Pass on 2nd year 12U eligibility to play 14U? which team?

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JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
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safe in an undisclosed location
I am facing a bit of a conundrum. My older daughter is a 2002 pitcher, she started playing travel last year and took her lumps as a first year. We had a bit of drama just before the end of the season with her coach being fired by the org and half the team leaving, she was in the half that left in support of the coach.

So with the travel and the time and drama, I got pretty soured on TB for a while. She was invited to play up to 14s with a local team of 2001 all stars in a fall ball league and the plan was to then take them to 14U TB at the end of the season. I didn't commit to the spring because I wasn't sure about giving up that second year of 12s and going right back into lump taking mode as 2002 playing up. Right after we made that commitment, her old coach from last winter called us up and asked her to join his org with another pitcher to try to get a 2002 squad going and in the meantime play up with his 14U squad. So I talked to both coaches and they both agreed there was no problem with her playing on both in the fall since one had games on Saturdays and one on Sundays.

The season has gone well and is nearing the end now, she has solidified herself as a top two hitter on the local team and she shares the #2 pitching duties with another pitcher. The coaches are good, but the team is mediocre and they are carrying a few girls that are not quite ready for TB. They are going to have a tough season of growth ahead of them once they come out of this fall league and go out into the wilderness.

The other team meanwhile is winning the vast majority of their games and beating good teams that are filled with 2000 and some 1999 players. They are a really good squad. DD is pitching in a #2/#3 role and bats low in the order and gets a few innings here and there at 1st. Mostly riding the bench when not pitching.

I just found out that decision time has come, I have to get back to the local coach and let them know if DD will be continuing with them by November so they can plan tryouts in Dec. to fill any holes made by players that are not going to continue.

I thought that the TB coaches initial offer was to have her join for the fall while we try to get the 2002s going, and if we didn't then come spring we would be on our own, but I talked to him yesterday to see what he thought the chances were of getting the team going and he said that he still thinks they are good during the Dec tryout season, but that even if they don't get a full squad, she and the other 2002 pitcher have proven that they can hang with the 14U squad and are invited to join that squad permanently.

Both are good options and have their benefits, but both have the same drawback, namely that DD will face another year of lump taking and not get to have a year of being more dominant as a second year 12U.

DD wants to continue with the good team at 14s, she doesn't like sitting so much but she thinks there are a 3-4 girls she can beat out for more time and moving up the order when not pitching. She like the coaches on the other team but there is a little click of 5 girls on that team that she feels excludes her and the other players. On the good team she says there are no clicks, all the girls are just there to win and they all joke around in the dugout.


I tried to boil this down to three basic options since I am a simpleton... assuming the 2002 squad does not materialize

1) Find another 2002 squad to let her be a #1 pitcher-gets to build confidence-unknown drama situation
2) Stay with local 14U squad-Lots of playing time- the team will get hammered pretty good and is clicky
3) Stay with the good team 14U-Not a lot of PT outside of the circle-team will be competing well and she will be surrounded by college bound players.

Looking for some advice from those a little further down the road who may have faced a similar choice.
 
Jul 23, 2014
195
16
I haven't faced that situation so I cannot speak from experience but I would lean toward #3. That seems to be the situation that would challenge her the most which is what I think is key to getting better.

My DD's first year of 10u she wasn't hitting very well and sat the bench a lot during the local WS. She was frustrated and my wife was angry. I used that as an opportunity to tell them both that this is part of competitive travel ball. If DD wanted to play more she had to go out and earn it. I guess the point of that story was that challenging my DD to work hard to stop sitting the bench worked out well for her, she responded like I hoped she would.
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
My DD did it last year (not a pitcher). It will make her a better player. The question you need to determine is whether or not she is mentally ready to play with the older kids. The difference between 12 and 14 is huge in terms of social development.
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
I haven't faced that situation so I cannot speak from experience but I would lean toward #3. That seems to be the situation that would challenge her the most which is what I think is key to getting better.

My DD's first year of 10u she wasn't hitting very well and sat the bench a lot during the local WS. She was frustrated and my wife was angry. I used that as an opportunity to tell them both that this is part of competitive travel ball. If DD wanted to play more she had to go out and earn it. I guess the point of that story was that challenging my DD to work hard to stop sitting the bench worked out well for her, she responded like I hoped she would.

I generally agree with you PC, the reason I hesitate in this situation is that it seems like she has been in the sink or swim mode for a long time now in progressively more competitive situations and it might be nice to just play against girls her age or a year younger. She went from 10U C rec all stars in the summer of 2013 to 14U A TB in the fall of 2014. Went from 35 feet to 43 feet, went from "was a little froggy sitting on a log" to girls complaining about menstrual cramps in the dugout.....
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
I think you (or more precisely your DD) need to decide between 1 & 3.

#2 sounds toxic - nasty clicks and sucky team? What's not to love?
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Getting quality innings where she can develop is paramount. If that means staying in 12U and not facing good hitters, then it is up to you to raise the bar on her performance regardless of the quality of the opposition. Had to do that more than once with my DD.
 

JJsqueeze

Dad, Husband....legend
Jul 5, 2013
5,436
38
safe in an undisclosed location
I think you (or more precisely your DD) need to decide between 1 & 3.

#2 sounds toxic - nasty clicks and sucky team? What's not to love?

funny and succinct, but In all fairness, the girls are not being nasty, just a little clicky in that they stand in a circle and chat and don't engage the other girls a whole lot. I can't say that they suck either, I just think they will have to take their lumps as they transition.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
funny and succinct, but In all fairness, the girls are not being nasty, just a little clicky in that they stand in a circle and chat and don't engage the other girls a whole lot. I can't say that they suck either, I just think they will have to take their lumps as they transition.

OK maybe I overstated but if she's going to play up it better be on a team of players she really, really likes or on a team that at least gets along and will improve her level of play.

If it was me I'd probably opt for #1 assuming you can find a better situation than the one that soured you on travel ball in the first place.
 

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