college scholarships and High School Ball

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Prospective student-athletes should be prepared to answer questions from college coaches. Another question they should be prepared to answer when talking to a coach they've contacted is why they're interested in that school. The answer should demonstrate some specific knowledge of the school beyond "It's close to home." and/or "I've heard it's a good school."

@Monsters - Be careful you don't rely too much on the weighted GPA - many schools don't use it. A lot schools also drop the +/-, so keep that in mind too.

 

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Prospective student-athletes should be prepared to answer questions from college coaches. Another question they should be prepared to answer when talking to a coach they've contacted is why they're interested in that school. The answer should demonstrate some specific knowledge of the school beyond "It's close to home." and/or "I've heard it's a good school."

@Monsters - Be careful you don't rely too much on the weighted GPA - many schools don't use it. A lot schools also drop the +/-, so keep that in mind too.

Thanks will do. Her actual GPA is still around a 3.9 and she is signed up to take advantage of the PSEO program her Junior year. I have to believe that looks good. Then again I'm rarely correct on here so maybe not. LOL

 

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Thanks will do. Her actual GPA is still around a 3.9 and she is signed up to take advantage of the PSEO program her Junior year. I have to believe that looks good. Then again I'm rarely correct on here so maybe not. LOL

Cool. 3.9 is a lot higher than I expected for someone taking all honors classes because CA schools give a bonus point for all honors classes.

 

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The college coaches my daughter spoke to in her recruiting process understand the politics and **** and "coaching" with high school ball. And, waiting for a new coach may not be the answer to your prayers. A new coach can be worse! We had a young girl who was so psychologically abused and put down by the "new" coach she opted not to come out her senior year. But I think she is still talking to 3 schools. She is running track this year, but the emotional scars of the experience stay with her. I don't know what your issue is with the coach but spending a season or a high school career in a negative program is not worth it. Travel ball and camps are what get you noticed. All the high school stats and accolades might help but coaches know what they are looking for without those.

 

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For those that assume you can just blow off HS ball and run track think again. That's a major red flag. I'm sure there are a few exceptions but if you are a ball player then you play ball not whine that the HS coach isn't any good and will ruin chance at scholarship. You get scouted and recruited by travel but school and academics and willingness to play school ball reveal character, don't think it doesn't. College coaches know that not all HS coaches are good. They don't need to see you play school ball to evaluate your talent but they will darn well evaluate your character by whether you played or not.

 

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For those that assume you can just blow off HS ball and run track think again. That's a major red flag. I'm sure there are a few exceptions but if you are a ball player then you play ball not whine that the HS coach isn't any good and will ruin chance at scholarship. You get scouted and recruited by travel but school and academics and willingness to play school ball reveal character, don't think it doesn't. College coaches know that not all HS coaches are good. They don't need to see you play school ball to evaluate your talent but they will darn well evaluate your character by whether you played or not.

So playing for a team that goes 4-19 & being a team player some how shows more character than a girl who qualifies for Regionals in Track in the sprints????

I call BS!!!

Who is impressed with a .400 average against DIII schools? When lucky if out of 20+ games they see a pitcher who throws over 50 in 1/4 of those games.........

I think there is a lot of BS regarding this...........Not playing cause you feel you are TOO GOOD or NOT GETTING A FAIR SHAKE at larger school is a reason many may choose not to play - But if They are participating in Track & Field - hard to pass up TALENT.............Kid saying those things to a coach - BIG RED FLAG! Kid with other interests & proven - A HOT TICKET!!!

 

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My opinion is that its up to the college coach some of them have different opinions also. My daughter is a senior in high school and will be playing college ball (full ride). They see and knew our new coaching was bad, they offered my dd a red shirt (may have color wrong), basically if she had enough credit to graduate she could have not went to high school her senior year and went to college. Se chose not to because he would miss all her senior activities including softball. And I agree with people who say go to the college for the education not the sport. I wouldn't care if my dd received a scholarship to a D1 or D3..its an education paid for. Going back to full rides for players don't believe you cannot get it I know of at least 3 who did.

 

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Will probably ruffle some feathers with this opinion but nothing better to do on a Saturday morning.
I love the way everybody thinks that college softball is going to be a walk in the park with no adversity and none of the problems they are associating with high school ball. Having a daughter who is just finishing her 2nd year of D1 college ball, I can say that many of the same problems that existed in high school can and do exist at the college level as well as others. Some college programs are incredibly well run and others can having coaching change issues(as my daughter has had to deal with, the coach who recruited her was gone before she got there and has now had 2 other different coaches in 2 years and will probably have a new coach again next year), or simply not be well run. You try to do all the research you can but there is no way to be 100% sure until you are in the program. Fortunately my daughter loved the school and still does as rough as softball has been at times.
I suppose the point of my diatribe is: If your daughter and/or you cannot handle high school ball will you just tell her to quit when issues come up in college since that is how you dealt with it in the past. Personally not the message I believe in, and I am very proud of how my daughter is handling herself through tough times.

 

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MSutt is absolutely right in that not all college experiences are heavenly. They play 45+ games, even at DIII, it is a very long season. Your dd will have deal with 20 girls, a coaching staff of widely varying quality, bus trips from h--l, an immense academic load and still make time for practices and workouts. The college coach that recruited her may not be there her senior year, suddenly a junior college player transfers in and takes her spot in her junior year, the first baseman gets injured and your dd is playing there after a single practice.

Learning to deal with this stuff in high school will be very beneficial to most any player. Learning to be a 'softball' teammate is absolutely critical for her success in college. A softball team has different dynamics than a track team or a ******** team. Every single starter will be an all star, all conference.... all something, for the first time in her life she won't be the best player on a team. She will have to compete for a spot and then be a teammate to the player that beats her out. Her freshman year (maybe she'll be a stud but more likely) she'll get a few innings here and there; maybe run for the pitcher or get a lucky break and play. She will have to learn to control her emotions and her reactions. She will be competing with women that are 4 years older and will have some 200 more games under their belt.

High School ball may not be ideal but it allows her to become an experienced teammate and learn to be better AT SOFTBALL. Sure she can run track and star in the musical and some girls will, but that is like taking an English class to get better at Math. It might work for some, (for very very few) but most kids will just become better at track, they might be able to run a little faster and they might be in better shape but they won't learn to hit a ground ball to the right side in a pressure situation and it will show.

If your kid is good enough to attract attention but just her shear physical presence and she has college coaches sending her birthday cards then she might be in the top 1% and can do whatever she wants. For the rest, they need to be playing high school ball, not making excuses, OR go ahead and run track in college, just don't delude yourself that it makes no difference and that a college SOFTBALL coach won't put a question mark by your dd's name.

 

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Great posts msutt and fairman!

 

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I think this conversation all boils down to 2 different attitudes about HS ball. And this all may be irrelevant in the near future if the cost to play HS ball continues to increase. I just think to much emphasis is placed on HS ball when for that majority we speak of recruiting comes pretty much from the TB side of things.

One thing to consider not playing school ball and not learning to be a team player because they play another sport is kinda silly in my opinion. They are learning to become a team player no matter what sport they play in.

One last thing is the thought that a ton of specific skills can be taught in that short 6 week span. 2 weeks of it spent on skills and 4 in games. Just scroll back thru OFC thru the years and see how many coaches lament the fact they dont have enough time to teach proper mechanics. To act like a kid is going to be behind the 8 ball because she misses 2 weeks of tee work, bad instruction, little or no time out side fielding ground balls and has to work on skills in a gym for that 2 week span is really not a well thought thru argument.

If you have a good HS environment then your lucky. The majority do not. Enjoy it. If you do not then do what you have to do to to fill that void with other sports and instruction. And someone any one on here please come forward and tell me that your dd took bad advice diddnt play hs ball and diddnt get the chance to play in college because of it......... would love to hear that from someone because in 20 some years of coaching and instruction I have never seen it.

Tim

 

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... And someone any one on here please come forward and tell me that your dd took bad advice diddnt play hs ball and diddnt get the chance to play in college because of it......... would love to hear that from someone because in 20 some years of coaching and instruction I have never seen it.

C'mon, the chances of you hearing about it are incredibly low for several reasons.
- I seriously doubt they know it was a factor.
- Even if they somehow know, they're not likely to admit it.
- They're probably not on here.
- I think it is a more recent phenomenon that is tied to the big increase in travel ball.

The best source of info about this is college coaches.

 

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And someone any one on here please come forward and tell me that your dd took bad advice diddnt play hs ball and diddnt get the chance to play in college because of it......... would love to hear that from someone because in 20 some years of coaching and instruction I have never seen it.

Tim

Tim,

it will be two years but I promise to let you know if my dd makes a college softball team or not. It is her sophomore year and she did not play hs ball this year. And to make it worse for her chances she quit after three games. Then again if you go by everything written on here there was really no way that she could play college softball because she can't get from home to 1st in under 3 seconds. (yet!)

Kevin

 

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C'mon, the chances of you hearing about it are incredibly low for several reasons.
- I seriously doubt they know it was a factor.
- Even if they somehow know, they're not likely to admit it.
- They're probably not on here.
- I think it is a more recent phenomenon that is tied to the big increase in travel ball.

The best source of info about this is college coaches.

And I have never had a college coach tell me that because a kid played another sport they were not interested in her. F rom the passion of the posts Im willing to bet that alot of the posters were or are hs coaches or assistants. Of course they are going to be very animated about a kid that decides against playing hs ball.

Think about this for a second. In travel if you have a coach that cannot supply a good product and alot of people are dissatisfied with him what happens. Eventually kids will stop playing for him and he will be replaced. Why should hs ball be any different. I believe if you put the 2 to the same standard you would see a change. But we all know that will never happen as hs programs are protected by layers of bureaucracy from the ad on up.

Make hs programs and coaches accountable for wins and losses and not let the same mediocre product be sold year after year for more and more money and you will see a different attitude from alot of people. If not keep on playing govt ball

 

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Think about this for a second. In travel if you have a coach that cannot supply a good product and alot of people are dissatisfied with him what happens. Eventually kids will stop playing for him and he will be replaced. Why should hs ball be any different. I believe if you put the 2 to the same standard you would see a change. But we all know that will never happen as hs programs are protected by layers of bureaucracy from the ad on up.

Make hs programs and coaches accountable for wins and losses and not let the same mediocre product be sold year after year for more and more money and you will see a different attitude from alot of people. If not keep on playing govt ball

AMEN! The hs team my dd would have played for is 0-17 and I know the scores for 16 of the games and they have been out scored 215-51. But we were already told by the school board that she has the job as long as she wants as long as she isn't doing anything illegal. FYI, last year they were 3-23 and were outscored 223-79.

 

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And I have never had a college coach tell me that because a kid played another sport they were not interested in her. ...

That's not the issue. Most of us have just cautioned people to be prepared with a good response that won't raise a red flag in case a coach asks. Plenty of good reasons have been given including financial. Playing another sport can be a good response, however I would think they need to have some prowess in it to make it believeable. Raven Chavanne was an accomplished sprinter, so nobody questioned it.

Make hs programs and coaches accountable for wins and losses and not let the same mediocre product be sold year after year for more and more money and you will see a different attitude from alot of people. If not keep on playing govt ball

The varsity HC should be accountable for wins and losses. At the first HS booster meeting I ever attended, the baseball coach said he's paid to win games. That same attitude should be across all sports. That said, it is not easy to find highly qualified coaches.

 

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Hi-Jack alert
I am surprised to find that as a HS Coach that I am paid to win games.

I thought I was paid to educate and mold the young women of my community so that they can become contributing members of our society utilizing the venue of sport to teach those valuable lessons.

I could certainly win more games if I cut the 12 kids that have never played ball before and only worked with the competent athletes, but few of these kids will do much softball in college and none beyond. They will however, go onto to become Emergency Room Nurses, Teachers, Engineers, moms etc..... The lessens these girls learn have very little to do with softball and a lot to do with life. Any high school coach that thinks this is about HIS wins and losses needs to move on, the sooner the better.

Back on subject:
I have had 264 contact hours with my team this year (starting in September) including workouts, practices and games. We always had either an indoor gym with a batting cage/pitching machine or used a well maintained field for practice. If all a player did was to use the HS for practice she would get reps on reps and then go to her lessons. If she was so good that she didn't need my instruction then she could just take her cuts or catch/throw/catch....but maybe even as bad as we are as coaches (being incompetent HS Coaches) we could help her be a better player by improving her fundamentals. We have the time to practice that most TB coaches would envy.

I would also like to point out that most (all) college rosters list the players hometown and her high school but none that I have found list her travel ball team or her other sports/activities. If high school softball is so unimportant to a college coach you would think that they would have a different list of data on those rosters...like how fast she can run the 440....but they don't.

 

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That's not the issue. Most of us have just cautioned people to be prepared with a good response that won't raise a red flag in case a coach asks. Plenty of good reasons have been given including financial. Playing another sport can be a good response, however I would think they need to have some prowess in it to make it believeable. Raven Chavanne was an accomplished sprinter, so nobody questioned it.


The varsity HC should be accountable for wins and losses. At the first HS booster meeting I ever attended, the baseball coach said he's paid to win games. That same attitude should be across all sports. That said, it is not easy to find highly qualified coaches.

Originally Posted by bouldersdad
And I have never had a college coach tell me that because a kid played another sport they were not interested in her. ...
That's not the issue.

Sure it is, I have never had a coach say a single word about hs ball in the 30 plus kids I have helped go to college. That has been the crux of this entire post.

 

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Bottom line: If you want to play college ball...there is a school for you...unless you really? THEN.

 

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Hi-Jack alert
I am surprised to find that as a HS Coach that I am paid to win games.

I thought I was paid to educate and mold the young women of my community so that they can become contributing members of our society utilizing the venue of sport to teach those valuable lessons.

I could certainly win more games if I cut the 12 kids that have never played ball before and only worked with the competent athletes, but few of these kids will do much softball in college and none beyond. They will however, go onto to become Emergency Room Nurses, Teachers, Engineers, moms etc..... The lessens these girls learn have very little to do with softball and a lot to do with life. Any high school coach that thinks this is about HIS wins and losses needs to move on, the sooner the better.

I thought kids had to play hs ball in order to be better ball players now you are telling me that the main purpose is to mold them into relevant members of society?. Who would have thunk it.

College rosters do list their home town, besides their bio I have never seen their hs listed. That normally lists hs and tb teams as well.

Coach you are responsible for wins and losses. The kids get the credit for the wins the coach takes the hit for the losses.