How Important is High School Softball

[CoogansBluff]

Give it a rest on the rest of the crap about high school softball. You have the same issues in TB to deal with.

I won't take sides on the value of HS softball to college coaches, but I do think HS ball presents different issues than TB. ...

In travel ball, players typically seek out situations that are good fits for them. If one team doesn't offer that, they find another team. If you want to catch or pitch, you find a team that needs a catcher or pitcher. You're also not going to sit the bench for long in travel ball. In TB, most everybody plays more than 1/2 the time, if not all the time. If not, you find another team.

Also in travel ball, your parent is a valuable advocate for you. He/she might even be a coach. In HS, parents don't matter so much. You have to fend for yourself more.

In HS ball, you're asked to sacrifice more. You might fashion yourself as a 3B, but the HS team might need you at catcher, even though you hate catching, but you might be all they've got. Or you might get kept on JV when you think you should've made varsity. And you can't easily do anything about it.

The girl I previously mentioned who quit couldn't handle HS ball because the HS team wanted her to do things that were best for the team and not for her personally. She couldn't wrap her head around that. Why should I play that position? It's not what I am doing in college. These practices aren't very good, aren't helping me get ready for my college team. Why am I doing this?

The structure/intent of HS ball is more similar to college ball than travel ball is. HS ball and college ball are about playing for something bigger than yourself. Very team oriented. TB is largely about self-interest.

I don't judge any kid that chooses not to play HS ball. Mine almost didn't a couple of times.

But I do worry about those future college players who choose to play HS ball, then bring their teams down with incessant complaints and condescension.

 

[BobInMadison]

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

My kids all had to go to private school for drivers ed. Hate that. However, the local HS offers four years! of automotive classes. None of my kids took any of those classes. but my DS took several engineering classes in middle school, and 5 (!) years of engineering classes in HS. One of those engineering classes counted as a science class, so he never took bio. Instead he took an aeronautics class. Even got to fly a plane. That was a great class.

 

[BobInMadison]

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.

My kids' HS has tended to get a stud catcher about once every two years for a while. Which means that there has always been a freshman or sophomore stud catcher on JV who is better than some of the girls on Varsity. This year's freshman stud catcher has already had a few grand slams, but will probably have to play JV again next year, because the stud catcher on Varsity is a junior this year. Sometimes happens with pitchers. DD 3 is clearly a better player than many of the girls on Varsity, but the only way she will get to varsity next year would be if she can show she is a better pitcher than the girls already on Varsity. (She thinks she is better than at least one of the Varsity pitchers, but that isn't clear. She needs to be clearly better to knock one of the Varsity pitchers out of her position.)

 

[riseball]

After the first season of college ball parents realize that all of their angst over HS ball and to a lesser extent TB was really silly. College players rarely if ever wash out due to physical abilities. Focus on what really matters if you want your DD to have a successful college experience.

 

[nanotech14]

IMO, I wouldn't listen to me when it comes to HS ball I can't hardly watch the train wreck my dd plays on. My dd isn't a big strike out pitcher, more of a ground ball inducer. One game they had 7 errors in the first inning from booting the ball off the glove, to some where over the rainbow throws to first, to chucking the softball to the outfield throwing to second. The coach wants to hug the girls all the time not stand up for his players. To down right kissing the buts of the coaches they're playing. If I get any further away from the field to watch, I'm going to be in another zip code.

 

[obbay]

I'm hopeful that's true because my homeschooled kid couldn't play HS ball if she wanted to.

look into it if you're interested. DD#1's friend played for our HS even though she was homeschooled

 

[FP26]

IMO, I wouldn't listen to me when it comes to HS ball I can't hardly watch the train wreck my dd plays on. My dd isn't a big strike out pitcher, more of a ground ball inducer. One game they had 7 errors in the first inning from booting the ball off the glove, to some where over the rainbow throws to first, to chucking the softball to the outfield throwing to second. The coach wants to hug the girls all the time not stand up for his players. To down right kissing the buts of the coaches they're playing. If I get any further away from the field to watch, I'm going to be in another zip code.

Thank you for making me believe I am not alone with my thoughts or my situation

In regards to the OP, it really depends. And honestly I think I could use that response to MANY college related questions. In my experience so far, there are nearly as many different opinions as there are coaches. Some do not care at all about high school softball. Some do. One in particular told us directly that high school is important to her, and she prefers to see the train wrecks. It gives her an opportunity to watch a player when they are faced with adversity. Her comment to me was "it is easy to see how good someone is when the team is winning. I want to see them when they are losing." She added that when she recruits she is interested in more than just on-field talent, although it is obviously a factor.

 

[djcarter1966]

My kids' HS has tended to get a stud catcher about once every two years for a while. Which means that there has always been a freshman or sophomore stud catcher on JV who is better than some of the girls on Varsity. This year's freshman stud catcher has already had a few grand slams, but will probably have to play JV again next year, because the stud catcher on Varsity is a junior this year. Sometimes happens with pitchers. DD 3 is clearly a better player than many of the girls on Varsity, but the only way she will get to varsity next year would be if she can show she is a better pitcher than the girls already on Varsity. (She thinks she is better than at least one of the Varsity pitchers, but that isn't clear. She needs to be clearly better to knock one of the Varsity pitchers out of her position.)

Exactly!! We had a pitcher who was on JV for two years then quit. First she was behind a superstar her Freshman and Sophomore year then one year behind her was another superstar who jumped her on the depth chart. So she just did not bother any more. She watched other teams varsity pitcher playing while these were the same girls she was beating in TB and the two other pitchers on her TB team were varsity starters for their school but she was just in the wrong school at the wrong time.

 

[CoachJD]

I have no idea *at all* is this is something a college coach would look for, but if we go under the assumption that many HS programs are a step or two or three below TB programs, consider this: If you have a player who has real college ball potential playing on a team/in a conference with very few people who have that same potential, there is an opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills that may not be as noticeable on a TB team full of college-bound players (or at least players who have parents who think they're college-bound).

I imagine that watching a player who is clearly better than her teammates interact with those teammates can tell you a lot about her. Does she take on a leadership role? Does she try to help her teammates on the field (yes, coaches should coach, but having a knowledgeable player on the field who can take charge is great)? Does she look like she doesn't care because the team isn't good or the competition is lesser?

Ability matters most, but I think most coaches would want a player who thrives in that kind of situation.

 

[djcarter1966]

look into it if you're interested. DD#1's friend played for our HS even though she was homeschooled

OP...Assuming you have checked into it but it state by state basis. But if she is on a good TB team and stands out she should be just fine