Prime Softball
Prime Fall League Set To Debut In August at UAM
Arkansas Prime will bring to life the Prime Softball Fall League (PSFL) debuting in August of 2023. The league will take place over an seven-week period from August through October and be exclusive to players in the Prime organization.
The league will feature seven teams of 11-12 girls each and be coached by various coaches in the Prime organization. A draft will be held in early August to form the teams and they will hit the field in week 1 of their season on August 26th in Monticello at UAM. Teams will play a 12-game schedule followed by a seven-team, double-elimination tournament to crown the champion the first weekend of October.
"We are very excited to bring this idea to life," Prime Director of Operations Jay Lupo said. "It's something that is unique to our organization and I think it will bring a tremendous amount of positivity to our program. Opportunities from the next level will come from this. It's a chance for college coaches to see all of our girls in one place at one time."
Lupo said he has a variety of reasons for breaking the traditional mold of a 6-7 tournament schedule in favor of the PSFL.
"For one, the timing is right," he said. "You have to have the players to do this. We have nearly 100 girls in our high school program right now. We're missing a few from Oklahoma and Missouri because they play fall high school. But for the most part, we have about 90 percent of the high school girls available for this.
"Honestly, I was tired of paying $1,500 every weekend so that our teams could beat up on each other or teams from other organizations over and over. This takes care of that. You'll have a 12-game schedule, then the playoffs. Then you will go to your normal Prime teams and play several tournaments."
Lupo said the PSFL will receive "a ton" of publicity across various social media platforms. The league will post league leaders each week, name a player of the week, pitcher of the week and underclassman of the week. The PSFL will have a mid-season all-star game with the all-stars voted on by the league's seven coaches. At the conclusion, the coaches will
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vote on yearly awards.
By far the biggest draw of the PSFL, Lupo said, is the ability to be on various college campuses in front of their staffs.
"Obviously, that's the big reason," he said. "We're hosting at some great places this fall. Arkansas Tech. UAM. UCA. NPC, etc...
"This puts our girls on those campuses during those fall months. The big tournaments are in October and November, and our teams will still have plenty of time to go play in those. Our national teams, because of fall school ball in other states, couldn't play before then anyway."
Lupo said he hopes the PSFL will become a "battleground of the uncommitted." Players will have the opportunity each week to impress in front of eyes that matter.
PSFL Schedule of Events 2023
August 2nd
PSFL Draft
August 26th
Week 1 @ Arkansas-Monticello
September 2nd
Week 2 @ Ouachita Baptist
September 9th
Week 3 @ Henderson State
September 16th
Week 4 @ Sheridan
September 23rd
Week 5 @ Arkansas Tech
September 30th
Week 6 @ National Park (NPC)
October 7th & 8th
Playoffs @ Harding
"It's really not about winning or losing at the end of the day," he said. "It's about opportunity more than it is anything else. And the 84 kids that are in, that's exactly what they've got ... opportunity."
Publicity, a fresh and relaxed atmosphere, and college coaches certainly sound like a recipe for a great fall for the players in the Prime Organization.