Is It Necessary To Travel Far To Get Recruited?

[Fastpitch1414]

So as a parent having traveled all over the U.S. for baseball and softball for years, I would love to hear from the group about the need to take teams outside of the tri-state for recruiting purposes. With very few exceptions the softball players I have seen over the last 10 years are NOT going to be recruited by Florida, or Alabama, or Georgia, or Tennessee etc. etc. etc. This includes the athletes on all the "A" teams in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. If they are D1 talent, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia offer about 45 D1 schools who can and will recruit them. Less money to offer if they are in state. Easier for the family on tuition as well. Same for D2, NAIA, D3 etc except they have even more schools.

Why are these organizations and teams requiring families to take more time off of work, spend more money on travel and spend more time looking through a windshield when their players are not going to be recruited by these other colleges in other states. Sure once and a while there is an Outlaw, Laser, Stingray, or Hawk etc. that have a very good high level player on their team but the other 11?

Here is the kicker. If the teams play closer more colleges will be there at all levels for ALL the girls and not just the top 2. How many mid major and non Big 5 coaches in the surrounding 4 or 5 states go to Alabama for a tournament? They just wait until the team plays closer. You could offer more exposure more often to more players if you stay within 4 hours.

Just an opinion based on my own experiences and talking with college coaches. Love to hear what you think.

 

[wpaguy]

My DD only has 1 more year of travel , but she has already committed to a D2 school. In my opinion you do not need to travel more than 3-4 hours in any direction, unless you want to go to school on the west coast or deep south like Florida or maybe Texas. I'm going to quote a coach from a very good and well know Ohio team team, who went to Indiana for a PGF Tournament " not sure why we went there, none of our girls want to play in Green Bay" . The showcases in Columbus , Cleveland and Eastern PA/NJ will get most girls covered. I will even count Western PA "Battle of the Burgh " so many PSAC and PAC coaches at this tournament.... It does not get enough credit. I will say that the Girls on the team and Parents should have input on schedule. Now if money is no issue at all , than by means travel every weekend have a blast. Honestly your better of spending money going to Camps than going out of state every week ....There needs to be a Balance....

 

[CARDS]

A player don't need to go to all over the country to find a place to play beyond HS. They also don't need to to play on a team 2 hours or more away from where they live...But for years I have seen many families do both because because it was what they were looking for.

We always had our fall activities lined up before tryouts and parents also knew our anticipated schedule for summer before coming on board that had some significant travel.
Honestly our schedule and organization attracted families from NKY, SE Indiana and all over OH (some had over a 2 hr drive to get to practices).
The commitment from these families was unbelievable with 4 hour workouts and the drive to and from.
Now we did play some Columbus area events and B.O.B but 14u to 18u we made our share of runs to Chattanooga, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta and several colleges that were hosting invite events in southern KY. Our coaches also worked the NFCA camps at a couple events and that also helped expose players and build coaching connections. The competition at these events was out of this world. (I still have coaches rib me about the Grapettes game).
The memories especially at 18 in Nashville - Chicago...We were at the Wild Horse in Nashville when they were filming an episode of Kendra. The girls were all over it out there on the dance floor with her (and about 100 other people and a couple parents).
While we did not have any top 5 recruits we got to face teams loaded with them that got some of our ladies getting coaches or recruiters from those schools talking to them we even had two receive offers that chose to stay closer to home.
Now our ladies went on to smaller DI schools DII DIII NAIA and JC within 1 to 5 hours of Cincinnati.
A couple did not last 2 years in college but most completed and some even now help coach at the college or HS levels. They still keep in touch with each other and talk about the memories not so much about the recruiting.

 

[brownsfan]

It literally depends on the dd's dreams and parents finances. Those dreams need to be realistic too. But here's one thing not being mentioned, what is the purpose in college softball related? Do you stay local, get recruited to stay local. But then play with mostly young ladies you competed against. Or do you travel, dd still wants to play for same local college, but wants to dominate in college as she was facing the strongest players possible in travel. We had a young lady here in NE Ohio who did just that. She knew she wouldn't play D1 and may had a shot at D2. She choose D3, and was All-American for four years.

 

[yocoach]

Most players from my area attend and/or play for colleges within a 3-4 hour drive from home. Most of my players stay within 2. That's why I don't travel more than 3 hours or so unless I'm specifically asked by a majority of the players and parents to actually travel 1-2 tournaments that season. Then I'll sign us up for a tournament in Delaware, SC, TN, or Florida for a vacation afterwards at the nearest beach.

 

[SonicMojo]

How many mid major and non Big 5 coaches in the surrounding 4 or 5 states go to Alabama for a tournament?

All of them. But I agree with the general premise of your post.

 

[LineDrive1434]

All of them. But I agree with the general premise of your post.

So you think Ohio and Akron and Toledo go all the way to Atlanta or Alabama to recruit against other mid majors who have a MUCH better chance of recruiting those in state and local players?
Tuition alone for instate players puts out of state teams at a disadvantage along with all the reasons. Wrong statement to make. Don't mislead folks.

 

[SonicMojo]

So you think Ohio and Akron and Toledo go all the way to Atlanta or Alabama to recruit against other mid majors who have a MUCH better chance of recruiting those in state and local players?
Tuition alone for instate players puts out of state teams at a disadvantage along with all the reasons. Wrong statement to make. Don't mislead folks.

I don't think you read the question. lol

 

[daboss]

All the big D1 schools will go as far as they can if they are running down talent and their budget will allow it. They travel like you can't believe---------if they have the money. Having said this, it does not mean you need to go to such lengths to be seen.

Coaching staffs become aware of talent in so many ways it makes your head spin. They chase down the blue chip players and have their radar up for talent that might be in the same park, just like any normal shopper looking for a deal. Instead of picking stores to shop, they pick tourneys and talent-laden showcases. We all know them. TD's around the country are constantly trying to promote and entice coaching staffs to come. After all, that's their gimmick to get teams to enter. It's a whirlwind that grows with each element chipping in. Most states have 1 or more of these showcases you can take advantage of the opportunity to get in front of schools that are shopping. The program's head coach may not attend but somebody from staff or a trusting "friend" will be watching. You never know who might be there cause they don't always dress the part to catch your eye.

Money is the determining factor of what any college staff can accomplish. They have to spend wisely. They are not going to travel out of state to watch a kid that resides in their own state UNLESS it's a blue-chip player they're trying to lock down or fear losing to another school. Years ago, the staff at Tenn. told me they had flown to California to watch a young lady pitch in her high school game. They stayed in state and put together an agenda to look at some other recruits before flying back (multi-tasking) but the main goal of the trip was to reinforce their desire and support a committed recruit. That's a trip across the country to watch a high school game!

Every school will have their own policy on how to pick players and how much of the budget they'll use to do it. Perhaps JoeA will provide more insight.

I was told years ago that the SEC will go to extreme lengths to recruit because they have the money to spend. Their budget was staggering due to successful football programs and a athletic dept. directors openly backing women's sports.

There's more parity in today's game due to the improvement of talent across the country. In my opinion that's in part because of the exposure to the game created by organizations willing to travel and meet competition head on. Because of this, and the cost to attend a school out of state, recruiting closer to home has become more the normal with competitive results. It's actually a win win for you and the schools.

Do you need to travel great distances to get recruited? No. You need to have overwhelming talent, great grades, and an excellent work ethic. Normally the rest takes care of itself. Just be realistic in setting your goals and if you are truly better than that, they'll let you know.

 

[LineDrive1434]

All the big D1 schools will go as far as they can if they are running down talent and their budget will allow it. They travel like you can't believe---------if they have the money. Having said this, it does not mean you need to go to such lengths to be seen.

Coaching staffs become aware of talent in so many ways it makes your head spin. They chase down the blue chip players and have their radar up for talent that might be in the same park, just like any normal shopper looking for a deal. Instead of picking stores to shop, they pick tourneys and talent-laden showcases. We all know them. TD's around the country are constantly trying to promote and entice coaching staffs to come. After all, that's their gimmick to get teams to enter. It's a whirlwind that grows with each element chipping in. Most states have 1 or more of these showcases you can take advantage of the opportunity to get in front of schools that are shopping. The program's head coach may not attend but somebody from staff or a trusting "friend" will be watching. You never know who might be there cause they don't always dress the part to catch your eye.

Money is the determining factor of what any college staff can accomplish. They have to spend wisely. They are not going to travel out of state to watch a kid that resides in their own state UNLESS it's a blue-chip player they're trying to lock down or fear losing to another school. Years ago, the staff at Tenn. told me they had flown to California to watch a young lady pitch in her high school game. They stayed in state and put together an agenda to look at some other recruits before flying back (multi-tasking) but the main goal of the trip was to reinforce their desire and support a committed recruit. That's a trip across the country to watch a high school game!

Every school will have their own policy on how to pick players and how much of the budget they'll use to do it. Perhaps JoeA will provide more insight.

I was told years ago that the SEC will go to extreme lengths to recruit because they have the money to spend. Their budget was staggering due to successful football programs and a athletic dept. directors openly backing women's sports.

There's more parity in today's game due to the improvement of talent across the country. In my opinion that's in part because of the exposure to the game created by organizations willing to travel and meet competition head on. Because of this, and the cost to attend a school out of state, recruiting closer to home has become more the normal with competitive results. It's actually a win win for you and the schools.



Perfectly stated and 100% accurate. You provided a mic drop moment there. lol

Do you need to travel great distances to get recruited? No. You need to have overwhelming talent, great grades, and an excellent work ethic. Normally the rest takes care of itself. Just be realistic in setting your goals and if you are truly better than that, they'll let you know.

 

[LineDrive1434]

All the big D1 schools will go as far as they can if they are running down talent and their budget will allow it. They travel like you can't believe---------if they have the money. Having said this, it does not mean you need to go to such lengths to be seen.

Coaching staffs become aware of talent in so many ways it makes your head spin. They chase down the blue chip players and have their radar up for talent that might be in the same park, just like any normal shopper looking for a deal. Instead of picking stores to shop, they pick tourneys and talent-laden showcases. We all know them. TD's around the country are constantly trying to promote and entice coaching staffs to come. After all, that's their gimmick to get teams to enter. It's a whirlwind that grows with each element chipping in. Most states have 1 or more of these showcases you can take advantage of the opportunity to get in front of schools that are shopping. The program's head coach may not attend but somebody from staff or a trusting "friend" will be watching. You never know who might be there cause they don't always dress the part to catch your eye.

Money is the determining factor of what any college staff can accomplish. They have to spend wisely. They are not going to travel out of state to watch a kid that resides in their own state UNLESS it's a blue-chip player they're trying to lock down or fear losing to another school. Years ago, the staff at Tenn. told me they had flown to California to watch a young lady pitch in her high school game. They stayed in state and put together an agenda to look at some other recruits before flying back (multi-tasking) but the main goal of the trip was to reinforce their desire and support a committed recruit. That's a trip across the country to watch a high school game!

Every school will have their own policy on how to pick players and how much of the budget they'll use to do it. Perhaps JoeA will provide more insight.

I was told years ago that the SEC will go to extreme lengths to recruit because they have the money to spend. Their budget was staggering due to successful football programs and a athletic dept. directors openly backing women's sports.

There's more parity in today's game due to the improvement of talent across the country. In my opinion that's in part because of the exposure to the game created by organizations willing to travel and meet competition head on. Because of this, and the cost to attend a school out of state, recruiting closer to home has become more the normal with competitive results. It's actually a win win for you and the schools.

Do you need to travel great distances to get recruited? No. You need to have overwhelming talent, great grades, and an excellent work ethic. Normally the rest takes care of itself. Just be realistic in setting your goals and if you are truly better than that, they'll let you know.

100% accurate and perfectly stated. Again a mic drop moment.....lol

 

[Jamie Wolff]

No

 

[DanMaz]

no but its fun traveling!