can someone from New England play D1 softball?

I live in New England and play tournament and high school varsity softball (as a freshman). My dream is to play on a D1 team like Florida, UCLA, etc. Getting to play in the college world series would mean everything to me. I don't want to sound cocky at all but I'm a pretty good player, good bat, good fielding, able to play anywhere in the field, good catcher. So, in New England I stack up pretty well, but I'm curious as to how well I would stack up against girls from Florida and California.

I'm a good student and all so I could get into the school, but I wonder if I could play on their softball team. Stanford is my dream college. Is it unrealistic to think a New Englander could play on one of those Florida/Alabama-like teams?

Thanks!

Lauren Fico at LSU would say you're asking a silly question! It's still a lofty goal for anyone, but you won't know unless you keep trying and dreaming big, same as the all the other girls out there regardless of where they're from. Just remember that they too put their pants on one leg at a time (unless they're on one of the few teams still wearing shorts). Good luck!

Very realistic question softballninja. So I'll be very honest with you:

1. All colleges are primarily looking for athletes. Athletes have control of their body and learn fast. If you are an athlete you have a chance. If you trip over your feet chewing gum while walking, and coaches repeat things 100 times before you get them, you likely don't have a chance at those schools.

2. The fact that you understand academics is a big part of the process is certainly a plus. The one thing those coaches are afraid of, as many schools have been burned by it, is investing a lot of time trying to recruit players only to find out that they don't qualify academically. Be sure to find the NCAA Clearing House, get registered and let coaches know up front they are not going to have to worry about you because you are already qualified, have great grades and will maintain them in college as well.

3. Be sure to think through how you will get seen by schools like those. If you write to them and say "I play this weekend at The Big Green Field in NJ hope you can come and watch me." The odds aren't strong that they are going to drive up and see you so don't set yourself up for failure like that. However, any major school conducts summer camps for potential recruits at their school and you can put yourself right in front of them. If you show up and kick butt all week long then you've got a reasonable shot.

4. If you are on, or get on a high level travel team that will be playing in huge exposure tournaments in the southeast where these schools will be, you then add to your chances.

5. The key to any chance is putting a profile together, producing a skills video and emailing/calling the coaches to let them know you are interested. [If you are really interested in more information be sure to check out the College Prep link on my website. Lot's of information to help you get started and work the process including a 1 1/2 hour webinar that you can watch/listen to: College Recruiting Help | Cross Training Softball

Best of luck,

Make sure you attend the camps and clinics for the colleges you are looking at. Stanford is a very hard school to get in to, especially for out of state students. Make sure you become familiar with what it takes to get into Stanford academically and work towards that goal (you'll need 6 extra-curricular activities besides softball, great GPA (4.3 will do) and great SAT scores). It'll help to know some Alumni. Remember that Stanford is the closest thing California has to Ivy League, so many of the same rules apply. That said, I know softball players that have played for Cal Berkley. that were transfers from Jr. Colleges (one even went on to play for the US national team. You don't need a softball scholarship to play for these teams, so you may want to decide what your scholarship and financial needs are first and set your goals accordingly. It'll be easier to get athletic scholarships to SEC schools.

Everything Dalton said applies as well. Good luck!

-W

Definitely check out Druer's webinar, it's very informative. We're currently not in the recruiting process, but I have perspective from my dd's hitting coach... she was recurited by several schools, and turned down athletic money to Auburn to go to Harvard. She still played softball at Harvard, but to be honest, they're not going to the WCWS any time soon. Those 4 years of playing softball will last for just 4 years. That degree hanging on the wall, will last forever. Education should always be your first concern. She was from New Jersey if that's New England enough for ya.

You might try to contact Ali Gardner. Played for Florida recently (walk-off grand-slam to come from behind and beat Alabama) and she's from upstate NY. See if you can find her and ask her what she did to get seen.
Gator Bytes blog: University of Florida | The Palm Beach Post » Blog Archive » Gators softball reaches WCWS championship game with Ali Gardner’s walk-off grand slam

Just curious.....what do you wnat to study in college ? does it matter ? yes it does matter?

Athletes have no regional limitation-keep the grades up!

Here is another player from outside the states that plays for Oklahoma State Cowboys...Simone Freeman...from Australia.
May want to contact her and see how she did it. Good Luck!

Player Bio: Simone Freeman - OKLAHOMA STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Simone is also an Australian national team member. (saw her play at the Gillies shield, very good player!)