CHSAA Keeps 32-Team Softball Brackets

The CHSAA Softball Committee kept 32-team postseason brackets and automatic bids for league champions for at least one more season.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Softball

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Should high school softball keep automatic bids for league champions outside the top rankings?

The CHSAA Softball Committee met Wednesday and reached consensus without taking votes, keeping 32-team postseason brackets in all three classifications. The committee also kept automatic qualifying spots for league champions for at least one more season.

Why it matters

Because classifications are now set by enrollment cuts rather than equal team counts, a 32-team bracket covers different shares of each class: 59 percent of 3A teams, 50 percent of 4A teams and 65 percent of 5A teams. Colorado softball programs and fans in the state face these postseason qualification rules directly.

The data come from a CHSAA membership survey in which only about 25 of more than 370 respondents answered the bracket-size question, with 24 of them favoring a smaller 5A bracket. The committee has not yet resolved whether that preference will change the 5A bracket, and the automatic-bid rule will be revisited if another champion ranks far outside the top 32.

The players

Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA)

The CHSAA is the state body that governs high school athletics and activities in Colorado, including the classification and postseason format for softball.

The details

The committee favored keeping regional "if" games for 4A and 5A teams that already beat an opponent in a double-elimination regional. Seeding language review confirmed current practice, which allows a team to be moved by up to one spot to avoid a first-round league matchup or second-round regional matchup. Two 4A league champions received automatic bids this season, ranked around 37th and 51st.

Aug. 9, 2027: Practice begins for the 2027 season.
Aug. 12, 2027: First contests of the 2027 season.
Oct. 9, 2027: Regular season ends.
Oct. 15-16, 2027: Round of 32 played.
Oct. 18, 2027: Brackets released.

Season Trajectory

Because CHSAA classifications are now set by enrollment cuts rather than equal team counts, the same 32-team bracket covers 59 percent of 3A teams, 50 percent of 4A teams and 65 percent of 5A teams. The committee kept automatic bids for league champions because they have long guaranteed geographic representation in the membership, a choice that could shape which programs reach the postseason in future seasons.

Players, coaches and families planning for the 2027 season can count on a 32-team bracket in each classification and automatic qualification for league champions for at least one more year. Umpire numbers fell by about 20 this season, mostly in the Denver metro area, which may affect scheduling for games played there.

The takeaway

Postseason access in Colorado softball now depends on how each classification's enrollment compares to its bracket size, so teams in larger classes face tighter odds. Watching how the committee handles the 5A bracket debate will show whether the 32-team format holds.

What happens next

Softball practice begins Aug. 9, 2027, with the first contests on Aug. 12, 2027, the regular season ends Oct. 9, 2027, the Round of 32 is played Oct. 15-16, 2027, and brackets are released Oct. 18, 2027.