With the expansion of summer collegiate softball exploding all over the country, a new and unifying event is coming next year that will elevate fastpitch softball even more.

The American Collegiate League (ACL), the national governing body of summer collegiate regional leagues around the country, has announced the formation of the College Summer World Series (CSWS) for 2026.  

Regional leagues of the American Collegiate League—including: the Florida Gulf Coast League, the Scenic City Collegiate League, the Golden Bay Collegiate League, the Lone Star State Collegiate League and others that will join in the future— will be able to participate in the exciting future of the College Summer World Series.

Next summer, the individual regions will compete on July 12, 2026, to finalize the regional champion per league. Each winner will ultimately take the field for the College Summer World Series which will be held July 14-17, 2026, at a location to be announced soon.

Additionally, Fastpitch United— Where Professionals & Amateurs Connect”—will host an amateur tournament and a pro series in conjunction with the College Summer World Series.

Ryan Moore, Founder of the American Collegiate League and CEO of UMR Sports, explains the revolutionary impact the launch of the championship series will have on the sport.

“We’re excited to provide a platform to keep expanding the growth of the sport,” he said today.

“That will give players, fans and spectators a full and encompassing event covering fastpitch softball from the younger ages up through college and the pros.”  

The launch of the College Summer World Series is the next stage of growth and development of the summer regional college and pro leagues that have exploded onto the softball scene over the last decade.

The Florida Gulf Coast League will be entering its seventh season next year, the Scenic City Collegiate League will be entering its fourth season and both the Lone Star State Collegiate League and the Golden Bay Collegiate League will be entering their third seasons.  

Just this summer, the ACL saw over 450 collegiate softball athletes compete in various parts of the country and they were watched by approximately 30,000 viewers via streaming broadcasts all over the country.

2026 player registrations for any of the ACL regions will be open this September 1, 2025 for registration.

For more information on the ACL, click HERE; to go to the ACL’s home page click HERE.