Real skill level?

[Dtwn92]

I need some advice or guidance on how to find out what my daughters real skill level is and where she could possibly go?

TL;DR at the bottom! V V

A bit of a history. My DD played 12u and quite to play volleyball for a few years. Her freshman year in HS she fell back in love with softball after trying out and making her JV team. She didn't play a ton but hit almost every game, in fact she was 4th on her team in most categories on offense after not playing for a few years.

So as of now she has been playing for about a year at a better level. After HS we found a travel team where she quickly became a starter and in 50 games had a great year, batted close to .500 (even battling a hand injury) and after going to the WS in Orlando (meet some USSSA Pride players) told me she'd like to continue improving and maybe go to the next level in softball.

Her travel team isn't the greatest but last year at 14u they competed against 16u girls and she didn't look out of place. The better the competition it seems the more focused she was and better she played.

But with all this said, I'm dad! I'm biased, I've seen her play her best, know what she is capable of and how bad she can be on an off day. I have no idea on how to judge what others would put her as, what level she could play or even if she could. She did the normal off season camps and looked good in alot of them, never looking like the anchor of the group.

To cut this short, I know she needs to put herself out there to schools to find that fit. I have no idea on who to talk to see where she should start. Coaches and instructors have an interested in having you return.

We recently took her to a scouting camp that claimed they did unbiased scouting and were only looking to show them where the fit could improve. They rated them from ave HS player to D1 starter at their current age, not what they would prospect out to be.

Looking at the talent that was there she wasn't bad, far from the worst and in fact there were only 5 girls in her age group all were older, most SR's in HS. She was in a mixed group, one of the girls was on an elite team and probably IMO the best girl at the camp if not the best, very close to it.

I got her grading back today and I'm a bit disheartened, her whole group seemed really low. (most 29's) My DD's grades were very low. She had the second highest bat speed in the whole camp and came out a bit over ave HS player in hitting. I don't want to make excuses or say they are bad at their job, but at the talk after the camp the TOP DOG of the camp said he seen some real talent in the camp and (30 being D3 player) the highest score that was recorded was 37.

I know there is work she has to do and she is ok with how they ranked her. But generally how accurate are these? Who did you talk to or find out where your DD could play? Any help would be great!

SO SORRY FOR THE LENGHT!

TL;DR
I HAVE A 15 y/ DD who would like to move to the next level! She is no longer 12u, that was a few years back.
Who can I find out where I can get a real idea of where my DD fits skill wise and where she could possibly play?
Are scouting compaies accurate?

 

[chinamigarden]

Is your DD the best hitter for average and power on her HS team? Does she play SS or Catcher, pitcher, Centerfield? If no to these questions then she is probably not D1/D2 material. Is she all area, all conference, all state? If no then she is probably not D1 material even if you said yes to the first couple of questions.

D1 is a very high standard. Outside of some areas (SO Calif) Many High Schools go years between girls who go on to D1.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Take the time to look at D1 profiles on any college website and you will notice a pretty striking similarity. Most if not all the girls on that particular team have a very lengthily pedigree of accomplishments. Most are all state at one point or another, and most as chinamigarden stated are normally the best overall in what ever part of the state they live in. If your dd fits into this same category then I would say heck yes go for the gold ring. Im not saying she cant make it if she is not, But she will have to compete with the above girls mentioned for those spots.

Of all the student athletes that play HS ball less than 1% go on to play at the D1 level. And I am in no way discounting or de meaning any other Divisions. Just stating the numerical facts.

When we were in the hunt for colleges I got the opportunity to spend a few hours with a SEC coach and picked that coaches brain as they were very personable and never seemed to get tired of my stupid questions.

What the coach told me was that when looking at possible prep candidates they first looked for the 5 tools, If they found a kid with those tools then they looked closer to see if she had that little bit extra that would make her stand out from the crowd. That in its self would be tough for any kid to accomplish.

Secondly the hitting. And this was what really blew my mind is that the kids that hit n the SEC and PAC 10 are probably the top 3% in the country. If you think about those numbers you begin to realize why so few make it to that level.

Now mid major D1 may take a kid that is not one of the top 3% but you can bet shes still better than 99% of her peers she played with in HS in her state.

Thius is what I tell the parents of my hitting students when I get asked the horrible million dollar question........ Do you think my dd can play D1....... My response is , look at your dd as an outsider would, honestly and without bias do this for a month of games then come back and give me your answer and then I will give you mine. Its tough to be honest and realistic. And even tougher to live by that same decision. But given time your dd will discover where she fits and chances are she will know it before you do.


Tim

 

[Steve Huff]

There are a lot of discouraging words here. I want to add some balance. Playing at Alabama and Florida is not the end all be all. It would be great, potentially best, but there are other DI level schools and conferences. I coached at Utah State. We were DI and got very few top flight players to come there. We were at the bottom of the selection totem-pole because we were in a Mormon area, and it wasn't a great school for partying. Back in the AIAW days it was a school with a softball reputation, but that changed when the NCAA was able to expand options to kids. Before I was hired there, I had a mom call me from Libby, Montana. She asked me the same type of questions you are asking. I agreed to go there and work with her daughter. We had 3 weekend training sessions with her there, and she came to Logan, Utah for one session. That is 8 days of work. She played HS and on a HS Travel Team with all players from Libby. She was very fast, ran the 50 and 100 in track. I taught her to be a slapper. She also hit away as she was left-handed. She was a 2nd baseman in HS, and I set her up as a CF for college. She had a good glove, would give up her body, and ran good routes. She had a weaker than average arm. She lacked skills and coaching, not ability! By the way, her mom was her coach on her teams.

Unbeknown to me, I got hired to coach at USU. She had already sent videos etc. to USU and got a half scholarship, based a lot on her speed and slapping skills, which were brand new! Well of course I arrive at USU and coached my own trainee. The only problem she had was lifting weights, bulking up, and loosing .5 seconds off her home-to-first times. She still played there four years.

My points are this! First, does this group also coach skills at a faciliity or do clinics? I wonder if afer some lessons suddenly without reason her scores might go up? But more importantly, if she has the fire when she gets into better competition, that is exactly what she needs. Coaches can't see it in a weekend, and they don't need to. They see it in results. I saw a 12 year old girl once at a clinic we had at USU. Her name was Texi C. Texi was of great interest to me. She listened, and tried to do everything exactly as taught. She had really great skills for a 12 year old, yet she was in only going into her second year in softball. I walked up to her during a fielding/footwork drill and told her, "Texi, (I knew her name by then) you are going to play Division I softball. She did, at the University of Utah.

In general are these posts correct? Yes! But we don't know your daughter, her skill level, or who these clinicians were. I think you need to work hard, and get another doctor's opinion. It is too early to give up on dreams.

 

[sluggers]

To cut this short, I know she needs to put herself out there to schools to find that fit. I have no idea on who to talk to see where she should start.

First, you need to get your head straight about softball and college. You've got this whole "softball and college" thing confused. After four years of college, softball is *OVER*. So, softball is just a silly game played by a bunch of kids. Get your priorities straight.

The most important thing is your DD's education, not whether she plays softball. The starting point is figuring out what you DD wants to do *AFTER* college. Then, find colleges that fit her goals. Make a list. The list should have some D2, D3 and NAIA schools on the list.

When you've made the list, next go through the list to see where she might fit to play softball. When you have narrowed it down further, look at the roster for those remaining schools, perhaps go see a few games, and then judge if your DD can play at that level.

 

[Steve Huff]

First, you need to get your head straight about softball and college. You've got this whole "softball and college" thing confused. After four years of college, softball is *OVER*. So, softball is just a silly game played by a bunch of kids. Get your priorities straight.

The most important thing is your DD's education, not whether she plays softball. The starting point is figuring out what you DD wants to do *AFTER* college. Then, find colleges that fit her goals. Make a list. The list should have some D2, D3 and NAIA schools on the list.

When you've made the list, next go through the list to see where she might fit to play softball. When you have narrowed it down further, look at the roster for those remaining schools, perhaps go see a few games, and then judge if your DD can play at that level.

I agree with what you say here sluggers, but please help the parents understand that D3 and NAIA schools will cost a heck of a lot more money in many cases to attend. That is almost always true of NAIA. I had a girl that was top 2% academically and got several offers from schools like Lewis College, Olympia, etc. The best offer she got was with $45,000 a year out of pocket with Academic Student AID. There is a reason why few go to these schools. They are not even for the best students. They are for the best students/kids of rich parents. There are more D3 schools obtainable. DII would be the best bet if the education fits.

Please keep in mind that this player didn't make the grade for D3 according to the scorers. So the choice according to the scorers is an education without softball, period! I am just saying I am not so sure.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Steve what did you see as discouraging words? It is just common sense. I would rather have someone tell me the truth and let me know what im in for down the road. I wish someone had done that for me when my kid was his age.

Sluggers: His dd is 12, when have you ever seen a 12u parent have their head on straight concerning education vs playing ball. Walk in a room with 200 12u,s and ask who wants to play in college I can guarantee you the entire room will raise its hands.... mom and dad included lol. He will learn the importance of what needs to be done and where his dd fits. We all did, but its better for his generation to be better informed then the ones before.

Tim

 

[Dtwn92]

WOW not what I expected but thanks for the responses guys.

So we narrowed it down to her not being D1 material, I really never thought that.
Steve thanks for the nice story, it is great you got to do that for that young lady. I'm glad it worked out. I appreciate the other things said too. I too am a tad discouraged, me and my DD both know she isn't top flight skill. But she is good, has passion and would LOVE to see where this leads.

@Sluggers, well....glad you got right to the point. Seeing as this is a softball thread and FORUM I'm asking about that. No priority mix up here...in fact, seeing as this is a softball forum and thread I figured that was a given I'm looking at softball advice. I 100% understand she is a student 1st. My DD wants to go into education, good thing about that is, EVERY school she is looking at has that program. I'm so glad however that you took the time to fix me up on how to find out where I can find out where he skill level lies.

Softball is her dream, so to call it silly and snip at her dreams is very grand of you. Thanks for that. I should maybe tell her to hang up the cleats now...or I could help her with her dreams, cultivate her skills, show her what hard work gets you and GET SOME ADVICE on how to figure out where I can get a real skill assessment. Not hard right?

 

[Steve Huff]

Steve what did you see as discouraging words? It is just common sense. I would rather have someone tell me the truth and let me know what im in for down the road. I wish someone had done that for me when my kid was his age.

Sluggers: His dd is 12, when have you ever seen a 12u parent have their head on straight concerning education vs playing ball. Walk in a room with 200 12u,s and ask who wants to play in college I can guarantee you the entire room will raise its hands.... mom and dad included lol. He will learn the importance of what needs to be done and where his dd fits. We all did, but its better for his generation to be better informed then the ones before.

Tim

I can't find fault with any particular post. It just seemed a little like piling on. You are right in what you say. But if everyone got that message, in any aspect of society, not just sports, no one would achieve. You can even project this point into social issues. In Moscow during the period around 1993-95, 70% of all teenage girls asked why they should get an education because they were probably going to be prostitutes anyway. Certain large segments of social groups feel, whether rightfully or not, that no educational goals are worth trying for. You are defeated before you start. Coaching has a huge bearing on the players success. And even in travel ball, there are coaches who can organize, but don't know the game all that well. That was my point. Don't give up the dream, and get the most and best coaching training you can get on a personal level. Then you will know the truth.

 

[Steve Huff]

dtwn92, how can you get discouraged or encouraged by a bunch of strangers? I simply tried to balance the "playing field". I see the glass half-full. I have worked with many girls not nearly gifted enough to play DI ball. DII just has less money. We don't know your daughter, her skills, her experience, or how hard she will work. There are terrific athletes who miss just because they are lazy or have poor coaching. Some even miss because they are never seen, as a girl in 1993 from New Hampshire, who I thought was the best athlete and player at 18U Nationals. NO ONE saw her but me. But I was always looking for the diamonds in the rough, not the top 10 players in the country. I felt I could polish them. I didn't need the top hitter on Gordon's Panthers or BatBusters.

They have given you a dose of reality. It isn't bad. But with your eyes open, don't give up on yourselves! I had a travel ball girl from a local HS who was on JV until the summer before her Junior year. I mentioned her above. She was lousy! She couldn't field, couldn't hit! Her parents were a pain. College coaches can coach players within 50 air miles of the campus and that year for some reason they had college freshman playing on teams, and it was 19U. I told this girls parents that she was gangly and uncoordinated because she grew 8 inches in 2 years, but give her time!!!!! That summer she filled out, and became a different girl. She played on my Travel Team, and led the team in HR and RBI batting 5th. I had 10 college players on that team. In one year that girl became a ball player. What if I had told her and her parents to forget it? She wasn't DI material, but she was DII material. If her HS coach had been any good, she might have been good enough, but that is another story. Don't give up the dream so quick.

There are a lot of DIII players that I can't imagine ever played Travel Ball. They are that bad!

I do agree that her education, and major's choice is an issue to address if she has a preference. You can't major in softball, though you can major in sports sciences or physiology, or to be a Trainer. If she wants to go into journalism, you better find a journalism school among your pursuits. If she wants to be a nurse, then tell her to forget softball