Number of players on a team

[Strike2]

If the team is good or even above average they will play 3 pool games on a typical Saturday and 2-5 games on a Sunday. If the team plays 6 games in a weekend you're saying 3 games to sit is too many? Even if they play 3 full games?

We've played as many as 10 games in a weekend with a 11-12 player roster. This is 16U/18U. Yeah, sitting half the time is way too much. Time is short...half of your softball career shouldn't be spent on the bench. I don't know why anyone would be good with that.

 

[BT3100]

Listen to Walton at the 11 minute mark.
Stirke 2 around your concern listen at the 11:45 mark.

Explains a lot

 

[BT3100]

We've played as many as 10 games in a weekend with a 11-12 player roster. This is 16U/18U. Yeah, sitting half the time is way too much. Time is short...half of your softball career shouldn't be spent on the bench. I don't know why anyone would be good with that.

Because you are surrounded by top talent.
For some competing with great teamates for playing time is a task too tall.
For those who want to become their best version of themselves sitting half the games is a small price to pay. I guess until you see it its hard to understand, I don't knock ya for that. Gotta see it.

 

[BrianTx01]

I think we're talking about 2 different types of teams/focuses. If your team is a B or C team with girls who play for fun and have little aspirations of playing in college then it wouldn't make sense to be on a team with 18 players.
However, if the player is skilled enough to compete for playing time against other skilled players and she has the desire to face top competition to ready herself for college ball then playing on a larger team is not seen as a threat to her or her family. High level teams that play top competition don't have to search for pitching. They have pitchers knocking on their doors, not to mention the pitchers they have developed from the 10u level. If a team is desperately looking for pitching help not due to injuries then that's not a team playing in high level tournaments. I still can't believe or understand why a parent would get upset if their kids team plays 6 games in a weekend and each kid got 3 whole games at their position then sat for 3 games of the weekend. Average game 6 innings. Thats 18 innings of play for your DD. How much do ya want?

Where do you live at that you have top level pitchers knocking on the doors? In my area the top teams have lots of B level pitchers wanting to join but true A level pitchers are harder to find than Big Foot riding a unicorn.

 

[ang2bmd]

Where do you live at that you have top level pitchers knocking on the doors? In my area the top teams have lots of B level pitchers wanting to join but true A level pitchers are harder to find than Big Foot riding a unicorn.

I'd say you don't have that level of team in your area. The real bat busters, athletics, bandits, Thunderbolts, mojo, hotshot, impact gold....they don't go looking for pitching, it comes to them. They also have big rosters where kids compete and sit like they will in the level of college they aspire to play. You're talking about your local teams that call themselves A. These teams are well above that

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[BT3100]

I'd say you don't have that level of team in your area. The real bat busters, athletics, bandits, Thunderbolts, mojo, hotshot, impact gold....they don't go looking for pitching, it comes to them. They also have big rosters where kids compete and sit like they will in the level of college they aspire to play. You're talking about your local teams that call themselves A. These teams are well above that

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Exactly, were in the Northeast and our top teams in the area don't search for pitchers.. they come.

 

[Strike2]

Because you are surrounded by top talent.
For some competing with great teamates for playing time is a task too tall.
For those who want to become their best version of themselves sitting half the games is a small price to pay. I guess until you see it its hard to understand, I don't knock ya for that. Gotta see it.

Whatever gets you to where you're going. I've done my best to teach DD that every playing opportunity is a gift. Get better by practicing and playing. If you won't voluntarily work to be the best you can, we're done. Sometimes, you've got to wait your turn (HS & College teams), but I've yet to see someone improve by sitting unless the benching was a disciplinary message. I've told DD for a couple of years now to play every game and tournament like it's going to be her last, because someday soon it will be. I've got tons of pics and video of her on the field at every age level. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

I also know of a kid from a big well-known org in Texas. She came from of these teams of ridiculous size. I don't know how much she sat before coming to college, but she quit her D1 team after a single freshman semester. Done with softball...left the school...didn't play a single game. I have close knowledge of the team and coaches...nothing wrong...go figure.

 

[Orange Socks]

Where do you live at that you have top level pitchers knocking on the doors? In my area the top teams have lots of B level pitchers wanting to join but true A level pitchers are harder to find than Big Foot riding a unicorn.

The top pitchers funnel to the top organizations and they will travel if necessary. North Tx players will play on teams based out of Houston. Houston players will play on Central Tx teams. And Texas players will play on out of state teams. The best pitchers typically end up on the Best teams in the country. The Law of Attraction. Those pitchers (families) want to compete against the best and have the best players backing them in the field and at the plate. These teams don't need to have tryouts either. They will, only to find that one or two players that they were not aware. For the most part, the coaches have a pretty good idea what their rosters will look like before the tryout date.

 

[Vertigo]

The top pitchers funnel to the top organizations and they will travel if necessary. North Tx players will play on teams based out of Houston. Houston players will play on Central Tx teams. And Texas players will play on out of state teams. The best pitchers typically end up on the Best teams in the country. The Law of Attraction. Those pitchers (families) want to compete against the best and have the best players backing them in the field and at the plate. These teams don't need to have tryouts either. They will, only to find that one or two players that they were not aware. For the most part, the coaches have a pretty good idea what their rosters will look like before the tryout date.

Yep, this. We played a HS game against a pitcher from NJ who would go to CA every summer to play for one of the premier teams out there.

 

[uncdrew]

I honestly think these huge teams will soon be a thing of the past. In my local area we can't get two top pitchers on the same team. Their parents avoid each other like the plague. Some of the usual suspects are getting 14 and 15 on a 12U roster but they don't have the elite pitchers. Even some of the larger organizations are thinking the size of their top teams.

I just think this younger generation and their parents are different. They would much rather play than game then ride the pine just to say they are on some trade mark team.

But this could be a regional thing...I was amazed when I saw how big some of the 12U california teams where at the Ronald McDonald.

This makes some sense to me. We just added another top tier pitcher to our team to go with my DD. And I'm psyched with this, because it'll push my DD, make the team better, and still let my DD pitch a ton.

However, if we added a third, I might not be as happy. But I'd understand the coach wanting to add a third.