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Great job. You nailed it.
Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Where does my pitcher fit in college?
Great job. You nailed it.
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I think the comments that intimate all future D1 pitchers will be identified by the start of their junior year is clearly erroneous. While I grant you that some of the larger programs may have offered pitchers as freshmen or sophomores, some larger programs still continue to shop into the junior year and even the start of the senior year for pitchers. For the mid-major and small D1s they often are still looking at pitchers in the fall of the senior year. The trick is knowing who is looking and whether you fit there academically and athletically. Being in a visible travel program makes a big difference.
You have to remember that injuries and transfers to the current college roster often leave D1 programs scrambling for pitchers right up to the last minute. There is no more important position than the pitcher. Pitchers definitely have the longest shelf life of any position player in the recruiting game.
One of the unfortunate things in D1 recruiting these days is that so many kids who are not recruited yet as juniors feel like they have missed out and they give up. It simply is not true. What is true is that often the later offers are not as generous as the early offers. That makes sense because most kids will not commit early to a low offer. Oddly, the late offers can sometimes even be better than the early ones because money had been freed up at the last minute by a player leaving or injury.
More specific to the original question, I believe to get looks as a potential D1 pitching recruit you need to be throwing at least 60 mph. Very few exceptions to that rule. To get looks from the bigger programs you probably need to be 63-64 mph plus with very good command or 65 mph plus with the hope that you may get command some day. If you can throw 60-61 mph and actually pitch (meaning command your pitches) you can get recruited by a mid-major D1 program. And it can happen as late as your senior year so don't give up if that is your goal.
You have to remember that injuries and transfers to the current college roster often leave D1 programs scrambling for pitchers right up to the last minute. There is no more important position than the pitcher. Pitchers definitely have the longest shelf life of any position player in the recruiting game.
One of the unfortunate things in D1 recruiting these days is that so many kids who are not recruited yet as juniors feel like they have missed out and they give up. It simply is not true. What is true is that often the later offers are not as generous as the early offers. That makes sense because most kids will not commit early to a low offer. Oddly, the late offers can sometimes even be better than the early ones because money had been freed up at the last minute by a player leaving or injury.
More specific to the original question, I believe to get looks as a potential D1 pitching recruit you need to be throwing at least 60 mph. Very few exceptions to that rule. To get looks from the bigger programs you probably need to be 63-64 mph plus with very good command or 65 mph plus with the hope that you may get command some day. If you can throw 60-61 mph and actually pitch (meaning command your pitches) you can get recruited by a mid-major D1 program. And it can happen as late as your senior year so don't give up if that is your goal.
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gtq33 ... would love to hear recent examples of girls who actually pitched in D1 who weren't identified till their senior year.
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Agree they are very very few. I would say the vast majority are not even looking at 2012 and 2013 girls most are wanting the 2015 girls at this point. And watching the 2016 girls. It is very cut throat and will be done recruiting pitchers by there Sophnore year.
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If you are talking about the Pac 10, Big 12 or SEC, yes maybe they are looking more at 2015s. However, almost all other D1s are still looking at 2014s. I guarantee there are still D1s looking at 2013s and even some are still trying to find a 2012. I am new to this board so I haven't used the Private Message function yet. However, if you want to PM me, I can give specific examples over the last two years that I have personal experience with where pitchers did not receive their first D1 offers until their senior year. In the interest of player privacy I don't care to discuss specific examples on a public forum. My main point is that some of the postings on this topic paint an unnecessarily bleak picture for pitching prospects who have not been offered prior to their junior year. Again, the challenge for the talented player who is late in the process is trying to find a match. They are out there, but getting the inside track on them is the hard part.
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Just my 2 cents. WWolff probably has the same info. At the Queen of Diamonds , it was said that if you have not verballed by your sophmore year your chances are slim of playing D1 and some of the D2's. The D1 Coachs there were watching mainly 2015 and some 2014's. Even a D2 coach was watching an indoor game last weekend of a 2014 infielder. Parents need to keep in mind few of these kids are going to play D1, and few will want to after they find out the demands of 80 plus games and two a days starting at 5am each day. I suggest you have your dd talk to a D1 player. A young lady told us at OSU that most of her team are going 5 years, because of the demands of softball. Playing softball is not as important as an education. One of the best catchers I have ever coached was a standout catcher for the lasers and her mom kept pushing her. 4.0 student and the last time she played softball was her senior year, because they pushed her and burned her out. 4 years after OSU, she is making a 6 figure income.
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gtq33 ... no problem on not mentioning specific names ... you definitely sound like you have an example or two, and I'm sure you're right that opportunities can come up due to injuries, transfers, etc. That's a good thing, and hopeful I guess for some but I think one point that should not be lost is that if you have a DD who you think has that potential, that you need to "market" them (i.e., get on high exposure teams, go to college camps, etc.) when they're 13-15, and not wait until they're 16-18.
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Key word above is market them. College coaches just don't show up. I know one friend of my dd's that is a sophmore and she is on her 4'th major D1 visit. Two Big Tens and two SEC's and she is not a pitcher or catcher. You must send many letters to college coaches marketing yourself . They just don't show up because you are a good softball player. Plus many won't even look at you unless your GPA is above a 3.5.
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I definitely agree the beginning marketing age is now 13-15 instead of 16-18. The cornerstone to a D1 marketing plan is athleticism and sport specific skill. The next important piece is playing places where you will be seen by a broad cross section of D1 programs on a fairly regular basis. The schools that are next door may not be recruiting your position, but the schools two states down might be. That is why a national schedule is helpful. After that all kinds of things in varying combinations lead to a good conclusion like attending camps, unofficial visits, good grades (of course), etc.
I have been doing this awhile and I have to say the trend towards early recruiting concerns me quite a bit for a whole lot of reasons. But that is another topic. What depresses me the most is when I read posters telling people that basically recruiting at the D1 level is over if something has not happened prior to the beginning of your junior year. Besides being very inaccurate, it scares a lot of parents and kids into giving up way too early.
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Yep...when all is said and done, our daughters will be finished with softball at 22 or 23. That is my mantra in trying to keep it all in perspective.
My daughter committed in December of her junior year to a D1 program. That was approximately one year ago. Her coaches told us during her offical visit in November that just wouldn't happen now. Girls are committing as Freshman. They had their 2015 class completed.
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First I want to echo some great insight I have read on this thread. Yes, it is true that most D1 programs have their rosters set early in advance but a lot of things happen in a 2 - 3 year span. You can't always guarantee what is said today will still hold true far into the future. The elite programs have the ability and MUST settle up with their recruits early or they stand to lose out on talent. A solid/advanced travel ball player in the ASA/Gold/PGF circuit will usually commit to a D1 school no later than the beginning/middle of her junior year. Schools do pressure girls into early commitments. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I would imagine those D1 programs being mentioned here that are still signing seniors are probably filling a gap due to a de-commit and current roster fallout.
I am by no means saying a senior stands no chance of being recruited by a
D1 school. Check out ohiosoftballrecruitingnews if you want to see whose signing or has verballed. Most of them are at least giving a verbal by their junior year but there are still those that commit late and still have a few choices available. The trend is certainly moving to earlier freshman and sophmores though. Two of Ohio's elite sophmores have already committed to PAC12 schools and there are more on the way.
My daugher never did receive a D1 offer but she did receive several D2. I think we knew early on that she probably wasn't going to get that look because of her size and position but you just have to set the correct expectations. If you only set your sights on one level and you don't have a backup plan then before you know it you're entering your senior year and you have nothing.
The single most important thing I learned on the recruiting path is how much time it takes to get your kid seen. Most of the girls playing travel ball will never catch the eye of a coach on its own. You must give them a reason to come watch your kid play. We spent countless hours sending emails to coaches. These ranged from weekly updates to youtube videos and the hey, we're just checking in. A lot of communication can also be done at the camps as well.
I would say the single most reason kids never play college ball is there just wasn't enough time spent on getting the word out. You cannot be lazy and expect a coach is going to search you out. I'm not saying it never happens but I'd say the % is very low.
Also, make sure your kid is on an appropriate travel team. If your team isn't playing in front of the right audience then you'll have issues getting noticed. You have to get to the elite level and play @ ASA Nationals and the high profile showcases (Sparkler, Sparks, Stingrays, Pennsbury etc.). If your team isn't participating in these events then you'll need to do even more work on your own.
I am by no means saying a senior stands no chance of being recruited by a
D1 school. Check out ohiosoftballrecruitingnews if you want to see whose signing or has verballed. Most of them are at least giving a verbal by their junior year but there are still those that commit late and still have a few choices available. The trend is certainly moving to earlier freshman and sophmores though. Two of Ohio's elite sophmores have already committed to PAC12 schools and there are more on the way.
My daugher never did receive a D1 offer but she did receive several D2. I think we knew early on that she probably wasn't going to get that look because of her size and position but you just have to set the correct expectations. If you only set your sights on one level and you don't have a backup plan then before you know it you're entering your senior year and you have nothing.
The single most important thing I learned on the recruiting path is how much time it takes to get your kid seen. Most of the girls playing travel ball will never catch the eye of a coach on its own. You must give them a reason to come watch your kid play. We spent countless hours sending emails to coaches. These ranged from weekly updates to youtube videos and the hey, we're just checking in. A lot of communication can also be done at the camps as well.
I would say the single most reason kids never play college ball is there just wasn't enough time spent on getting the word out. You cannot be lazy and expect a coach is going to search you out. I'm not saying it never happens but I'd say the % is very low.
Also, make sure your kid is on an appropriate travel team. If your team isn't playing in front of the right audience then you'll have issues getting noticed. You have to get to the elite level and play @ ASA Nationals and the high profile showcases (Sparkler, Sparks, Stingrays, Pennsbury etc.). If your team isn't participating in these events then you'll need to do even more work on your own.
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I agree a very good post
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Not all schools are alike (including D1). Just Wednesday night I was on the phone with a D1 coach for about an hour talking about scheduling. I asked because I do have players that are thinking all softball and no education (or little time for D1). For instance Oct through December they have 8 hours a week for Softball; 6 hours strength and conditioning and 2 for softball. I believe....starting in Janruary 16th'ish is the first day of practice and goes in to May, that is 20 hours per week. They have 133 Days per year for softball games and practices. Week of and week before finals no softball at all. Some schools have Prioty Scheduling; meaning as a freshman you get bumped up and first choice of classes along with rest of team. If I remeber correctly D3 has 16 hours of softball per week in Fall. For instance their schedule sort of goes 8 to 12:30 school and 1:00 to 4:00 practice?? They have on the road study groups, tutors and so on. In some cases aren't players are doing this now in travel ball? Hitting lessons, pitching lessons, cardio and lifting and team practice, now this week and last throw finals at school into it. My dd goes 6 to 7 days a week and get A's and B's. It shows them organization for sure. So I wouldn't rule out D1 if you are interested in one, find out what kind of schedule they have. Like I read other parents day education is first and I totally agree. My DD wrote to colleges that would acedemically suit her needs, didn't matter if it was D1 or D3 and as a parent it didn't matter either. A paid for education, I will take that anyday. Another thing I would like to add is that the longer you wait Jurnior and senior, the colleges are securing their money on verbals. In other words the longer you wait the less money you MAY get. I capitalize MAY because each case is different, I am not saying I am MR Guru softball some of it is based on talking to coaches or through what my DD is doing (first hand). I'm not only talking about pitchers this is just in general.
