Thoughts on a 15 year old trying to play for a travel team with no experience?

Hey so I'm trying to play for a 16u fastpitch travel team . I have never played softball before . I'm wanting to play as a catcher . I go outside and practice everyday all day . But I also have a knee problem that will never go away called patellar dislocation. So I want to hear everyone's opinions on what they think about me starting to play on a traveling team at 15 with no experience and if its possible. Also of you have any stretches , workouts or drills i would appreciate it .

Well, to be honest Hannah, it's gonna be tough for you. How many teams are in your area?.....Not every team is a powerhouse, if there are alot of teams near you, you may find a team you can fit into.
Definitely work on your hitting. If you show up to a tryout and you can really hit that ball, coaches will give you a chance regardless (mostly) of your fielding skills. And as you probably know, catcher is the hardest position in softball (after pitcher). Every team is looking for players who can catch, either exclusively or who can play another position too, so if you are a competent catcher, it could work to your advantage, although if you have knee problems, it may not be the position for you.
I've seen your videos, and the one thing you have going for you is your drive and determination. If a coach see that you are working hard, that's a plus. Although bottom line, it's about the hitting that will get a coaches attention.

Good Luck!

14u generally separates the serious from the non serious. The ok from the good. 16 u is a step up from there.
Since I don’t known you and have ever seen you bat, throw or catch bits impossible for any of us to give you a good answer. All I can say Is at 16u level the players are pretty good. But if you are a very good athlete. Can hit, throw and catch , regardless of experience there could be a team for you.
Is there a rec league you could join.? Did you try out for the hs team? You could start there first.


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DrRiello said:

14u generally separates the serious from the non serious. The ok from the good. 16 u is a step up from there.
Since I don’t known you and have ever seen you bat, throw or catch bits impossible for any of us to give you a good answer. All I can say Is at 16u level the players are pretty good. But if you are a very good athlete. Can hit, throw and catch , regardless of experience there could be a team for you.
Is there a rec league you could join.? Did you try out for the hs team? You could start there first.


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I'm homeschooling. We only have like 3 teams around me but I might move to a different state so not sure about rec league there but there isn't one here .

I know catchers who didn't have knee problems, form knee problems from playing baseball as a catcher. I'm not saying that you shouldn't follow your dreams but just letting you know since you have disclosed you have knee issues. It's like adding fuel to a fire.
There are other positions you can play like 1st base, or even 3rd base which translate well.

Also, I'd suggest you look into a rec league, at least for a season or two before trying for a travel team. Even if you make a travel team, considering your experience level, I would say that you may not get as much playing time as you would if you played in rec. You would be missing out on many at bats, and field time, which may not be a big issue if you were say 10 years old, but since you're starting at 16u, you need to play a little catch up and get some game experience to improve your game.

Please keep posting and continue your journey. I admire your will and drive, and really wish you the best.

Let me start with the last part of your question; is it possible? Yes. However, what the other posters have stated is pretty much the way it is. In TB, by 14U, a lot of things happen. A majority of the pitchers decide they don't want to pitch anymore due to the huge amount of work required to keep progressing and become a quality pitcher. A majority of the players themselves have decided whether they want to continue to play at a high level and try to move on to college play or if they want to play on their HS team and not go any further with their softball career. What this means is that by 16U, most of the teams are comprised of players that have worked year round on all aspects of their game since they were 11 or 12 years old, are highly skilled and very competitive.
The disadvantages you will be facing are huge. You need game experience. You need to know what to do in all of the various game situations in every aspect of the game from where the play is made, how to properly base run, which slide to use when and where, where to hit the ball depending upon which bases the baserunners are on, pitch recognition from ball spin and what ball movement to expect, how and when to bunt and an entire slew of other things. All of this knowledge is earned through playing hundreds if not thousands of games under quality coaching. In other words, you are way behind the curve.

Another disadvantage you have is that you want to try playing the catcher position with Patellar Dislocation. If you can't or won't drop and block, The chances of getting behind the plate in a game are slim to none unless it would be an emergency situation.

The good news is you do have a couple of things going for you that are sorely underestimated by many; your attitude and work ethic.

So my suggestions for you are these:

1) Many of the disadvantages you face can be remedied through reading and studying the various threads here on DFP, books on game strategy and watching a lot of games themselves. I'm sure you can find plenty of them to stream.

2)As hard as you've worked at catching, you need to decide whether it is the right position for you with your physical limitations. If not, start looking at other positions.

3)Work on your hitting. As many college coaches say, ' If you can hit, I'll find a place on the field for you.' This holds true for Travel Coaches as well.

4) Try to find a rec league you can play in even if it's an hour away to get game experience.

5) As daunting as this task may seem, maintain your great attitude and work ethic.

6) Realize that everyone on here is seriously rooting for your success. Good Luck and keep us up to date please!

Hannah good luck trying out and I would look for a team and a coach that is supportive of your just-getting-started situation and wants to work with you to learn the game. There are TONs of small but critically important things young players learn over the course of YEARS playing travel softball that you'll have to catch up on, especially if you want to play catcher, the toughest of all positions. That's not to say you shouldn't do it -- just be ready to work

The reason I told you to look for a coach that is supportive is that some teams will take your money just to have it and sit a new player on the end of the bench and not pay her any mind. Be careful about that.

And go for it! I wonder if you have a goal of playing in high school too. That might be a place to get extra work, reps and coaching. Best of luck.

Listen...go for it. Nothing ventured...nothing gained. Go try out...learn from the tryout if you get cut. Keep working and doing!!! Have confidence!!! Good luck!!

As has been said, a good coach will be everything for you. This could come from a fellow girl willing to help you out as much as an actual team coach. Second, you've got to actually catch for a pitcher. So, how do you do that? I assume you have a local softball board and facebook group. Post up asking for any pitchers that'd let you catch for them during their lessons. Second, post up asking any girls if they'd be willing to help you. My DD is an experienced catcher and loves helping others. Last year we coached a 12u rec baseball team and you could easily tell the improvement of our catchers over other teams. She worked hard with those boys and loved doing it. So, finding someone to mentor you will be huge.

Also, as others have said, don't downplay other positions. If you are unable to drop to your knees and block wild pitches, then you don't need to be playing catcher. There's no nice way to say that. Everyone thinks about throwdowns when evaluating catchers; but I guarantee you, passed balls have cost more runs than a stolen base.

I love your desire and determination!! I wish you the best of luck.

As others have mentioned, one of the biggest challenges will be your lack of experience compared with your future teammates. Being a new player on a rec league team where there will be other beginning players is one thing. Being a new player on a team full of girls who have been playing for a long time is a completely different challenge.

I see the difference in players most vividly in HS ball. On my DD's varsity team, there is a mix of players from those who have played only in HS, girls who have rec ball experience, and girls who play TB.

At the top end are the girls who started playing the game from a very young age (under 8yo), moved to TB pretty early (10-11yo), and have been playing high-level TB with and against the best players in the country for 4+ years. These players throw hard, hit hard, move fast and smooth, and are confident and efficient in their skills. This comes from years of long practices and hundreds of games, getting thousands of reps in every skill. Generally speaking, these girls are also excellent athletes.

There are girls who have been playing just as long as the TB players, but stayed in rec ball. They played at the all-star level most summers, but then returned to the regular fall and spring rec seasons. Their skills aren't as confident, efficient, or consistent, and they struggle more against better pitching. The biggest difference is their mental speed. They don't process the action of the game as fast in their head as the experienced TB player, and as such, they don't react as fast. They tend to think just about what they're doing in the moment (make a catch), and not what they need to do next (look back the runner and 3B, and then back-pick the runner at 2B). Very often, this group of girls tends to plateau in their skill development because they are bumping up against the limits of their athleticism.

The players who have only played HS ball are a step or two further behind. In all areas.

Especially at this age, it's really hard to make up for all the reps and knowledge to be able to compete at the same level. I would say that adding the complexity of playing catcher will make your task even more challenging.

I definitely encourage you to give it everything you can, but I also encourage you to find a team where you will get playing time so you can start building reps and experience.