Stock up on some Harvey Bars because Team USA’s gals — including current and former NCAA athletes — will take the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup field for the first time in five years (thanks, COVID-19) tomorrow. Batter up!

In general, the most elite competition and the deepest pockets can be found at DI schools, scaling down through DII and DIII. But the biggest difference lies in the DII and DIII divide: Unlike in DI and DII, DIII athletes aren’t eligible for athletic scholarships. That means they’re playing purely out of love of the game (and possibly NIL money, of course).

From the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) Round of 16 to the baseball diamond, the sports world was full of knockouts this weekend. Rolling with the punches…

Just as our Friday newsletter hit your inbox, the college sports landscape as we know it unraveled: A conference realignment bomb exploded, and we’re here to parse through the pieces with you. There are still a ton of questions to be addressed and a near-guarantee of more bombshell headlines, so buckle up — who knows where the Power Five will be by the time you finish scrolling!

What better start to the month than sharing this exclusive interview with activist and former Harvard athlete Schuyler Bailar. Our college sports newsletter team recently sat down with Bailar to discuss his experience as the first openly trans Division I (DI) swimmer.

Sleep schedules and time zones be damned, there’s been a full court press of WNBA news in the last few days. No rest for the women’s sports fan.

The Power Five conference has been looking for a new media rights deal for over a year now and in the meantime, schools are dropping out of its ranks like flies.

About 3,500 (!!!) women across 83 Division I, II, and III gymnastics programs will compete this winter for both individual glory and the single cross-division team natty.

Gymnastics is one of the few college sports where the gals are granted more of the spotlight — and that may be due to the achingly few NCAA men’s teams: There are just 15 NCAA men’s gymnastics teams (12 DI and three DIII) in existence today.

Collegiate gymnastics won’t start, ahem, meet-ing until January, but NCAAers also competing at the sport’s elite level are gearing up for a big year as the clock ticks closer to next summer’s Paris Olympics.

The No. 1 USA Softball WNT — with an entire roster of current NCAA athletes — will compete in the Japan All-Star Series this weekend.