USSSA, USFA, ASA, etc...: Help a girl out!

[riseball]

I was talking about the ringers used at 18G Nats, however it goes both ways at various age levels. For example, Ocasio played in PGF with GC Hurricanes in 2014. Her dad has posted about PGF having stronger teams than ASA.

Given the differences in requirements for participation it is really apples to oranges to compare ASA and PGF.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Given the differences in requirements for participation it is really apples to oranges to compare ASA and PGF.

Please explain...

 

[jasonr]

Depends on your definition of competitive. Some people set the bar low as not being run-ruled while I think it requires winning some games. ASA 18G has been in decline and was gutted by ASA's JO Cup - they were short 11 teams and the top finishers without their ringers wouldn't have been competitive at PGF.

The top 2 finishers at JO Cup didn't fare well at Boulder. Wichita Mustangs went 0-3 against top PGF teams (Corona Angels, Batbusters Haning/Stith and Beverly Bandits Conroy). EC Bullets Schnute went 3-4 without facing any top teams. Mustangs would have only contended for a top-10 finish and it's returning berth.

FWIW, on whose website did this appear...
July PGF Nationals Huntington Beach, CA. This is by far the crème-de-la-crème of FastPitch tournaments with the best teams in the U.S. in attendance. We are proud of earning our berth as a result of our top 10 finish last year and look forward to making a run at the Championship this year.

Bullets didn't have their top pitcher did they ?

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Bullets didn't have their top pitcher did they ?

I think you're missing the point - ECB finished 2nd at JO Cup without Barnhill and their previous results in Boulder suggest they wouldn't have been competitive at PGF.

BTW, they weren't the only team with a player on the JWNT. For example, OCBB was missing a top hitter (Palomino) and the Corona Angels' top pitcher was on the JWNT until she injured her knee in the 7th inning of her HS championship game.

 

[riseball]

Please explain...

One with few exceptions requires winning a qualifier the other has qualifiers but most attend via an invite.
One has qualifiers with few exceptions nationwide the other has them scattered throughout the US.
One bases the number of berths available in qualifiers based on registration numbers in that geographic area the other does it based on where they can get turnout.
One with the exception of 3 pickup players requires you to play with the same players you had when you won your berth, the other has very few roster requirements.
One requires you to roster only players from a predetermined geographic area the other has no such restrictions.
I am sure some others can provide additional contrasts.


Neither is right or wrong but they are quite different so any comparison should be done with these differences in context.

 

[riseball]

I think you're missing the point - ECB finished 2nd at JO Cup without Barnhill and their previous results in Boulder suggest they wouldn't have been competitive at PGF.

BTW, they weren't the only team with a player on the JWNT. For example, OCBB was missing a top hitter (Palomino) and the Corona Angels' top pitcher was on the JWNT until she injured her knee in the 7th inning of her HS championship game.

If umpires would call IP's Barnhill would not last an inning in ASA or PGF. But that is a topic for another thread.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

One with few exceptions requires winning a qualifier the other has qualifiers but most attend via an invite. False on both. ASA hosts heavily use the fill-in procedure to get "heads in beds". PGF invites are not the majority.
One has qualifiers with few exceptions nationwide the other has them scattered throughout the US. PGF qualifiers are similar to ASA Gold due to the limited number of berths.
One bases the number of berths available in qualifiers based on registration numbers in that geographic area the other does it based on where they can get turnout. False - PGF allocates its limited number of berths based on the estimated number of PGF-caliber teams in the region.
One with the exception of 3 pickup players requires you to play with the same players you had when you won your berth, the other has very few roster requirements. PGF allows more additions after qualifying, however neither prevents pick-up players from being put on the roster beforehand.
One requires you to roster only players from a predetermined geographic area the other has no such restrictions. False. ASA teams can roster players from anywhere - the only geographic restrictions are for pick-up players.
I am sure some others can provide additional contrasts.

ASA was short teams for both 16G and 18G Nats last year. They should discontinue Gold qualifiers if they come up short again in 2016.

Neither is right or wrong but they are quite different so any comparison should be done with these differences in context.

I agree teams need to figure out which is right for them.

 

[riseball]

I agree teams need to figure out which is right for them.

Your information on ASA is somewhat incomplete as it leaves out important details. Roster restrictions are much tighter in ASA, and the berths are not cherry picked to the most advantageous locations. PGF by design will yield more top teams where the self imposed constraints of ASA make that more difficult. The bottom line is they are worlds apart in the way they do business.

As I said neither is right or wrong but they are more different than they are alike. The only thing missing to complete the comparison is to include Little League.

 

[#10]

The number of players on college rosters from the west coast, specifically from California has seen a gradual decline over time. This is due to a number of factors including directives and policies which "encourage" the recruitment of in state talent. Beyond that a multitude of other influences appear to come into play.

You have any idea which schools are implementing those policies? DD is a SoCal freshman. ;D

 

[riseball]

You have any idea which schools are implementing those policies? DD is a SoCal freshman. ;D

No and I would not lose sleep over it as for the most part it will be the marginal players that will be affected. The data I was privy to showed some decline. The why is the mystery. The policies certainly have effect, how much cannot be quantified without additional data which may not exist.