How Important is High School Softball

[Jeff34]

Talked with a coach of a power 5 D1 program and he said if girl is good enough it doesn't matter what they play. Meaning he had several girls on the roster that did not play an inning of travel ball and still were good enough to play college. If they can play college coaches will find them whether that be playing only high school or travel.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Michael Jordon played multiple sports.


My dd is going out for the tennis team in the fall. I'm actually super stoked that shes going out for another sport. Thats what HS is about. Getting involved in other clubs or sports.


I wish automotive was still a class. Crap, the district doesn't even have drivers ed. classes anymore.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Talked with a coach of a power 5 D1 program and he said if girl is good enough it doesn't matter what they play. Meaning he had several girls on the roster that did not play an inning of travel ball and still were good enough to play college. If they can play college coaches will find them whether that be playing only high school or travel.

There is a Power Five conference team with several players who did not play an inning of travel ball? I find that hard to believe.

 

[Doug Romrell]

At least it isn't one of those deadbeat and/or redneck and/or vindictive and/or ________ coach situations.

Heck, have her do track or cross-country.

 

[nanotech14]

One problem in discussing HS softball is simply geography. There are people who post here from SoCal and Florida, and other people who post here are from rural Arkansas. HS softball can vary significantly.

Someone in Fulton County Arkansas might go to a HS softball game and think, "This is terrible." Someone in Orange County, California watching Norco play might think differently.

Playing well in HS softball will not necessarily help a kid, but *NOT* playing HS softball would be considered a red flag for some college coaches. IMHO, it suggests a lack of maturity, an inability to work within a group, and a lack of passion for the game.

The same problems that a kid faces in HS exist in college softball. E.g., politics is a fact of life...whether it is HS softball, college softball, working with customers, or working in a business. A child has to learn to deal with politics, or accept that her genius will never be recognized.

"Bad coaches" exist in college softball. Some college coaches are not nice people. Even if a kid loves the head coach, there will almost certainly be an AC that she doesn't mesh with. A player needs to learn how to work with difficult coaches.

Finally, it sounds like the kid doesn't care that much for the sport. I have real trouble imagining a player with a real passion for softball passing up an opportunity to play.

I get depending on where you live part. Give it a rest on the rest of the crap about high school softball. You have the same issues in TB to deal with. My dds case might be different but she had an offer for a div.2 scholarship, but turned it down to go to school and play ball at a div.3 school she loves. She is a senior in HS and a first year player. She only played TB till this year and had the offer last year.

 

[Strike2]

I know the OP is asking this in the context of eventually playing college SB. My DD isn't Division I or maybe even Division III material. Defensively, she has shown that she can hang with anyone on a ballfield, including grown men. Although she has a heck of a future as a coed slow-pitch player, it's her hitting, and to a lesser degree, her foot-speed that are barriers to that "next level" in FP. That doesn't mean she's a bad hitter or is slow...just average. However, her HS has a much better than average program, and if you aren't a pitcher, catcher, lightning quick, or hit balls over fences, you're at a disadvantage. Nothing wrong with that...it's just the way it is.

If playing varsity SB were the priority, there are nearby schools where she probably would start immediately. In the Spring, it's all about tournament ball, she's playing every weekend possible, and her team has been crushing it. Kids all get along as well as the parents...funny how winning often helps that. In her 10th year, it's the most fun she's ever had. However, she has developed other interests in the Fall where the success is not only on the state, but national level. I'm more than satisfied that what she does makes her a more rounded and better educated person.

So, to the question, is HS softball important? Ultimately, I guess the answer depends largely on you and your DD thinks is important for both the short and long term. However, if she doesn't play, substitute something worthwhile, so she can give that good explanation about why.

 

[djcarter1966]

I did not hear anywhere that your daughter had a BAD time...just that the competition was not good.

So my assumption is there is a stud catcher playing Varsity...we had one last year and it would not have mattered who came in there was no chance of them taking her spot both her and the pitcher were All Conference and both headed for college as juniors and took the team deep into playoffs why would the coach even think about breaking up that battery their senior year?

Now if you DD really like playing with the JV team why not embrace it...become the team JV team captain show leadership and maybe she at least gets a call up later in the year for playoffs or if someone gets hurt. Is her bat better than most on varsity maybe she can DH a little...but if the HC is like ours if you bail out on the JV team your sophomore year don't count on just being able to stroll in once the Varsity catcher graduates...you will have been labeled a non team player. Now if she was miserable that's another thing but not playing because she thinks she too good for JV is another.

 

[Cannonball]

I am pretty sure this has been discussed before but how important is playing high school softball to college coaches?

My daughter will be a sophomore next year and at this point doesn't want to play for the high school team. As a freshman she played on JV, starting every game at catcher. The JV was 15-2-1 but much of the competition was very weak and the level of play was not challenging. If she plays again she will still be on JV. If she doesn't play softball she would run cross country, do strength training, and work with her travel team and private coaches. Softball is a fall sport here but tryouts are in May with an optional but not optional summer preseason.

She hasn't made a final decision yet and is still weighing the pros and cons of playing high school softball. I am sure she would appreciate any additional perspectives.

Thanks-

You already have your answer. You don't feel that HS softball is worth it and so, encourage her to do track.

 

[grcsftbll]

I am always reading about how it's more about school spirit and the experience, that travel is more important for recruiting. I'm hopeful that's true because my homeschooled kid couldn't play HS ball if she wanted to.

 

[djcarter1966]

I am always reading about how it's more about school spirit and the experience, that travel is more important for recruiting. I'm hopeful that's true because my homeschooled kid couldn't play HS ball if she wanted to.

Unless she lived in a state that allowed it. We home schooled our two oldest and lucked out in Colorado my son played for a private school and in Texas they had a decent home school team that was allowed to play local private schools as non conference games....he never really adjusted to hitting a curveball so he was not headed for college but he had a good time