High school softball

[Towny9]

I am so glad that I don't live where some of you live. I continue to beat a dead horse but HS softball in my area is still pretty intense. People in my small town community follow HS sports and my community expects to win in all sports. The school I coach at is roughly 1,000 students. It plays a schedule of school twice its size and plays in tournaments that contain state-caliber teams. The conference and my area produce state championship teams. We have a small-town newspaper that comes out once a week. Sports coverage fills that newspaper and everyone in town knows the student-athletes. We have 4 D-II colleges and 3 D-I colleges within 45 minutes so those coaching staffs make it to local games. They especially attend a couple of tournaments. I know that I am blessed and wish for better HS experiences for some of you. BTW, the local HS players have to overcome some old guys coaching but seem to be able to get into college anyway.

This is my experience where we live as well thank god.

 

[Bullseye]

A few years ago, my daughter was on an unofficial visit to a D2 school not too far from home (pre-covid)and the coach said to the effect.

"I don't want to drive to Atlanta and maybe see you pitch 1-2 innings, I want to come see what you do against XXXXXX". Team their rival

Stuck out as sometime opportunities may be at the expense of what the budget or philosophy of interested coaches is. Majority of kids play 3.5 hours away from home for a reason.

How good would you consider the high school she played for? Why would the coach be assured she would pitch more than one or two innings in high school and not on her travel ball team? Understandable about the budget of the college she wants to attend.
Our eldest daughter pitcher was recruited D1.
Colleges needed to see her compete against real competition. High School wouldn't cut it. Middle daughter is in the process of recruitment. The high school has a good coach but the competition in high school does not produce a challenge to show her skills.
There are never college coaches at high school games. Showcasing in the summer and winter going to camps and showcasing have already drawn college recruitment. This is a sophomore who won't know if there will be a high school season.
Our youngest daughter currently competes in travel ball and is following in her sisters footsteps. Already setting a path for herself won't start high school until next year and those seasons are still uncertain. Travel ball has it's advantage beyond the curricular system.

 

[Westwind]

This thread is a great example of how softball is a different experience for everyone. Since I have been away for a few days, here are my catch up comments.

Where I live, your zip code dictates what high school you attend. Its that simple.

If someone “moves” for reasons related to sports, it will be in the paper and it better be legit. It happens, but the family probably will have “that crazy sports family” label forever after. (I don't automatically hold that opinion.)

I agree that the college coaches aren’t usually very concerned about hs softball. Maybe they should be. College softball is a lot more like high school softball than it is like travel ball.

As far as football… Our school does indeed move the temp fence so the football boys can practice in the muddy softball outfield. Yet more players from the softball team played college softball than players from the football team played college football in the last decade.

(We did have a kid that willed his way onto a D1 football team. He then willed his way onto a P5 team. He then willed his way onto the Green Bay Packers. The “help” he got from our athletic coaches and meathead athletic director was CRITICISM for working out “too hard and too loud” in the weight room. When the New and Improved weight room was installed, the hs goofs put up “inspirational pics” of all the former athletes from Important Families from town instead of a 19’ high mural of this kid. It is/was pathetic.)

People don’t like hs softball because the schools, coaches, school board members and people with the right last name use it for their own benefit. It’s a different group of suspects in college but don’t think for a minute that the purity of competition completely eliminates these situations. Parents are parents at every level and some will exert influence. Org heads also exert some influence.

 

[Bullseye]

I don't disagree that it can be a struggle at times, but (right or wrong) HS ball has always been this way. It was this way when I played HS baseball and basketball 30 years ago. The only real difference is I didn't have 24/7 access to the equivalent of a 1980's supercomputer to suck up my time..

Concur. There are more excuses now then 30 years ago and more finger pointing.

 

[Westwind]

And with all its faults, hs sports can be such a good experience for kids that go at it with the right attitude.

The kids that are successful in spite of the meddling adults…. they learn something valuable.

 

[PapaBear]

How good would you consider the high school she played for? Why would the coach be assured she would pitch more than one or two innings in high school and not on her travel ball team? Understandable about the budget of the college she wants to attend.
Our eldest daughter pitcher was recruited D1.
Colleges needed to see her compete against real competition. High School wouldn't cut it. Middle daughter is in the process of recruitment. The high school has a good coach but the competition in high school does not produce a challenge to show her skills.
There are never college coaches at high school games. Showcasing in the summer and winter going to camps and showcasing have already drawn college recruitment. This is a sophomore who won't know if there will be a high school season.
Our youngest daughter currently competes in travel ball and is following in her sisters footsteps. Already setting a path for herself won't start high school until next year and those seasons are still uncertain. Travel ball has it's advantage beyond the curricular system.

At the point my kid visited she had yet to play HS, he was going off her summer stats. He came to see her pitch that spring against the defending state champions and had her first verbal offer soon after as a FR.
Fast forward to last year JR season, they won state.
Each kid is different as each HS team is different. In regards to college coaches not being at games physically that may be true in some areas but they all have access to be there via online streaming. We had D2/3/Juco/NAIA coaches at many games last year as well as my daughters future D1 coach would catch games live or at night after their games via teams streaming.

 

[radness]

Travel ball exists primarily for getting girls into college programs. It's a requirement for my DGD's travel team, that she intend to play in college.

Ohhh appears she decided to stay with that travel ball team you commented about in another thread. Good for her.... she started to have a goal of college?

 

[_MIA_]

Ohhh appears she decided to stay with that travel ball team you commented about in another thread. Good for her.... she started to have a goal of college?

I could be wrong, and if so I apologize to @Jeannie , but I viewed that post as sort of "tongue in cheek"...

 

[radness]

If high schools cared about the "student" part of student-athlete they'd worry less about what travel teams are doing and more about 6 days a week of HS ball. Every day after school and some weekends too. HS season is the only time my A+ honors student athlete struggles with the balance.

I agree with the time consumption of high school sports. Each of the student-athletes I have known (speaking in the past 8 to 10 years)
would have liked at least one weekday to have to catch up on school work. Instead of go to a practice that didn't produce much.

 

[radness]

I could be wrong, and if so I apologize to @Jeannie , but I viewed that post as sort of "tongue in cheek"...

?