What advice would you give your daughter

[Mr. Soft Balls]

With a few weeks left of this years travel ball season, many girls will be switching age brackets and teams in the next month or so. Wanting to get an early jump on things, I am contemplating the advice I want to give to my daughter. I am asking your advice on her current situation. At 13 years old she played 14U ball. This year, she just turned 14 but plays 16U. Her team is very successful and my DD has played very well with the older girls. She agreed to play 16U to challenge herself and so far has turned out to be a great learning experience. My dilemma? She still has one year of eligibilty at 14U. Should she play 16U again this year and be an average to above average player or should she go back down and be a stud at the 14U level. What would you recommend to your daughter and why? Trying to get her the most exposure as possible. Please help, Dad in Distress.

 

[Buckeye_bomber00]

I think a lot depends upon what her long term goals for softball are...don't fix what isn't broken!

 

[coachjwb]

And a lot also depends on the quality of the coaching and especially the schedule of the 14U and 16U teams you are considering. My DD was a very good player on a very weak 18U team playing a very weak schedule when she was 14U. When she turned 15, she played on a decent 16U team that played a competitive schedule, and that was a far better experience for her ... playing on the 18U team was a waste for her even though they won a couple of low level local tourneys.

 

[okiedad1961]

With a few weeks left of this years travel ball season, many girls will be switching age brackets and teams in the next month or so. Wanting to get an early jump on things, I am contemplating the advice I want to give to my daughter. I am asking your advice on her current situation. At 13 years old she played 14U ball. This year, she just turned 14 but plays 16U. Her team is very successful and my DD has played very well with the older girls. She agreed to play 16U to challenge herself and so far has turned out to be a great learning experience. My dilemma? She still has one year of eligibilty at 14U. Should she play 16U again this year and be an average to above average player or should she go back down and be a stud at the 14U level. What would you recommend to your daughter and why? Trying to get her the most exposure as possible. Please help, Dad in Distress.

Faced this same thing this year.Told her we would not play 14u unless the team was playing and performing at the highest level of 14u.At the time missing most tryouts due to down time after nats w friend's,in the fall we played some 18u showcase finding these girls toward the end of recruiting window.2-3 years at the prime recruiting age seemed the best option for her.Was the right choice for her,best of luck to you.

 

[jtdo40]

My DD played 18U when she was 15, on a competitive team participating at stingrays, lasers and Nationals in Florida and Maryland. For her it was of great benefit, she only played one year at 14U, looking back it was a great decision. She had to learn at an early age how to pitch, not throw. She learned respect, humility and a desire to compete to the best of ber ability. Coaches she is currently talking to have told her one of the reasons she is successful and is a pitcher not a thrower is due to her decision to play with physically stronger mature young women. I was told that college coaches do not go to 18U tournaments, in our experience this is not true. My DD is diligent in writing to the coaches, they do come out to our tourneys. This past weekend at Stingrays many coaches were watching. I can only say if your DD is up for the challenge, willing to work and is a team player I would suggest playing up on the most talented team she can make. At 14U many pitchers are studs, when they start pitching to young women who work on hitting daily it tends to weed out the kids who dont have an excellent work ethic. Good luck to you, this game is one heck of a great ride!

 

[daboss]

With all due respect, are you looking for a team to showcase your daughter or looking for a club to be a part of a team? Don't take this question the wrong way as it is not meant to be a jab under the belt but a question you may need to think about to make a decision. Where is she happy is what I would ask. Where are her loyalties and friends? You spend a little over an hour per game on the field but spend much more time at practices, travel to/from, and socializing with the girls and parents. Where she is the happiest is where you'll have the most fun. Probably be where she plays her best as well.

 

[Louuuuu]

Should she play 16U again this year and be an average to above average player or should she go back down

Whatever you decide, you should stick with that team. Your Player Profile runs up a red flag if she's on a different team every year.
(Yes, there are cases where it's necessary to go elsewhere, but, in general...)

 

[SOFTBALLS14]

Always play up!!
If you are not getting better, you are going to be left behind.
Go to a College camp and have the college coaches help answer that question. They can evaluate her unbiased and help guide your DD to the right level.
Mine always played up!! It does nothing but make them better! JMO

 

[spartansd]

I have said this over and over.

If you are not playing A ball you should not be playing up. In other words, until you can make and play on an A level team at your age group you should not play up in any age. If you can play up in age on a true A level team then you should do it. Especially a position player.

If you are playing up on a B level team you are not getting better. You are kidding yourself and your DD.

Ex. we added a first year 14U pitcher to our 14U team for the Spring. Her dad said he was not sure our girls could handle her because she was pitching 14U last year and had been helping pitch for a local 16U team. She did well in Spring pitching A ball against 13U girls. But come Summer she really struggled against the old 14U players. And this was a player who would tell you she played up at 16U as a 13 year old player and did very well.

So this example is very similar to every player I have ever witnessed or talked to that made a switch to play A level ball.

IF the goal is to get better (which it should be at these ages) then you should get on an A level team that plays a very competitive schedule.

On the flip side, if you are not interested in playing in college but want to be a good HS player. Play locally with a bunch of your fellow HS teammates on a 16U or 18U team. She will still get better but not at the pace you would if you played at the highest A level you can.

 

[Fairman]

If she held her own at U16 I wouldn't go back to U14 unless there is a phenomenal coach or team she wants to hang with. She will be disappointed by the lack of skill, speed and dedication and will not be challenged by the typical U14 team or tournament. I don't think I'd jump to U18 this year but leave that as an option for next year.

Always go where the best coaching is and she'll get better. Any kid that gives up 3 years of maturity and still holds her own deserves to stay at that level.

Just saying....

Also don't let loyalty to a team keep her from jumping to a better situation. Long gone are the negatives of shifting form team to team, organization to organization. The college coaches won't care if she is hitting .450 and just lead her high school to a state title. No one offers a retirement plan in fast pitch softball.

 

[JoeA1010]

What to do depends on the individual situation and there is no good answer without knowing the details. Generally, as many have stated, if the goal is to be seen by colleges, 16-U is your best bet unless she is a total stud and is looking Big 10, SEC, etc., in which case the Beverly Bandits and similar teams should be coming after her by now. Assuming that's not the case, 16-U is where she'll be seen by the other Div. I and Div. II schools, along with most NAIAs. Div. III also watches 16-U and probably 18-U as well.

I think it depends on the individual college coach on the negatives of team jumping. If I see four teams in four years on a profile, I'm moving along no matter what. Maybe other coaches don't care. Of the nine 2015 and 2016 players I have signed or verballed, only one does not have a multiple-year history with her current team, and she had no choice but to switch teams this year. I very much value the stability and loyalty aspect. Those are the girls and families I want, not the ones who are always looking for what might be greener pastures and who always seem to have one foot out the door.