So what does a college SB player do the summer back from being a freshman?

[InsidePitch]

In NJ a few of the TB orgs have 23u teams that play league play dbl headers once or twice a week in the evening. The travel org fills in missing spots with 18u girls. The 18s speak of the increases in speed and power from the college girls. Muscle development is the biggest thing I noticed. DD has been working hard this summer with the small weights and it shows in her throws.

 

[Greenmonsters]

I ask cuz somebody told me that college pitchers (especially those put through the additional rigors of D1) don't want anything to do with pitching over the summer.

I think that's very good advice for pitchers in general. Maybe catchers too. All depends on their health and workload.

FWIW - My DD played 18U with/against a lot of D3 college players after her freshman year, but rather than playing U23 this summer, she sat it out physically recovering from a non-throwing shoulder strain/catching every inning of every game instead of playing U23. Career plans likely will take priority next summer, but who knows!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

"The instructions were simple, but the execution wasn't.

"Do nothing," Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy told his ace, Jaclyn Traina, as she entered the final summer of her Alabama career. Her previous summer break was anything but, and it showed during a junior season in which she labored through lingering injuries.

So, Murphy instructed Traina to head home to Naples, Fla., take an online course and don't even think about touching a softball."


http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/03/a_story_about_nothing_restful.html

 

[riseball]

"The instructions were simple, but the execution wasn't.

"Do nothing," Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy told his ace, Jaclyn Traina, as she entered the final summer of her Alabama career. Her previous summer break was anything but, and it showed during a junior season in which she labored through lingering injuries.

So, Murphy instructed Traina to head home to Naples, Fla., take an online course and don't even think about touching a softball."


A story about nothing: Restful summer helps Alabama softball's Jaclyn Traina rebound as a senior | AL.com

Got to wonder if she had it to do over again... I think a better story would have been what Hannah Rogers did over the summer.

 

[PEPPERS]

DD did not play last year due to my illness and a miss understanding with the coach, kind made me feel bad she missed a year because of me.

She is playing again at a different school who came looking for her to play with them this year. Her catcher from summer ball skipped a year also and as a junior made NAIA first Team All American last year.

DD hits about 2 times a week, drills side toss, front toss, tee work, matrix drill, drop drill and off a machine once a week doing the Bond’s drill.

She pitched to a catcher about 3 times a week, uses the double ball, spinner, weighted balls to do drills. She practiced fielding and throwing about twice a week and once a week worked out with a friend from HS who is also playing college ball.

She was up M-F 6 AM to do Cross Fit her Cross Fit trainer was a former college baseball and minor league baseball player.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Players should find out what their college coach wants them to do. Some need an extended break to recover from an injury or heavy workload. Some need a lot of game reps to improve over the summer.

There is a 5-weekend womens league here in SoCal - SoCal ASA Adult Womens Fastpitch. It is very casual with college players ranging from D-III to top D-I. Many of the team names are travel orgs, however the teams are a mix of players. It is a reunion of sorts for a lot of players and families. Here are some comments about it:

The So Cal 23u league is fun. My DD is a D3 pitcher playing with team Molly. Just a bunch of ex- Irvine Sting players having fun playin ball. Kinda like they did in rec ball. Laughing and joking around. One dad told me he thought he might have his two girls leave for a more serious team. He had second thoughts because playing college ball is hectic enough.The girls need to have fun playing for at least this 6 week period of time.

My kid is also having fun playing in the women's league for a few weeks. Real low key, just the girls having fun and getting some reps. (a PAC-12 pitcher's dad)

 

[slingnit]

Dropping my kid off this week and got to talk to coaches about what to expect. Said Summer after fr year is the big one. Now coming in to soph year they know where they should be physically and mentally. With 2 huge transfers this year they are breeding an environment of competitiveness. Nobody is entitled to a spot, you work for it each day, game, practice. I do see it the case of Traina, and the like, being an exception with heavy schedule of playing on the national team.

 

[Bouldersdad]

For a freshman coming home first thing on the list is to clean out the fridge and then complain there is nothing else in the fridge to eat. Second is to sleep until either shes hungry again or you force her to remove her self from her bed, preferably long enough to go to the Grocery for more food.

There is about a weeks worth of decompression they go thru then get bored and then its work outs, a little coaching and a little playing at the 18+ levels.

 

[riseball]

For a freshman coming home first thing on the list is to clean out the fridge and then complain there is nothing else in the fridge to eat. Second is to sleep until either shes hungry again or you force her to remove her self from her bed, preferably long enough to go to the Grocery for more food.

There is about a weeks worth of decompression they go thru then get bored and then its work outs, a little coaching and a little playing at the 18+ levels.

Apparently consuming a mere 3,500 calories a day is "STARVING"!!! Sleep till noon, complain about being tired until phone rings...need gas money, money for food and shopping then out the door in 5 minutes to meet friends, home around midnight. Pitch in TB tourneys on weekends. Repeat as necessary. As mid August approaches start workouts in earnest.

 

[3'sDad]

Last summer my niece did a summer course in England, Ireland & Scotland for 3 weeks since a semester abroad doesn't work well. She guest played a few weekends with her old team as she was still 18U eligible.

This summer she took two additional courses (Physics I & II) and played in a 23U league where most of the players were college girls looking to stay sharp over the summer. The niece trained hard this summer since she transferred schools , just completing the paperwork last week and will be playing field hockey for her new school - practice began on Saturday running The Gauntlet (a field hockey tradition) and timed sprints - and yes there was a senior who barfed after finishing The Gauntlet.