Travel Ball Leagues

I am putting together a travel ball team made up of girls from my high school and I'm wondering what the opinions are of the different leagues (ASA, NSA, etc..) and how strong is the competition for 16u and 18u?
Thanks.

 

Can't Comment !!!

Know too many people in both...Guru

 

I would say the ASA is the strongest because that is where most of the college coaches go. Now, are you attempting to get your players seen by college coaches or is the goal to just make your high school team better and hopefully get a little exposure for them also? The competition at the 18U level is pretty good anywhere you play. There just ain't that many bad 18U teams out there that I have seen...you could play anywhere and get good competition.

 

Travel Ball

Depends on where you want to go to play.
Trying to stay local to Raleigh you can find all the competition you want in USFA. NSA has many local tourneys too, not as many 16U/18U teams. WFC plays alot in Siler City but no 18U. ISA is new to area and trying to get a jump start here. USSSA seems to be struggling locally. PONY has great coverage north of the border. ASA is the cream of the crop but, very little played in eastern NC. National coverage, ASA 16U Gold/ 18U Gold you will play the VERY best teams in the country. They also have a faithful following of college coaches. It just depends on what your looking to achieve.

 

As chacha said, figure out your goals, and go from there. Consider where, how often, and what type tournaments you want to play. You have NCASA, SCASA, NCNSA, SCNSA, ISA, WFC, AAU, and I'm sure some others. You can find tournaments most any weekend, and 16-U & 18-U will be competitive. In 18-U, the tournaments are more limited as to where they are, but most are big. Dive in and you'll learn quickly!

 

Prioritize.....

...and then get your money right. If your kids can play 16u I'd suggest qualifying for a national tourn. at 16u level. USSSA is a points awarded system of ranking qualifiers. The more points you accumulate in a season the higher your seed will be come nationals. This means playing lots of USSSA gigs. NSA, WFC are the most geographic friendly. ASA, requires advancing to the national stage not just qualifying. As for playing, be honest with yourself when determining the TRUE talent level of your squad. In the TB showcase circuit, its the big boys who play on the top fields and gather more of a share of the college coaches in attendance. This years 18u teams, Cardinals, Storm, Flames, Legacy, and a few more not named will be loaded with college signees who can rock. I say raise the bar and go out and play these kids. Then go back down to 16u nationals having played toe to toe win or lose with the 18s. Good Luck! And remember, don't paint your helmets with a kids name, and no chanting in the dugout! "holy cow, its a foul........LOL

 

where to play

Coming from a players point of view playing ASA 18u Gold got me into college. But it depends on what you want, if your girls want to stay local for college or aren't interested in playing at all NSA, USSSA or any of the other leagues would do just fine. As for being seen by bigtime and local colleges ASA is the way to go. There was never a game my team played in (showcases) that there weren't atleast 5+ coaches and many times we had 10-20. These coaches spend alot of money to travel and see ASA Gold games ex. playing in Huntington Beach, CA the summer before my senior year we had UNC, State, Texas, Michigan, Georgia etc at the games.. in california! It depends on your team. If they want to be seen you/they can make it happen.

- just my personal opinion as a player playing in all leagues. asa gold is what sealed the deal for me.

 

FYI- More NC girls have been signed by playing ASA 18U-A than ASA Gold. But it just comes down to what you think is best for each player. All the same coaches listed show up at the ASA 18U-A showcase tournaments and many of those tournaments are in NC, SC, & GA.

 

UH-OH--- OUT OF THE WOODWORK !!!

RED ALERT...CONTROVERSIAL COMMENT ABOVE....RED FLAG, ALL HANDS ON DECK !!!!


GURU

 

ASA verus other sanctions

The last several ASA tournaments my daughters team played in had 10-15 teams in about every division. NSA doesn't routinely give the 4 game guarantee and does the pool play format where a team can be 2-0 in pool play and lose their first bracket game and go home. ASA allows teams the opportunity to battle their way back in which makes it more worthwhile from a team financial standpoint and the girls get more playing time! NSA and WFC are also good, but I like the ASA 4GG and the umpires.