Desire to play college ball

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May 12, 2014
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My daughter (11 years old) says that she wants to play college softball. She really does love the game and would play everyday if I let her. But, here's the thing. My DD and I were out practicing pitching and hitting and another gal from one of the top teams in the state was waiting on the field to practice. She approached DD and complimented her and the dad said she should try out for their team. Well, last night she went to a private workout and she got an offer to play for this team. She is currently committed to a B level team for the spring. So, she will honor that. My concern is the number of games this A level team plays. 130+ games (or something like that). Right now her B team will play 60 at the most (or close to that).

I don't want DD to burn out. She loves pizza, but if she ate it everyday she'd eventually hate it. And I think she's too young to pick one sport. She's really good in basketball and she likes that sport too (but, loves softball). But, I want to support her dreams as well. And advice?
 
Last edited:
Jan 27, 2010
1,871
83
NJ
130 games is over 2.5 games every weekend day of the year. DD is in HS and plays on a "Gold" team playing approx 33 games this fall, 26 games in the HS spring season and approx 45 in the summer. So about 100 games. 130 seems like an awful lot of games for an 11 year old. When will she be a kid? As it is I have to help DD squeeze in some kind of social life between homework. I don't think we could play another season's worth of games.
 
May 12, 2014
833
28
Thanks InsidePitch....and that amount of games is depending on if they play in the tournaments that are wanting to play in. Could be 110 (for example)....But, still that seems like a lot. I want her to try other sports, clubs, etc. But, I don't want to harm her dream either (even if she does fall short). I also want her to just be able to hang with friends on the weekend every now and then.

I guess by the time she'd actually play with this team she would be close to 13. Maybe, that would make it better?
 
Dec 5, 2012
4,143
63
Mid West
I think the balance between too much and not enough is a personal decision. 130 games is a lot but its probably achieved by playing two or three tournaments a month with summer and fall league games added in there in week days too. I did that sched as an AC for a couple years.... I was smoked. I then decided to start my own program that was scaled back to about 75 games a year. Much better on the families!!!
 
Jan 27, 2010
1,871
83
NJ
I can't really speak for your child but mine wanted to play other sports at that age. Thinking back, second year 14s was probably the worst year in terms of number of games. 8 fall tourneys and 15 spring/summer tourneys. We were definitely above the 150 game realm. I was ready to quit after that year. So it's not really as much as I initially thought when you mentioned the age group.
 
Jun 27, 2011
5,089
0
North Carolina
I guess to each his own, but if my DD was 11, I would not want her playing on a travel team that scheduled 130 games.

To begin with, I think most 12U travel teams play too many games and don't spend enough time learning the proper way to hit and throw. Not only do kids need variety in their lives in general, they need variety in how they train. IMO, 130 games is way past the point of diminishing returns.
 
Dec 7, 2011
2,368
38
And I think she's too young to pick one sport.

Argh! - I hate this comment - no offense,....just my opinion here.

To do one sport or fifty - it's just a decision.

I view it this way through a story => One sister once said "I am not going to lock into one guy,...I haven't played enough of the field yet". Now she's over 50, single, and has moments where she wonders what could have been,... maybe, if she locked into a guy with potential. The other sister married at 18 her high school love. Even though she still has a strong marriage and family she still wonders at times if she "settled". Who's right/wrong better/worse..? No clear answer.

Ya just gotta make a decision. Ya got to deal with what you know at the time ya know it. If yer DD has a pitching college scholarship dream ya better get pretty focused on one sport (SB) soon.
 
Aug 23, 2010
582
18
Florida
The A level team is guessing the number of games. What you need to look at is number of tournaments. If it is a top level 12U team, they SHOULD play 6-8 tournaments in the fall (Sept-Nov). They probably take a few weeks off during the holiday. They will play another 6-8 tournaments during the spring if you are in a warm weather climate. Then summer could be as many as 8 or 9 additional tournaments. If they do well, you should play at least 5-6 games a weekend. That is a possible 25 weekends of games over the course of a year. Basically every other weekend. If it is in a cold weather area, the top teams will play a few indoor tournaments and add some midweek games in spring and summer. It isn't for everyone. It takes a huge commitment from the entire family. Your DD will absolutely become a better player. You do run a burn out risk. My DD played that many games from age 11-14. Once she reached HS, it backed off a bit. HS is a much needed break from all the travel and expense. I was glad we did it.
 
Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
She loves softball and she wants to play in college. Sounds like a great opportunity to be taken up on or you guys can look back in a few years and think woulda coulda shoulda.
 

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