If you and by you I mean everyone who is thinking about leaving a HS team. Leaving a team is one thing, but how you leave that team will follow you. Quit in the middle of the season, and everyone will hear about it, every kid's parent who is competing with your dd for a spot on a travel team will bring it up to the TB coaches (well you hear she is difficult, she quit her HS team mid season...). Do not go out with a blaze of glory and at tryouts tell the coach I am done with you and your simple ways... Do not quit at the team banquet...Do not quit at the last minute when the coach is already counting on her.
Your dd makes a phone call to the coach mid summer and says, due to the time requirement of softball I will not be able to play next season. I will be needing that time to pursue academics and other activities that will aid me in getting into college. Done, do not go into playing time, strategy, little suzy who can't catch the ball but plays... If this conversation goes more then a minute it was done wrong.
Why say anything? Playing HS ball is a 1 season commitment. You commit to play a season and you finish that season. That is the extent of the relationship. Next season on the first day of tryouts you either show up or you don't. At tryouts supposedly everyone starts with a clean slate, no preconceptions, no reserved spot to come back to so there is really nothing to talk about before then. No need to explain why or justify your decision. Just move on.