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3 2016 PAC-12 SOFTBALL MEDIA GUIDE WELCOME! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our exciting Pac-12 sports. This year marks the 100th year of excellence for the Pac-12 Conference, which was founded in 1915 in Portland, Ore. In its 100 years, the Pac-12 has maintained a commitment to greatness on and off the field of play as we continue to set the standard in collegiate athletics. We have great pride and respect for our history of academic excellence and superior athletic achievement. It has come to define us as the "Conference of Champions." The Pac-12 has won 478 NCAA titles, by far the most of any conference in the country. We will continue to uphold our long-held tradition of excellence and broad-based commit- ment to success as we enter a new era in college athletics. The Pac-12 Conference is home to thousands of talented student-athletes and twelve storied institutions. Our vision is rooted in the West Coast, where our pioneering spirit and appetite for innovation have cultivated some of the most significant advancements and leaders the world has ever known. The institutions of the Pac-12 are centers of excellence that are fueled by a perpetual pursuit of research and discovery. The students and leaders who have helped shape the Conference for the last century continue to impact the world and inspire the next genera- tion of Pac-12 student-athletes. We are firmly committed to creating the best possible environment for the 7,000 stu- dent-athletes in the Pac-12 as they excel on the field and in the classroom. We are ex- ploring new technologies to improve student-athlete health and welfare, we have added student-athletes to the Conference's formal governance structure, and we continue to work to ensure that we meet all the needs of modern student-athletes. We are also proud to provide our student-athletes with unprecedented coverage on Pac-12 Networks, the first-ever integrated media company owned by a collegiate conference. In addition, the Conference continues to host best-in-class events for student-athletes and fans, and proactively promote our brand and our member institutions through global student-ath- lete exchanges. As you can see, there are a lot of exciting things going on in the Pac-12 and we are eager to see what the next 100 years holds. The 2015-16 academic year promises to be another dynamic year of high-caliber competition across our 23 sports, and I hope you enjoy every minute of it. Sincerely, Commissioner Larry Scott