"College coaches often harm players hitting trying to get them to swing a particular way."

[625ender]

I see the line about college softball coaches getting fired for not winning over and over. Its bunk.

College softball coaches get fired for bad behavior. They get fired for gross incompetence. Not winning? No.

Most colleges could not care less about their softball program as long as the team has a high gpa and isn’t overtly embarrassing the institution.

All correct. Money goes in to the program to keep everyone hushed up and that's it. Anything other than football and possibly basketball is a burden

 

[Quasimodo]

Many parents mistakenly expect college to be a free ride for their softball DD . It seldom is. Many wont admit how much it cost....

18G teammate of my dd played for a well respected academic D3 with strong team, always challenged regionally/nationally. After academic aid.....and her student loans...her parents still had to borrow $30k to send her there.

It is called "living vicariously"
There is nothing like the quiet dad sitting behind home plate watching his DD play in her first college season. Sitting there a little nervous and praying for the best. One I remember fondly passed away last year. Then you have a man who is as un-athletic as imaginable, who never played the game, standing on his seat, beating his chest when his daughter who worked so hard to get where she is, knocks a hit. He may as well wear a sign that says, "It was ME!" Because the confession about scholarships would be about them, and living vicariously as they sometimes do, they can't let others know his daughter is "only" on a 1/4 scholarship. Things the way they are, are not always fair. We once took a walk-on, onto the team. She was actually a slow-pitch girl from Idaho. Amazing athlete who even hit better than several of our girls from Cal and Arizona. There was no money. She knew she deserved some help. We had nothing to give. It happens! One reason was the AD cut our scholarships by 3 full-rides that year and our travel budget by $40,000. He took 100 free travel vouchers from a regional airline as well. He gave those funds to football. A coach who at the end of that year was run out of town because of all of the arrests of his players that year for a shocking list of major crimes. He believe it or not, went to the Naval Academy.

 

[livingontheroad]

My daughters freshman yr, there were 2 pitchers both on full rides....horrible. One was just slower and hittable , other threw 65, but couldnt throw a strike for some reason. Fortunately both gone nextt yr. #1 pitcher was a txfr walk on.....she got a scholarship the next yr. And got us as far as conference finals that yr. my daughter told me that the the faster one that couldn't throw a strike actually had some success at wherever she transferred too.

we had a shortstop leave cuz she thought she deserved a full-ride and went to a school that gave her more money, or a greater percent of cost or something. Could have been cheaper too, who knows.

My DD graduated in dec. Even after going summers she still needed another semester to finish. Her coach ended up with some money left over...... Gave it to her instead of his new players. Paid about 2/3 of the tuition that last semester. totally unexpected and out of the blue he gave it to her in the summer. And he could have given it to his existing or incoming players. She was one of his favorites....but he never showed that. She did what she was told, didnt complain, didnt cause trouble, stayed out of any drama with teammates. She said he even cried at her exit interview. Which made her cry.

 

[Cannonball]

The more I read these threads, the more I realize just how lucky my dd was.

 

[Orange Socks]

LOTR-Living on the Road. Super Duper congrats!

My good buddy who had a kid 4 years in front my DD (2nd kid played with my DD) would tell me all these crazy stories from his kid playing mid major ball in the Southland conference. His DD was a preferred walk on and play A LOT but the loco coach would not give her any athletic money. She had some random housing scholarship which tied her to the dorms for 4 years. They had to take what they gave her. The HC and Asst Coach were just nuts. I don't want to go into too much details as I have seen former asst coach posting on here. Anyway, HC gets fired and new coach comes rolling in. New coach saw the work that she had done for the prior 3 years and was an outstanding student. New coach finally gives her some athletic monies and her Sr. year was just about paid for. The school did a wonderful vignette on her, and she is now working for a big time O&G company making big money. I just attended her wedding last weekend. It is nice to see the whole cycle from HS, College, graduation, job and then marriage. Babies are next.

 

[625ender]

Remember folks softball is an equivalency sport and not a head count sport according to the NCAA. Fully funded schools have a max of 12 scholarships can be handed out, but they can be split. Coaches can and will carrot and mule you without repercussions. It means nothing, zero, zilch unless its in writing.

It's always hysterical when I see teams with players that have "committed " to a school. Its a one way street. Do not take bullets out of your gun. Commit to no one unless they're giving you something.

 

[radness]

The college i went to, the coach at beginning of freshman year was either asked to step down or offered a non-renewal.
Never new exactly the story.
Can remember us players concerned and
the several days of 'who is next coach going to be?'
Turned out the Coach selected did a great job.
We went to the CWS our 3rd year.
Over the years became, at the time, the winningest coach at the college.

It took our players and coach together to make success happen! It included conversations with the coach that werent always easy!
To my knowledge he never tried to change anyones hitting mechanics.

 

[Orange Socks]

To my knowledge he never tried to change anyones hitting mechanics.

Look at Turbo bringing it back to the original topic! Well played!

 

[radness]

Hahaha super funny !!!
in true form the technical hitting folks try to turn a thread titled
'College coaches often harm players hitting trying to get them to swing a particular way'
*By explaining why they think hitting a particular way is best!!!

Hilarious to me! Not laughing at folks just the dynamic how conversation goes!

Perfect time to comment that I know of players and have had students who have turned down opportunities at top 25 D1 schools in the nation because of the way a few of those programs hitting coaches
wanted to change players great swings at camps and look see sessions. Even after that being offered campus visits...
It deterred the player from going to their program.
To then continue successfully hitting their same way as the competition.
Playing for programs who did not want to overhaul there swings.

Choices Choices Choices....
and DIVERSITY !

 

[PDM]

Figure out what type swing the preferred college uses and start learning at a young age.

Gee, what a great idea. Have a girl make her college selection at age 10, learn a hitting style to match that college's coach's preference, regardless of whether it fits that player, and then watch her suffer the consequences of that choice when her production suffers and then the school gets a new coach with a different style. The player is left with worse stats than she might have achieved and a coach at her preferred school (as a 10 year old) that doesn't even like her style of hitting. Instead, why not help the player reach her potential by doing what works best for her and let college consideration wait until the appropriate time.