Thread: Stud in position or utility player

My DD is a 2nd yr 12u player on a select team. She is a pticher and lately has been in a zone where she is just mowing down the competition. She has played every position on the field this year and I mean every postion. She is athletic enough that even if she hasn't played that position in a long time she can hold her own.

My question is this: is it better to be very athletic and be able to play more than one or two postions or is it better to "specialize" in a position or two?

As one of her coaches and as dad I want to help her funnel her abilities so that she has the best chance to play where she wants to while getting the degree that she wants.

Mo, college coaches are looking for athletes period.
As the father of a DD that was recruited by a D1 program
after her soph year, I would tell you to have your daughter
be able to play several positions. The more versatile a player
is the more valuable she is to a coach. My daughter is a middle
infielder, but will be playing CF this fall for her college team.

If your DD has the ability to be a stud pitcher, that is where I would concentrate the majority of your efforts. How good is your 'select team'? I would recommend having your DD evaluated by a coach of a high level TB team to get an accurate, unbiased, assessment of her abilities. Being an 'superstar' on a select team may not carry over to a TB team.......

Many girls on good travel teams end up playing multiple positions due to high school. A select teams outfielder might be a high school teams best option at shortstop....

I have seen plenty of "stud" 12 U pitchers who aren't studs as they move up the age brackets. Who knows, someday your daughter might turn around and say, " I hate pitching." She is young. Try her at several different positions. She really needs to be versatile. There are plenty of kids who come to college as one position and end up playing in a different one.

Also, she is young. Let her try things because sometimes kids get bored staying at the same position all the time.

I would not call my daughter a "stud pitcher". She was in a groove for a while where no one could hit her otherwise she holds her own against any team. She has been used as a utility player a lot this year. If she wasn't pitching and a girl was having an off day she would take their place. In one game she played every position on the field except two. She was giving girls a rest since it was 105 that day.

She is a natural athlete. That just is dad talking. I have had complete strangers that just happened to watch out game come and tell her in front of me that she is a natural softball player and very athletic. Is playing any position "well" good enough for college coaches or does she need to be very good at one position with the ability to play others?

She will not get a scholarship for her pitching. By the way she has a consistent bat with a hugh obp.

Dad, slow down just a bit. your stud at 12 may still be a stud at 18, or the rest of the girls catch up and she is an average player, or she might be a soccer player. Lots of things can change between now and college. Be aware that softball scholarships are not like football or basketball. Softball only has a limited number of scholarships and they typically divide them up, rare is the non pitcher who gets a full ride, so don't count on it. Also rare is the girl who has high academic aspirations who gets the degree she wants via softball.

What makes your dd happy? Is she happy being the jack of all trades, or would she rather settle in and be a specialist? Start with that, make sure she is happy, beyond that whatever happens in softball is gravy

As for colleges, I don't think they care what position your dd plays other then pitcher or catcher. If she hits they will find a spot where she fits, rare is the girl who plays the same position in college that she played all of her life. Even the catchers are often converted.

Out of curiosity, what is her OBP?