Too early to decide playing in college?

it was a bit of a shocker, but when I asked DD, she said she wasn't sure if she wanted to play/pitch in college.
after a bit of questioning, she said it was too early to think about college. after all, DD is only 13.

What we decided that she still practices with as much intensity with her pitching/hitting as if she will play in college then she can decide when she's a junior or senior if is a go or no go or if the opportunity will even be available.

fair enough?

Great decision FPC,
My own DD didn't even mill around with the idea till she was a sophomore, and didn't decide she wanted to till she was a junior.
She didn't sign till she was a senior.

FastPitchCat said:

it was a bit of a shocker, but when I asked DD, she said she wasn't sure if she wanted to play/pitch in college.
after a bit of questioning, she said it was too early to think about college. after all, DD is only 13.

What we decided that she still practices with as much intensity with her pitching/hitting as if she will play in college then she can decide when she's a junior or senior if is a go or no go or if the opportunity will even be available.

fair enough?

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Sounds like a great plan, although a couple of things kinda threw me. Why is it a 'shocker' when a 13-year-old says she isn't sure if she wants to play in college? It's hard for a 13-year-old to grasp what playing softball in college really entails, so her comments are within the range of normal, not shocking. Also, you say 'we decided' and 'fair enough,' like the two of you had made a pact. I've always seen my daughter's decision on what to make of her sport a ''she'' decision, not a ''we'' decision. With certain limits, of course. Maybe I read more into it than I should, but just figured I'd write my first gut reaction.

FastPitchCat said:

What we decided that she still practices with as much intensity with her pitching/hitting as if she will play in college then she can decide when she's a junior or senior if is a go or no go or if the opportunity will even be available.

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If your DD wants to play D1 most of the top teams will have a pitcher committed before their junior year. Some schools will take 2 pitchers in one class, but not always. Smaller D1, D2, and D3 are later, so junior or senior year are more common. Schools with high academic standards also wait later to confirm the GPA and test scores are where they need to be. If your DD is a STUD, she can wait until her senior year and still commit to a top D1 program - see Kelly Barnhill and the University of Florida.

You can't sign until November of your Senior year. Until then all of the verballing, commitments, and other activities means nothing.

My DD decided she wanted to pitch in college after watching Keira Goerl on TV win the WCWS in 2003 and 2004. She was 9-10.
Of course she had no idea what that meant, she obviously just liked the idea of being on TV but we never disabused her of the idea that she could play college softball.

So we set some goals and re-evaluated them every year. She never changed her focus from playing in college.
My DD is an athlete and not an academic by any stretch so getting a scholarship to play in college was the catalyst for her to even be in college. I know we are backwards to those who say go for the education and not the sport but she went for the sport.

WCWS highlight video
2003 NCAA Women's College World Series - YouTube

Notice Keira is #14 and DD is also #14 since she was 9.

Coachmom - I love your approach. If softball gets your daughter to go to college - fabulous!
Sports are a great way to keep them motivated to become life long learners - regardless of college.

riseball said:

You can't sign until November of your Senior year. Until then all of the verballing, commitments, and other activities means nothing.

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"Guarantees nothing" is accurate. If verbals truly meant nothing, stud players whose verbal fell through due to a coaching change would have a much easier time getting another comparable deal. Verbals are the normal course of the process - whether it's 1 week or several years before signing NLI.

JAD said:

If your DD is a STUD, she can wait until her senior year and still commit to a top D1 program - see Kelly Barnhill and the University of Florida.

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Did you know that the University of Florida did not sign a previously committed 2015 pitcher? I wonder if that was a case where the university believed they found something better in Barnhill and didn't honor the prior commit. Could be the flip side (down side) of committing early. Some of these major D1s are already committing 2019s.

knightsb said:

Did you know that the University of Florida did not sign a previously committed 2015 pitcher? I wonder if that was a case where the university believed they found something better in Barnhill and didn't honor the prior commit. Could be the flip side (down side) of committing early. Some of these major D1s are already committing 2019s.

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2019's? i thought colleges couldn't talk to kids until they're in junior or senior year.