Where do the "best" go to play college?

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Dec 7, 2011
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Wondering what you folks see around your area in the country.

It seems like in the state I am in that there is a curious sizable percentage of big capability players selecting to play at a college nearest to their hometown.

Like compared to boys sports for instance. In my day, almost all the guys that I hung with had dreams of getting with the biggest and most publicized D1 teams regardless where the school might be.

Is there a gender difference in play here? or is this just some characteristic of the region I am in?

I ask this as I am trying to look into the future and make sure I am ready for that hopeful decision day and I want to support my DD in whatever choice she makes. I want to make sure I am understanding if she rejects a potentially "better" school that is farther away for one that is closer to home.
 
Jul 26, 2010
3,567
0
There isn't a future for women to play softball after college. It may just be that those girls who are the best players, are also smart, and realize that if they go to a "top" D1 school, they are going to have to either major in philosophy or early childhood development and either work at Starbucks or teach pre-school after college. While a lot of D1 schools have good education programs, a kid who plays for UF is NOT going to be able to attend their award winning engineering or architecture program, Chemistry at AU, or Astronomy at UA. The smart kids pick their school for reasons unrelated to softball.

Boys who "dream" of attending the big D1 sports programs probably also have dreams of playing pro ball too. That dream doesn't really exist for female athletes. . . and in the case of the NPF, is more of a hobby then a job.

And that's just the thing. Athletics for young women stresses academics. If the kid is even going to try to get a sports scholarship, she still needs a 4.3W GPA and a 2000+ on her SAT's. . . where as the boy who is great at sports can get a scholarship without even speaking English. Female athletes are generally much more intelligent then their male counterparts, or at least more educated.


-W
 
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Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
starsniffer is exactly right. About .01% women who play softball will make a real living within the sport during and after their playing days are behind them. There are others who will make money, but nothing near what a professional male athlete can make. About the only sports where women can make a real income is in individual sports like golf or tennis. Other than those there is not much out there.

What is really wacked is that many of the professional sports officials can make more money than professional women softball players. Even some of the officials who ref big time college can make more money.
 
Jul 25, 2011
680
16
Southern Illinois
There isn't a future for women to play softball after college. It may just be that those girls who are the best players, are also smart, and realize that if they go to a "top" D1 school, they are going to have to either major in philosophy or early childhood development and either work at Starbucks or teach pre-school after college. While a lot of D1 schools have good education programs, a kid who plays for UF is NOT going to be able to attend their award winning engineering or architecture program, Chemistry at AU, or Astronomy at UA. The smart kids pick their school for reasons unrelated to softball.

Boys who "dream" of attending the big D1 sports programs probably also have dreams of playing pro ball too. That dream doesn't really exist for female athletes. . . and in the case of the NPF, is more of a hobby then a job.

And that's just the thing. Athletics for young women stresses academics. If the kid is even going to try to get a sports scholarship, she still needs a 4.3W GPA and a 2000+ on her SAT's. . . where as the boy who is great at sports can get a scholarship without even speaking English. Female athletes are generally much more intelligent then their male counterparts, or at least more educated.


-W
Just playing kind of a devils advocate, but my dd is 9 so that would be what 13 or 14 years until she graduates from hypotheticallytheticly). Is it not possible that at the rate softball is growing, in 13 or 14 years, post college softball could be more than "just a hobby"? Surely they won't be signing contracts like Pujols just signed and I don't have any false expectations about my dd playing professionally. Just a fun thought. I remember a time when a women's basketball league was far fetched. An even bigger fairy tale was a professional American soccer league, and I definately never watched as many college soccer games on ESPN as I've seen softball games(still don't). There is a growing hunger in America for fastpitch softball. Every year more and more girls get involved as well as familiies.
It may never happen, then again.......................
 
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Jul 26, 2010
3,567
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American softball stars can make good money playing professional fastpitch in Japan. I'd love to think the NPF is going to take off and be something that is successful, but at this point, just being able to make a living at it (IE not need a second job to make ends meet) would be a huge leap forward.

There is a chance that Fastpitch will be put back into the Olympic games in 2020. A lot of that "dream" depends on the success of that happening.

Even so, I'd never tell a kid to play sports because of future employment opportunities. I'd tell them to play from the love of the game. College ball is no different.

-W
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,532
0
PA
Consider that up to 20% of college students each year transfer to another school at the end of their freshman year, often to one closer to home. Several years ago, Elena Della Donne, one of the best female HS basketball players to ever come out of Delaware, withdrew from UConn during the summer before her freshman year. She cited burnout as well as family as factors, and enrolled at the University of DE to play volleyball as a walk-on. After some time away from BB, she went back as a red-shirt freshman and now plays BB for UD. I don't think anyone would ever question her decision to play closer to home. She will still have a very successful college career. Sometimes the big name school is more about parental bragging rights rather than what is the best fit for the student athlete.
 
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Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
For the most part, the "best of the best" who are really want to play softball at a high level play in the Top 25 D1 schools. Most of them tend to be from California, Arizona, Florida and other warm weather states -- especially the pitchers.

For everyone else it's a mixed bag. Really good ballplayers can show up just about anywhere. As Starsnuffer said, there's no future after college, so softball is more a means to an end than a career choice. Best bet is to choose a school that offers a major with something you want to do for the rest of your life.
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,827
0
My daughter had a number of offers from different schools, but they did not offer the course of study she was interested in. She emailed and wrote letters to a college coach near that the school offered the courses she wanted and never received a response. The team had a tryout and she then got an offer from the coach.

I always tell the kids to put academics first few players get the opportunity to go on after college in softball so a good education an area of interest will serve the student/player better.

Having said that the link to the top ranked 289 teams in 2010 2011 a good place to start.



NCAA Division I Softball Rankings - NCAA.com
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
I advise girls to go to a community college, even if they are the best of the best, and normally that is close to home. The programs that I am familiar with in both Il. and Az. have top softball programs. You get a good start on your education and get the core courses out of the way.

Coaching is and always has been a way to stay in the game after college. But, you about need to be number one in your class, to land something very quickly after college.

If you are an Osterman, Michelle Smith or Monica Abbott, Japan will pay you $100,000 to
play softball. But you have to have your education, first.
 

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