At what age can you tell she has want it take to be a big time softball player.

[Admin]

At what age can you tell if a Girl Softball player is going to be a big time player?

 

[Stedman00]

too many variables to even begin to guess.

 

[jpkeating]

If she doesn’t have multiple power 5 coachs looking at her by the second year of 12u. You can forget about it. Lol

 

[IRdad09]

If she doesn’t have multiple power 5 coachs looking at her by the second year of 12u. You can forget about it. Lol

Unfortunately, there are plenty of folks that think this way.

 

[Passion4theGame]

There's a lot that goes into this. Tough one.
Depends on the kid and the drive, passion, & work ethic.

 

[jpkeating]

Unfortunately, there are plenty of folks that think this way.

Unfortunately your right

 

[CARDS]

It depends on what ones opinion is on what is a Big Time Player... IMO, one cannot forecast when a lady will or could become a household name or Big Time Player.

Some may think its playing at a power 5 school, others any level of post secondary play, national team play, getting paid to play etc.
There are ladies that never played any high level travel that made it to the college game at all levels, others that played at a smaller school or community college that went on to a power 5 school, the professional ranks or found their way on a national team.

I have seen ladies in their younger years that were ahead of their peers 8 through 13 years old and dominated then, peeked at 14ish.
Also some that was behind their peers that bloomed after 14 or 16. By 18 there are the ladies may have the talent but not the desire to continue.

Opportunities also present themselves in different ways as connections can elevate ones standings or that diamond in the rough gets found. There are a lot of stories where players talk about their journeys. Some the traditional travel at a high level that resulted in opportunities for them others where it did not appear they would play past HS then things turned in their favor.

 

[daboss]

Cards makes so many valid points on this topic. The only thing I want to touch on is the desire factor. Burnout is real. To start playing this game and get into a cycle of a 52-week season for most of a young lady's life is overwhelming. Plenty will argue this doesn't happen. Yes, it does. Even when not in the gym or on the field, the parents are living the game 27/7 within the home. It's exhausting both mentally and physically. It's this behavior that has the girls losing interest by the time they are teenagers and they finally get rebellious enough to say enough is enough. That's when the "What could have been" athletes leave and "Superstars" never see it.

This game is not for everyone. This "game" is just that in how the girls view it. Young ladies have it in their DNA to prioritize other aspects of life that supersede playing a game. It's for this very reason you don't see college rosters full of seniors. The difference between boys and girls can be easily defined in their approach. Boys would stay in college an extra year if they thought it would give them a chance to play a sport. Girls would quit a college team if it conflicts with a class schedule. Girls would rather graduate early. Boys want to play forever. They like being "boys".

Girls are ready to be adults and transition to women. Boys are not always anxious to be men.

 

[CoachTEA]

At what age can you tell if a Girl Softball player is going to be a big time player?

Great topic for discussion! It varies wildly. Natural talent like Allie Cummins (University of Miami), I remember watching her at 8 years old and thinking "wow - she is something special". But that talent needs work and honing - kids like Allie or Rachel Lewis (Northwestern University career homerun record holder) or Ally Harrell (Marshall University and pro players) were gym rats and really, really wanted to be great and worked their craft. Allie at times would see her hitting instructor (Wendell Hutchinson) three times a weeks and refused an offer from the University of Kentucky because they wanted to change her swing to the "Kentucky way of hitting". There also has to be emotional grit and desire and face it some kids peak at 10u or 12u. At 10u I had an amazing team that went 42-8 in a season playing Rec A and Travel Ball tournaments. 4 of the 15 girls on that team played college ball (not a terrible percentage seeing how the national average is 7%). From the 10u stats you couldn't find the 4. Priorities and desires change; probably the best athlete on that team chose volleyball over softball. Some wisely decided to focus more on academics when they got to high school. You also have to deal with parental and/or peer pressures and waning desires. There is a line between supportive and overbearing.

 

[CoachTEA]

Great topic for discussion! It varies wildly. Natural talent like Allie Cummins (University of Miami), I remember watching her at 8 years old and thinking "wow - she is something special". But that talent needs work and honing - kids like Allie or Rachel Lewis (Northwestern University career homerun record holder) or Ally Harrell (Marshall University and pro players) were gym rats and really, really wanted to be great and worked their craft. Allie at times would see her hitting instructor (Wendell Hutchinson) three times a weeks and refused an offer from the University of Kentucky because they wanted to change her swing to the "Kentucky way of hitting". There also has to be emotional grit and desire and face it some kids peak at 10u or 12u. At 10u I had an amazing team that went 42-8 in a season playing Rec A and Travel Ball tournaments. 4 of the 15 girls on that team played college ball (not a terrible percentage seeing how the national average is 7%). From the 10u stats you couldn't find the 4. Priorities and desires change; probably the best athlete on that team chose volleyball over softball. Some wisely decided to focus more on academics when they got to high school. You also have to deal with parental and/or peer pressures and waning desires. There is a line between supportive and overbearing.

i voted 14u by the way! ;-)

 

[CoachTEA]

If she doesn’t have multiple power 5 coachs looking at her by the second year of 12u. You can forget about it. Lol