14U or 16U exposure?

How about joining a 14U ASA showcase team. My experience
is that the 14U ASA teams play against 18U USSSA teams as
they far outclass your typical 14U teams. At her young age, many
of us has alluded to the social aspect combined with getting lots
of circle time. let your conscience be your guide as a parent and leave your
competitive side alone

Coach JV said:

How about joining a 14U ASA showcase team. My experience
is that the 14U ASA teams play against 18U USSSA teams as
they far outclass your typical 14U teams. At her young age, many
of us has alluded to the social aspect combined with getting lots
of circle time. let your conscience be your guide as a parent and leave your
competitive side alone

Click to expand...

Which is not a bad idea if you can find one close enough. I've told this story on here 2 years ago.......

We had a 14u showcase team in MS. ( they are about hour n half away from us in TN ) DD picked up with them a time or two over the years. But they usually travel far and wide and my pockets are not that deep. Anyway, we both went to the TCS. Stayed in the same hotel, went out to eat together, kids hung out, etc. Both went through pool games and set up brackets. Teams from 12 different states and we play that MS showcase team first in brackets. Well we sent them home their first game. We still laugh about that. Drive 8 hours to play a team we see often at home.

Getting back to OP--the line is sometimes blurred as many of us
wear the hat of parent and coach, no disrespect, but sometimes
I have been served best by putting my coach's hat in the drawer
when trying to make a jump. Your DD is going to be fine, she will
have ample opportunity to show her skills at 16U as she matures.
Stay put, re-evaluate in a year. I would not worry about her getting
torched at a showcase event as a 7th grader. If I were a college scout,
I would expect a 13 yo to give up some hits to girls 4 years older than her

Drive 8 hours to play a team we see often at home.

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A couple years ago at the USSSA world series, we played 2 pool games
against teams that we see in tournaments all summer long. It makes
me wonder what the thought process is behind it but that my friend is an entirely
different rant.

Personally the fact that D1 is just for bragging rights is not true at all. Its the position they ascend to. If a young lady is an exceptional academic and athletic student she will go where she fits and where she belongs. Having a dd that plays D1 It seems strange to me that she should have taken an offer from another school that wasnt D1 just to say that ......... well she could have played D1 but chose another division because we as a family would have felt that she would only go there so we could brag on her. Does anyone else find that a bit weird or is it just me.

Also people love to watch the best teams in softball like UCLA, MICH, ASU. And openly admit that is the cream of the crop and talk around the water cooler how cool it would be to see their dd play like that and then in the same breath be little when other kids have reached that level. Most 12 year olds want to play there, for most the dream dies as they get older and either the talent or grades just isnt there, or life offers them something that is more important to them such as a car , job or boys.


As far as a kid playing up, mine did just as SBF did and then went Gold 18 her 2nd year 16. Verbaled at 16u and then worked to better her game the last 2 years before college.

In my opinion, It dosent matter if shes a position player, a pitcher or a big stick. If she is mentally and physically advanced of her peers and gets no challenge from that age group then she should be placed where she can contuie to get better against better competition.

The thing people have to realize is that it takes an honest assessment of their dd,s playing ability and maturity, Take off the daddy goggles and look at your dd as an outsider would. And if her goal is to play at the highest level then so be it. Put her there and she will either sink or swim.


Tim