DDs 12u team going to 14u...

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Sep 15, 2016
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My DDs 12u travel team is moving up to 14u. She is an 06 as are a few of the other girl on the team. My DD is a pitcher. She has worked her way up to #2 pitcher and is working on getting her hitting back to where it was.(she went through a growth spurt, it improved her pitching but hurt her hitting..lol). My question is should she move up with the rest of the 05 girls or should we look for a new team that is made up of 06's? This is her first year of travel ball and after a bit of a ruff patch adjusting to travel ball from rec ball, she is really enjoying herself with this team.
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
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It's tough to move up as a pitcher, I saw one girl that I know try exactly what you're thinking about and she went from being a dominant 12U pitcher to an ordinary 14U pitcher. There are obviously some out there who can make the jump and dominate at the higher level, but I'd stay down unless the competition is so easy that she doesn't have to work hard.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
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My 06 pitched a scrimmage against a mid-B 14U team this spring. She did great; we actually won it (we weren't really playing for runs or following strict rules, it was more of a learning thing, but we did score more, lol). I think it depends on the kid. We would consider it for ours.
 
Jan 28, 2017
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My daughter is an 06 that improved tremendously at the end of spring. With that said, we have decided to stay down. In our area she would be fine pitching local tournaments but couldn't compete at the higher 14U level. Local girls throw between 52-56. The better pitchers throw 60+ or close to 60. So for us it's either play local on below average teams or play on a better 12U team that's competitive. Don't care about winning but want them to be able to make plays. Finding a team that is socially equal to my DD was the hardest point. 07 just are to young and 04 seem so old.
 
Apr 26, 2015
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My DD is not a pitcher so take this for what it's worth...

I personally think the jump from 12s to 14s is a big one. Some of those 2nd yr 14s girls are big and strong and powerful. DD had a teammate (who was tall and strong and a great little 12U pitcher) play up last year and she lost all confidence. Playing against weaker 1st yr 14s teams she was fine, but as soon as she saw some of the 2nd yr teams or A level teams she shut down. They could hit her easily and sometimes those hits were scary. DD is skinny and was very little until recently when she finally grew 6 inches in 8 months. Her hitting suffered at the beginning of 14s as well - facing pitchers who throw harder, faster and have more movement. She just finished her 2nd yr of 14s and just recently found some power in her swing again. She is finally comfortable in the batters box and I am fairly confident in her ability as well. Personally, I would not move a pitcher up - especially just finishing her first year of TB. I know it is nice to stay with a team, but I would try to find one her age that she can move up with from here.

DD is an 04 and we moved her to an 04 team last year. Prior to that she was on a team of 02s and 03s and although she liked the girls and the coaches there was always something not quite perfect. She was one of if not the best player on her team, but it still wasn't a good fit. Her current team are all 04s with one 05 (coaches daughter). It is a perfect fit and we hope to be able to stay with them for many years to come.
 
Apr 6, 2017
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It would be hard to steal her thunder if she has another year of 12u. I'd look for a good 12u team before moving her up.
I'm guessing she could be #1 pitcher if you find the right team, that would make it worth it. If nothing good comes move her up.
 
Oct 21, 2016
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I was an AC for my DD's 2nd year 14UB team this year with 5 girls that were eligible to stay at 12U for one more year, including our #2 and #3 pitchers. Both pitchers were dominant at times last year at 12UB, but they were completely ordinary at 14UB this year. One of the 2 pitchers quit just over half way through the year. There is a big, big difference between a 12 year old and 14 year old. I'm 6' and 200 lbs and there are 2nd year 14U girls that tower over me. If she's not ready to compete with girls like that then I would keep her at her level until she is ready to move up girls her age. The same goes for all 12 year olds playing up to 14U. We went from hiding girls in the OF at 12UB to putting our best athletes in the OF at 14UB because girls can hit the ball hard. This is just my experience and opinion. Lots of girls play up with success.
 
May 18, 2009
1,314
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Your DD will be fine. Play fall ball if you can so she aclimates. Tell her to find lowest part of strike zone. Pound inside outside and then throw a drop. She’s got this!
 

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