Oct 15, 2025
Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Pella celebrates its Class 4A state softball title this past summer at Rogers Park.
Plans are now officially in place for a new version of the annual state softball tournament in Fort Dodge.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union revealed the format for the 2026 event on Tuesday, which will follow a double-elimination format in all five classes.
Each class will have all of its pool games on one diamond before moving to Diamond 1 at Rogers Park, also known as Channel Seeds Field, for the championships.
Class 5A is on Yankee Field in 2026 — the only all-turf surface at the complex — with 4A on Channel Seeds Field (Diamond 1). Iowa Central Field will host 3A, while both 2A and 1A take place on Wrigley and Fenway in the mini-majors area, which are being rebuilt to the east of the current diamonds.
Lights will be installed on all of the fields, with the assignments being rotated on a yearly basis.
Each class will be divided into two brackets, with the champion from each bracket meeting in the title game. This will ensure that the finalists have not met prior to the champion being crowned.
The No. 1 seed will face the No. 8 seed and the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds will also square off in one bracket, with the No. 2 playing the No. 7 and the No. 3 meeting the No. 6.
On the first day of the state tournament, each class will play one game in the bracket, giving each diamond four games that day. Five games will be scheduled for Tuesday, with 3-to-5 games being played Wednesday to determine the finalists.
The championship schedule will remain similar to past years, with two title games on Thursday and the final three on Friday. This coming year, 2A and 4A will play on Thursday while 1A, 3A and 5A take to the field on Friday.
There will be no third-place games. Start times will be staggered.
The IGHSAU recently announced a 20-year contract extension to keep state softball at Rogers Park and in Fort Dodge through at least 2046.
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