USA Elite Select Futures tryout

[Lobster Birch]

Ugh. Tried to take my 12YO DD to this a few weeks ago in Centralia, WA, which is about 90 miles south of where we live in Seattle. We left shortly after 3:00 and at 5:30 we had not cleared Tacoma which is about 40 miles south. Traffic was so bad I could post on Facebook from the express lane. We pulled off and ate and got blizzards at DQ. I had DD's younger sister with me and they both thought it was a good trip. It took 53 minutes to get home.

 

[Ariel116]

Orlando in August? Oh heck no! I've been there in July and September and it's pure misery with the heat and I am from Atlanta so I am used to it!

 

[KneeHighSocks]

I saw on the email they ask pitchers to throw a fastball, changeup and 2+ other pitches. Did they even require the 9-10 year olds to have more than 2 pitches? My DD is only 10. She throws a fastball, 2 different change ups and is learning the screw but I wouldn't have her throw it in a try out lol. I guess I'm trying to say I don't know many 10U that have 3+ pitches

 

[grcsftbll]

I saw on the email they ask pitchers to throw a fastball, changeup and 2+ other pitches. Did they even require the 9-10 year olds to have more than 2 pitches? My DD is only 10. She throws a fastball, 2 different change ups and is learning the screw but I wouldn't have her throw it in a try out lol. I guess I'm trying to say I don't know many 10U that have 3+ pitches

Mine has 4 pitches but one is a screwball which we don't let her throw (worried about her elbow). We only let her throw a fast, drop, and change. Since we never let her practice the screwball anyway I doubt it would have impressed them even if we let her throw it.

 

[Proudmumof2]

They are trying to get another Northwest tryout set up. Maybe we will see you there

 

[3bmama]

I saw on the email they ask pitchers to throw a fastball, changeup and 2+ other pitches. Did they even require the 9-10 year olds to have more than 2 pitches? My DD is only 10. She throws a fastball, 2 different change ups and is learning the screw but I wouldn't have her throw it in a try out lol. I guess I'm trying to say I don't know many 10U that have 3+ pitches

My DD is 11, plays 12A and really has 2 pitches, working on 3rd. She could do 2 different change ups I guess, but I think it's really stupid to suggest to these young pitchers they need 4. I think they should have 10u/12u throw 2 and ask if they have anything else - 14u should have 3 and ask if they have anything else. It's promoting the wrong thing, and guarentee they'd be happy to have a 12 year old who throws 60 and a change over someone with 4 pretty ok pitches. That's my example bc we saw a 12 year old(maybe 13)who cruised around 58 with great control. She might not have even thrown a change up all wknd, and I know there's others like her.

 

[grcsftbll]

Update: they posted the results and she didn't make the team. The 05 player from our organization who tried out did though. So there's one I kind of know who made it anyway. From the results this is what I expected but I also expected a girl who tried out that we know from 8U to make it, and she didn't. She got the highest scores of any of the 10U pitchers. But she's not very athletic otherwise so I guess that's why they didn't choose her. It makes sense they'd want to get the most well rounded, but I kind of thought pitching might be an exception to that.

 

[Jdaddy]

An 02 Knoxville team had two girls make the Direct Selects. One was 12U and the othe was 13U. There were a couple more I know who tried out. Hoping they will make the second selection.

 

[KneeHighSocks]

Mine has 4 pitches but one is a screwball which we don't let her throw (worried about her elbow). We only let her throw a fast, drop, and change. Since we never let her practice the screwball anyway I doubt it would have impressed them even if we let her throw it.

this try out is coming to our area and I think we may do it. I actually have no intention of either of my girls making the team (my 10 year old only has 2 pitches but hits her spots, gonna be a short try out LOL) I think it will be a good experience for them nonetheless.

Question. I'm looking at the schedule and it looks like they are only giving the girls like 20 minutes to warm up, Did they give the pitchers extra time or did your DD just do her pitching warm up at that time?

 

[grcsftbll]

They did a big group warm up in the field with dynamic stretching, and just getting their blood flowing. Then the pitchers had extra time to warm up. They were very short on catchers, so my husband caught for her both while she warmed up and during the tryout.