14u or 16u? Need advice...

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My dd can still play 1 more year of 14u and we are trying to decide which team to go with. She has been offered to be a #1 or #2 pitcher/utility player on a 14u team that is an hour from our home. We haven't heard much good or bad about the 14-u team. She has also been offered a spot as a #2 or #3 pitcher/infield utility on a 16-u team that is only 25 minutes from home. The 16-u is with a well known organization. Would you choose more pitching time on the 14-u or the chance to play at 16-u for a well know organization closer to home, even though she'd be a #2/#3?

 

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is your child going to play jv or does she have a chance at varsity? If you think she is strong enough then she should play up. If you want all kinds of pitching time then maybe staying down is the answer.

 

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My DD played her last year of elegibillity at 14U and it worked exceptionally well for her. When you are one of the older girls playing you can be counted on as being one of the anchors of the team. If your DD took the 16U offer would she have much playing time? The more playing time, the more it helps her develop and improve. Also if her playing time would be small at her main position, would it be worth all the money and travel you need to sink into next season? Personally I'd go with 14U so she has more development time so when she has to move up she'll definatly be higher than a Number 3 spot. ;D

 

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We are in the same dilema--if you figure it out please let me know. Ultimately I think she needs to be on the field--you don't get better watching others play. Have you considered contacting parents of children who have played for each organization to get a sense of their feelings about the organizations? Just a thought.....

 

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We are looking at the same thing only if she moves up with her current team she would see very little pitching time sines the have 3 pitchers now. We are going to different tryouts and then will make a decision that will help her become a better player as she starts her high school career. Who knows, this could be the last 4 years of softball and we want to make the best choice. You get better with playing time and it would be a good experiance to she if she can handle the #1 spot. Just remember, some coaches don't always follow through with what they promise at tryouts. Things change especially if winning is very important to the team. Just food for thought.......we're in the same boat....good luck

 

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There is a big difference in maturity between most 14 and 16 year olds. Your daughter will have a lot more fun playing with her own age group.

 

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I am moving my team from 14u to 16u. over half the girls could stay down but are freshman. . If girls are going into high school and can play 14u they might want to consider moving up . The other high school girls are going to be unavailable for travel ball basically from mid feb thru end of may. If a freshman is playing 14u and high school she is going to be gone from her travel ball team that amount of time. Just something else to consider at the 14u 16u level.

 

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"Just remember, some coaches don't always follow through with what they promise at tryouts. Things change especially if winning is very important to the team."


Boy Blazer - is that ever the truth. Or you could do what we did this past year and played at 14U even tho DD was in HS while believing the travel team coach about her role on the team, time away for HS ball, etc. to come back from HS ball and find out that you are really not on the team anymore - at least in not any capacity even close to what you thought based on what the coach originally told you...watched this happen to 3 different girls on the same team after their return from HS ball. Seems the coach and a few parents decided that they did not really need them anymore but were at a loss as to what to do with them short of just benching them or only allowing them to play (bat) once in a while or fill in at a different position for injury, fatigue, etc. IF the coach had been honest we would never have been put in what turned out to be a bad situation for all concerned. Some coaches do - unfortunately for the girls - believe that winning is more important than anything else and will take your money while promising all sorts of things and never intending to follow through with any of it.

If we had it to do over - DD would have went to a 16U with more honest coaching and not had to worry about all the BS when she come back from HS ball. Pressure to "re-fit" back in with the team is bad enough without the coach punishing them for "daring" to play for their HS teams. And yes, he knew who would be playing HS ball at try-outs so this was not a surprise to anyone.

DD will probably get better coaching at 16U anyway and will be better for her all around - IMHO.

 

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Thanks for all the input. Since next summer will be the summer between her freshman and sophomore year we opted with the 16-u..Plus we heard only good about the 16-u coach and the 14-u team was fairly knew and we didn't have much info about them. I agree moving up is not for everyone, there's a difference between an older 14-u who is in 8th grade and one who is a Freshman. Best of Luck to everyone else trying to make their decision.

 

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I agree. In most cases, it is not a bad idea to move up to 16U if she is already a high school student, especially if she is a very good 14U player. It also gives one more summer of exposure to college coaches as they do not tend to frequent 14U games as much as 16U.

However, the jump from 14U to 16U can be a difficult transition. Make sure she is ready for the transition so that it is not such a shock.