Division I · Southern Conference
Western Carolina University Softball
Cullowhee, NC · the Catamounts · Western Carolina University overview
20
Roster
room for 5 under the cap of 25
$556k
Team budget
10th percentile in Division I
$27,823
Per roster spot
median $46,727
3
Coaches
1 head · 2 assistant
995
APR
99% of players retained
87%
Admitted
lower half for selectivity
Western Carolina University fields a softball team in the Southern Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 20 players, below the median of 23, with 1 head coach and 2 assistants. Team expenses were $556,475, well below the median of $1.1M — $27,823 per roster spot, bottom quarter of Division I softball programs. That leaves room for 5 under the Division I roster cap of 25 in force from 2025-26. The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 995, about the median of 989, with 99% of players retained year to year. The school gave $1,319,306 in athletic aid across its women's teams, about $6,835 per roster spot.
Among Division I softball programs
Where this program sits against its 305 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#274Team budgetof 305 · Division I#256Spend per playerof 305 · Division I#243Roster sizeof 305 · Division I#71APRof 305 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I softball program
Roster sizes (cap 25)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster20 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap25 room for 5
- Coaching staff1 head, 2 assistant
- Team expenses$556,475 for the year
- Operating expenses$162,130 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$27,823 division median $46,727
- Academic Progress Rate995 multi-year; 1000 latest
- Players retained99% year to year
- Eligible100% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, women's teams$1,319,306 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$6,835 across women's teams
- Recruiting spend, women's$106,284 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Clift head coach | Head Coach | On file · sign in |
| Madison Armstrong | Associate Head Coach / Pitching Coach | On file · sign in |
| Kylie Cook | Assistant Softball Coach | not on file |
Put Western Carolina University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school softball players338,315 2024-25
- Division I roster spots7,038 305 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 48 2.1% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the softball recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →10,009undergraduates · 11,628 students in all
Women 59% Men 41%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →87%admitted · of 18,183 applicants
SAT middle 50%1050 – 1260
ACT middle 50%20 – 26
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 59%
Softball
Full picture →20on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 2520
room for 5
Academic Progress Rate995
99% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $556,475 $27,824 per roster spot · bottom quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 2 assistant
- Athletic aid, women's teams
- $1,319,306
- Recruiting spend, women's
- $106,284
Cost
Full picture →$12,252net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $4,532 in-state · $8,532 out
Campus safety
Full picture →2.51violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 7 burglaries · 62 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 18 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in health professions & nursing · 23 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Western Carolina University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Softball program20 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions87% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$12,252 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsHealth professions & nursing · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 10,009Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety2.51 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Softball programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard College Division III · USA South Athletic Conference | 26 | 26 | $152k | — | 40% | |
| Young Harris College Division II · Conference Carolinas | 45 | 30 | $388k | — | 64% | |
| Southern Wesleyan University Division II · Conference Carolinas | 47 | 33 | $363k | — | 100% | |
| Clemson University Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 48 | 23 | $4.3M | — | 38% | |
| North Greenville University Division II · Conference Carolinas | 49 | 21 | $650k | — | 63% | |
| Furman University Division I · Southern Conference | 50 | 22 | $1M | 1000 | 53% | |
| Mars Hill University Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 51 | 24 | $339k | — | 78% | |
| Maryville College (Tennessee) Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 53 | 21 | $201k | — | 66% | |
| Piedmont University Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 55 | 26 | $275k | — | 93% | |
| Carson-Newman University Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 59 | 25 | $522k | — | 68% | |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville Division I · Southeastern Conference | 61 | 29 | $4.7M | 1000 | 46% | |
| Anderson University (South Carolina) Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 63 | 18 | $404k | — | 53% |
Other softball programs in the Southern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer University at cap | 25 | $1.4M | $56,358 | 997 | vs | |
| Wofford College room for 3 | 22 | $1.1M | $48,096 | — | vs | |
| Furman University room for 3 | 22 | $1M | $46,435 | 1000 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 2 over cap | 27 | $1M | $37,277 | 970 | vs | |
| Samford University room for 4 | 21 | $945k | $44,996 | 989 | vs | |
| The University of North Carolina at Greensboro room for 4 | 21 | $846k | $40,273 | 986 | vs | |
| Tennessee Technological University 2 over cap | 27 | $700k | $25,919 | 985 | vs | |
| Western Carolina University room for 5 | 20 | $556k | $27,823 | 995 | vs | |
| East Tennessee State University 6 over cap | 31 | $531k | $17,130 | 993 | vs |
Every Southern Conference softball program · Softball budgets ranked