data. With a little elbow grease and my keyboard warrior skills, I found out that it is required of all universities to provide their Athletics Information, however, that does not mean they do so in full disclosure.
There is an EADA database (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act Data Analysis Cutting Tool) is the official U.S. government site that allows you to:
1. Search and compare athletic program data
2. View financial reports by school and sport
3. Analyze gender equity across men’s and women’s athletics
Official EADA Database
What You Can Find:
• Total expenses and revenues for each sport (e.g., softball, football)
• Number of participants by sport and gender
• Coaching staff and salaries
• Recruiting and game-day (operating) expenses
• School-specific details (by year)
You can also search here at https://knightnewhousedata.org to get a broader scope of where the funding is coming from and a breakdown of each Athletic program. If the inner statistician is still not satiated,under the Freedom of Information Act search "[School Name] softball budget FOIA"
to find out more information. Each school also reports their Annual Operating Budget.
Other schools want to play the "you're paying a player $1MM!" card.
— Jody S. Laughter (@Lubbockist) June 2, 2025
Here is how much each of the remaining schools spends on softball outside of NIL (2023 was the most recent I could find):
OU: $6,580,000/yr
UT: $4,100,000/yr
Texas: $3,420,000/yr
TTU: $2,390,000/yr
They do not…
So yes—these numbers are real. And while they don’t include NIL deals, they do reflect what schools are spending directly on their softball programs. Of course, a big budget doesn’t always guarantee a better experience, but it usually means better facilities, deeper support staff, and more resources that can shape a player’s four-year journey. If your daughter is being recruited—or just dreaming big—this is the kind of information that helps you ask the right questions. Not just “Can they win?” but “Will they invest in me?”
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Katie Burkhart is a former professional softball pitcher and Arizona State University alumna, where she was a three-time All-American and led the Sun Devils to a national championship. She played professionally in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, and has coached at the Division I level. She now provides private pitching instruction and mindset training for athletes of all levels. Katie is also the author of Mental Muscle and Beyond the Game, books focused on athletic performance and life after sports.