Pitching and Pitchers Discussion what makes a college pitcher and at what level

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I have been following the pitching speeds thread and have some curiosity questions.

In general, what makes a DI, DII, and DIII pitcher- and what would you say is the difference among each level? I realize that there are high and low ends at each level, but I am just curious to see what you all think. With all things being equal in terms of academics, finances, and other non-softball issues, how would know what level to advise a pitcher to pursue?

Thanks!

 

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My daughter is a college pitcher, and I would have never encouraged her to pursue a certain level. It was all about the school--she is one of the blessed ones who has been given the opportunity to play softball at a school she fell in love with and that has her major.

 

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If the player is doing what she needs to do as a freshman and in her sophomore year she should have a pretty good idea where she is going to fall DI, DII, DII, or other by, the time she is ready to make the decision on the school she would like to attend.
Hopefully, she has attended the camps of schools she has an interest in and those schools area aware of her and she has had some type of contact.

Just throwing the ball hard doesn't mean the player is D1 or DII or any other division. They must be able to get batters out and not be an academic (risk) etc. Knowing how to hit and play other positions etc is also a plus ..

Just My 2 cents:cap:

 

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Thanks so far. I am a high school coach and I have a pitcher who has done very well (in WV) as a freshman and sophomore. I am not trying to push for any particular level; I just want to be able to give her realistic expectations, let her know what is needed for the various levels, and give her goals to shoot for.

I too have been fortunate in that both my daughter and son were able to play in college as position players, and I fell like I can guide players this way some, but I really want to know more for pitchers.

Thanks again!

 

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If the player is doing what she needs to do as a freshman and in her sophomore year she should have a pretty good idea where she is going to fall DI, DII, DII, or other by, the time she is ready to make the decision on the school she would like to attend.
Hopefully, she has attended the camps of schools she has an interest in and those schools area aware of her and she has had some type of contact.

Just throwing the ball hard doesn't mean the player is D1 or DII or any other division. They must be able to get batters out and not be an academic (risk) etc. Knowing how to hit and play other positions etc is also a plus ..

Just My 2 cents:cap:

This is true, it helps to throw hard but movement really comes into play along with changing speeds when everyone on the opposing team can square up a fastball.

 

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At D1 - great stuff - speed, change of speed, movement and location

At D2 and D3 - movement, change of speeds and location

At any level ... a burning desire to work hard and put in more time than anyone else, the ability to forget the last bad pitch or team error, and the ability to balance softball and studies

 

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Being in college

And to help pay for college you could win some money at a fundraiser for our girls HS softball . 100.00 cost --60% payout. To be held Aug 21st in portsmouth Oh. at the local CAY building. PM me if interested will be lots of food and cheap beer prices. cash tables , cash buy in etc etc MD

 

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"At D1 - great stuff - speed, change of speed, movement and location

At D2 and D3 - movement, change of speeds and location

At any level ... a burning desire to work hard and put in more time than anyone else, the ability to forget the last bad pitch or team error, and the ability to balance softball and studies"

Absolutely true! However, I have known some very good pitchers that passed on the D1 to attend a D2 and D3 that have their major and who they just "fell in love" with the school.

I think speed and spins will get you anywhere. Poise on the mound and athleticism. Colleges are looking at "potential" and are expecting the player to continue to develop and work. A pitcher never "arrives" and never truly gets to rest. Movement is a must....speed brings the "wow".

 

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At the NFCA camps they now measure rev's. It is just as important or more important that speed. I think I was told you need to be over 20. They should be posted on the NFCA web pages and if you look at a site like Paramount they rate pitchers and break them down by D1, D2, d3, based on different areas.

 

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SBFamily,

How do you measure how many rev's?

 

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I have been following the pitching speeds thread and have some curiosity questions.

In general, what makes a DI, DII, and DIII pitcher- and what would you say is the difference among each level? I realize that there are high and low ends at each level, but I am just curious to see what you all think. With all things being equal in terms of academics, finances, and other non-softball issues, how would know what level to advise a pitcher to pursue?

Thanks!

Here's my opinion. Do not advise any player on what level they should pursue. Their main focus should be on being the best that they can possibly be if they want to continue playing at the next level, and let the chips fall where they may.

A few years ago there was a young lady from Ryle, KY by the name of Kirsten Allen. She was a phenom for this area, posting ridiculous numbers throughout her HS career. She ended up at D1 Oklahoma, a major accomplishment for someone from this area.

Kirsten was the #3 pitcher for Oklahoma her freshman year. In her sophmore year, 2 freshman pitchers from California came in and became the new #'s 1 and 2. I think Kirsten might have appeared in roughly 20 ro 25% of all games for her career so far, mainly as a reliever, and she seems to be stuck in the #3 or #4 pitcher spot for Oklahoma again this coming year.

Whether she is content with her situation is unknown to me, but if was me I would want to be on the field as much as possible. I would want to go to a school where I could make an immediate impact. If I had a choice between a D1 school where I could get lost in the mix and ride the pine, or a competitive D2 team where I could get a shot at starting, I take the D2 offer every time. Heck, many D2 teams are just as good or even better than the smaller D1 schools. For me it's about playing, not the division of the school, considering all other things being equal.


Len

 

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Most use the rev fire gun and ball. D1s are usually in the 25 range. The rev fire give's a break down of high school spins, college, etc. More spin gives better break on the ball. What you are trying to do is match spin with speed to maximize break. In an interview, Cat Osterman said that if she tries to throw too hard she has less movement, so she has to match her spin with her speed for her best movement. I can't rememeber her speed, but it's not as high as some of the other well known pitchers.

google rev fire and that will give you an idea. I believe Randy Mozjenko (sp?) has one of these and uses it in his pitching lessons.

 

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For me it was getting her education paid for. Ballboy for D1 or NAIA or whatever, if theyre paying for you to get a education to help succeed in life, thats the main objective.

 

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AMEN to Hitter23's comment..

 

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SBFamily,

How do you measure how many rev's?

Using the RevFire device: http://www.revfire.com/

They're kind of expensive for individuals, but you should be able to find one at a college camp or training facilities. Ask around.

 

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WSU, down in Chris area, uses one. Two years ago they rated every pitcher on speed and spin on each pitch. Talked to coach B how important spin was in a D1 program. You throw a flat fastball at 66 in D1 you are going to get hammered. Even the pitcher from Japan got beat throwing 70 MPH against Team USA, because our pitchers were making the ball move.

 

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For me it was getting her education paid for. Ballboy for D1 or NAIA or whatever, if theyre paying for you to get a education to help succeed in life, thats the main objective.

Agreed, but the original post pertained to all things being equal in terms of academics, finances, and other non-softball issues.

Len

 

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DD college pitcher, #1, D2 , can't stress enough how much more important the fit with school and academics it over What Division of school it is.....She has the best of all worlds, great academics, loves school, coach and team....she had a chance to play D1 and passed....her team has beaten a MAC school...but her goal is to be the best doctor she can be and her school is hopefully going to make that possible at the time she can also pursue her passion for softball...encourage you potential college pitcher to go to all the camps she can @ all levels and find the best fit for her....DD was All Ohio pitcher and has very good ball movement and location....throws about 62-64 mph...but guess what it is her change up that sits the batters down,lol...

 

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She should look at and talk to coaches at all divisions. She will quickly get a feel for where she will excel and be successful at by the responses she gets from the coaches. For the most part they're not going to waste their time or yours. If you're not good enough to play d1 you'll know it. However if you are good enough and coaches at that level seem interested, that's great! She should then evaluate the time commitments involved and the payouts (scholarships, chance to play against the next cat osterman, or having the college experience instead of living and breathing softball...in other words, free time...) the more important part of the college search is the school, not the division.. But playing ultra competitive softball is a cool experience for those who are good enough and who want that. My advice is to aim high and talk to a broad range of schools. Find schools you like/have your program first, then get to the softball part. Then after talking to coaches, be honest with yourself as to where you belong. Starter at d3 is so much better than bench warmer/pitching machine at d1. But if she can be a starter at d1 that's great too. She'll get a feel for it as she talks to more coaches and gauges their level of interest. I'm sure there are about a hundred schools out there that will be a great fit, it's just a matter of finding the one that will save $ and let you be as involved in academics and softball and other clubs/activities as you want to be....for me, it took less than a month or 2 to rule out d1 and decide I wasn't good enough and I didn't want that level of commitment to softball. Also, with scholarships...go for as much of the $ being academic as possible. Broken arm/bad season/freshman or transfer who is better than you=lost scholarship. You have to screw up pretty bad to lose an academic scholarship. Plus, it keeps you focused on what you're really there for, no matter what level, your education.
Good luck!

 

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I think a tough thing for girls is that when they are making their college decision, they don't know if they will be a bench sitter or a starter. I agree it's far better to move down a level and get to play, but how would one know whether she will start or sit at D1 until she gets there?

I think I would gauge how much interest there is at a particular level. If only one D1 is showing an interest and that offer is small, that's a good sign you will likely be sitting. Same goes for D2 or any level. If several D1s are interested and the offers are good, then that's where one belongs.

What I don't quite understand are the families that place money above everything and simply are going to go the school where they can get a degree for the least possible amount of money. There are so many things that make that a bad idea it would take too long to list them here.