1994/1995...Golden Years for Players

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I keep looking at the 16U draws for tourneys starting back in June with ASA states. Highschool teams are packed with high level players that were Freshmen and Sophmores last year. The 16U teams in number and quality are fantastic. We're in Cinderella ASA in Ridgeville this week and the field is excellent. Last year 14U seemed to be. This year some of the other divisions seem a little down at least in quantity. Would you all agree that something was in the water in 1994 and 1995 and that group is a unique group when it comes to the quantity of quality here in Ohio.

 

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Len,

I have been watching this stuff for years and it has always been a bell curve with an apex of 14u as far as quantity. I do agree that the 93-95 birth years have produced a very athletic group, not just for softball but for many sports. It was very noticeable in elementry school, my dd class had all the best athletes with a little trickle down to the year after hers. There are some very good athletes in the incoming freshman classes every year, but not in the quantity that the class of 2011 & 2012 had.

 

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i hope so , mines a 95er. Will say that the 96 class seems loaded . Laser gold, laser black , Doom 96 , Classics 96 . TNT exlposion is a 96 team that is very fine. There are 6-7-8 pitchers in that group that are just lights out. And it all starts in the circle. MD

 

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Could it be just that the level of talent is gradually getting better every year, but you don't really notice it till high school when underclassmen are outperforming the upperclassmen?

 

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Most of the standout talent in college this year was freshman as well, so I do think it's just players getting better every year. If that wasn't the case you wouldn't expect to see so many freshman starting at the WCWS.

 

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Hey gang, over here in SE Indiana, same thing applies to the same time frame...all sports, especially softball. 94-96 seems to be absolutely loaded...good comments 3DM from one who has a been watching for a little bit.

 

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It was the ingredients in the enfamil and simalac in those years. Loaded with steriods and grow enhancers. Add that to the steriod loaded beef and produce that we consume daily just peaked in those birth years.

 

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....today's freshmen were born in '96? What the......

I'm so old...........

It seems like the 14u/16u age groups have always been the most competitive. They seem to have the least amount of distraction (no car, no boyfriend, no high school softball for the most part, school's still pretty easy, and not even starting to think about college in 14u) and the most amount of passion for the game..they're not tired of it yet.
And I can always remember seeing freshmen pitchers on tv at the WCWS. I think that has a lot to do with coaches constantly recruiting to replace the players they already have. There's always room for improvement I guess! Unless you're Megan Langenfeld....talk about talent! Also, I kind of think the 18-19 year old bodies are a lot more spry than grandma 22 year old senior over there. Once you've been beating your body up for 3 1/2 years almost year round like you do in college sports, it's tough to be at the same level than the younger ones...the girls on my team talk about how once you turn 21 you start getting aches and pains everywhere and you just feel old. I......caan't wait..... =P