Forum for advice for MS and early HS players wanting to play college ball?

[riseball]

At most large schools the athletic department invests heavily in the academic success of the players. The players have academic resources at no cost, some of which are not readily available to regular students. If you put forth the effort it is pretty hard not to be successful. Beyond graduation their are additional benefits that athletes can utilize. You have to either be in way over your head or a screw up not to do well and graduate. My DD is already in her industry with a job, her MBA paid for and just completed her last class for her BA.

 

[Bob516]

IMHO, a kid should find a school based upon what she wants to do after college, not based upon which school wants her to play softball. Kids should flip the system upside down and decide what is best for them.

My DD (the one who desperately wants to play D1) already knows she needs to pick her school based on whether they have a good program in the area she wants to major. I have already pointed out its not going to be any fun being at a school she does not like, once she steps off the softball field and heads to classroom.

I would enjoy watching one or both of my girls playing college ball, on any level, simply because I love watching them play ball. I have told them plenty of times if they were to quit today I would be fine with it, just find some other extracurricular activity to do while they are in high school. Hey, I am an artist. I would mind, actually I would love to see them taking part in the arts. But they have chosen softball, and I am glad they found something healthy to help establish their identity.

 

[JAD]

Harvard (yes, Harvard) is an ROFL school for me. Literally, half the team is majoring in psychology. Either (a) Harvard softball players are great fans of Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting", or (b) it is the easiest path to a degree.

There is no doubt that a lot of coaches push athletes towards majors that offer the best opportunity to keep their players eligible. It is the parents and players responsibility during the recruiting process to VET the coaches and schools to know how each coach operates. Look at the current roster and the players majors. Talk with current (and past) players to see how flexible the coaching staff is to various majors that interest your DD. How are conflicts with class schedules resolved? I would also recommend talking with and getting to know the academic advisers.

I would also like to point out that a lot of college graduates end up working in fields completely unrelated to their college degrees and I would LOVE to be a Harvard alumni with a degree in psychology...

 

[sluggers]

At most large schools the athletic department invests heavily in the academic success of the players.

Trusting the athletic department to make sure your child gets an education makes about as much as sense as trusting a used car salesman.

My experience: At the juco, the coaches were great and made sure that DD was on track. At D1, the coach only cared if she was eligible. The coach tried to talk her into changing majors because the one she wanted was too difficult.

The same thing happened with DD#3...coach wanted her to change majors because it took too much time.

My kids did fine academically, but it wasn't because of the AD or the coach. It was primarily because someone was there kicking their rear ends....

So, please, don't give me this BS how much these schools are invested in the academic success of the players.

I would LOVE to be a Harvard alumni with a degree in psychology...

*YOU* might love it...but how about the kids?

I find it hard to believe that half the Harvard softball team walked into the Dean's office and said, "Psychology is for me! Sure, I need an advanced degree in order to actually be a psychologist...but hey, school is what I'm all about!"

 

[Jquick823]

This question is not about softball activities, but for softball players and getting into college.

I am curious about the bigger picture of what a TB player should be doing to make herself the best possible recruit, besides the basics of good grades and HS and TB experience. Which is the best forum to ask such a question?

I want to follow the Forum Rules and post in the appropriate section.

These answers are based on my experience only.

If the goal of the family is to lessen the COST of college then academics is of the most importance. Even the worst softball players in the world can get an academic scholarship.

Things I would suggest.

1. Lift weights you do not I repeat DO NOT need a personal trainer. GOOGLE and start of easy. If you have the money hire a trainer. 6 months of consistent weight training with the correct exercises and 190 foot shots go 205.

2. hit hit hit hit hit hit. If you're from So Cal to Florida along the southern part of the country you have about 300 days a year you can hit outside. For those of us that see snow and sub freezing temps during the winter we come up with excuses as to why our DD's don't hit. For me there are only two indoor facilities that offer tunnel rentals. Both are 30-50 minutes away and I work nights and my DD goes to school all day. Not much time. So we hit in the front yard when it's 20 degrees out. I have several "old" BP bats that if they break I have more room in the house. Don't make excuses as to why you can't get 50 swings in.

3. Work on your craft. If your DD is a pitcher than she needs to throw 4-6 days a week for 30 minutes or more. If she's a catcher she needs to work on all aspects, often times we work heavily on blocking when they're younger because pitching is worse (some times), however work on receiving, thowing (long toss for arm strength) and blocking. Also what other positions does DD play? Catchers that can play OF are very popular with coaches lately as the position is becoming more athletic.

4. Email coaches of school your DD is interested in, but know your DD's true potential. If you look at DD and she's the best "B" player around she's not going to Florida to play softball. Again what is your family goal? Play at the highest level regardless of cost to the family or play at a school where it's the least cost to the family? Figure that part out early and you can save yourself a lot of stress, money and time. My DD wanted to play at Michigan, I let her send the emails but never had the intentions of going to a camp there, she's not good enough to ever be a starter there in my opinion, but she's good enough to get a 90% D2 offer and the 90% is of the total and not just tuition. 50% was softball and 40% was academics.

5. Go to camps, play on the best team your DD will see significant time on and also that the family can afford. My DD is on a team that cost $1500 (cheap for an 18U showcase team, but we play regionally. National teams will run you $3K-$10K a year. Hopefully your DD can get that money back in Scholarships.

6. Take care of her body. Heat and Ice after practices, eat healthy, include protein shakes (mine drinks a 1400 calorie one before school since lunch sucks).

Hope this is what you were looking for.

 

[Westwind]

Unfortunately for this forum, what you get with Sluggers as a mod here is a lot of old-school, brain-dead cave man advice followed up with a few sycophantic replies from his amen corner. I'm sure there are a lot of coaches who get paid just by results on the field but usually team grades and graduation rates are a significant chunk of a coaches compensation package and even the "just win baby" coaches want motivated students so that they don't want to have to worry about player eligibility during the season.

Bite me.

My sycophantic reply was based on my personal experience. DD #1 is playing softball on academic money. At the university that she chose for academics. It is the best in-state school for her field. It also happened to be the Softball program she wanted to be a part of. She decided that after attending a camp there in middle school. She got academic money because she has Ivy League level test scores and qualified for the honors program. Her mother and I have 3 degrees and my piddly Bachelors will allow me to retire at the end of this month at age 50. Despite being a cave man married to a cave woman, (with an MBA), we value academic excellence. And both of our kids should be able to graduate with very little debt- unlike us. Hopefully they can then spend their college saving funds on their first house.

At the end of the day though, you don’t get a spot on the roster or a spot on the field unless you *can play*. DD happens to be a speedy outfielder that can hit. That was pretty much exactly what the coach needed. She got a spot because she filled a need the team had, and she can play. The point of my post in other words.

I believe the original poster asked what you can do *besides grades*. The original poster asked what makes “the best recruit”. That was what I answered. I gave a Softball answer on a Softball site. Of course academics matter to an academic institution. Duh.

 

[55dad]

At most large schools the athletic department invests heavily in the academic success of the players. The players have academic resources at no cost, some of which are not readily available to regular students. If you put forth the effort it is pretty hard not to be successful. Beyond graduation their are additional benefits that athletes can utilize. You have to either be in way over your head or a screw up not to do well and graduate. My DD is already in her industry with a job, her MBA paid for and just completed her last class for her BA.

My DD was allowed to major in whatever she wanted to. The coaches and the athletic department are very focused on not just graduating but getting good grades while doing it. They help her in any way they can. She has had the Riseball experience so far and not the Sluggers experience. Fall semester of freshman year can be tough and her coaches, teammates, professors, and athletics department staff have been excellent.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk

 

[let it be fun]

Trusting the athletic department to make sure your child gets an education makes about as much as sense as trusting a used car salesman.

My experience: At the juco, the coaches were great and made sure that DD was on track. At D1, the coach only cared if she was eligible. The coach tried to talk her into changing majors because the one she wanted was too difficult.

The same thing happened with DD#3...coach wanted her to change majors because it took too much time.

My kids did fine academically, but it wasn't because of the AD or the coach. It was primarily because someone was there kicking their rear ends....

So, please, don't give me this BS how much these schools are invested in the academic success of the players.



*YOU* might love it...but how about the kids?

I find it hard to believe that half the Harvard softball team walked into the Dean's office and said, "Psychology is for me! Sure, I need an advanced degree in order to actually be a psychologist...but hey, school is what I'm all about!"

I don't understand the psychology major bashing. There are a lot of things you can do with a psychology major that do not require an additional degree. Not every psych major wants to be a psychologist. You might not be wealthy but you can make a good living. A lot of folks go into a graduate program outside psychology but their BA in psych is a good combination with that degree. If you graduate with a BA in psych and 120K in debt you might have a problem. Not everyone views the world through a lens of cost/benefit analysis of education and earning potential.

 

[Bob516]

My DD was allowed to major in whatever she wanted to. The coaches and the athletic department are very focused on not just graduating but getting good grades while doing it. They help her in any way they can. She has had the Riseball experience so far and not the Sluggers experience. Fall semester of freshman year can be tough and her coaches, teammates, professors, and athletics department staff have been excellent.

Sent from my LG-H820 using Tapatalk

Very reassuring to hear, thanks.

 

[Bob516]

My question to you and your DD is what do you guys want out of college? Playing SB in my book is a bonus....not a necessity.

That said, hitting is most everything to college coaches unless it's a position skill such as Pitchers and Catchers. DD is a catcher. I can't tell you how many times college coaches have stopped by after seeing DD drop and block numerous balls, receive properly to get more strikes and most importantly, hit it over the fence. They were always disappointed when they found out she was committed already.

I want my DD to get a solid education that will open opportunities for her. If she could she would play softball for the rest of her life. Softball is a necessity to her, it is at the core of her identity. Now that she is taking 9th grade biology in 8th grade she is talking that she wants to work in the health field, so I am glad she is seeing career directions for herself.

She is a catcher, loves the position and gets plenty of praise for her play, from umpires and opposing coaches alike.