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

[Vertigo]

My dd played at the 16U level for only the fall season as a first-year 16U Player. Over that winter she moved up to an 18U team which was extremely senior-heavy (she was a freshman). At that point in time she was going to be playing varsity in HS so I wanted her to get an idea of what she would potentially face as a pitcher. That summer she did very well and adjusted easily to the 18U level. Definitely not the best player on the team but that’s what we wanted - we wanted her to be pushed by older, more experienced players. Mentally she was pretty mature for her age and the other girls liked having her around. After that team disbanded due to all the seniors graduating, she joined another 18U team which actually has freshmen through seniors on the team. She never looked back. I think it worked out very well for her and her recruiting journey, which she is in the middle of right now. She also has done extremely well at the HS level and I attribute this to the jump to 18U.

 

[Vertigo]

Interestingly enough, in our experience, playing at 18U we are seeing a lot of college coaches. As long as you are on a decent team and are emailing the coaches, they come. They also like to attend our games to see their committed players playing. In most of the showcases we attend, the 16U teams are not typically at the main complexes of those showcases, so not sure if that affects where the coaches go or not. In our experience it has, but that might not be the case everywhere. We play in strictly Northeast showcases because those are the colleges our players are most interested in.

 

[Comocoach]

Hi All. Looking for everybody's experience as far as playing up and skipping years in the 14U to 18U range. My DD has already made her decision so not really looking for advice, but would love to hear other's experience good/bad as far as skipping years and playing up and how it effected recruiting, life, etc.... My DD is 14, will turn 15 this month, and played 16A ball this year skipping her 2nd year of 14U ball. Now due to her 16U team having a couple older girls the team will be jumping to 18A next year. DD is an 04 so would have 4 years left to play at this level. DD is super athletic and was in the middle of this team, but had knee surgery and missed 5 months this past winter. Since then she has struggled to get back to where she was pre -knee surgery and is at the bottom of her team that is comprised of girls 1-3 years older than her. 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.

First of all, it's time to stop referring to her as an '04. Use her grad year. She's a 2022?

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.

Your DD doesn't need to stand out, she's not competing against her teammates. She needs to work hard, continue to improve, and contact coaches at the schools that she is interested in attending. Go on visits, go to their camps, let them know her schedule.

She won't be overlooked because she's playing with older girls.

 

[Cannonball]

Nope, not asking that at all. Just looking to read and learn from other people's experience whose DD played up several years and how it effected recruiting and other areas.

My dd played up and skipped second year 12U and second year 14U. She jumped into 16U and 18U when she was second year 12U. She was very big for her age and very strong. Initially the plan was for her to just play 14U when she made the first jump. Then, she had to follow what that team did. Keep in mind that recruitment in many places starts at 14U. 16U is also key and maybe a little more now that there are stricter guidelines for D-I schools. Also, keep in mind that there are many times when an unknown player becomes known when/if a college comes to look at a "better player" on a team.

 

[ang2bmd]

Interesting advice. I've always figured we would have her play on the best team she could "play" on. For now it's an age appropriate team with the best organization in the midwest. Interesting to see the paths others have taken.

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[Cyder517]

In NJ- the majority of teams skip 16u and go straight to 18u. Even then the 16u teams enter 18u tournaments.

I can’t speak from personal experience because my daughter quit travel last summer as she ended 14u. However, at this age, girls- especially the ones who make Varsity as freshmen- are used to playing with the older girls.


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[MadBandit22]

My dd played at the 16U level for only the fall season as a first-year 16U Player. Over that winter she moved up to an 18U team which was extremely senior-heavy (she was a freshman). At that point in time she was going to be playing varsity in HS so I wanted her to get an idea of what she would potentially face as a pitcher. That summer she did very well and adjusted easily to the 18U level. Definitely not the best player on the team but that’s what we wanted - we wanted her to be pushed by older, more experienced players. Mentally she was pretty mature for her age and the other girls liked having her around. After that team disbanded due to all the seniors graduating, she joined another 18U team which actually has freshmen through seniors on the team. She never looked back. I think it worked out very well for her and her recruiting journey, which she is in the middle of right now. She also has done extremely well at the HS level and I attribute this to the jump to 18U.

I’ve been told by scouts that you want to try and get on the best team possible in your age group. Playing-up has it’s disadvantages. You have the off field stuff like you mentioned and the “fitting-in” issues on the field.
One of my daughters is 1st yr 14U and she plays on an 18U & 14U teams. The 18U team is much more organized and much better coaching. No team bonding outings or anything like that. More just teammates not friends.
The 14U team the girls all get along and have fun. They get together after long days at the fields and have BBQ’s and such.
The coaches are young and they let parents influence them too much. They actually have the girls choose the roster sometimes or ask the parents for suggestions.
So it’s pretty much apples & oranges. One team serious about the game and the other more concerned about inclusion and fun.
Needless to say for next season we’re looking for the best 14U team we can find. Possibly 16U but not 18U again.

 

[Vertigo]

I’ve been told by scouts that you want to try and get on the best team possible in your age group. Playing-up has it’s disadvantages. You have the off field stuff like you mentioned and the “fitting-in” issues on the field.
One of my daughters is 1st yr 14U and she plays on an 18U & 14U teams. The 18U team is much more organized and much better coaching. No team bonding outings or anything like that. More just teammates not friends.
The 14U team the girls all get along and have fun. They get together after long days at the fields and have BBQ’s and such.
The coaches are young and they let parents influence them too much. They actually have the girls choose the roster sometimes or ask the parents for suggestions.
So it’s pretty much apples & oranges. One team serious about the game and the other more concerned about inclusion and fun.
Needless to say for next season we’re looking for the best 14U team we can find. Possibly 16U but not 18U again.

I’d agree if most 18U teams around here were like the first one she joined (great team, just mostly seniors). However, from what I’ve seen in our area the true 18U showcase teams usually carry a decent amount of mixed ages - all high school age. Her current team has 6 seniors, 4 juniors, 5 sophomores, and a freshman.

 

[Hube111]

My dd played at the 16U level for only the fall season as a first-year 16U Player. Over that winter she moved up to an 18U team which was extremely senior-heavy (she was a freshman). At that point in time she was going to be playing varsity in HS so I wanted her to get an idea of what she would potentially face as a pitcher. That summer she did very well and adjusted easily to the 18U level. Definitely not the best player on the team but that’s what we wanted - we wanted her to be pushed by older, more experienced players. Mentally she was pretty mature for her age and the other girls liked having her around. After that team disbanded due to all the seniors graduating, she joined another 18U team which actually has freshmen through seniors on the team. She never looked back. I think it worked out very well for her and her recruiting journey, which she is in the middle of right now. She also has done extremely well at the HS level and I attribute this to the jump to 18U.

Thanks Vertigo. Great to hear it worked out for you and your DD. Hoping for a similar outcome for my DD.

 

[Orange Socks]

Our 18U Team has 9 Graduated Seniors, 3 Rising Seniors, 4 Rising Jrs, 1 rising soph, and 1 rising Freshman. College coaches galore at all of our 18U tourneys. Played Boulder IDT and coaches are still recruiting in the 18U division. As long as you invite the coaches and they have an interest, they will show up. We had 3 Ivy coaches following one of our pitchers and she is a rising Jr. The rising Freshman has the physical build of an 18U player but is immature which could make for an awkward dugout scenario.

Edit: My DD played 3 years on the 18U team and was recruited as a Jr. We just had a graduated Sr get recruited to a D2 in Tenn. You'd be surprised as to the number of college teams that still need players this late in the game. DD just told me that last year's starting catcher just notified her college team that she is quitting. Sounds like my DD might be the new starting catcher or has a good shot.