How important is high school softball to colleges?

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This is one of my first posts but I have been reading OFC for about a year now and really respect the advice of some of the members. My dd has played travel ball since 10u and just this year played on the JV team at her high school. Our high school is very small and the softball program is still under development. To be honest she learned very little from her high school coaches and I am thrilled that the summer ball season is underway. Next year our high school has gone to a "pay to play" policy. Since we already pay for travel ball plus the cost of gas and motel I am really worried about the additional cost. I really feel that she learns more from travel ball. My question is: Will my dd have problems being recruited if she does not play high school ball--- What is your advice?

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Just my 2 cents: I have talked to many college coaches and been to some recruiting camps. All are watching travel ball, not high school. Get her on a team that plays in showcase tourneys. Then go to some of the college camps and get exposure. Some even have camps to show you how to send in her resume and cover letters. Many on here have posted some very good advice on this subject. Very few use high school stats. Many have posted why . When you see in the paper 10 kids with over a 500 BA, you know why the colleges don't look at high school stats!

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

College coaches don't watch many high school games because it is during their season and there is a dead period during the high school season. That being said travel is the way to go if you want to play college ball I don't think anybody can argue that much, coaches do like to see that you can balance athletics and sports. So short answer No you don't have to play high school to play college ball. Will it help? I have to believe it does. This advice is made on the asumption your DD is not the next Jenny Finch or Bustos.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

but, although my DD is a few years removed from doing this, playing travel does not guarantee a spot...remember this...

you probably need to be on a showcase travel team....Armpit's Bar will not play the type of schedule the coaches are going to be located (Comp, Stingrays, etc)

girls have to recruit themselves unless they have something lined up from D1...smaller schools rarely offer scholarships

and finally GRADES in high school do matter....plus, other extra curricular endeavors...if all your DD does is play softball, why would they offer a scholarship over the girl that not only plays softball but does cummuntiy service and runs student council?

but in the end, why would it hurt to play high school ball....beats hanging around watching the emo kids make-out in the hallways

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Regardless of the program offered, high school provides an opportunity to play in game situations, get your eye on the ball, have regular practices, drills, and defensive opportunities. And I have been to several high school games this year and saw the Kentucky assistant at Prebis, Akron U coach at a couple of games, and I'm sure there were others here and there. Yes, spring is the college season, but coaches do avail themselves of the opportunity to watch players whenever possible whether it be in high school or travel ball. I would urge any girl interested in playing college ball to take every opportunity to develp her skills and play as much as possible.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

It amazes me how some think that HS ball plays no part, or very little, in getting a player into college. ?Look at any bio, of the top college players and you see nothing but HS stats and awards, and an occasional travel ball mention. ?If you are not playing HS ball, it is going to send up a red flag. ?Look at these All American players, and tell me playing HS ball didn't matter.....

Player #1
2006 First-Team All-California ... named to the all-tournament team of the 2006 18-U Gold National Championships (.435, 2 HR) ... batted .570 as a senior with seven home runs ... hit .489 as a junior with a .715 slugging percentage ... first-team All-Maramonte League selection three straight years and the league?s MVP in 2006 ... three times named L.A. Daily News first-team all-area ... L.A. Times all-area in 2006 ... team captain ... named the national female athlete of the year by National Jewish Sports and a NJS Hall of Fame inductee ... on the honor roll from 2003-06 ... won the Presidential Scholar Award her senior year.

Player #2
Owned a career high school record of 81-5 with 19 no-hitters, 73 shutouts and eight perfect games ... was the California Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior ... earned first-team All-America honors as a sophomore and junior and was a second-team pick as a senior ... racked up 882 strikeouts in 626 innings in her prep career ... had a 0.00 ERA as a sophomore, 0.26 as a junior and 0.34 as a senior ... captain and team MVP as a senior ... batted .390 as a senior ... earned first-team all-conference honors in soccer as a junior and senior and was the league MVP as a junior ... was her team?s defensive MVP as a junior and offensive MVP as a senior.

Player #3
was a four-year letterwinner at Vanden High School in Fairfield, Calif. ... featured in "Faces in the Crowd" in Sports Illustrated (May 2004) after pitching 10 consecutive no-hitters and seven perfect games ... named Gatorade National Player of the Year, CalHi State Softball Player of the Year and National High School Coaches Association Softball Player of the Year as a senior ... was a two-time NFCA Louisville Slugger First-Team All-American ... earned Solano County League MVP honors, pitching the Vikings to a sectional championship in her senior season ... was also a four-year letterwinner in basketball and lettered twice in volleyball ... played club with the California Cruisers.

layer #4
High School: Lettered three times at James River High School for Coach John Shotwell, leading them to consecutive state titles ... Played one season at Allegheny High before transferring to James River ... Had 47 career wins, over 900 strikeouts and 23 career no-hitters ... A two-time first-team all-state selection ... Went 22-2 her senior season, earning state co-pitcher of the year honors from the VHSCA ... Threw 154.2 innings as a senior, allowing just 22 hits and three earned runs (0.14 ERA) in earning another state title ... Was the Gatorade State Player of the Year as a junior after leading her team to a state title ... Was also the state player of the year, as voted on by the VHSCA ... Was selected to play for the Salem All-Stars, a local team that played the U.S. Olympic Softball Team in June of 2004 ... Threw one inning in that contest, striking out both Stacey Nuveman - on three pitches - and Tairia Mims Flowers.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

In talking with a few college coaches, they have told me they do look at HS ball but not what we (parents) think they are looking at. ?They understand the politics and drama of HS sports and they know they politics and drama of travel ball. ?These coaches didn't fall off the turnip wagon last night. ?They want to see if the player was a team player and how she handled adversity (ex. Did she play another position instead of her primary position for the good of the team)(ex. Did she quit the team because she was unhappy about playing time or playing position). ?We all know that this wouldn't happen in travel ball because Mom and Dad would be throwing a conniption fit. ?

The college coaches know that HS stats leave a lot to be desired but they do like to look at them. ?They do need something to start the separation process.

There have been girls that have played college ball without playing HS ball but I believe that those are few and far between. ?The college coaches are looking at the whole package. ?Grades, civic achievements, how a player acts on and off the field, and how a player treats her parents. ?These are just a few that I have been told.

I am just beginning the process and the advice that these coaches have given me has helped quite a bit. ?

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Coaches want to know that you can play sports, keep up with school work and get good grades.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

My thought is regardless of whether h.s. ball helps get your daughter recruited to play ball in college, she should WANT to play h.s. ball. I pretty much hated h.s. ball my daughter?s freshman year. Very few girls at her h.s. had any interest in softball, so both the coaching and the team were rather sad. She had always played on some pretty good summer teams and it was pretty painful FOR ME to watch some of her h.s. games.

She had fun though. In part, she had fun because she was one the best players on the team; she liked seeing her name in newspaper; and her h.s. team eventually did have some success. She had more fun, though, because it is a great game, atmosphere and experience! She got to play a game she loved with and in front of classmates and neighbors. Some of the girls on her h.s. team were lifelong friends. Others she formed friendships with that she would not have had but for h.s. softball.

Does she like softball as much or more today than ever because she played h.s. ball? I don?t know. I do know, though, if I were a college coach, I?d want to see that something in a recruit that tells me this kid is playing h.s. ball -- and will play college ball -- because she loves it, not just because I?m going to pay her to play ball. Certainly, as a dad, that?s the most important thing; because once she gets to college, I?m not going to ask her to take on the added workload of college sports just for an athletic scholarship.

She?s headed to college next year on a softball scholarship because she loves the game and she WANTS to play ball for her school. I?ll be surprised if that ever changes, but if it does, THEN she won?t play for her school. Afterall, I?m already up to my *** in debt paying for two kids to go to college, what difference will one more make?

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

I have mixed feelings on this subject......I have to believe travel ball at college showcases will get more exposure.....lets face it colleges only get to see HS kids play that the coach puts on the Varsity team and in many cases it is political....so you may have a very talented kid on the bench or stuck on JV who will not ever get a chance on a HS Varisty team due to politics, but shines year after year in travel ball.....weird that that happens...but it does. But, I also feel that the intestinal fortitude gained by going through the process of HS ball and having to live through many of the highs and lows of the HS coach who does not adapt the best players make Varsity and best players play mentality, makes one appreciate travel ball more and more and seemingly at least in my case makes the DD work all that much harder.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Quote from OSU coach several years ago...

We check the grades from HS and watch them play during the summer. When it came between 2 equal players - the GPA was the tie breaker.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Of course much depends on the high school. I guarantee that when a player is on a high school team that is regularly attending high profile events and have a reputation for producing quality players then the college coaches definately take notice. It is also very important to college coaches to know what type of tournaments a players participated in and what type of competition they played on a regular basis.

My own personal experience is that when my DD was being recruited the first question from every coach was virtually the same. They all wanted to know how your high school season went and where you will be playing in the summer. Two of the coaches came and watched her play in a district final game with her high school. One coach even told her that the work that she did with her high school coach more then prepared her for what she would see at that particular college.

To say that the high school experience has no impact on a college coach is just difficult to imagine. Unless the high school experience is just so poor that it would be considered a joke. I guess that this could be a possibility.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

I suppose I can give my perspective as a new Div. III college coach. If a girl is not playing h.s. ball, that would be a red flag unless I knew her coach was kind of a disaster. If the h.s. coach is at least minimally acceptable, then as someone said above, the girl should WANT to play h.s. softball.

I think the info in college players' bios is done by the sports information departments and that they get that info straight from the kids on a form. The SIDs don't really understand the importance of travel ball. When I get to my new job in a month or so, if our SID will let me list player bios on our site, we'll do it and I will be sure to make sure the girls' travel team(s) and any significant travel ball accomplishments are included.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Thank you all for your great advice. However, if financially, we must give up one or the other, what do you give up? My dd plays for a travel team that plays showcase tournaments and has a 3.6 GPA in college prep and honors courses.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Thank you all for your great advice. ?However, if financially, we must give up one or the other, what do you give up? ?My dd plays for a travel team that plays showcase tournaments and has a 3.6 GPA in college prep and honors courses.

If her goal is playing college ball, its tough but High school would be the one to give up if you could only play one and her goal is college ball.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

This year I saw college coaches at the Centennial Stellar Classic and at the Central Ohio District games in Pickerington.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

I sent out several weeks ago a survey to about 15 Ohio College Coaches asking these same questions.I will try to post their answers in near future when I get a chance or break ! I will say 1 of the questions asked to coaches was how many High Scool games they attend each year. I believe 70%-80% of the coaches said they dont attend any High Scool games and 10-20% said 3 games or less.

 

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Re: How important is high school softball to colle

Didnt we just do this this in the spring before school ball started? Id search the threads and you can see all this already on here.

My DD just finished her first year of college ball and the recruiting ordeal is still fresh in my mind. At least 4 college coaches recruiting the DD said basically the only real thing h.s. school was good for was their GPA and SAT/ACT scores and getting mom and dad newspaper clippings for their scrapbook. The competition is too varied to get accurate stats and that travel ball gave them a better idea of what they would be getting as a player.

 

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For those of you who think college coaches don't watch high school games you are mistaken. This past Tuesday at the Akron Division 2 districtict semi-finals between Copley vs Hoban and Tallmadge vs Walsh I counted 6 head coaches or assistant coaches. My daughter who was watching the games with me was more interested in the coaches then the games.

One was from the Big Ten, 3 from the MAC, and two others who I'm not sure if they are Div 3 or NAIA schools.

They may not watch regular season games , but they were out in full force that day.

 

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I've read a lot of profiles of athletes on line on college websites, and yes they list every HS award they recieved and 80% make no mention of Travel ball almost as if it didn't exist. I have been very curious about that too. I wonder if its some agreement they make. I've also watched as my travel ball players sign their letters and the HS coach is shaking hands and the AD is pumping their HS's great accolmplishments. I even saw a coach, who was a great travelball/college player try to eliminate the mention of summerball teams from several seniors profiles read on senior day - until it was desputed by some well intending parents. Not sure why travel ball it is treated like a "dirtly little secret" but the reality has long been known that travel is where you are seen MOST.

with that said. you really need to find away to play both. I doubt if there is a college coach out therethat will even look at a girl who doesn't play HS ball.