Pullman Park hosts a pair of Tri-State Collegiate League baseball teams, as well as the Iron & Oil League for high school-aged players.

Now softball may be joining the mix.

Shawn Manning, one of the founders of the new Butler BlueSox and Butler Iron Bucks collegiate summer baseball teams, is the director of the new Keystone Fastpitch Collegiate Softball League. The league will begin as a four-team circuit in June.

“Details aren’t finalized yet, but we expect to have this league at Pullman Park,” Manning said. “We’re starting out on a small scale, with the hope that this will catch on and grow.

“There are numerous collegiate summer baseball leagues all over the country and that’s great. But we want to provide that same opportunity for the female athlete. There are very few summer leagues for college-age softball players.

“This will be an opportunity for them to hone their skills, just like college baseball players do in the summer,” Manning added.

He had hoped to begin this league in 2020, “but COVID forced us to shut down that idea,” Manning said. “There were two such leagues in the country in 2020. There’s a few m,ore out there now, but the number is still less than 10.”

Manning sent emails out to a number of colleges in Western Pennsylvania informing the coaches of the new league. Each of the four teams will have 15 players.

Manning said the bulk of the players will come from Division II PSAC schools and area Division III colleges, similar to the Tri-State Collegiate League. High school graduates who will be joining college softball players will be permitted to play as well.

All games will be as doubleheaders on Sunday. Teams will play 14-game regular season schedule beginning on June 12 and ending July 16. A single-elimination tournament will follow on July 23.

“We want people to grow accustomed to the league and grow it from there,” Manning said. “Next season (2024), we look to expand to more teams and use more fields.”

Coaches of the teams have not been determined. Manning plans to contact softball coaches at colleges in the region between the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks to provide more information about the league.

Interested players may register for the league by visiting alliance-leagues.com. There is a fee to play.