realistically playing 2 div I sports?

It is so rare that an athlete is both capable of playing 2 at that level at the same time, and to find coaches who will allow it. You typically have to be so good at both that the coach who recruited you to play and is giving you scholarship money is afraid to tell you no.

And unfortunately I am about to sound like an rear but its not intended this way. If your DD as a freshman is on the HS JV team of the field hockey team, she probably isn't that freakishly good athlete who is good enough to force a school to let her play both.

A kid from our HS played Div I football as a QB, Half of his junior year and his senior year he was the starter, actually set a bowl game record for passing... When he asked his football coach if he could play baseball the coach said, "just as soon as the baseball team picks up your scholarship I'll consider it"

MNDad said:

You’re not going to find a HS coach that’s ok with her missing two practices a week for club ball. It wouldn’t make her very popular with her teammates that she thinks she’s too good for them either. For 99% of the population HS sports in season come before club sports in or out of season.

There’s only a small handful of kids who played two D1 sports with a significant role on both teams. I’ve seen a couple of soccer players serve as pinch runners on the softball team, but only their senior year after their soccer careers were over. What you’ll generally see from kids playing multiple high level club sports is they end up at a D2 or D3 playing only one sport.

To put it as bluntly as I can, you’re a fool if a scholarship is the main goal. The odds of coming anywhere close to breaking even on what you’re spending on softball and field hockey are next to zero. Spreading herself between multiple sports without becoming the best she can at one puts an athletic scholarship even more out of reach.

If D1 is the goal, pick a sport to do competitively at the highest level and the other to do more for fun. Focus on academics for the scholarship.

Don’t believe any parent when they tell you their kid got a full ride for softball. That means they’re either just talking about tuition, using a combination of athletic, academic and need based money as their full ride, including student loans or outright lying. The parent who’s kid actually received a full ride is less likely to tell everyone about it.

Best of luck to your DD. She has a lot of tough choices ahead of her.

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Well, we already heard from a freshman parent pitcher last year that this coach pitches seniors over freshman resulting in several loses for leaving the senior in too long.

Again, obviously academic scholarship is #1 goal, but developing DD into a div I caliber player for at least a partial athletic scholarship is goal #2, and her club team coach has a proven track record for #2, where as her high school coaches do not. Her club coach just placed a freshman at UMD with a full ride (confirmed by coach and parent) and has 2 others with verbals to VA Tech.

And like I said above, we will have spent a lot more on 7 years of prep school than we would spend on her #1 college choice either way.

chinamigarden said:

It is so rare that an athlete is both capable of playing 2 at that level at the same time, and to find coaches who will allow it. You typically have to be so good at both that the coach who recruited you to play and is giving you scholarship money is afraid to tell you no.

And unfortunately I am about to sound like an rear but its not intended this way. If your DD as a freshman is on the HS JV team of the field hockey team, she probably isn't that freakishly good athlete who is good enough to force a school to let her play both.

A kid from our HS played Div I football as a QB, Half of his junior year and his senior year he was the starter, actually set a bowl game record for passing... When he asked his football coach if he could play baseball the coach said, "just as soon as the baseball team picks up your scholarship I'll consider it"

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Well, there were some other mitigating factors to DD not making the HS varsity field hockey team as a freshman. #1 she had an injury during tryouts/pre-season (ironically from last softball tournament of the season!) so she missed 2 weeks of practices. #2 they carried 25 on varsity, and #3 they only had 3 freshman on varsity one of which is the only back up goalie and one who has a sister on varsity and is on the Junior national team. #4 unfortunately, mommy ball is a factor on both teams since both teams have parent coaches with daughters on the teams.

That said, the competition making her #1 college field hockey team (top 5) is much greater than the softball team (top 200).

Time will tell.

A phenomenal athlete can do both - Bo Jackson played football and baseball at a high level in both college and the NFL/MLB, but those athletes are few and far between. Your DD probably needs to focus on one or the other if her goal is to play for a P5 school, while she may be able to do both at a lower level D1, D2, D3 or NAIA school. Is field hockey a fall sport in college? I do not see any athlete being able to do two sports simultaneously. I know Deion Sanders played baseball and football on the same weekend when the Braves made the playoffs one year, but they had a helicopter take him from one event to the other...

JAD said:

A phenomenal athlete can do both - Bo Jackson played football and baseball at a high level in both college and the NFL/MLB, but those athletes are few and far between. Your DD probably needs to focus on one or the other if her goal is to play for a P5 school, while she may be able to do both at a lower level D1, D2, D3 or NAIA school. Is field hockey a fall sport in college? I do not see any athlete being able to do two sports simultaneously. I know Deion Sanders played baseball and football on the same weekend when the Braves made the playoffs one year, but they had a helicopter take him from one event to the other...

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Agreed. Yes, field hockey is a fall sport.

Being Devils advocate here:

I've been thinking about this today and the one thing that keeps coming back to me is that Most if not all P5 and mid major, DII and many DIII softball programs play during the fall. 8 games(D1) I believe...right? I see a conflict already. Your DD would have to be someone really special to make this happen. Put yourself in the shoes of a college coach. I am looking at 2 players at XYZ position with equal skills, equal academics. One player wants to play another sport and I have to be concerned that she will make her grades, get hurt, get burned out, etc. or the other one that wants to focus on softball only and I can see her everyday working out with the team. Your kid would require preferential treatment. How would the other players see that? Hmmm...something to think about.

Furthermore, you have to find a school that has a Field Hockey coach that wants her AND a softball coach that wants her as well. It's hard enough as it is to find ONE softball coach/school that is just right that needs your particular position, has the money, good fit for program, gets along, etc.

FloSoftball already following her? Is she in their top 100 ranking for her class?

Orange Socks said:

Being Devils advocate here:

I've been thinking about this today and the one thing that keeps coming back to me is that Most if not all P5 and mid major, DII and many DIII softball programs play during the fall. 8 games(D1) I believe...right? I see a conflict already. Your DD would have to be someone really special to make this happen. Put yourself in the shoes of a college coach. I am looking at 2 players at XYZ position with equal skills, equal academics. One player wants to play another sport and I have to be concerned that she will make her grades, get hurt, get burned out, etc. or the other one that wants to focus on softball only and I can see her everyday working out with the team. Your kid would require preferential treatment. How would the other players see that? Hmmm...something to think about.

Furthermore, you have to find a school that has a Field Hockey coach that wants her AND a softball coach that wants her as well. It's hard enough as it is to find ONE softball coach/school that is just right that needs your particular position, has the money, good fit for program, gets along, etc.

FloSoftball already following her? Is she in their top 100 ranking for her class?

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Roger that. Again, my original questions had to do with how realistic is to play 2 div I sports and would college coaches consider it a positive or negative when allocating scholarships from their fixed dollars?

So, in your scenario above, what if the college coach could have both players for the price of 1 scholarship instead of having to choose one or the other.

Yes, fall ball would be a conflict with field hockey, but at the end of the day, the spring season is what counts, no?

As far as FloSoftball, she's just now going to her 1st showcase tournament this weekend and is still only 13. And, considering her #1 college choice, you don't have to be top 100 players considering they are top 200, and her coach just placed a freshman there with a full ride.

Like I said though, our position is that she should focus on one or the other, but we're going go let her reach her own conclusions after this freshman year.

Thanks again for your insight.

vicimus said:

Roger that. Again, my original questions had to do with how realistic is to play 2 div I sports and would college coaches consider it a positive or negative when allocating scholarships from their fixed dollars?

So, in your scenario above, what if the college coach could have both players for the price of 1 scholarship instead of having to choose one or the other.

Yes, fall ball would be a conflict with field hockey, but at the end of the day, the spring season is what counts, no?

As far as FloSoftball, she's just now going to her 1st showcase tournament this weekend and is still only 13. And, considering her #1 college choice, you don't have to be top 100 players considering they are top 200, and her coach just placed a freshman there with a full ride.

Like I said though, our position is that she should focus on one or the other, but we're going go let her reach her own conclusions after this freshman year.

Thanks again for your insight.

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If your DD is considering going to Maryland I would watch what is going on there with their player turnover and the current softball coach. Based on what is going on there, she might be on a short leash. There is another forum that is dedicated to college softball and there are few threads that detail much of what is going on. Maybe field hockey is the way to go! LOL! As you get going in this recruiting process, make sure to reach out to current/former players and parents to get their take on the program they are at currently or left or graduated. I'm in the middle of that right now and it is eye opening to hear first hand accounts of what goes on in some of these programs. There are many parents on this board that will tell you like it is, as they have done it, doing it, and will be doing it. That is what we are here for right!

Wouldn't she be *owned* by the school--not the sport?

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My DD is in college and the D1 and D2 players that played for me back then are in fact
'owned' by the sport/coach-all checks and balances go thru the athletic dept who also
works with academic liaison to ensure eligibility.

.....partial academic scholarship plus partial softball plus partial field hockey

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I have never heard of this scenario as neither coach would want to risk injury with a 2nd varsity sport.

Think too about time management- team conditioning- weight training- workouts and practice is time
consuming for a single sport in 24 hour days and 7 day weeks. Is it possible to double up this schedule,
have time for classes, studying and sleep? NOPE! NEVER!

she's just now going to her 1st showcase tournament this weekend and is still only 13

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WOW! no pressure here huh? she is young and still figuring it out. She will end up in a good place with
good grades and a good attitude. You have gotten plenty of advice from senior members of this forum
that have experience. 2 sports is a real dream for 13 YO- reality is, at the 18-21 year age she will be focused
singularly on one sport. My advice- sit back and watch her grow and mature, let her make her own choices
and support whichever direction she takes. I had coached a very gifted athlete playing at 18U with a bright future
and plenty of D1 interest. When her senior year started, she dropped sports entirely to focus on academics and
a boyfriend. Fast forward the clock- she is set to graduate college will be taking her MCAT- she is doing great and
is happy (boyfriend is history)

Not sure I’d put much stake in a freshman parent blaming losses pitching seniors instead of putting their DD in.

You’re obviously putting a lot into ensuring your DD has all the opportunities she can both academically and athletically. That alone puts her ahead of the game. Just do the research and don’t assume anything. Coaches will say whatever it takes to get your kid to play for them and it’s in the their interest to tell people they got a kid a full ride. The college coach isn’t allowed to talk about it and since nothing is in writing yet there’s no way to verify it. Even if parents are being up front they’ll usually say whatever puts their kid in the best light. A 50% athletic scholarship covering tuition, room & board could still be called a “full ride” because it’s covering 100% of tuition. The point is don’t make any decisions or try to gauge what your DD might get based on what you hear from other parents or coaches.

I’m not so sure about it being easier to get a scholarship at the #200 softball school. The #200 D1 softball school is still higher than almost 100 other D1 teams. They’re not going to make it to OKC, but that’s still a very high level of softball. If MD is the dream school their field hockey RPI would put them at #68 in softball. They were #180 in softball last year. The difference from the #180 team to #68 isn’t that great. What you’ll find is the #68 school has better coaching and more depth. The odds of getting a scholarship at either school is about the same. She’s young enough to still play both at the highest level. Once recruiting heats up she’ll need to focus more on her favorite.

Final piece of advice would be make sure it’s her favorite sport and not which is easiest to get a scholarship. You’d be amazed at more many kids wash out their freshman years. A “full ride” by any definition isn’t worth much if she quits after a year. Good luck and enjoy this exciting time.