Poll: B team playing some innings or C team playing every inning?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Better to be on B or C team?


  • Total voters
    40
Jan 31, 2015
249
43
Would it be better to have your daughter who is a pitcher on a 12U C team that has 9 players and only 1 other pitcher, or on a 12U B team that already has 3-4 pitchers with 12-16 players already on the roster?

On the one hand, she is guaranteed to play every inning of every game including 50% of the innings pitched. On the other hand, the competition (and maybe the coaching) is better, but she won't get nearly the innings pitched and maybe less innings overall.

Thoughts?
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
From DD’s experience I would have liked to have another option. Not being able to pitch is lousy but being the only pitcher is lousy too.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
Neither option is ideal and I would continue to look for a better fit while playing for the 12u B team. Teams are looking for pitchers all the time, so play for the better more competitive team now but exit when a better opportunity presents itself. This isn't one of those times where you need to be concerned that you honor your commitment when the team has this many players.

Good luck.
 
Jan 31, 2015
249
43
Just to clarify, she's 1 of 2 pitchers on the C team, but the other B teams in the area all have 12-16 players already including 3-4 pitchers. So, she would get twice as much pitching/playing experience on the C team although the competition is obviously better at the B level.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
If your DD is a pitcher and truly wants to pitch, she needs to be a team that is going to maximize her circle time....and there is nothing that says a C-team cannot play in some B-level tournaments. The best way to improve is to play better competition.

What age group is this? I would be leery of any team with more than 12 players at the younger age groups (10U, 12U, 14U). Older teams (16U and 18U) tend to have larger rosters because there are more conflicts. As a coach it is tough keeping 12 players and parents happy, so I can only imagine what it would be like with 14-16.
 
Jan 31, 2015
249
43
Agreed. This is her first 12U season, but she has actually pitched against some of the local B teams last year in 10U who used to be C teams, and some of the C teams she pitched against in 10U have been from out of state are definitely better competition. Some of the 12U B teams actually don't cut which is why they have such large rosters which means many players sit.
 
Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
I'd say go with the better team for tougher competition and have an attitude that you'll work your hinny off to be the go to pitcher and also a player with other skills that's to valuable to sit.
 
Jan 31, 2015
249
43
All things being equal, I would agree, but realistically, when you walk into an established team with an established 3-4 pitcher rotation, will you have an opportunity to compete for innings?
 
Dec 22, 2012
89
0
Consider it like this: Of the 4 pitchers on the B team, where is she in the rotation? Is she 1 or 2? If not, she's likely to be pitching pool games primarily against someone else's weaker pitcher and bench players. Plus there is little to no pressure in those games.

If she isn't the 1 or 2 on the B team, I'd go with the competitive innings of the C team until something better pops up.
 
Dec 3, 2012
636
16
West Coast
Is there Little League, Pony, Babe Ruth around that she could also play on to get more innings in? That's what my 10U DD did last year to make sure she got a ton of innings in. Depending on where you live there is usually more than just two travel teams to choose from. Any others a possibility?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top