First TB Tournament

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Aug 10, 2016
686
63
Georgia
DD played in her first TB tournament this weekend. They are a first year 14U team made up of all girls transitioning from rec to TB. DD is also 1 of 4 girls on the team who should still be in 12U.

I had no real idea of what to expect but knew that the majority of the teams we were playing had already played multiple tournaments last fall and were made up of girls who had been playing TB since 10U. Honestly, I was just hoping we'd score a few runs.

First game was pretty decent. Ended up winning 13-3. Second game was tougher and we faced a pitcher that was much better than we have really seen. I think she struck out our first 5 batters. Our pitching was way off in that game and lots of wild pitches that allowed them to score a lot. Lost 1-8..

Next two games were pretty much blow outs but they were against the teams that took 1st and 2nd in the tournament so I was not surprised. We never got shut out though :)

DD wasn't great hitting - she really struggles against faster pitchers and has only faced fast 14U pitchers in probably 2 games she's ever played. Had a really nice bunt and we really thought she was safe but she slowed down right as she was getting there :/

But defensively she had a great set of games. Played SS 3/4 of the games and had multiple ground outs - caught a few line drives and when she was catcher, was 1-2 on SBs.

It's going to be a struggle this season just learning these better teams - we looked super sloppy in some instances but hopefully they can get that all cleaned up.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
What you'll find is the girls will step it up themselves after seeing what worked in rec no longer works against seasoned travel ball players. They will grow into the game speed. It won't be instantly but when you compare them at the end of the season to now the difference will be noticeable.
 
Aug 10, 2016
686
63
Georgia
Yea that is what the coach has told them and the parents - I just hope everyone can get used to it. Being a top team in rec means nothing in TB ;)
TBH - I was surprised at how well DD did at SS - her coach has been teaching the girls to dive for balls and one of the line drives she caught she ended up in the dirt. It was awesome.
 
Jan 30, 2018
252
0
SE Michigan
Sounds like a successful first tournament for a team you described. Make sure to play the right tournaments. Make sure to play good teams but also mix in some tournaments where you have a chance to win it. Getting blown out 3 games and then your done sucks. We had a 14u team last season that the coach put them all in really good tournaments but didn't have a good team. They got spanked all summer long. Most of the girls left the team this year for one of the other teams in the org or left for other orgs. I am a proponent of playing the best teams you can hang with, playing cupcakes doesn't help unless you really need a confidence builder.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
We have a relatively young and experienced team too. Several of our players never played travel before this year. We're an 06 (first year 12U) team but 3 of our players are actually 2025s including both our bracket pitchers. So we're not winning much. It's ok, development year. It's fun to watch them improve.
 
Feb 4, 2015
641
28
Massachusetts
Some will rise to the occasion, some will get discouraged. Same with the parents. Some will work harder because they will see that's what it takes to compete at a higher level, others will not have the same commitment. Same with the parents.

This is a transition year and they'll go through a big learning curve, for the better or for the worse. Your DD and the other players will learn a lot about the sport and themselves this season! Best of luck and keep battling!
 

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