A new for-profit women's softball team is coming to Madison's 'Duck Pond' this summer

This summer, softball is coming to the Madison Mallards Duck Pond.

On Thursday, the Madison Mallards summer league baseball team and the Northwoods League announced the establishment of Madison Softball, a summer collegiate softball team that will play in the new Northwoods League Softball summer collegiate league. The team will play at the Mallards' Warner Park "Duck Pond," 2920 N. Sherman Ave., Madison.

The new NWLS league will be the first for-profit women's summer collegiate softball league, according to a Friday news release from Madison Softball.

"The purpose of the League will be to develop players for their college, Olympic and future professional play," the release stated. "Teams will be promoted similar to minor league baseball teams, playing games in front of fans in a fun, friendly, family-oriented environment."

The new league will also feature softball teams from La Crosse, Wis., Mankato, Minn. and Minot, N.D.

The Mallards said Madison Softball will showcase "the best female collegiate softball players from across the country in an atmosphere similar to a Mallards game." The Mallards saw the highest attendance of any Northwoods League team last summer, attracting 228,692 fans to their 36 games, according to data from the league.

Madison Softball will open its 42-game season in La Crosse on June 15, with their first home game on Sunday, June 16 at 6:05 p.m. against La Crosse. The team will play a total of 21 home games, with each game lasting 7 innings. Video of each game will be streamed online for free, the release said.

Fans can reserve Madison Softball season tickets now for $50. Group outings, season ticket packages and eight-ticket flex plans are now available by calling the Madison Softball office at 608-246-4277.

The Madison Softball 2024 schedule can be found here.

The team will be made up of 16 players, and it is still searching for a head coach, according to the release. Players and coaches interested in being part of the team should email madisonsoftballinfo@gmail.com. According to the league, all athletes with college softball eligibility, as well as select graduated high school players who've been admitted to college, are eligible to play.

"What an exciting opportunity for softball in the state of Wisconsin," said University of Wisconsin-Madison Head Softball Coach, Yvette Healy in the release. "I can’t think of a prettier, more ideal location for summer softball than Madison, Wisconsin."

"Madison Softball" also won't be the team's name for long. The team is holding a "Name Your Team" contest, where fans can submit their "creative ideas" via Google Form through Feb. 1. The winner of the contest receives free season tickets.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Northwoods League softball team is coming to Wisconsin in 2024