Arucian Softball League
| Most recent season or competition: 2023 Arucian Softball League Season | |
 | |
| Sport | Softball |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 1, 1946 |
| Commissioner | Pierre Leclerq |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Countries | Bonaventure Carucere Eldmark Île d'Émeraude Sainte-Chloé Satucin |
| Most recent champion(s) | XXXX (2022) |
| Most titles | XXXX (XX) |
The Arucian Softball League (Gaullican: Ligue de Softball Arucien), known as the LSA or ASL, is a professional softball organisation based in Sainte-Chloé. Founded in 1946, the League was envisioned to be the women's counterpart of the Arucian Baseball League. Despite early financial troubles, funding issues and the closing of franchises in other former areas of the United Provinces, the League became popular on the island of Sainte-Chloé as a popular baseball off-season sport. To this day, it remains a popular secondary sport in Sainte-Chloé, following Baseball and Arucian football.
Due to rainy conditions, the league is notable for playing both outdoor and indoor games, although outdoor is the ideal condition.
Name
The name of the league was inspired by the Arucian Baseball League, as part of the goal behind the league was to create a counterpart of the ABL. The name gave legitimacy to the new organisation, and also allowed it to be international in nature, not just limited to the island of Sainte-Chloé. Although for the ABL, the name "Arucian" came from a name of the old colonial Viceroyalty of the New Aurean due to its position in the Arucian Sea, the word "Arucian" had been used for the Arucian Federation and was a common adjective used for the islands of the United Provinces. Although mostly focused in the Western Arucian
History
- Softball invented in Rizealand
- Becomes a pastime in S-C besides baseball, more casual version of already popular baseball
- Women teams start emerging in the post-war island, becomes an "acceptable" women's sport
- During the general sports expansion during the UP gets a creation of a league
- League has some initial success and decline, but keeps a series of teams which are able to survive and thrive
- Expansion in 1990s and 2000s.
Organisation
League size over time:
League size:
- 1946-1955: 6 teams
- 1955-1966: 7 teams
- 1977-1983: 8 teams
- 1983-1985: 7 teams
- 1985-1989: 8 teams
- 1989-1992: 7 teams
- 1992-1997: 9 teams
- 1997-2001: 10 teams
- 2001-2007: 12 teams
- 2007-2009: 11 teams
- 2009-present:12 teams
Teams
Defunct Teams
- Nua Taois Queens (Imagua, 1946-1952)
- Decouverte (1955-1966)
- BV team #2 (1977-1983)
- Escalade (1985-1989)
- San Pietro Mondine (Imagua, 1992-2006)
- Trinite (1997-2007)
Season Structure
The Season goes from early May, beginning on the first monday of the month (though never before Low Sunday) and continues through late August. The season usually is 75 games, with significantly more breaks than the ABL. Playoffs occur in the month of September. Each team plays a total of 51 games (17 games each) against members of their division, and 24 games (3 games each) against members of other divisions, thus playing each team in the league at least once.
Playoffs
Each division winner proceeds to the playoffs, together with the team with the best record (the "wild card"), forming a four-team playoffs. The number one seed plays the wild card in a best of seven series, while the number 2 and 3 seeds play each other with the same number of games. The winners proceed to go on to the Arucian Championship, a title used to avoid conflict with the Arucian Series or the Arucian Cup. The Championship is the best out of seven as well.