Need opinion on trying out for more competitive team

[CrazyNani]

What I have seen is moving to higher levels only amplifies the parent coach type situations. If you
have a plan for A level ball I’d say go for it. If it’s more for fun and learning I’d avoid it. We played some showcases and it really opened my eyes. We were a good B team trying to compete A level. We won a few but it really stressed our team and wasn’t much fun.

Sometimes it's easier to play up in age and not in class. You get some opportunity to play against bigger, more powerful girls and better pitching, but who are not quite yet A level themselves. It's possible to have success if your team is good defensively and has some speed.

 

[Beeg]

DD played in several A level teams from 8U through summer of 12U. She was always the starting SS, top of batting order, and pitch a few innings. We moved to a new town in the fall after all tryouts were over, so she had to play for a local travel team, which was C level at best. Stayed with them for 2 years. She got to pitch a lot (actually too much) and didn't get to slap b/c most of the opposing pitchers were too slow. Even when the team tried B-level USSSA games last season, most opposing pitchers were too slow for her to slap. DD ended up batting instead of slapping.

It felt like she went backwards in skills, esp. in fielding SS since she didn't get to do much of that. (Coach's daughter was SS so DD got put in OF when she wasn't pitching.) We figured that if she wants to play in college, her best bet would be to slap more and play SS more. She probably will not pitch in college since she is not tall (I know, there are several great 5'2"-5'4" pitchers.)

DD recently got offers to all 3 top A level teams in the area, and she picked an 14U National team (yeah, no more parent coach!) We know she will now have to fight for a spot in SS and batting order in tournament. She also has to get back into slapping. She probably won't get to pitch as much. She would be happy to pitch one game per tournament.

You never want your kid to be the top of her team, or else there isn't much for her to work toward. DD got lazy in the past 2 years since it doesn't matter how well she did, one of the coaches would yell at everyone when they lost a game (and they lost quite a lot.) It is definitely a balancing act. If your daughter wants to play on a higher-level team, let her do so for one year, and see how that goes. She can always play "down" next season if it was too much for her. You never know until she tries it. It is definitely easier to get on a B-level team after playing A-level, as opposed to the other way around.

Here's something to think about, esp. in a town where there aren't that many softball teams. After all the recent tryouts, we realized it would be harder to get on an A-level team in 16U or 18U. Most of these A-level teams were formed in 12U and 14U, and by the time they reach 16U, they'd be only looking for a handful of players. In these tryouts, we usually saw 20-40 players trying out for those few spots. DD wants to play in college, so the only way to do so is to be on a team that will go to showcases, so we are happy that she got into a team that'll give her the exposures, not to mention the training and development.

 

[Strike2]

We figured that if she wants to play in college, her best bet would be to slap more and play SS more.

Meh...I know a few current Div 1/2 players who did play infield when they were younger but got on their college rosters on the strength of OF play. Slapping is a great skill, but if she can hit away effectively, don't allow her to get type-cast as only a slapper.