Fall Showcase Season

[splinterpicker]

What do you look for in a showcase team or organization and what is the expectation?

 

[InsidePitch]

They do what they say, don't rob you blind, get on good fields playing good teams and are on a first name basis with a number of college coaches. If you look at past players signed you will see a pattern of schools that pick up kids. DDs org has about 4 go to schools that the bulk of their kids attend and play for.

Funny, my cousin who lives several states away gave me a list of 3 orgs to put DD on if playing in college was her thing. He would see them at the tourneys out west playing good teams and on the better fields plus they knew college coaches. Luckily DD plays for one of them now.

 

[splinterpicker]

I have some friends trying to decide on a team for recruiting purposes. One team is a known org. that plays all over the country. Problem is thery are not very good. The other team is not as well known and does not travel across the country and are a very good team. Do college coaches care more for who you play for or how the team is as a whole?

 

[Scl1991]

In my experience, the team doesn't have to be good necessarily, but they must play at a good competitive level of play and in at least some high profile tournaments. The coaches of the travel team should have a proven recruiting record or easily identifiable relationships with college coaches. Be careful of teams/coaches that "collect" good players that get themselves recruited and then the coaches try to take the credit. Just do your homework and ask around.

 

[PEPPERS]

Alabama coaches told at a hitting camp that they walked away from a player because she demanded her mother get her a water with no thanks you or anything. Their thought was if the kid did not respect her parents she would not respect the coaches.

One coach told me they begin at the parking lot to see the player pull up up. They want to see the player dressed and ready to go only the cleats need to be put on, they want to see equipment neat and orderly and the player carrying and keeping track of her equipment not mom or dad.

In warm ups, practice and always act like the coach of your dream team is watching your ever move, because they just may be watching.

Some times the small things make a difference!

 

[coach james]

Alabama coaches told at a hitting camp that they walked away from a player because she demanded her mother get her a water with no thanks you or anything. Their thought was if the kid did not respect her parents she would not respect the coaches.

One coach told me they begin at the parking lot to see the player pull up up. They want to see the player dressed and ready to go only the cleats need to be put on, they want to see equipment neat and orderly and the player carrying and keeping track of her equipment not mom or dad.

In warm ups, practice and always act like the coach of your dream team is watching your ever move, because they just may be watching.

Some times the small things make a difference!

This answer needs to be bookmarked and highlighted
The value of personality and not just skill is soooo underrated!

 

[starsnuffer]

When coaches look at a kid in a showcase, they already know about their skill. They don't look at a kid without someone they trust telling them to look at a kid. When they look at a kid in a showcase, they're looking at the intangibles. They want to see that ace pitcher struggle, and see how she does under pressure. They want to see how she behaves in warmups and in the bathroom.

If you think going to a showcase is about skill playing softball, you're mistaken.

-W

 

[slingnit]

First what are your DD's expectations? Is she planning on going to a big D1 school, D2, or NAIA? How far is she willing to go from home? How good is she, realistically? How far out from college is she? So much to take into consideration. Once you set your standards then you find a team that can accommodate her needs. You surely do not want to be on a team full of girls that will play local D2 when your daughter wants to play big D1 half way across the country and vice versa. Your dd should have similar goals as the rest of the team. Once the team is found I believe it is their(coaches) responsibility to help get you a skills video made, make contact with coaches, keep your dd's best interests in mind(not their own), play in the tournaments that give your dd maximum exposure to the schools she wants to attend. With that said it is just as much the responsibility of the player and parents to contact coaches and keep them updated on school, schedules, etc... GOOD LUCK!

 

[CoogansBluff]

This will sound kinda preachy, but a pet peeve of mine is coaches and parents who tell kids how to 'act' at a showcase. Along the same lines, I saw a tryout ad this week where the coach's motto was something like, 'Always give your best because you never know who is watching.'

It doesn't matter who is watching. Don't teach them how to 'act.' Teach them how to 'be.'

Thanks for the pulpit.

 

[slingnit]

When coaches look at a kid in a showcase, they already know about their skill. They don't look at a kid without someone they trust telling them to look at a kid. When they look at a kid in a showcase, they're looking at the intangibles. They want to see that ace pitcher struggle, and see how she does under pressure. They want to see how she behaves in warmups and in the bathroom.

If you think going to a showcase is about skill playing softball, you're mistaken.

-W

100% agree! Talking to a coach from upstate NY at the Ronald McDonald last fall that was recruiting one of our pitchers. He said "I know if she can throw or not from watching 3 pitches", the rest was looking at exactly what you pointed out. The 3 pitch thing may have been a little exaggerated by him but I think everyone gets the point.