Showcase Tournament or showcase camp?

[CoogansBluff]

Sorry... I don't understand. Are you saying that if the players are good enough to play for teams like North Georgia, USML, Texas Tyler and Tufts, then they're also capable of playing for Robert Morris, Rhode Island, etc? On the whole, we are smaller size wise. No big girls on our team - heaviest girl weighs 145 with helmet, cleats on soaking wet. We don't have anyone who consistently hits it out of the park. As parents, we all agree that only 1 girl would be capable of playing Div 1. Are we looking at this wrong? Advice please. Thanks.

He's just pointing out that getting a D-I scholly doesn't necessarily make you a better player than someone getting a D-II scholly. North Georgia would've beaten most D-I schools last season. The bottom 50 D-I's would probably average or worse D-II teams. There are about 300 D-I programs, and there's a wide gap between top and bottom.

 

[CoogansBluff]

can you guys name some of these individual showcase camps, you're referencing. Thanks

VA Wesleyan holds one in August or around there that has coaches from 12 colleges from major D-I, mid-major D-I, D-II, D-III, the whole gamut. Those are really good camps because you're exposed to more coaches.

 

[riseball]

Sorry... I don't understand. Are you saying that if the players are good enough to play for teams like North Georgia, USML, Texas Tyler and Tufts, then they're also capable of playing for Robert Morris, Rhode Island, etc? On the whole, we are smaller size wise. No big girls on our team - heaviest girl weighs 145 with helmet, cleats on soaking wet. We don't have anyone who consistently hits it out of the park. As parents, we all agree that only 1 girl would be capable of playing Div 1. Are we looking at this wrong? Advice please. Thanks.

There are more than a few D1 teams like Robert Morris and Rhode Island that your DD's travel team would most likely beat. The D2 teams ( North Georgia, USML) and D3 teams (Texas Tyler and Tufts) that I mentioned would hold their own with the vast majority of D1 teams. Do not make the mistake of assuming that D1 immediately equates to a high level of talent when compared with D2, D3 or even JUCO. My DD's team won the NJCAA National Championship last year and beat a couple of D1's and it took an SEC team 10 innings to finally beat them. Exceptional talent and teams are found at all levels.

 

[slugger3]

can you guys name some of these individual showcase camps, you're referencing. Thanks

S & C Sport Services

The camps are in the Southern suburbs of Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN

Their Summer Showcase/D-1 Exposure Camp is on their website now, and is open for registration.

They put on a well organized Showcase Camp.

I am not affiliated with the organization, and my DDs do not play ball for them.

 

[YOCOACH]

Queen of Daimonds North is an individual showcase held in January in NE Ohio. The teams are coached by college coaches of all levels as well as the QOD South which is held in Florida over Labor Day weekend this year.

 

[girliesmom]

Thanks all for your valuable insight.

If anyone else has any other showcase tournaments that you would suggest, I'd love to hear it. So far, we're looking primarily at the Headfirst ones since those are the ones we know about.

 

[let it be fun]

There are more than a few D1 teams like Robert Morris and Rhode Island that your DD's travel team would most likely beat. The D2 teams ( North Georgia, USML) and D3 teams (Texas Tyler and Tufts) that I mentioned would hold their own with the vast majority of D1 teams. Do not make the mistake of assuming that D1 immediately equates to a high level of talent when compared with D2, D3 or even JUCO. My DD's team won the NJCAA National Championship last year and beat a couple of D1's and it took an SEC team 10 innings to finally beat them. Exceptional talent and teams are found at all levels.

Well if you are going to take exception to the D1, D2, D3 generalization, I will take exception to the comment about size of the girls. I have seen some good teams full of small fast girls built around pitching, defense, and small-ball do very well. I have also seen small girls playing on and getting recruited by the top teams in the nation.

 

[let it be fun]

There are more than a few D1 teams like Robert Morris and Rhode Island that your DD's travel team would most likely beat. The D2 teams ( North Georgia, USML) and D3 teams (Texas Tyler and Tufts) that I mentioned would hold their own with the vast majority of D1 teams. Do not make the mistake of assuming that D1 immediately equates to a high level of talent when compared with D2, D3 or even JUCO. My DD's team won the NJCAA National Championship last year and beat a couple of D1's and it took an SEC team 10 innings to finally beat them. Exceptional talent and teams are found at all levels.

I think Robert Morris just beat a ranked Minnesota team that beat Georgia. Crazy!

 

[TMD]

My daughter has been to the Pennsbury Showcase Camp/Tournament (Pennsylvania) and the Headfirst Honor Roll Showcase Camp (New York). She found Headfirst to be more beneficial (we found it to also be way more expensive). The Pennsbury camp portion was a 1/2 day of individual skills and drills, with all of the expected measurements. Interestingly, they also publish the results of the measurement online - anonymous by player number - so you can get a sense of how you stack up against the other girls. Her team did not play in the Pennsbury tournament, so she played as a "pick-up player", filling in for a couple of teams over the showcase tournament.

Headfirst also had a 1/2 day of individual skills, drills, and measurements...with the pressure turned up a notch. Girls were called out individually for whatever skill/drill (hitting, fielding, throwing) and performed in front of all of the 40+ coaches (plus players and parents). Gives me the sweats just thinking about it, but she didn't mind. The girls are then split into teams and play 4 games over the next day and a half. College coaches in the dugout, in the field, and behind home plate fence. Coaches and teams rotate each game so every girl is seen by every coach.

Regardless of which kind of camp/showcase you attend, do your homework first! Most if not all will post the colleges and coaches who are going to attend (much more reliable at individual showcase camps vs. showcase tournaments). Your daughter needs to review the list, identify the schools she may be interested in, and email the coaches ahead of time. When mine did that, every coach replied, had name recognition when she introduced herself in person at the event, and made a point to specifically watch her and talk to her. Even at Pennsbury where she was a pick-up player on a strange team, coaches that she contacted ahead of time came to watch her play. Not all of those schools are still on her list, but many are...and attending these showcases definitely helped.

 

[29dad]

I think Robert Morris just beat a ranked Minnesota team that beat Georgia. Crazy!

My Gophers are having such a bizarre season that I can't even trash talk this year. Painful!!