The 2025 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP was an overall success for the NFCA as well as for Official Sponsors GameChanger, Major League Baseball and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, the NFCA announced this week in a release highlighting several major areas where the event set records.

The Univ. of Kentucky may have taken home the title at this year’s event, but the Association saw significant growth across many areas, including ticket sales, sponsorship engagement, on-site vendors and website views.

“The NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic is the premier opening weekend tournament in the nation!” said NFCA CEO Carol Bruggeman.

“The excitement surrounding this tournament is palpable all year long and especially leading up to and during the event.”

The 17-team season-opening tournament held Feb. 6-9, 2025 at the Eddie C. Moore complex in Clearwater, Fla., saw 5,085 on-site tickets sold (over 1,000 more than 2024) and increased engagement from sponsors, which included a title sponsor (MaxBP), usage of backstop padding for heightened sponsor visibility and in-game commercials.

NFCA.org and the tournament central page received increased views and traffic, especially between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15. There was a 2,300% spike in organic traffic (i.e. Google searches) to the tournament central page. 

“We are proud of the collaborative efforts around this event within the softball community specifically with Official Sponsors, Clearwater Parks and Recreation, the media, and of course, our fans,” said Bruggeman.

“Additionally, bringing live Division I softball games to MLB Network viewers has introduced a whole new audience to the sport. We remain committed to hosting a variety of teams at this prestigious event highlighted by nationally-ranked, regionally competitive, and HBCU softball programs.”

“We are proud of the unprecedented growth surrounding our Division I Leadoff Classic, and as a leader in the softball space, we will continue to push the boundaries in growing this event.”

Additionally, sponsors GameChanger (GC) and MLB benefited in 2025.

GameChanger, the sole streaming provider of the tournament, live-streamed all 44 contests, including the three that were showcased on MLB Network (Feb. 8). GC had over 6,500 new fans join its platform and saw significant increases in user session (130%) and growth in unique viewers (91%).

MLB Network enjoyed increased ratings from 2024, touting its positive viewer numbers and significant increase in their lead-in programming to each contest on the network.

The Leadoff Classic will return to Clearwater in 2026 (Feb. 5-8). Participating teams for next year will be announced in the Fall.