Going up in age bracket vs going College Exposure

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Nov 16, 2016
13
0
My daughter is on a new team this year and she really likes her teammates, coaches, and the other parents (we do too). She is 12u (turns 13 this March) eligible but playing with a 14u A/B. She is one of three very talented pitchers and they all motivate and push each other. One was once her idol when she was at the 8 and 10u levels. She is the youngest on the team and the group will be moving up to 16u next year. She is already asking me about moving up with them. I personally feel it would be better for her to go to 14u college exposure instead. I am not as concerned with her being out performed (yes I realize 16 year olds are much more developed physically) as I am the maturity level difference between a 13 year old and potentially 17 year olds. Has anyone had a 13 year old on a 16u team? How did it go?
 
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
My DD is currently 13, playing on a 16U team.
She turns 14 end of May.

She ended up playing 16U sort of by accident.
Fall tryouts didn't yield enough new 14U-eligible quality girls to make a full roster,
so coach decided to take the team up to 16U so aging-out players could remain.

I was very hesitant about it at first,
but it's really been great so far.
Roster ranges from 2nd year 12u's up to 1st year 16u's.
They are a great group of kids, and team chemistry is really stellar - despite the age differences.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
The answer to a lot of this is it depends.

While she might love the team college exposure does not mean anything unless she gets exposure; as the coach if I had three pitchers that I was all looking to get exposure and they were roughly the same talent wise I would lean toward showcasing the 16 yr olds before a 13 yr old; that 16 yr old is in her prime recruiting period and deserves at least a shot.

I would think getting her on the best 14U team in the area that is going to get some exposure where she is the #1 pitcher makes the most sense, she need the circle time to develop; if she won't sit the bench on the 16U team it would make a little sense, but there are lots of variables at play.
 
Last edited:
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
When DD played 14u, she often "guested" for a 16u team within our same organization. The 16u group was very nice to her and treated her much like a little sister. She enjoyed her time with them and learned a lot in the process. Playing with girls 2 and 3 years older then her really seemed to push her. Overall it was a very good experience for her, but I could see it go the other way too. Really depends on the maturity level of the girls involved.
 
Aug 3, 2019
156
28
My daughter is on a new team this year and she really likes her teammates, coaches, and the other parents (we do too). She is 12u (turns 13 this March) eligible but playing with a 14u A/B. She is one of three very talented pitchers and they all motivate and push each other. One was once her idol when she was at the 8 and 10u levels. She is the youngest on the team and the group will be moving up to 16u next year. She is already asking me about moving up with them. I personally feel it would be better for her to go to 14u college exposure instead. I am not as concerned with her being out performed (yes I realize 16 year olds are much more developed physically) as I am the maturity level difference between a 13 year old and potentially 17 year olds. Has anyone had a 13 year old on a 16u team? How did it go?

Now being 4 years down the road, what did you decide and how did it go?
 

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