One of the new things to do at the end of each season of sport in the North Coast Section is to check and see which teams are set to move up in divisions due to competitive equity bylaws, or in some instances, ready to return to a previous division.
Remember, a team must accumulate 24 points or more in a three-year period, for an eight-point average, in order to move up a division. Winning a title is worth 15 points, runner-up is worth 10 points, reaching the semifinals is worth six points and reaching the quarterfinals is worth three points. A team gets one point for making the playoffs, in brackets larger than eight teams. If a team has been moved up a division, and its three-year average then dips below the eight-point average, it will move back to the previous division.
Five softball programs are set to change divisions for next year, with four moving up and one returning to a previous division. Of course, the four moving up will also allow a team from the higher division to move down if they have not accumulated any playoff points in the past three years.
2019 Division II champion Bishop O'Dowd and Division III champion Marin Catholic have both acquired enough points over the past three years to each move up a division, as has back-to-back Division VI champion South Fork. The other softball team to move up a division next year will be St. Vincent de Paul. Despite narrowly falling short in three straight section title games, the Mustangs now have 30 playoff points in the last three years, well above the 24 point threshold for promotion.
The one softball team set to return to its previous division is Carondelet. The Cougars had been moved into Division I this year, but after a loss to Heritage in the quarterfinals, once again fall short of the eight-point average over the last three years, and can return to Division II.
