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University of Calgary Fastball Club

The University of Calgary Women's Softball Club provides young women, attending the University of Calgary, with the opportunity to participate in competitive intercollegiate softball as a means of enriching their university life experience. While the program is primarily self funded, the club is beginning to receive financial support from local businesses.
The University of Calgary Dinos Fastball Club is one of the founding team members of the Alberta Intercollegiate Women’s Fastball Association (AIWFA). The AIWFA was established in western Canada in 2002, and consisted of five teams. Now called the Western Collegiate Fastball Association ( WCSA ), the league has eight teams, and now includes SAIT Polytechnic, the University of Saskatchewan, Briercrest College and Seminary, the University of Regina, the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, the University of Lethbridge and in 2020 the University of Victoria.

In 2008, the University of Calgary hosted the inaugural Canadian Collegiate National Championship. The University of Calgary is the only school to have attended all eleven Canadian Collegiate National Championships. The Dinos have medalled three times, most recently a Silver in 2019, matching with the 2011 team as National runner up. The Canadian Collegiate Softball Association ( CCSA ) oversees the National Championships, setting qualification guidelines for the WCSA, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association ( OCAA ) and the Ontario Intercollegiate Women's Fastpitch Association ( OIWFA ).

Since the 2011 season the Dinos have undertaken most ambitious schedules, playing in over 30 games each season, including trips into the United States, and the Dinos have raised their expectations of success. The 2014 season saw the team build on their 2013 season's successful 16 win, 1 loss regular season record, by capturing the WCSA Championship during the 2014 playoffs. Since 2010, the team has earned at least a bronze medal finish in the League Championships each year. These successes have ensured berths into the CCSA National Championships each October, and the 12 straight appearances at Nationals for the Dinos are unmatched by any school in Canada. Dinos have seen success at the Nationals too, with a Silver Medal in 2011, and most recently in back to back years, a Bronze medal in 2018 followed by a Silver medal finish in 2019.

The 2020 season was reduced to a few exhibition games due to Covid 19, but the practices and recruiting for 2021 go on. The coaches will of course will be concentrating on recruiting and players will concentrate on their training for next season as we attempt to bring the 2021 WCSA Championship home.

Advice from the coaching staff about the recruiting process

Contact us as early as possible. While most athletes contact us in their Grade 12 year prior to graduating, the preference of the coaches is to be able to watch you play with your club team in the summers prior to your Grade 11 or Grade 12 school years. A player is generally the most comfortable with their own team and team mates, and we usually see the athletes best performance then, as opposed to the walk on situation prior to your first year at school. This allows us to watch your progression as a player, meet and talk with you and your parents, and give advice about the University of Calgary and its programs.

The coaching staff attends a number of tournaments every spring and summer. The Canada Cup in Surrey in July, the CWFA in Calgary in June are mainstays. Other tournaments are added to our schedule as we determine where we will see the players we are interested in. So help yourself by letting us know your tournament schedule as soon as you can.

As well. please seriously consider visiting campus. Campus tours can easily be arranged, customized to the field of study you are interested in. Coach Harlos would like to meet with you while you are in Calgary, and if the time matches up you can attend a team practice during November to March. For local student athletes this can mean multiple practices too.

For inquiries into opportunities for the current recruiting class ( 2021 and 2022 ) or general questions, contact Head Coach Neal Harlos at fastball@ucalgary.ca .

For information regarding the 2023 recruiting class and later, please contact Associate Coach Randy Plishka at fastballrecruiting@ucalgary.ca .