How tall are softball players?

BT3100 said:

Great example. DD was at an exposure camp today. We set up and next to us arrived a girl that was a 2021 like my DD. But my DD is 5' 6" and this girl was 6" easy, both same body type except the height. I was excited to see her throw, she was wearing a Jersey from a bigger org in our area. When all was said and done I heard she threw 54 on the radar that they had set up. DD hit 59, 60, 58 on FB and her other pitches were nailed. It was the best I've seen her in a long time. Coaches did give DD some love but nothing like the love they gave the taller kid. I didn't say anything to DD about it but in the car she said "I guess they like tall girls". I guess in a way I probably would have given this taller girl some attention as her mechanics were poor and she used little leg drive. That said it's frustrating to see it in such an obvious example.

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This is why my DD doesn't go to exposure camps unless a coach specifically asks her to. Looking the part matters too much in that environment. It often doesn't matter how well you play or perform.

Fortunately there are many, many other ways to get on coaches radar.

DD is 6' tall. There is no doubt it gives her an unfair advantage when in with a group of girls. Of course we have to deal with the "your 6' tall and LH do you pitch?" question. The best advice I can give is if going to camp with lots of girls there and the college coach(es) don't already know you is to wear a shirt that is a different color to all the others that will be there. DD is lucky that one of the jersey's for her travel team is yellow. She was almost always the only one wearing a yellow jersey. Anything that will help catch a coaches eye helps get them noticed. Our experience is different from a lot of the people on DFP. Almost all of DD's interest has been because of coaches seeing her hit HRs. Almost all the personal emails she has gotten from coaches has referenced being at a game and seeing her hit a HR. I know coaches say they are looking for attitude and effort and lots of other things but that has not been her experience.

I’d say that at most camps we’ve been to recently (smaller D1 programs) DD at 5’8 has been an average-sized pitcher. Funny thing is she can stand next to another girl the same size but because she has a thin build she appears shorter than the other pitchers. It’s like an optical issusion. So just like others have mentioned, she doesn’t really get a look until she actually throws. I don’t think most of the coaches expect to see the ball come out of her hand the way it does. Once they set up the scrimmages, it’s a level playing ground.

How come the softball teams don't list the players weight the way baseball and football teams do?

My 8th grade pitcher is 5-8 and she weighs 138 pounds....or 13 more than She wants

I think height matters at pitching and 1st bast to be honest. More on pitching than 1st but having a long, tall girl at first really can make a difference. Its the same reason in baseball you don't see really short people playing 1st. My daughter is 5'8 and seems to grow an inch every time I blink, she just turned 13 and has been pitching for a several years. Her arms are long, her legs are long and her hands are above average in size. Anyone who doesn't think this gives her an advantage over a shorter girl with short arms and legs is really fooling themselves. Does that mean that a short girl can never be a good pitcher. Of course not, you can find examples, but for every example you find of a short successful pitcher, there are tons more about being tall. My travel team has this issue right now. My daughter is the #1 pitcher on the team, she currently throws about 54-57 and has worked really hard at her drop and drop curve. Another girl on the team is a good 6 or 7 inches shorter and takes pitching lessons. She works hard as hell, but she can't touch my daughter's speed or movement because of the amount of whip she gets from being tall.

Last two camps I’ve been at with my DD there were two girls there around 6’. We were both expecting them to throw gas based on size alone. They were both uncoordinated and had unrefined pitching mechanics, throwing in the low to mid 50’s by my estimation. Sure enough, the HC spent some time talking to them even though they certainly were not advanced in speed or movement compared to smaller pitchers, who got no chatter from the coach.


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SBmom8992 said:

Last two camps I’ve been at with my DD there were two girls there around 6’. We were both expecting them to throw gas based on size alone. They were both uncoordinated and had unrefined pitching mechanics, throwing in the low to mid 50’s by my estimation. Sure enough, the HC spent some time talking to them even though they certainly were not advanced in speed or movement compared to smaller pitchers, who got no chatter from the coach.


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Scouts (college and pro in baseball) are trying to project what these kids will be once they mature, gain some weight and are under their tutelage. Of course there are always diamonds in the rough who don't look the part but for every one of those there are 5 who do look the part. That is just the way it is. Only worry about what you can control...

SBmom8992 said:

Last two camps I’ve been at with my DD there were two girls there around 6’. We were both expecting them to throw gas based on size alone. They were both uncoordinated and had unrefined pitching mechanics, throwing in the low to mid 50’s by my estimation. Sure enough, the HC spent some time talking to them even though they certainly were not advanced in speed or movement compared to smaller pitchers, who got no chatter from the coach.


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Exactly!!

At the exposure camp I mentioned last week the HC of a D1 program spent all of her time with a girl who was 6' 2" and looked farm strong. She was what could have been thought of as a diamond in the rough. Looked like she just started pitching a few months ago. In fact she looks just like all of this coaches pitchers at her school. Oddly the program has lost more games then they have won for the last 4 seasons. I wonder how long she will continue to recruit diamonds in the rough over diamonds in the now.

Like fashion, types of athletes I believe also come in trends. I think the super tall pitcher is one of those trends that’s happening right now. My dd is slightly above average height. Will never get beyond 5’8” or 5’9”. Shes also a lefty and extremely athletic. She’s a pitcher snd plays 1B. Lead off batter. Her bff is likely going to be over 6ft but uncoordinated. Her parents are spending literally 1000s on her batting and pitching lesson they are hoping it clicks soon. They want her to play softball. I personally think she would be better at volleyball or basketball. I think softball is too mental of a sport for her because she gets frustrated very easily when she plays. Takes things very hard. Gives the coaches attitude. my dd has a good mental game. Can easily shake things off. Maybe that will come later for BFF. They are only 11.

With BFFs height, she can play a lot of different sports. I just wonder when the coordination will come for her.

SBmom8992 said:

Last two camps I’ve been at with my DD there were two girls there around 6’. We were both expecting them to throw gas based on size alone. They were both uncoordinated and had unrefined pitching mechanics, throwing in the low to mid 50’s by my estimation. Sure enough, the HC spent some time talking to them even though they certainly were not advanced in speed or movement compared to smaller pitchers, who got no chatter from the coach.

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As pattar said, coaches aren't just scouting for those who have maxed out on their potential or who the best player is at that moment. They're projecting. They're looking at a good athlete or someone with physical tools and thinking about what they can be in the future.

You say they're uncoordinated, but maybe they just haven't been playing the sport long and they are either new to pitching or have had poor pitching instruction. A coach might see them and think "If my pitching coach works with her for a year, she's going to dominate our competition."

After all, if they're uncoordinated and pitching with poor mechanics and they're still throwing in the mid-50s, that sounds like two potential stars if the right coach gets hold of them. I'd be interested in, at the very least, talking to those players if I'm that HC.