What If You're NOT Looking For a Scholarship?

Apologies if this has been answered before, but what are your options if you're not looking for a scholarship? My scenario: 14U DD of course dreams of the SEC, specifically Alabama. In my opinion, she does not yet show the skill set/work ethic to make it to a D1 school. DH thinks I'm too hard on her, but I'm shooting for reality. She has not had a great start in her career; we were with a rec then TB program that did not teach basics or technique, and we were clueless to the TB scene, but we are rectifying that with a great travel team that's going to push her. Grades are good, she's a rising 8th grader. Do we plan her career as if we *are* looking for a scholarship, i.e. play showcase tournaments, attend school's camps, contact HC and AC? How do schools take non-scholarship athletes? Open try-outs? What is that scenario like? Is that what being a "walk-on" means?

Thanks for any advice or guidance.

I think it's too early to say your DD is not looking for a scholarship. There is always money available (athletic and/or academic [D3]). If DD will only play D1 or not at all, then she is limiting herself (unless she becomes a 70 MPH Rembrandt in the circle and/or hits 2 bombs a game - then the coaches will be beating down her door).

Contrary to popular belief there is no shame in NOT playing D1 softball. College is about education and preparation for adulthood . Having someone "pay" for your DD to play in college is a bonus, whether it's D1, D2, D3 or NAIA. JMHO. Best of luck.

She would be a dream player if she is good enough.

She does not want to be Walk-on. My definition of this is the coaches know very little or nothing about her or are not impressed enough to make her part of the Team until they look at other players.

You would like the school to commit to her even if they do not provide a scholarship. IDK, a scholarship even if she doesn’t need it shows a level of commitment from the school.

You probably know this but I would guess most SB scholarships are not 100%. They break them down to multiple players, for example 2 get 50%, or 4 get 25%.

Schools make a significant commitment to walks-ons. They're still part of the team and it takes a lot to be accepted. Every roster spot costs for airfare, uniforms, equipment, insurance etc. The walk-ons I see impressed the coaches in some aspect of their game. They just either didn't have scholarship money available or had a different role in mind for the players.

Shelbylynn said:

Apologies if this has been answered before, but what are your options if you're not looking for a scholarship? My scenario: 14U DD of course dreams of the SEC, specifically Alabama. In my opinion, she does not yet show the skill set/work ethic to make it to a D1 school. DH thinks I'm too hard on her, but I'm shooting for reality. She has not had a great start in her career; we were with a rec then TB program that did not teach basics or technique, and we were clueless to the TB scene, but we are rectifying that with a great travel team that's going to push her. Grades are good, she's a rising 8th grader. Do we plan her career as if we *are* looking for a scholarship, i.e. play showcase tournaments, attend school's camps, contact HC and AC? How do schools take non-scholarship athletes? Open try-outs? What is that scenario like? Is that what being a "walk-on" means?

Thanks for any advice or guidance.

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You approach joining the team as a walk-on the same as you would if you're going fo a scholarship. They're an integral part of the team and just as important.

Found this...
Typically by way of a tryout, a walk-on is a rostered player who does not receive an athletic scholarship freshman year.

What is a recruited/preferred walk-on?

A recruited/preferred walk-on is a commonly used term for an athlete who is recruited by a college coach, but is not offered an athletic scholarship freshman year. These athletes typically have a lot of communication with the coaching staff and are usually offered a roster spot before tryouts. This happens most commonly when a college coach has serious interest in your but does not have any scholarships left to offer.

Can a walk-on sign the National Letter of Intent?

No, a walk-on athlete cannot sign the National Letter of Intent. The National Letter of Intent is a binding contract between the student athlete and the academic institution formalizing the athletic scholarship.

Should you accept an offer to walk on at your favorite school?

This is a very personal decision because walking-on can have it's risks. There is still potential to be cut from the team, but even if you do make the team, you oftentimes will not receive the same attention and privileges as your teammates. In order to make the best decision in the end, it is important that you ask a lot of questions beforehand and know exactly where you stand with that coach.

What questions should you ask coaches if you are considering walking-on?
•Am I a preferred or recruited walk-on?
•How many walk-ons do you take per year on average?
•Will you guarantee that I will earn a roster spot?
•Will I have to tryout?
•Is there potential for me to earn a scholarship in the future? If so, what will this be based on?
•Will I have access to the academic support systems available for scholarship athletes (such as tutors, preferential course registration, etc.)?
•Will I receive the same equipment, clothing and access to the training table as scholarship athletes?
•Do I report to campus at the same time as the scholarship athletes?

I will start with saying that my kids are not DI material, so we were never looking there. However, in 8th grade, it is too early to judge whether or not your DD can play DI.

At this point, since she hasn't shown herself to be DI material yet, I wouldn't spend a lot of money traveling to showcases all over the country. Maybe attend a few local ones and have her write emails to coaches that are attending the showcase. The coaches don't have to be from her dream school - writing the emails is more for practice, in anticipation of writing to coaches when she is in HS. Also, dream schools can change between 8th and 12th grade.

My kids probably realized by 9th that they were not DI material. If they had been, I would have sought out teams that played the big showcases and had experience with DI recruiting. And we would have discussed it more with their guidance counselor, who happens to have pitched DI. They also happen to know/have played with a couple of older girls who played DI, so I would have sought out advice from them.

Play with a good travel team and improve your game, but more importantly, do well in school. If you don't turn out to be Alabama-like DI material, you want the course rigor, GPA and test scores to go to a school with great academics. One of the NESCAC coaches told my middle kid that they are looking for minimum ACT 28, SAT 1800 - but those minimums are for the really good players. She said that the player makes her job much easier if they have ACT 32+ or SAT 2100+.

Your daughter should also learn about the life of a DI athlete at a school like Alabama - the sport is their job, 40+ hours a week. You will probably not be majoring in engineering, sciences, etc. Of course, if she really likes Alabama as a college, and is okay not playing softball there, I would encourage her to apply. I wanted my kids to apply. Eldest refused and I doubt my 12th grader will apply, but they have great merit scholarships. Full tuition for 4 years for ACT 32+ , SAT 1400+ (CR+M), and full tuition for 5 years if you are NMF. Best of luck with softball and school.

SoCalASABlue said:

I think it's too early to say your DD is not looking for a scholarship. There is always money available (athletic and/or academic [D3]). If DD will only play D1 or not at all, then she is limiting herself (unless she becomes a 70 MPH Rembrandt in the circle and/or hits 2 bombs a game - then the coaches will be beating down her door).

Contrary to popular belief there is no shame in NOT playing D1 softball. College is about education and preparation for adulthood . Having someone "pay" for your DD to play in college is a bonus, whether it's D1, D2, D3 or NAIA. JMHO. Best of luck.

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... and this is the point I was trying to make by documenting my dd's career. In fact, her D-II team would have beaten many D-Is. Naturally, not the upper elite. Still, it was good softball to watch and for her to play. Look, if our dd is in 8th grade, you really don't have a great picture of what she is capable of. Sure there are some that stand out at that grade. Still others develop later and become exceptional players. In 8th grade, all my dd wanted to do was start varsity as a freshman in HS. She was not concerned about college at all.

I knew I'd get great advice here. Thanks for the responses. I know a lot can change over the next few years, but one thing is abundantly clear: grades and doing well in school.