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3⃣ D3Playbook’s 3 Things. DIII Analysis Working Group Recap. Softball Championship Series Begins Today.

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The working group met on May 21 and received findings on the DIII membership survey. Sixty percent of athletics directors responded, as did 78% of commissioners.

Economics Implications. Approximately 90% of athletics directors indicated that their athletics budgets are not keeping pace with department growth over the past three years. Sixty percent of athletics directors report some level of NIL activity. Commissioners indicate that 43% of conferences have media/streaming deals, but only 27% report generating meaningful revenue. Seventy percent of commissioners say the gap between most and least resourced conference member institutions has widened in the past three years.

Playing Seasons and Resources. Athletics directors frequently rated athletics department marketing/communications, athletic training, compliance support, and strength and conditioning understaffed relative to current responsibilities. Most institutions play the maximum schedule. Ninety-three percent use the maximum traditional playing season days, and 89% use the maximum nontraditional days. Further, 88% use the maximum traditional competition days. Seventy-six percent of conferences noted they have not implemented, nor is it under discussion to implement policies more restrictive than NCAA maximums to address financial or resourcing challenges.

Championship Selection Criteria. Athletics directors report their championship goals skew toward conference and at-large access, not national titles. Forty-one percent cite competing for conference or regular-season success, and 31% cite qualifying for the NCAA postseason as the success marker. Seventy-two percent of athletics directors and 69% of commissioners either agree or strongly agree that NPI is an equitable method for determining postseason selections.

Membership Standards. Eighty-two percent of athletics directors view the current NCAA Division III sport sponsorship minimums as at the appropriate level. Twenty-one percent of commissioners report hearing from many or nearly all members about concern to sustain Division III membership, sponsorship, or cost pressure.

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It will be defending national champion Trine and Redlands for the NCAA Division III softball championship.

The title series begins today with a single game at 11 a.m. at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va. Game two is slated for 11 a.m. on Wednesday with an if-necessary winner-take-all game slated for 1:30 p.m.

Denison and Endicott advanced to the NCAA Division III baseball championship series with wins on Monday.

The Big Red (49-2) rallied from a 6-1 deficit with two runs in the fifth and a seven-spot in the seventh to oust East Texas Baptist, 11-7. Erik Sundgren and Cade Nowik homered in the decisive seventh for Denison.

The Gulls (43-12) rode the pitching of Evan Scully to a 4-2 triumph against Adrian. The senior scattered four hits over eight innings with seven punchouts, keeping the Bulldog offense at bay.

The championship series begins Wednesday at noon and continues Thursday.

“Fall 2025 data shows tuition discounting rates have hit another record high.

Preliminary estimates put the average discount rate for the 2025–26 academic year at 57.1 percent for first-time, full-time undergraduates at private colleges and 51.3 percent for all undergraduates, according to the latest study conducted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. That’s up from 54.5 percent in the 2024–25 academic year for first-time, full-time undergraduates and 50 percent for all undergraduates.”

» Worth Noting. “This year’s study was completed by 258 private, nonprofit colleges. NACUBO officials said the discount rates speak to a high degree of institutional support.”

» Between The Lines. “Funding for institutional aid comes from various streams, the study noted, including a mix of philanthropy (5 percent), endowment earnings and withdrawals (11.5 percent), and institutional reserves (32.5 percent). Wealthier institutions, though, are more likely to lean on their large endowments for student aid. Colleges with endowments over $1 billion were more likely to pay a larger percentage of student aid from those funds and “can sustain higher discount rates with less risk,” the study noted.”

» Why It Matters. “Gary Stocker, founder of College Viability LLC, which focuses on financial transparency, noted that “the best measure of financial sustainability for tuition-dependent private colleges” is net tuition revenue per student—and that some of the new report’s findings should cause alarm.”

» Football. “The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced the names on the 2027 Ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.”

» Fundraising. “Ithaca College is proud to announce the launch of The Bomber Club, a new philanthropic initiative designed to strengthen support for the college's student-athletes and elevate the future of IC Athletics and Recreational Sports through alumni, family, and community engagement.”

» Layoffs. “Ursinus College on Monday eliminated 26 full-time and 10 part-time employees, representing 15% of the small school’s nonfaculty staff. The layoffs are part of the 1,406-student college’s ongoing effort to cut $10 million from its budget and close a deficit. The Collegeville-based school cut 29 full-time faculty positions — nearly a quarter — earlier this academic year.”

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