Most kids that make it into college softball generally have parents that don't have a warped perspective of their DD's ability. It seems that if they made it that far, the kid MUST have had some sort of ability. This topic could easily be expanded to include coaches who have a distorted perspective of their team.
As you mature in this sport, you find that there are a lot of parents AND coaches that really like to toot their horn - with ultimately nothing substantial to show for it on the field, where it really counts. Over the last few years, I've read on this BB many topics where parents, as well as coaches, try to inflate their player's/team's net worth with nothing more than lip-service.
Most of the college coaches in Ohio have a "network" of trusted sources. When one of those sources drops a prospect's name, you better believe that the coach is all ears. These trusted sources are trustworthy for a simple reason - they know talent when they see it, and have that reputation. These sources are not biased, as a parent or high school/travel coach might be. Some of these sources are actually parents - parents of ex-college players. I tend to listen more to someone who's been through the system, and knows what it takes.
After listening to all the banter for years, as college coaches have, you figure out who knows what they are talking about. The high school season is really entertaining in that respect. Come springtime, read the bragging posts on here about how good any given high school team is. Then go watch for yourself. Some of them wouldn't give the little Slammers a good competitive game. Ironically, the teams that rarely get bragged about are playing in Ashland at the end of the season. Hmmm...