Most conversations here are on DI and DIII but I never see any conversations on DII? What are the pluses and minuses in a DII program?
What about DII
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Coach-n-Dad
Crazy Daddy
- Oct 31, 2008
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There is nothing wrong with DII softball; as a matter of fact, there are some DII softball teams that can CRUSH low-mid level DI softball teams.
a big plus is emphasis on academics in DII
Parents need to take their rose colored glasses off about college sports. Here is the deal with *all* college sports:
The coach gets paid to win. If she/he doesn't win, she/he gets fired, along with the entire coaching staff. These people, as you might imagine, have car payments and house payments just like everyone else. In other words, they *need* their jobs.
College coaches aren't like HS or TB coaches who may (perhaps) make a few bucks extra of spending money. The livelihood for college coaches is softball. Softball their career. If a college coach doesn't produce a winner, then not only does she lose her job, she loses her career.
Suppose your were 40 YOA, and if you didn't win, you would have to find a completely different line of work. What would you do to make sure you won? The coaches push everyone to their limits. If it wasn't for the NCAA and college rules, the players would practice 24x7.
The question about academics at college is how much leverage a coach has over the player. If your child is getting $$$, then the coach has a lot of leverage over your child. The coach will use it, and will demand more from your child.
So, if your child at one of the top D2 programs, don't expect it to be any different from a D1 program.
Travel--generally, the travel is less. The D2 schools don't have a huge budget, so everything is bus travel for a couple of hours.
If your child has a chance to play in college, *forget* softball. Make the decision about where she goes based on what she wants to do after college. Then, look at the softball programs.
The coach gets paid to win. If she/he doesn't win, she/he gets fired, along with the entire coaching staff. These people, as you might imagine, have car payments and house payments just like everyone else. In other words, they *need* their jobs.
College coaches aren't like HS or TB coaches who may (perhaps) make a few bucks extra of spending money. The livelihood for college coaches is softball. Softball their career. If a college coach doesn't produce a winner, then not only does she lose her job, she loses her career.
Suppose your were 40 YOA, and if you didn't win, you would have to find a completely different line of work. What would you do to make sure you won? The coaches push everyone to their limits. If it wasn't for the NCAA and college rules, the players would practice 24x7.
The question about academics at college is how much leverage a coach has over the player. If your child is getting $$$, then the coach has a lot of leverage over your child. The coach will use it, and will demand more from your child.
So, if your child at one of the top D2 programs, don't expect it to be any different from a D1 program.
Travel--generally, the travel is less. The D2 schools don't have a huge budget, so everything is bus travel for a couple of hours.
If your child has a chance to play in college, *forget* softball. Make the decision about where she goes based on what she wants to do after college. Then, look at the softball programs.
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D3 is different than D1 or D2. The time commitment is much less for D3.
My DD#1 played D1 softball. My DD#3 played D3 basketball. So, DD#1 in the off-season would lift weight for 1 to 2 hours a day, and then do "optional" pitching for an hour a day. She would put in about 3 hours a day in the off-season. During the season, DD#1 would be putting in 5 to 6 hours of softball. For every away series during the season, the softball team would leave Thursday or Friday and return late on Sunday.
DD#3 in the off-season would put in 1 hour a day on conditioning, and then shoot hoops for 30 minutes or so. About a month before the season started, DD#3 would be putting in 1 hour for conditioning and 1 hour of "optional" basketball scrimmages. During the season, practice was 3 hours. Except for the end-of-season national tournament, the team would be gone overnight only once per year.
DD#1 needed to take a course which was offered only once a year in the spring. It conflicted with softball practice. She was told to take it the next spring during her 5th year or give her scholarship and quit the team.
DD#3 needed to take a course which was offered only in the spring which conflicted with basketball practice. The basketball coach cried and whined about it, but finally gave in and let her come to practice 1 hour late.
If a girl wants to play D1 (and my DD#1 doesn't regret for one second playing D1 softball), the parents and the girl need to do it with their eyes wide open. Maybe it makes sense for her, and maybe it doesn't.
My DD#1 played D1 softball. My DD#3 played D3 basketball. So, DD#1 in the off-season would lift weight for 1 to 2 hours a day, and then do "optional" pitching for an hour a day. She would put in about 3 hours a day in the off-season. During the season, DD#1 would be putting in 5 to 6 hours of softball. For every away series during the season, the softball team would leave Thursday or Friday and return late on Sunday.
DD#3 in the off-season would put in 1 hour a day on conditioning, and then shoot hoops for 30 minutes or so. About a month before the season started, DD#3 would be putting in 1 hour for conditioning and 1 hour of "optional" basketball scrimmages. During the season, practice was 3 hours. Except for the end-of-season national tournament, the team would be gone overnight only once per year.
DD#1 needed to take a course which was offered only once a year in the spring. It conflicted with softball practice. She was told to take it the next spring during her 5th year or give her scholarship and quit the team.
DD#3 needed to take a course which was offered only in the spring which conflicted with basketball practice. The basketball coach cried and whined about it, but finally gave in and let her come to practice 1 hour late.
If a girl wants to play D1 (and my DD#1 doesn't regret for one second playing D1 softball), the parents and the girl need to do it with their eyes wide open. Maybe it makes sense for her, and maybe it doesn't.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,973
- 83
My DD played DII ball. The grind is very much like DI. Off season each player had individual workouts for anywhere from 1-2 hours per day. My DD had to work on her pitching. There was weight lifting at 7 AM, conditioning and pool workouts in the afternoon or evening. Then there's working the clinics for the local kids and the fundraisers. If a players GPA was below 3.0 they had to participate in mandatory study tables.
During the season weight training was still done pretty regularly. It was team practices everyday they weren't playing. They would leave on Friday's when they were playing away and return late Sunday night or the wee hours of Monday morning depending on who they were playing. My DD was always narcoleptic in a moving veh so she said she would sleep on the bus during the return trips back to school. It's study on the bus to keep up the grades and keep current with homework.
One of the biggest differences is the DI season is longer if you're at a cold weather DII school. They don't have the budget to fly to the warmer climates as many times as the big DI schools do. So the DII season is usually shorter.
My DD had to take some classes in the summer and during the winter break because of when they were offered. The coach paid for the classes.
During the season weight training was still done pretty regularly. It was team practices everyday they weren't playing. They would leave on Friday's when they were playing away and return late Sunday night or the wee hours of Monday morning depending on who they were playing. My DD was always narcoleptic in a moving veh so she said she would sleep on the bus during the return trips back to school. It's study on the bus to keep up the grades and keep current with homework.
One of the biggest differences is the DI season is longer if you're at a cold weather DII school. They don't have the budget to fly to the warmer climates as many times as the big DI schools do. So the DII season is usually shorter.
My DD had to take some classes in the summer and during the winter break because of when they were offered. The coach paid for the classes.
- Jul 9, 2010
- 289
- 0
Some, but not all (maybe not most, I don't know), D3 schools are similar to the above as well. A lot of it is not mandatory, but the coach still controls playing time, which and there is peer pressure from other players. The difference is that the coach has to relent in a scheduling conflict case. However, he/she doesn't have to play the conflicted student. They do play fewer games, and the restrictions on practrice hours are a ltitle tighter than D1 or 2 (they have less mandatory hours). And, travel is certainly less, as they are not jetting around for conference games, since they play regionally.
Sluggers - I have tried to tell my TB players and parents just what you said as we enter the recruiting season each year. I tell them to be 100% sure. If they are, I will help them. I'm not sure, though, that we can really prepare them. I may make them read your post, so they hear from someone else!
Sluggers - I have tried to tell my TB players and parents just what you said as we enter the recruiting season each year. I tell them to be 100% sure. If they are, I will help them. I'm not sure, though, that we can really prepare them. I may make them read your post, so they hear from someone else!
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,973
- 83
The biggest differences is scholarship money.
A fully funded DI has 12.5 scholarships to work with.
A full funded DII has 7.5 to work with.
At the DIII level there are no athletic scholarships. The schools do get pretty creative with academic money and other grants.
Don't forget there are also NAIA schools. Not sure about all the available options for those schools. Maybe someone here will know.
There are plenty of DI & DII's that are not fully funded. The true "Full Ride" out there is a rare creature reserved for the very top prospects, usually pitchers, catcher and monster hitters. Most girls are playing on partial scholarships.
- Oct 19, 2009
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My daughter’s dream profession is to be a Small Animal Vet, her and her mother’s thinking is if she gets a ball scholarship free college. I’ve told them both that it just don’t work that way, sports scholarships interfere with a good college education most of the time. She is a junior 16 and will graduate at 17, she takes honors and college courses and is an A student. The HS ball bus has gotten home after midnight (she plays SB and BB), another hour to unpack the bus and get home. Then finish home work and study for test it’s been 4 AM at times when she gets to bed. This is high school, I tell her multiply that by 6 and you will have college ball. I believe in my daughter, but I just don’t see how she can do both.
One D1 school my daughter wants’ to go to talks of 5 AM weight room, classes and then 3 hour practice in the afternoon. This doesn’t lend for much of a life outside ball and school. I’m afraid at some point she will have to make a tough decision, she loves animals and the thought of helping animals, she also loves playing ball, but I just don’t think the two will mix. Personally I hope she chooses the books and study over ball in the long run it will serve her better. Either way she has my support.
One D1 school my daughter wants’ to go to talks of 5 AM weight room, classes and then 3 hour practice in the afternoon. This doesn’t lend for much of a life outside ball and school. I’m afraid at some point she will have to make a tough decision, she loves animals and the thought of helping animals, she also loves playing ball, but I just don’t think the two will mix. Personally I hope she chooses the books and study over ball in the long run it will serve her better. Either way she has my support.
