Thanks, Matthew. Since there was nobody else here, I took a moment to voice my humble opinion about a growing topic: home runs vs lengthening the field of play.

Utes Shelby Ortiz #4! ❤

On a different topic... Thoughts were voiced about stretching the field to better challenge players and specifically, lower the numbers of home runs. This game verifies my assertion that the playing field should be kept at its current size: 60ft between bases and max 220 ft to center field. These two teams made the Regionals by an 'at-large' selection or winning either their tournament or championship. The NCAA considers them two of the best 64 teams in the nation. Yet, no one hit a home run. Only 3-4 were hit to the outfield - on the fly. There were only 2-3 multiple base hits - no triples. The announcers called one woman, 'Grandma'. The WCWS is a showcase for the BEST teams in the nation. The players are the best athletes, the best trained, and the best coached teams. Other countries' national teams usually lose to our top college teams. But they only play against our our top teams. Doing the numbers: After the top 15 teams, the hitting drops off. After the top 32, the athleticism drops off. Teams 32 to 64 have barely won .500. Some get into the Regionals with a losing record. What am I trying to say? For the AVERAGE woman collegiate softball player, the field's physical dimensions are sufficient. There are over 250 D1 division women softball teams. Over 600 collegiate teams including all divisions. The NCAA picks 64 of the best 250 each year. Yet, the bottom 32 of these 64 have difficulty hitting to the outfield. Home runs are ONLY a 'thought' - not a scoring option. Compared to the top 10, it is expected for someone to hit a home run; for OU, it is expected two per game. The game and physical playing field matches the AVERAGE woman collegiate athlete. Because of the smaller field, the game is much quicker. SS and 3B must be more highly reactive because 60ft is covered within 3-4 seconds. The quality of play should be the challenge, not the field of play.