To play "A" ball or "B" ball? advise needed

[SoftSocDad]

If your DD wants to play college ball she needs to move up NOW. She needs to be on the roster of the most competitive team that will have her, even if it means she isn't the rockstar that she is on a B team.

My DD (and her crazy parents) went through this exact scenario last summer. She chose the A ball route and is 10 times the pitcher/player that she was just last spring.

This conflicts with a lot of the advice we've seen here.

In general, it's better to be in the most challenging environment possible, no matter what you're doing in life.

But, one of the recurring themes I read here in regards to young pitchers is that they should be trying to get as many innings as possible.

How does being the #3 pitcher on the A team accomplish that?

 

[GOINGDEEP]

How does being the #3 pitcher on the A team accomplish that?

I think what Coach n dad is saying is that it might push her more. It's easy to coast through any level if your not being challenged. If your "K" ing most at the B level over time you will get 'too comfortable' and lose the drive to improve because you see no need to. Losing a few games at A should set a light off saying " maybe I need to work harder, maybe I need to practice more....etc".

Plus the old saying ( and I truly believe in it ) You play to the level of competition around you. Go forward ( up ) , never go backwards or just stay stationary.

Good luck.

 

[mudbug]

If your daughter has had good instruction, is 14, is about full height grown, and only throws 48-52, she may not have a future as a pitcher much longer. If she isnt, she can work under good instruction for another year to see where she is headed. Many pitcher gain a lot of speed from 12-14, not so much after that. Most very good college bound pitchers at 13-14 be 55-58 on avg Id say, full repertoire of pitches, good movement, and great control. These girls are practically full grown, they arent going to get much bigger, just hopefully a bit more muscular over the next couple yrs.

No doubt, if she wants to play college at all, she needs to be playing with the best , most competitive team she can, and receiving the best instruction you have access to. NOW!

 

[GOINGDEEP]

If your daughter has had good instruction, is 14, is about full height grown, and only throws 48-52, she may not have a future as a pitcher much longer. If she isnt, she can work under good instruction for another year to see where she is headed. Many pitcher gain a lot of speed from 12-14, not so much after that. Most very good college bound pitchers at 13-14 be 55-58 on avg Id say, full repertoire of pitches, good movement, and great control. These girls are practically full grown, they arent going to get much bigger, just hopefully a bit more muscular over the next couple yrs.

No doubt, if she wants to play college at all, she needs to be playing with the best , most competitive team she can, and receiving the best instruction you have access to. NOW!

Mud is right. My DD gained 8 mph between last year 12 to first year 14. Second year of 14 she gained 6-8 inches of breaking balls. These are the years when you will see if she just pitches, or see if she is a 'pitcher'. I think these are the years when a DD makes the biggest jumps overall. Like a 'pitching' growth spurt??

Good luck........we all need it.

 

[Sweet Pitch 96]

On the SoCal tourney circuit 60 is not uncommon in 14U. That doesn't necessarily mean they are good pitchers. The best pitcher I have faced in the past year threw only a couple of fastballs all game. She threw rises, drops, changes with screws and curves. Most of her pitches were in the lower 50s. Her location and control plus pitch selection were far more of an asset than being able to throw 60.

Wow! It is so refreshing to hear someone not completely drunk on speed. It's tough when you have a spin/control type pitcher and the first and foremost thing a coach is looking for is speed. You have my vote for wiseman of the day!

 

[PA SB Dad]

I know that some of you will ask "what does my daughter want"? the true answer is that she does not know. She would rather her mom and dad make the decision for her. In all honesty, she has been so used to the rock star status, she is used to showing up and automatically being the best. She has never experienced a true challenge in her life and I think being challenged would scare her a little.

Her goals are to play softball in high school and college.

Thanks
Elizabeth

I've seen a lot of kids who are used to being "the best" in their neighborhoods and never being challenged. They are usually the ones who get lazy over time, don't work hard to improve, feel entitled to special treatment, and blame the other kids for their own shortcomings. The other kids that truly want it eventually catch up, and these "special kids" fall off the map. Is that what you want for your daughter?

At this age, she needs to begin to be accountable for her decisions, and live with the consequences, right or wrong. If you want her to succeed, she needs to find challenges that help her get better, without you or anyone else propping her up. You can't continue to make decisions for her and live her life for her, otherwise you will find yourself in the future going in to her college professors' offices complaining about the poor grades she received, or to her boss complaining why she didn't get a promotion. This is an important time in her personal development, and you need to find ways to help her mature into a responsible adult and athlete, not a "rock star" that can just walk onto the field and automatically be the best, because that will not last much longer.

 

[elizabeth]

By the way, letting her blame her teammates losses is something *YOU* should not let her do. She is throwing the ball. It is up to her to figure out a way to win the games.

Under normal circumstances I would absolutely 100% agree with you. What is happening is that my daughter will throw the third strike and the catcher will drop it, and the batter will run to first. The catcher over throws 1st and the ball goes into the outfield and the runner advances all the way to 3rd. Next batter is up, catcher misses the ball again and runner scores. So as a pitcher, that has got to be very frusterating.

Elizabeth

 

[SoftSocDad]

Under normal circumstances I would absolutely 100% agree with you. What is happening is that my daughter will throw the third strike and the catcher will drop it, and the batter will run to first. The catcher over throws 1st and the ball goes into the outfield and the runner advances all the way to 3rd. Next batter is up, catcher misses the ball again and runner scores. So as a pitcher, that has got to be very frusterating.

More one-on-one work required between pitcher and catcher.

 

[fastpitch]

If she wants to continue being a "rock star" work hard starting now to get better and play "A" Ball. The increased level of play will either motivate her to get better... or give her (and parents) a reality check of where she wants to (or can) go with this.

 

[WinThemAll]

"If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting." -- Dick Vermeil