OFC'ers going to SC (QOD) this week ?

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Good post Magic. Your last two paragraphs are very accurate - especially the pitch speeds. Organizers can only be so selective, or else they'd end up paring the field down to where it's not attractive for the college coaches to attend - or be economically feasible to hold the event. For the top athletes who do want to go south, it at least gets them in front of the southern coaches.

 

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Thanks to Kirt and crew for a wonderful weekend of softball. Also, thanks to all of the coaches for giving up their long weekend for the girls. The weather was great and so were the facilities.

I was also surprised by the pitching speeds. Most of the girls were throwing in the mid 50's. None of the teams we played had anyone near 60 and I didn't really see any in the other games we watched (I am sure there were a few there though). Obviously people weren't completely truthful when filling out their applications, and this is all Kirt and the selectors have to go by when making selections.

As far as college coaches go, there were quite a few there. I saw more on Saturday than on Sunday, but there were a lot both days. I saw several from Virginia and the Carolina's that DD had invited to come watch her play. There were also some in plain clothes, so if you didn't know them personally, you wouldn't know they were coaches. We attended the Winthrop Camp on Saturday and most of the coaches assisting were from different colleges as well.

 

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I saw 3 very good pitchers over the weekend at the 14u tourney (and I'm sure I missed 2 good ones from the Dragons and Tn --White Lightning) The 3 I noticed were the Doom's Emily Anderson (don't think she gave up an earned run all weekend, and only 3 total counting a bases loaded set up in ITB , had 21 K game) ) girl from the virginia crush, and the pitts spirit girl that beat us 2-1.

 

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MD

I think the majority of the comments about pitching are in reference to the showcase pitchers.

 

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Both my DD's had a great time, coming home battered and bruised but with big smiles. Kirt does a great job of course and my DD enjoyed meeting her Cup2010 teammates and my dd was grinning ear to ear after getting to sub on DD Cup team during a scrimmage. Thanks to the Emeralds for having her play on their 14u team during the weekend as well....

...good stuff....

 

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MD

I think the majority of the comments about pitching are in reference to the showcase pitchers.

I know that , but it's a thread about the tourney in general, not just the big girls across the street. MD

 

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Cute quote MD......it would probably be cheaper to read the bible too! And yes you missed a couple of good pitchers from the Dragons and White Lightning ;0) In general, I thought the pitching we faced was better than what we have seen in Ohio Tournaments and the 1/1 count helped keep the game moving. I have no negatives about the tournament. I was very pleased with the Withrop camps on Friday and thought Coach Pauley and his daughter, Stacey did an excellent job with the pitching camp. I was very impressed with Withrop's K-Zone program. Withrop's coaches were awesome and they easily named several Ohio kids that have attended their camps in the past....in particular an Upper Arlington Pitcher. Nice to know that they are involved in the camp enough to remember the standout players.

The kids from Ohio that I know attended the QDS individual showcase are top notch players and deserved to be there. I did see players perform at various levels of skill, but in general, took it for what it was and understand that every kid is hoping for an opportunity to be "out front" for the coaches and gain enough interest that a coach will come and see them play during the season.

One other thing, the Friday night camp had Lacey throwing at 64mph with 29 revs. I was very impressed with this pitcher from S.C.. She was a Junior and had an impressive outting. Not sure how she did in her showcase, but did well at the camp.

PS. That was a good win for the Doom 96ers. Tough competition to persevere through and even more impressive that they were a younger team.

 

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My dd was there for the 14u tournament and practice for the 2011 cup.She played with the emeralds and had fun,she pitched a great game against the new era diamond chix from New York pulling out a 7-2 win.

 

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better be careful quoting big numbers Sun Dragon-- The "know it all's" will question the make/model/serial number of the gun being used LOL !

 

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Yes MD, I know! However, I did review the girls paperwork from the K-Zone and actually just met her. I watched her pitch throughout the camp and she impressed me with her spins and speed. I don't usually mention speed or anything "personal" on here because folks will come after it, but I did see her throw 64 as clocked by the kzone and recorded with the rev gun.

LOL! I've watched you dance with the best of them and regardless of the "masses" you seem to hold your own! Take care!

 

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Speaking of the 14U tournament - I was disappointed we didn't see more college coaches over there than we did! Also, our Ohio Wave team finished lower than we hoped, but I would say that it was a good experience. My DD and I enjoyed our time in the warm weather and we plan to attend next yr as a showcase participant. I do think 14U teams should evaluate their reasons for going in the future. I don't think the college coaches had the time to come over to our diamonds this weekend and if you go planning to get exposure, I'm not sure this is the tournament for you. If you are going for the experience and to get a chance to see how the showcase side works, this is the tournament for you.

 

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I must be one of the know it all's..cause I'm coming after you Sun_Dragon...lol. Come on now 64??? Well, if I was to believe anyone I guess it would be you. BTW, sorry I missed you, but I did get a chance to speak to your hubby for a couple of minutes...of course you were too busy coaching...lol. On the showcase side, I saw 3 (out of 48) pitchers that hit 60 a few times in there games. Of course I'm a softball junkie and watch most every game played, but for the most part mid fifties (54-55) were the norm. Our team struggled in the pitching department...I was real close to coming over and kidnapping Savy and Emily A. from the 14U tournament for our last game...lol.

 

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it was a pretty good showing a lot of Ohio girls did well - I am sad because this was my last QD with my DD - she is a senior and will probably be verballing in November. Kirt always puts on a class act, this is the first time I noticed many coaches not wearing any identifiable gear. A lot of coaches were under cover - we have done a total of 4 QDSS, 2 QDN and 2 Cup and the exposure is the best anyone could ever hope for - I AM THE ABSOLUTELY biggest supporter of these events and you can never start too young THIS EXPOSURE SHOWCASE WORKS!!!! if your DD ever wants to play no matter what level - D1, D2, D3 NAIA or even JC - THIS SHOWCASE GETS IT DONE!!!

 

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I was pleasantly surprised with the overall level of talent at the Showcase. I can tell you that one of the pitchers on our Cup team (she was from SC) hit the mid 60's regularly and on sunday she had a few in the upper 60's. I can only vouch for the three teams that we played and our team because when we were not playing in the showcase I had a team over in the QD 14U tournament so that did not leave much time to sit around and just watch. But for the teams and players that I saw they were very solid. I can honestly say that there were only one or two players who I thought were really overmatched. The pitching that I saw was decent. Above average for sure but not overwhelming (except for the player mentioned above).

What I take away from the experience is that if a player is looking to get some exposure and is willing to really bring it for the 3 days down there then they can be seen by plenty of college coaches. I know that for our saturday evening game there had to be 40+ coaches just on our diamond and all 4 diamonds had games going on. I was impressed.

I will totally agree with megasportsmom that if your daughter wants to play at the college level this is a great place to get noticed and for the athletes to compare themselves to other strong players.

 

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I agree with Ohio Wave and Mega....very good opportunities. Ohio Wave, it was a nice game on Sunday and I saw you trying to hop between the two fields! Binker.....where were you???? I went over to the QD fields to find you and Dakota and didn't see you anywhere!!!! I saw plenty of other Ohio kids........I think you were hiding! I hope it went well for you and D.

Also, did you see the K Zone that Withrop uses? We need to get it in one of our barns! And you can trust me....the other pitchers were 59 and under, but this kid was hitting 64. That's why I took note of her.

 

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I want to say a special thanks to Kirt and the entire showcase staff.

The weekend will be a lifetime memory for my daughter...Her grandfather and my father passed away while we were enroute. We had stopped by to see him before we left and he had a nice visit with her. He spoke clear and eloquently to my daughter, as he held her hands. He told her how proud he was of her and proud of her selection to the showcase. He made it clear we were to make the trip, no matter what...Before leaving, her grandmother told her to get a hit for Grandpa.

I am sorry to say that it hit me hard and I was unable to attend the first game on Saturday because I was not feeling well. In that atmosphere, having just lost her grandfather and worried about her father one could not expect much...

But in her first trip to the plate, her team without a hit, she battled and fouled off pitch after pitch until her hit up the middle. A defensive double play and a walk and and she was named one of the MVP's of the game.

More than a hit for Grandpa...an MVP game, and a special memory for a young lady from her special visit with Grandpa.

Thank you to all that were so kind and understanding, and tried to help me in this difficult time.

We say so long for now; tomorrow

Dan

 

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Dan

It was good to meet you and your daughter at the QDSS. I know that it was a tough weekend for both of you but as you said - there will be many wonderful memories to take from it as well. You and your entire family are in our prayers.

Dave Day

 

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This was our first event of this type.

I thought everything was well organized and ran smoothly. I also agree that the facilities at Winthrop were top notch and exceeded my expectations. Along with the fields being top notch, I thought the Winthrop campus was very nice.

Yes, there was some sloppy play. I watched some of about every game (as we had friends on just about every field all w/e) and I personally only saw two girls hit 60+. Agreed, there were some girls that maybe should not have been there. That said, I am not sure how far you can take the screening process. Also filling last minute cancellations to keep the rosters full has to be difficult. I did see on one team where one of the girls could not make it so the parent just showed up with her little (I believe 12U) sister.

I also noticed quite a bit of bad base running. Perhaps girls eager to show off their speed and/or girls & coaches unfamiliar with each other. Unfortunately this took away opportunities from the girls at the plate. Only 7 trips to the plate (which was the norm for all of the girls that went with us) was a bit of a disappointment, especially when for some trips you do not see anything close to a strike.

As far as college coaches go, I did not expect to see the Ohio or Michigan schools there but saw far from "50-60 at any given time". Perhaps it was because they were incognito or I do not know how to pick them out but, personally, I do not feel that I saw that many coaches for the entire w/e. I did get a chance to talk with the Winthrop coach as things were wrapping up Sunday and he said there were 71 total. Very nice guy by the way and, wow, what a schedule Winthrop plays (Bama, Georgia, UNC, etc). He thought maybe the toughest out of conference schedule around.

Thought the umps were consistent with what you see at most tournaments. Mostly good with a few tough zones... some for pitchers and some for hitters.

Overall, DD had a good time. She enjoyed working her coach and pitchers and loved the girls on her team. She came home with some memories and a few new email addresses & cell phone numbers for her new buddies.

 

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i just want to comment on the concern for talent - the problem with this is that Kirt has to literally farm thru 2000 or more applications to find 244 of the best - now if they happened to have been there before then the evaluation is easy but for new applicants - many parents flat out lie about thier kids abilities on thier profiles and that is the only thing Kirt and the rest of the staff has to assess from - every year a bunch fall thru the cracks it happens - my DD had possibly the absolutely worst catcher in history on her team and this girl was a junior, but again no way to tell from her profile - it happens but if your DD is talented well - the rest doesn't matter.

 

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hey johnnies... sent you a PM