Playing Up & Skipping Years 14U to 18U - Your Experiences

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sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
My biggest concern is that unless she gets her speed and confidence back she is never going to stand out on this team. She's made the decision to stay with this current team, which I'm totally fine with as it's a well coached drama free team, and if she can get back to pre-injury form can play at this level as a 15 y/o.

To play in college, your DD needs to be good. To become "good", your DD has play for a team where she (1) gets lots of playing time and (2) plays quality competition.

As far as recruitment goes, the team only matters if the team is one of the top teams in the US...e.g., the OC Batbusters or the Beverly Bandits, etc. Your DD isn't on one of those teams, so don't worry about it. (Mine didn't play for one either.)

You have some misconceptions about recruiting.

For your DD to get recruited, she:

1) Decides on the kind of school she wants to attend.
2) Sends out emails and video links to coaches.
3) Invites the coaches to come see her play at tournaments.
4) Attends softball camps for schools that show interest in her.

Go out and buy Cathy Aradi's book, "Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level". It is $35 in paperback, or you can get an electronic copy for $10. I know Cathy. She knows what she is doing. (I' don't get a dime from Cathy. She is a great resource.)
 
Last edited:
Sep 3, 2015
372
63
To play in college, your DD needs to be good. To become "good", your DD has play for a team where she (1) gets lots of playing time and (2) plays quality competition.

As far as recruitment goes, the team only matters if the team is one of the top teams in the US...e.g., the OC Batbusters or the Beverly Bandits, etc. Your DD isn't on one of those teams, so don't worry about it. (Mine didn't play for one either.)

You have some misconceptions about recruiting.

For your DD to get recruited, she:

1) Decides on the kind of school she wants to attend.
2) Sends out emails and video links to coaches.
3) Invites the coaches to come see her play at tournaments.
4) Attends softball camps for schools that show interest in her.

Go out and buy Cathy Aradi's book, "Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level". It is $35 in paperback, or you can get an electronic copy for $10. I know Cathy. She knows what she is doing. (I' don't get a dime from Cathy. She is a great resource.)
If you are on one of those top teams in the US, how does that change things?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
If you are on one of those top teams in the US, how does that change things?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

There are certain teams that have "working relationships" with certain colleges. I know of a team from SouthEastern PA that has several former players that have gone on to play at a D1 school in Florida. This does not guarantee anything, but it helps. I have witness other organizations make similar claims, but many are overstated or not completely accurate.
 
Feb 3, 2011
1,880
48
If you are on one of those top teams in the US, how does that change things?

I'll never forget the crowd that gathered to watch the Atlanta Vipers' batting practice at a camp a few years back. I think they were 14u.

At the larger showcases, the lesser-known teams typically get placed on the more remote fields. Occasionally, a really strong team will have to spend a day out there, and you will notice how many eyeballs they attract.

As for the original question, if the 14u player has 18u skill and performance, it's not really playing up. From 14u on, you're either a player or you're not.
 

Gbucz

WNY native now in Charlotte, NC
Apr 28, 2012
87
8
Charlotte, NC
Now due to her 16U team having a couple older girls the team will be jumping to 18A next year.
The only question is what happens to the team as the older ones leave? DD was in that situation and rose into the leadership role for her last two years but she didn’t know the new girls as well. Her focus became college but never had the bond with those girls. College summers and post grad she is playing with several of her older teammates again but it was hard those last years in 18u. The younger girls had too much ‘growing up’ for her to become close again.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
I have to believe that college coaches are asking themselves the same questions about which level of play is worth their time in light of the new recruiting rules. If the parents of serious players are wondering where their daughter should play, it has to be tough for college coaches to determine if they should be looking at 16U's.

Back when 8th-graders were getting signed, I imagine that the big competitive programs needed to be looking at 14U games. 16U was where the studs were committed, but the next-level players were still available. 18U was for last-minute fill-ins. Now that players have to be juniors before contact, the talent is all bunched in the 16-18U range.

As many have pointed out, you don't play a Showcase to get discovered, you play to allow a coach that you've already been in touch with to see you in a game situation. Which brings me to Sluggers' helpful post --

For your DD to get recruited, she:

1) Decides on the kind of school she wants to attend.
2) Sends out emails and video links to coaches.
3) Invites the coaches to come see her play at tournaments.
4) Attends softball camps for schools that show interest in her.

Are #3 and #4 in the right order? I would think that attending a camp would be a determiner for the coach as to whether it's worth his or her time to go watch a player in a game. Or are the high-level invite camps based on what a coach sees at a Showcase from a player that's already on their radar?

Sorry for the minor thread hijack, it's kinda on the same subject. :unsure:
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
DD played 1 year of 14U (B) , then jumped to 16A. Played 1 year there, then moved to 18A. Playing her 4th year of 18U right now, she'll be a sophomore at a D2 this fall.

Is it common to keep playing TB through college? I guess I never really thought about it, but with this and other discussions examining the value of travel ball to the recruitment process, once you're in is there still value in travel ball? Or is it just that the schedules don't conflict and some young women want to keep playing? I would think that someone playing on a scholarship would be forbidden from playing elsewhere to avoid injury risk.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Is it common to keep playing TB through college? I guess I never really thought about it, but with this and other discussions examining the value of travel ball to the recruitment process, once you're in is there still value in travel ball?

Just because a kid is on a college team doesn't mean she played on her college team.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Are #3 and #4 in the right order? I would think that attending a camp would be a determiner for the coach as to whether it's worth his or her time to go watch a player in a game. Or are the high-level invite camps based on what a coach sees at a Showcase from a player that's already on their radar?

Sorry for the minor thread hijack, it's kinda on the same subject. :unsure:

The usual sequence is:

1) Kid emails coach.
2) Coach watches video.
3) Coach says, "Yeah, I'm interested, send me the dates you are playing. Also, my school has a summer camp that might interest you."

(Just as a story...my DD got an invite to a softball camp at Northern Illinois. The coach passed on my DD. My DD then went to Ohio U, which is in the same conference as Northern Illinois. Guess who my DD had her best games against?)
 
Jul 3, 2013
438
43
Is it common to keep playing TB through college? I guess I never really thought about it, but with this and other discussions examining the value of travel ball to the recruitment process, once you're in is there still value in travel ball? Or is it just that the schedules don't conflict and some young women want to keep playing? I would think that someone playing on a scholarship would be forbidden from playing elsewhere to avoid injury risk.

Lots of value in summer ball for college players. Pitchers can work on specific pitches or overall mechanics, catchers can work on mechanics and game calling, position players can work on a new spot or a weakness, hitters can see live pitching.

And, as Sluggers alluded to, some just need to see the field.
 

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