UT Christmas Camp- Any opinions out there?

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Took DD to UT's camp a few weeks ago..Didn't get out of it what we thought we would. We knew that UT had already verballed some 2016/2017 players, but went because there were other D1 and D2 colleges represented there..

DD has been to some very good camps (University of Dayton, Wright State, Cedarville, Kent State, Wittenberg), but our expectations were higher than what we rec'd for the $225 it took to participate. Too many girls at varying levels, instructional DVD's pushed way too much, some coaches totally skipped having the girls stretching prior to going into some aggressive drills... etc. etc.

Pitching speed seemed to be more important than movement or placement of the ball..top speed I saw was 65 and the girl hit it one time.. you would have thought we had a Jackie Trainer in the house. LOL

Any opinions for those of you who went? Not that I don't think they have a good program, but geesh... our local colleges do a much better job. I guess it's all about the $$$

 

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Going to a B1G or SEC camp (without a personal invitation) can be a total **** shoot. most are cattle calls and yes, you are correct that pitching SPEED grabs attention of the coaches - what most parents (and some coaches) don't realize is that big schools want BOTH SPEED & Location/change of speed/ Movement.

So when they are assessing 75+ pitchers at a CAMP, they FIRST look at who throws 60+ .AT this point, they can eliminate about 98% of the pitchers in attendance (60+ is MORE RARE THAN YOU THINK) then they look at the movement/change of speed.

Now, if a coach sees a girl throwing in a game who is getting k's and groundouts/flyouts against a A team and the girl is a freshman throwing 58- SHE WILL GET LOOKS too. The problem is when you go to a camp cold, they look at speed first.

 

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We haven't been to UT or OSU. Wanted to go to OSU but missed out on getting one of the 12 pitching slots so we didn't go. We have been to local small to mid size college's camps and found some seem to be money makers only and some have been really good. The bigger the camp more they seem to be all about the money and the staff acts like it is a job they hate.

 

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Thanks Vikingsix-

I understand the speed thing..my sophomore DD was hitting 61, but had the one in her group that hit 65.. - but I know as a pitching parent for several years, that it's more than speed, but speed does tend to get the attention first..

It is what it is... we don't feel scorned...just disappointed! Lessons learned, huh?

 

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top speed I saw was 65 and the girl hit it one time.. you would have thought we had a Jackie Trainer in the house. LOL

And that is because it is MORE RARE than you think! the speed listed during the college world series games is inflated! Look at the NFCA camp results (throughout the Country) and you will see that only 3-4 girls out of 100 actually HIT 60 at one of their events (and this is just winging the ball not in a game). If you own a pocket radar, next time you are at a tournament or showcase stand behind home plate and radar the pitcher- you will find that the girls you think are "throwing 60" are probably throwing 56. Last fall at O'Fallon I did this (this is a top level showcase with top level talent). Grant it, it was EXTREMELY cold that weekend but most pitchers there were 57-59. Only one girl did I get at 63. A few threw 60 here and there.

 

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Thanks Vikingsix-

I understand the speed thing..my sophomore DD was hitting 61, but had the one in her group that hit 65.. - but I know as a pitching parent for several years, that it's more than speed, but speed does tend to get the attention first..

It is what it is... we don't feel scorned...just disappointed! Lessons learned, huh?

Was she clocked at 61 there? If yes, she should get e-mails from the other schools in attendance unless their gun was "off". I know a kid last year that in the matter of 1 month, attended Tenn, Kentucky and OSU camp. Tenn had her at 68, Kentucky had her at 60 and OSU had her at 62. Not saying your kid didn't hit 61 but its all relative...in fact, Kentucky coaches told the girl their gun was usually 5 mph on the slow side.

 

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We had a couple 7th and 8th graders at the camp and the girls loved it and will go back. Nice part was they bring in a bunch of other schools to help out.

I agree with vikingsix very hard to stick out in the crowd, but it can be done I received a call from Ralph Weekly about one of our 14U players that was at there camp. Talk about making her Christmas
So it can be done but not easy. You must do all the right things to get noticed.

 

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Vikingsix & Wwolff-

Yes, she was clocked at 61..I was in the stands ...same clock was used for all girls. I believe we are doing the right things...know that marketing the players also has to happen (emails, players profiles, etc.), playing at good tournaments, going to showcases like Kent State..she is doing all of that. Just my comment on the UT camp in general...for us it was disappointing.

Wwolff- that is great that you had some players contacted...I am sure that made their Christmas!

 

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TN camp opinion- great indoor football facility the players get to workout in. Kids are assigned College coaches to run players through drills and instruct, which is great.
Pretty tough to get noticed at this camp because of the large quantity of athletes attending- daughter loved the campus and working with College coaches on the TN F.B. Field and really enjoyed the experience.

 

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my thoughts on UT :::: Alabama Fan Hates Tennessee - Hilarious, funny interview - YouTube

 

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My 12U Outlaw Black attended the camp. As Warren said, she really enjoyed it. We were in the Sports Center the whole first day and all the stations there were great! Base running, agility, outfield, infield, hustle ball were a few of the sessions on day one....DD learned some things and had alot of fun....It seemed like they had plenty of time to accomplish things and we didn't feel rushed. But day two was our hitting day and that seem a bit rushed. Loved the throwing part of that day, and LOVED the bunting part. Bunting coach was a former player for UT and she did a great job talking to the girls and working with some of them one on one....I think we learned as much as our DD... Can't wait to execute this spring! The rest was too rushed and the girls didn't get enough reps (in some cases only 1 or 2 swings!). Maybe they should do less and give the girls more time with say, 5-10 stations/drills through the day, instead of 20-30. Seemed every time they switched to a new part they were practically taught a new style as well. Maybe they should try to keep everyone on the "same page". The other thing I wished they did was tell us where each coach at a station was from. I would have liked to know who my DD was working with on a few things because she seemed to click. She would like to contact those coaches, but I am not sure who they are.... Overall, it was a nice weekend. DD was tired and sore after 12 hours of ball but, she did it all with a huge smile on her face! She was proud to represent the Outlaws and show her stuff to some college coaches! UT is a great campus and a top notch program. We have been there several times for a school program called Destination Imagination and DD has fallen in love with it. I am an Auburn Alum, so you can't sell me any Tennessee Orange, but if DD had the opportunity to attend UT, I would be willing to learn the words to Rocky Top! War Eagle!