Can college softball work for a top-tier student?

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Nov 16, 2015
9
3
My daughter is a 7th grader (2023.) One of the top pitchers and hitters in the area for her age, but not a phenom. She plays for a good club team that is starting to talk about "the future" -- college recruiting, showcases, etc. The players on her team by and large are interested in playing college softball someday. My initial thought is that it is pretty early for any of these girls to be thinking college and frankly too soon to know how good they will turn out as players anyway. But anyway....

My daughter is a good pitcher, but she is a truly gifted student. She takes her studies very seriously and is applying to a special high school next year where the average SAT score is a 1450. Right now she is most interested in engineering. She enjoys athletics, but she has no doubt that in both high school and college, her academics will be her top priority. I am certain that whatever course of study she chooses in college, it will be a demanding one.

Given all of this, I have always said that college athletics are unlikely to be a part of her future, and that I have no intention of spending our limited time and resources on activities that are geared towards college recruiting (e.g. playing on a club team that travels long distance for showcases.) However, I am starting to wonder if maybe I am being a little too shortsighted.

So my question: Is it actually possible that college softball could factor into the equation for my daughter? If she stays on her current academic trajectory, I know that she will easily meet the academic standards for any top tier school, but I also know that alone doesn't get you in to these schools. If it is possible for softball to crack the door open at a top tier academic institution, particularly one that can meet our financial need (which would be significant) that would change my opinion about her commitment to softball pretty dramatically. Are any intercollegiate athletes really students first, athletes second? Maybe D3? Even if it does look like a possibility for her, does she really need to think about this at all for the next few years?

Many thanks!
 
Jul 3, 2013
438
43
7th grade may be too early to know if she truly loves playing ball. The extra efforts involved in becoming a college athlete are not worth the time and energy if she doesn't love playing the game. But student athletes are students first.
 
Mar 3, 2016
47
0
So this is the life we've been leading-my DD has a 97 average and a 34 ACT and she is going "high academic". It's a tough ride. The reasons to do it are: loves ball and wants to play ball at a top college or university, where her softball skills could also make her more likely to be accepted out of a large field of international candidates, all with similar academic chops.
As an illustration, talking to a mom whose DD plays at Yale-"they weren't that interested in her til she got a 32 on her ACT".
There are no early commits-it's illegal, PLUS Coach can't get you thru, no matter how great your skills are, unless you meet the minimum academic requirements for the college, and the adcom won't even look at your stats til after Junior year. So you have to ignore all the girls bragging that they are committed at age 13, while your DD is playing ball plus keeping her grades WAY up!
Anyway, 7th grade is too soon, but before freshman or sophomore year, pick a couple camps at schools she might want to attend and start going. First, so she won't be nervous, and second, so the coaches get to know her. The NESCACs run a nice little camp at Babson every summer, and all the top D3 NE schools send coaches. It isn't very expensive for the exposure. My DD also got lots of contacts and interest from the Headfirst Camps, which has the best D3s plus the Ivies and some high academic D1s.
Have fun, remember that it's academics first and then ball, but playing ball may help her get admitted to these extremely competitive schools.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
So my question: Is it actually possible that college softball could factor into the equation for my daughter? If she stays on her current academic trajectory, I know that she will easily meet the academic standards for any top tier school, but I also know that alone doesn't get you in to these schools. If it is possible for softball to crack the door open at a top tier academic institution, particularly one that can meet our financial need (which would be significant) that would change my opinion about her commitment to softball pretty dramatically. Are any intercollegiate athletes really students first, athletes second? Maybe D3? Even if it does look like a possibility for her, does she really need to think about this at all for the next few years?

My $0.02...
1) If your DD can qualify for academic money that is the safer route to take - maintain grades, maintain scholarship.
2) Athletics CAN open some doors with admissions offices (some coaches have more pull with admissions than others).
3) Being a college athlete is a HUGE commitment - figure @ 5 hours/day 6 days a week for a weights/conditioning, practice and study hours.
4) Only a special student athlete can excel at athletics AND academics (see Kasey Cooper at Auburn - all SEC and a Rhodes Scholar finalist)
5) If athletics opens some doors there is nothing that says your DD has to play all 4 years. Once she is admitted and enrolled all she has to do is maintain grades.
6) Schools cannot combine athletic and needs based financial aid, but they CAN combine academic and needs based financial aid!
Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
Pennsbury Showcase:

DD has been to this. There are two camps run during the week, prior to the tournament. The first is an "Academic Camp". You must apply for this and meet specific academic qualifications to get in. The second is a regular camp with no academic qualifications. I was DD's catcher for the day at the academic camp and I can tell you from experience that there were participants from all over the east coast and a few from further west. There were also several very good academic schools in attendance from all of the various NCAA divisions. She did not participate in the tournament itself, so I cannot comment on that. However, an interesting note... If your DD's team is not participating in the tournament, you can also apply as a "pickup player" for the event. Worth the time, in my opinion.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
So my question: Is it actually possible that college softball could factor into the equation for my daughter? If she stays on her current academic trajectory, I know that she will easily meet the academic standards for any top tier school, but I also know that alone doesn't get you in to these schools. If it is possible for softball to crack the door open at a top tier academic institution, particularly one that can meet our financial need (which would be significant) that would change my opinion about her commitment to softball pretty dramatically. Are any intercollegiate athletes really students first, athletes second? Maybe D3? Even if it does look like a possibility for her, does she really need to think about this at all for the next few years?

So yes to all your questions.

I have friends who have daughters at Princeton and Columbia. Without softball it is very unlikely they get in. Also the way Ivies do athletic entrance with an average class entry score, a high academic player with say a 34 ACT, allows them to take a borderline pitcher with a much lower score (it is an interesting recruiting tactic for the Ivies to help them be competitive)

And within the high-academic conferences there is a wide range of how serious athleticsis are taken, so academically that can change things as well. And yes, many of these schools are truly academics first. And they all have a lot less time on the field than other programs especially in the fall.

For example - In the Ivies, Brown Softball is generally not good. But Princeton is normally pretty good (and Dartmouth recently). And Columbia is generally not so good, but they now have a good pitcher so will be stronger. Patriot league has a wide range of teams.

And it doens't have to be D1 - Tufts, Williams - excellent academics, excellent softball. But in the same conferences, there are some terrible teams. DIII doesn't have money for athletes (that is all on academics), but there is no dunt at many schools there is some open slots where the athletic teams can get a student into the school and pushed through admissions.

Doesn't have to NE academic schools either - places like Emory in Atlanta, Rollins in Florida and so on are all options.
 

Top_Notch

Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
You may think 7th grade is too early to start thinking about college, but tell that to the 6th grader along with a couple of 7th graders that have given verbal to U of FL...but I digress.

My daughter sounds similar to yours. She's also a pitcher. I joke that I would come out ahead if we skipped travel ball altogether since it's so expensive and just saved that money for college straight away. (Scholarship is not why she plays) I could definitely understand why a very talented player would not play in college even if one had the ability. I believe the experience from being a student athlete versus just a student is substantially different. And the disparity seems to grow as the level of competition increases. You won't find many engineers on the softball of U of FL. I'd bet communications or kinesiology majors are more prevalent.

That being said, student athletes do get additional help that isn't offered to most other students. So, if your child wants to do both, there is help available. And softball could open an opportunity to a college, including cost reductions. And having stellar grades and test scores will open additional money opportunities to help pay for college. Ultimately, it's a tough decision. But softball definitely can be part of college plans.
 
Jul 14, 2010
716
18
NJ/PA
All I can say about college softball (at least at the D1 level) is that you'd better love the game if you want to have high academics and still perform on the field. It takes a lot of sacrifice and great time management skills to do both.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
DD plays DIII softball. Academics paid for college. Hard work continuing keeping it to pay for college. Named to the CSAC All-Academic Team.
 

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