Seeking advice: If your DD is not going to be tall - a novel I know, sorry ;-)

[rachelsdad]

One of the best pitchers in the world is 5'8" Yukiko Ueno
# Ueno threw the first perfect game in Olympic history at the 2004 Athens Games, beating China 2-0 in the preliminary round.
# She went 3-2 with a 0.46 ERA overall in Athens, striking out 31 and allowing just nine hits and one walk over 30 2-3 innings to lead Japan to the bronze medal.
# Has a fastball that's been measured at over 75 mph from 45 feet away and also throws a changeup in the low 50s.
# Ueno has pitched particularly well against the United States, winner of every gold medal since softball became an Olympic sport in 1996.
# At the 2006 World Championships, she handed the U.S. its only loss in the playoffs of the event, allowing no runs in a 3-1 win.
# Ueno also beat the Americans 3-1 in the gold medal game at the 2005 World Cup.
# Is a two-time MVP of the Japanese pro league.
# Born July 22, 1982.

 

[Coach JV]

Interesting thread, my DD is in the same boat. She also happens to be
very intelligent-on track for a 5.5+ GPA at the end of HS. We had the exact
discussion as OP. My advice "Continue to look at your academics as your
biggest competition right now, pick a couple of schools you are interested in and
keep them in the loop of your pitching progress etc and ALWAYS let them know how you
are doing academically. It might be a relief to the college coaches that you might get
a partial academic ride to relieve them of a full athletic ride."

"Use the brain to get to college, if you are lucky enough to play at that level it is a bonus!"

She is a freshman, throwing in games mid 50's with very good location and 3-4 pitches
she can throw comfortably. She is 5'6" will top out at around 5'9".

 

[SoftSocDad]

I sure hope this all makes sense b/c I am too tired to type any more ;-)

My DD just turned 13 this month. She has been pitching since she was 9 years old. She is passionate, dedicated and practices 3-4 days a week and has been doing this for the past 2 years. She has a pitching coach. She has great command and velocity. She was the varsity/A team pitcher for her JH team as a 7th grader (younger classman). During the summer the HS coach let her practice/pitch with HS in their practices and wants to continue with this.

In travel ball she has always been the go to pitcher. She is an "A" level/starting/ace type of pitcher. That being said she is only 5'4 and I (mom) is only 5'7 and her dad is only 5'8 - so genetically speaking she is not going to get very tall. There could be a fluke and she somehow manages to get tall (I mean me and her dad both have some tall people in our family) BUT "yeah right! ;-) She has constantly had to fight and prove herself (her pitching) against taller pitchers but has always proved she is just as good and in sometimes showed she was better than those taller pitches the coaches had originally went to just because of the height but then when my DD was given a chance in the circle she clearly demonstrates she is the real deal.

Even though she is 5'4 she is throwing the same speed and in some instances faster than those 5'9-5'11 pitchers and she has great command. Everyone/coaches have always been pleasantly shocked (although now a days she is pretty much known and has earned respect in our softball community) by her speed, command and dominance and then she earns the job as a "go-to" pitcher.

We have always looked for teams that had at least one additional great pitcher so she would not have to pitch too much. We have been lucky so far to find teams with one additional great pitcher and one mediocre pitcher (working to get better) so that our DD was never over used and she actually got to play another position.

Therefore, throughout the years she has also been able to play middle infield (not b/c she is a pitcher and the coaches are trying to keep her so they "give" her the spot but because she can really play middle infield). She is just as talented playing MIF as she is pitching (we think man if she is this good at MIF now what would she be like if she was able to dedicate as much practice time to MIF as she does to pitching).

So I guess you guys can see where this is headed. We ask our DD all the time "are you sure you want to still pitch?" and she always answers "yes." We have tried to explain to her that most colleges (D1 is her goal) look at mainly tall pitchers and try to explain to her that she has a very limited shot at making it to pitch (D1) in college b/c of her limited height. I know there is always a tiny possibility that a (D1) college coach may give a shorter pitcher a chance (if she can do the job) but honestly out of all the college ball we watch (we watch a lot) we can't recall seeing a 5'7 (or shorter) pitcher pitching in a good (D1) college program - or have we had selective vision? We teach our kids that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and always tell them to work hard to overcome any obstacle that may lay in your way - but still that nagging feeling of our DD's hight will be a hinderance for her (as a pitcher) wont go away.

Alas, we are starting to think that we need to start persuading our DD to put more energy to MIF and we are confused if we should push her to give up pitching in lieu of focusing on MIF b/c she has a better chance of playing (D1) college (in a good program). Most people in our softball community would think we are CRAZY thinking this b/c everyone holds her as one of the Elite pitchers in our area but we are thinking that in the next couple years as girls continue to get taller/stronger (and more than likely our DD not getting much taller although I know she will push her self to stay competitively strong as those tall girls well as much as her body will allow) -perhaps her dominance could change? Its really a thing of wishing we could predict the future ;-)

I guess we are wondering when is the time (at what age) do you know if your DD has "got it" and can pitch at the next level (D1) and "don't got it" - we don't want to waist precious years/time if she should be dedicating her time to MIF and hitting. I mean she has one more year in JH then its High School!!

One thing is for sure she LOVES softball, she LOVES playing both positions with pitching edging out MIF as her favorite. Only if she was blessed to be tall then I do not believe I would be writing this now. We are so confused - any suggestions, advice or similar experiences out there? Thanks in advance!

Kristina Thorson: 5-7

Megan Langenfeld: 5-5

And then everything Sluggers said.

 

[TeNeetKeeMom]

Thank you for all the responses - I knew I would get some great advice/suggestions/comments!! My daughter pitches between 51-54 mph and change-up was 38-41 mph - the last time it was gunned during a tryout a month or so ago. We do not own a gun so it doesn't get measured often but we look at how she performs in the circle (the outcomes) of the games she pitches in to judge/critique/analyze her progression/development.

Thankfully my DD works just as hard on her academics as she does on Softball. She is one of the few student athletes on the Junior High National Honor Society at her school. So academics and its importance is a given for our family. We actually are encouraging are kids to complete a professional degree for the pinnacle of their academic endeavors (b/c again College is a given, a must.) We will continue to let her choose her life journey (that includes softball, academia and what ever else she decides to include in it) and hope we (her parents) have the correct advice/guidance to give her when she asks and/or needs it. I am so glad for this forum because it is a great place to vent and get feedback from people/parent(s) going through the same things. The only people that can truly understand what a pitcher's parents go through is other pitcher's parents ;-) I truly appreciate all of your guys' comments!!

 

[InsidePitch]

If your kid is seriously in the 4.5-5 gpa range it is much easier to get academic money than sports money especially if going D3 AND if DD decides her major is to much she can drop sports and keep the money.

 

[Jojo]

If your kid is seriously in the 4.5-5 gpa range it is much easier to get academic money than sports money especially if going D3 AND if DD decides her major is to much she can drop sports and keep the money.

I knew a kid who was off the charts smarts, could have gone to any school she wanted to go on academic scholarships, but her dad threw a fit because he wanted her to play D1 softball.
So he found her a D1 school in the next state over that would take her, she still received a full ride on academics, and compromised with her dad and only played one year (outfielder).

 

[howellhandmade]

I knew a kid who was off the charts smarts, could have gone to any school she wanted to go on academic scholarships, but her dad threw a fit because he wanted her to play D1 softball.
So he found her a D1 school in the next state over that would take her, she still received a full ride on academics, and compromised with her dad and only played one year (outfielder).

I guess I could understand it if the athletic scholarship were the only way a family could afford college, but making a kid play softball who doesn't want or need to seems weird. I had a kid in my studio a couple of years ago who was a music ed major with a full ride for crew. Every single lesson she was dragging from daily workouts -- sometimes twice a day -- and class and homework. If she wasn't sick she was hurt, if she wasn't hurt she was almost catatonically tired. It only took half the first semester for her to fall behind and drop out of music ed. I don't know if she really loved rowing that much or if it was just her ticket, but I couldn't see what part of it she was enjoying. Evidently some kids handle it better than others. Academic scholarship still a better way to go if there's a choice.

 

[gvm]

here's how i look at it...if your daughter is a great 13 yr old pitcher? ENJOY THAT !!! most people would love to be in your shoes right? i don't know if there is a height requirement for being great? maybe there is,maybe there ain't? i don't know if my dd is gonna be great at 14u,16u,or 18u? but you know what? she's works very hard and right now, she's a great 12 yr old pitcher...so try not to worry about the things you cannot change,and enjoy the fact that your dd is great RIGHT NOW !!!

 

[chinamigarden]

If your kid is seriously in the 4.5-5 gpa range it is much easier to get academic money than sports money especially if going D3 AND if DD decides her major is to much she can drop sports and keep the money.

Is there any sports money from D3?

 

[Greenmonsters]

Is there any sports money from D3?

None. But what she gets for academics is guaranteed for 4 years and is not contingent upon playing or being successful at softball