rambling ? about college, recruitment process

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a few questions ---If you read any on the eteamz message which is dominated by the left coast you would be lead to believe playing HS ball is like taking a vacation . They say they only way to get seen as a recruit is the ASA / NSA route ---does that hold true in Ohio and the mid-west ? I'd think not but my kid is 12 , I don't know anything about the process. So if you have had a girl go thru this college dating game whats it like ?
Also I had a nephew play a semester at Rio Grande, baseball. The practice/workout schedule was insane ! 5;30- 6AM swimming, hours of weightlifting, plus field time. Question --is the schedule similiar for girls SB ? Man I love fastpitch and my girl does also but I'd like to know what I might be preparing her for . It seemed like my nephew was locked in to 30-40 hours a week mandatory for BB. not counting class time, or a part time job for any add' cash. Not an easy road. my hats off to those who achieve it. MD

 

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If you play travel ball at the top levels, then most high school regular seasons are the vacation type you referenced. Most intense games don't start until the regionals. High school coaches will debate this, but go to a few area high school games and you will pick up on it quickly.

You get recruited through travel ball. And the higher the level (ASA) the more DI college coaches will be there. You are lucky to see any at any regular season high school games. Go to Compuware and see how many are there. In fact there are very few Ohio tournaments that will draw more than 10 or 12 scouts. Once you get to 16u and 18u, you have to have a team that wants to travel to the scouting tournaments. Rising Stars in Florida, Independence Day in Colorado, etc. $$$$$$$

The college workout schedule is intense. Pitchers and catchers have it worse than others. It is all year not just in season. and then in season travel along with the school work puts a real load on a kid. They have to really LOVE it, or they will drop. This is also the reason in recruiting, they normally are only looking for honor students along with athletes. If you are an average high school student with c's, they figure it's just a matter of time before you become ineligible or flunk out. They can't afford to spend the time and money on this type of player. There are too many players out there today. Some will debate this, but those are few and far between that get recruited and have a 'C' high school grade point average.

 

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I have coached HS and travel ball for 5 years, and this is my 2 cents worth.
Although travel ball is hands down better when it comes to competition, HS ball more resembles college softball. The HS athlete must practice and play everyday, and keep up with their studies, other commitments, social lives, etc.
I myself as a coach, am physically and mentally drained come the end of the HS season. When you have to play 23 games in only 27 days, the schedule is absolutely brutal on everyone.
This is one reason college coaches like the fact that kids play HS ball as well, it better prepares them for the college experience. College softball is even at a higher level of commitment, that is why so many only last a few years playing then give it up.

 

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My daughter?s a junior and she did have some college coaches at her high school game this year even though her high school team is no softball powerhouse. The three that we saw (two from D-II universities and one from a D-I university), though, had all first seen her playing for her summer team; and the only one who traveled a long way had already made an offer at an unofficial campus visit so I would describe the motivation for the long drive to be more for show than to scout (i.e. I?ll show you how much I want you to play for me by driving all the way down there to see you play a high school game). I also doubt whether the coach would have made the trip if the coach didn?t have another reason to make the long drive.

On the other hand, if your daughter wants to go to a college close to home and is looking to play D-III, ?NAIA, jr. college, I wouldn?t rule out her getting recruited based upon her high school play, especially if your daughter when she gets to high school makes a point of inviting the coach to come see her play.

Similarly, how big the time commitment is once your daughter gets to college can depend upon the level of the program. Will also vary a lot, though, depending upon the coach. Typically a D-I program will involve more travel and a bigger time commitment, but there are D-I programs that don?t take their softball as seriously as others; and D-II, D-III, etc. programs that take their softball very serious and in some instances require more travel and time commitment than the D-I program. You have to talk to the coach and players to get the real story.

It is also very true that any college coach, especially a DI coach, will be influenced by what level of softball the girl plays in the summer and what kind of grades they?re getting in h.s. They obviously prefer to get a 4 year player and if the girl is playing ?serious? ball in the summer (spending a lot of time and mom?s and dad?s money traveling all over the place) and getting good grades the rest of the year, the coach naturally feels better about that player?s chances of wanting (and being able) to play all four years in college. I also think this is why some ?pitchers? get recruited ahead of equally talented position players even if there is no expectation the "pitcher" will pitch much if any in college. If the girl has put enough time in to be a good high school/summer pitcher, she is generally (but not always) more prepared to handle the year-round demands of college softball than your typical summer/high school ballplayer.

 

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I definitely agree with the ASA and NSA tournaments. It is amazing how many more college coaches are at ASA tournaments then at some of the other sanctions we have been to. Sometimes it is difficult to travel out of state to some of the bigger exposure tournaments. I would recommend the Queen of Diamonds Showcase North for great college exposure at a reasonable price. This is especially true if your daughter wants to attend college in or close to Ohio.

Marketing is important too. However, at 12 years old, it is time to enjoy the game. Give it a couple of years to make sure she still loves the sport enough to make a larger commitment such as college ball.