Pgf
- Thread starter Ariel116
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Time for a reality check... I'll agree it's easier for non-Western teams to get a Platinum berth handed down to them, however PGF Nats are not like showcases that keep adding fields so they can accept more teams. PGF limits the number of teams to what they can handle with the 4 parks they use. The Platinum divisions have fewer teams than Premier - 18U Premier has 72 and Platinum has 56, 16U Premier has 68 vs 46 and 14U has 68 vs 38. I know there are few 'at-large' berths awarded around the final qualifiers and they are in high demand, especially by SoCal teams.
The SoCal 18U qualifier was held the next-to-last qualifier weekend and 68 teams competed for 4 Premier berths and 4 Platinum berths, so 60 teams came away from that qualifier alone without a berth. ASA 18G Nats came up short again only filling 53 of their 64 spots. ASA JO Cup only has 32 teams. SCAB's claim certainly isn't preposterous.
I agree if they're claiming "playing the best of the best", however I wouldn't disparage Platinum because there's some overlap between the lower Premier teams and the top in Platinum. In fact, some of the teams that crow about being in Premier would have been better off in Platinum. I'll also say a lot of very good Premier teams go 0-2 and shouldn't feel bad about it if they lost to high quality teams in competitive games.
Last edited:
- Nov 18, 2013
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You’re right, I didn’t account for the fact that PGF berths are much harder to come by in the West. I could have phrased the rest differently too. I agree with your assessment of PGF vs ASA. There’s still a level of exclusiveness to the PGF Platinum division that you don’t find in ASA Nationals or U-Trip WS events. I meant B division only as second tier to Premier and not that the participants are B teams.
PGF will have a strong tournament because the CA teams will support it, but for the teams from the other side of the country, going to TCS, JO Cup, ASA, USSSA ES, will dilute the talent pool. When my DD was 16U we could not wait to get to PGF because of the recruiting opportunities, but at 18U when 95% of the players on the team are committed, it is tough to get excited about spending the money to come to CA.
We resemble that remark....lost to the OC Batbusters to go 0-2 in bracket play....just dayum!
So, what's the difference between A and B bracket? Is it just upper and lower halves? I assume the two bracket winners face each other? Just wanted to make sure it's not like Gold and Silver.
The winners of each side face each other on Friday.
The last team to make it out of the losers side of each bracket switch brackets to face the unbeaten team.
If the unbeaten team loses they still get another shot at getting into the finals.
In 10's last year I believe that there was a team with one loss in the finals.
The last team to make it out of the losers side of each bracket switch brackets to face the unbeaten team.
If the unbeaten team loses they still get another shot at getting into the finals.
In 10's last year I believe that there was a team with one loss in the finals.
Yes, 2 double elimination brackets determine the 2 teams in the championship game with the twist of the loser's bracket team crossing over to the other bracket. PGF uses 2 brackets to set up televising a single championship game without the possibility of an 'if' game. The crossover is important with a blind draw to provide a path for any 2 teams to reach the championship game, even if they draw the same bracket.
Yeah, it was directed towards teams like yours. OCBB lost their next game to a NorCal BB team and probably aren't satisfied with a 1-2 record after winning it all the last 2 years.
Congrats to 29's team on their top 20 finish.
TC/USA Nats and USSSA ES have little-to-no impact on the strength of PGF - I don't know of any top teams that finish their season at those events. PGF will be strong as long as its base of CA teams and top orgs from around the country (e.g. Bandits, NJ Intensity, TX Glory, TBolts) keep taking most of the top spots at high-level non-PGF events (e.g. Boulder IDT, TCS Super 64, TC/USA Nats, USSSA ES). FWIW, OCBB won every age division at the inaugural USSSA ES event.
Committed girls need to play a schedule that best prepares them for college ball. Events like PGF can be a wake-up call to girls that haven't been challenged enough at other events. Players whose recruiting benefited from playing for a highly regarded org also travel the top circuit to pay it forward to the ones that follow behind.
There are a myriad of levels and options within travel ball. Teams need to recognize where they stand in the overall scheme and figure out a schedule that best suits their goals.
