Arucian Softball League

Arucian Softball League

Most recent season or competition: 2023 Arucian Softball League Season
Sport	Softball
Founded	April 1, 1946 (1946-04-01)
Commissioner	Pierre Leclerq
No. of teams	12
Countries	Bonaventure Carucere Eldmark Île d'Émeraude Sainte-Chloé Satucin
Most recent champion(s)	Orlavo Saints (2022)
Most titles	Sainte-Geneviève Virgins (12)

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

Division	Logo		Team	City	Country	Stadium	Founded	Joined	Notes
West	File:Sport Club Internacional 2008 Crest.svg		Sainte-Chloé Lady Imperials	Port de la Sainte	Sainte-Chloé		1939	1946	Known in Gaullican as the Impériales, they share a common ownership with their ABL counterpart, the Imperials.
			Canicule Contraltos	Canicule	Sainte-Chloé		1977
			Éclair Heroines	Éclair	Sainte-Chloé		1946		Named after Saint Chloé, who was titled the "Heroine of Sotirianity".
	File:Hvksurf.png		Hammarvik Surf	Hammarvik	Eldmark		1992
Central			Tranquille Lambs	Tranquille	Sainte-Chloé		1952		Team initial is "A" for agneaux. Joined the league after the collapse of Imagua's team to restore the league to six teams.
			Sainte-Geneviève Virgins	Sainte-Geneviève	Sainte-Chloé		1942	1946	Named after their patroness, St. Genevieve, in honour of her consecrated virginity.
	File:Gronsundbatteri.png		Grönsund Battery	Grönsund	Eldmark		1992	2006	Formerly the San Pietro Mondine before moving to Eldmark in 2006.
			Jameston Pelicans	Jameston	Carucere		1946
East			Sermoni Victory	Sermoni	Bonaventure		1946
			Port-au-Grégoire Angels	Port-au-Grégoire	Île d'Émeraude		2001		In reference to their LBA counterparts, the Robins, being renamed after Robin Gautier in 1985, the Angels were named after Robin's wife Peggy Morel-Gautier, who was nicknamed "Angel"
			Arac Cats	Arac	Satucin		2001
			Orlavo Saints	Orlavo	Vinalia		2009		The team's mascot is the Quetzal, an important bird for Vinalia.

Defunct Teams

• Nua Taois Queens (Imagua, 1946-1952)
• Decouverte Lionesses (Sainte-Chloé, 1955-1966)
• Appanno Explorers (Bonaventura, 1977-1983)
• Escalade Express (Sainte-Chloé, 1985-1989)
• San Pietro Mondine (Imagua, 1992-2006)
• Trinite Bastions (Sainte-Chloé, 1997-2007)

Season Structure

Arucian Championship Records
Team	Number won	Last won	Number played
Sainte-Geneviève Virgins	12	2017	19
Sainte-Chloé Lady Imperials	11	2018	20
Sermoni Victory	11	2016	20
Jameston Pelicans	11	2015	20
Tranquille Lambs	6	2001	15
Canicule Contraltos	6	2021	11
Éclair Heroines	4	1965	10
Hammarvik Surf	4	2019	7
Grönsund Battery†	3	2020	8
Port-au-Grégoire Angels	3	2014	5
Arac Cats	2	2011	5
Nua Taois Queens‡	1	1949	2
Orlavo Saints	1	2022	1
Decouverte Lionesses‡	0		2
Appanno Explorers‡	0		1
Escalade Express‡	0		1
† Totals include a team's record in a previous city or under another name.
‡ Team is no longer currently active.

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.