Showcase concept

I am just curious if I have the showcase concept down. Isn't this an avenue where all girls on a team have the ability to be seen by colleges and other scouts. My impression was that each girl on a team should have the same advantage to be seen. This is not such a winning thing as it is promotion of your players. Please let me know if this is incorrect!

 

in most showcase tourneys, yes they should have the same opportunities as any others on the team but what about those "truely showcase" tournaments with elimination, seeding and the such that ASA and some others provide, they simply have alot of college coaches/scouts in attendance to see the best play/compete against the best, spot for spot, to evaluate at D1 and D2 level players matched against their equals??? Showcasing is the marketing that the coaches, parents, the players and scouts can do; whether playing every inning or just a few, Outside the Lines! Showcase the young freshman, sophomore, Jr at clinics that most college/universities offer in Jan/Feb timeframe to as many school that They are interested in..........

Here in NC the showcase tournament are and will contiune to get better with time so just play, practice yearround and get the word out to the schools that interest you whether you played Ball or Not! You cant go wrong there and we hope all NC Players stay in NC and Play TOOO!!!! Easier for us older folks to see you play and grow!

Prolly didnt answer your question but some tourneys have been showcase without the Title and some have the title .........dont materialize in more ways than one, if you know what i mean!

 

Showcase??

Went to 3 showcases this summer ( Virginia, S.C.,and Florida). Many college coaches at each. Most teams played all their players....pitched several different girls each game......and really "showcased" their players talents. While a team or 2 put winning first and just "showcased" certain girls. Pitching the same players game after game, playing the same position players game after game with little or no change and posting winning an un-winable tournament ( if you will ). Also heard it really created some tention among parents.....coaches.......and players. Why go to a showcase and not showcase your team. If your there you should be there to 'showcase'. I don't know but I guess its how you look at it. We try to put together the best 11 or 12 players we can get. Then most have to pay, sometimes big money which covers tournaments, uniforms, etc. As a coach you want your players seen because most playing at this level want to play after HS. So to answer you question, yeah I think you play all your players at a showcase. You show what they can do. You might not pitch the freshman, you might just pitch the juniors and seniors but you do give a glemse of what the freshman can do somewhere. " Keep up with her, she could be good" Might get someones attention and they might start following her progress. After all, who is going to put a bad team together and go to showcases???

 

Showcase

Why it is true that showcase tournaments are to show all players, in order to move to the fields where the coaches will truly watch U , your team has to win. I know it is a screwy concept but believe me that is the way it works in almost all your major Showcase events. Just try to get in Lexington, Florence, Colorado, and even the Cardinal Classic if U do not have a track record or have been on a waiting list for years. We do play all our players but mainly showcase the rising seniors as they are the ones that truly have to be seen or will not get their chance at the college level. Rising juniors are next in line and then the lower classman get a little less time. Of course some lower classman are the best players on the team and will get a lion share of exposure. It is tough at the showcase level because every parent feels that that one inning or that one game their kid does not play is the one that will keep them from getting signed. Let me say in closing, unless the coach spends hours a week e-mailing and calling college coaches and the girls follow up by e-mailing and sending letters and applying for the schools they feel they may like to attend, just going to showcase tournaments will not get U recruited. The Cardinals, the Wildcats, the NC Challengers, and now hopefully the Lady Blues have developed a name where coaches will come take a look but U better perform when they see U. Not sure I added anything but make sure U get on a team where they network big time with the college coaches and the other showcase coaches so they can discover who is looking for what. CF did a great job of that before showcase got big. Forgot one last item, if a coach asked us to see a kid play, we will put that kid in immediately if they are not in the game. We will also put them in positions coaches may be recruiting. Have a great holiday.

 

New team

With that said, I think my daughter needs to look for a new team. Her coach is a home town boy that has dedication to players even if they aren't the best players. Also, just puts girls on the team to fill positions. He definitely does not understand the concept of showcase no matter how you put it. Thanks for the insight!

 

as mentioned, before showcases became the thing, it was stictly contact your college list, invite them, countless calls and emails and hope for the best. Going to Florence, Lexington, SC, CO and Classics(Cardinal) are great but its the coaches' and Players'/Parents' work outside the lines that really gets the job done. Contacting them about certain players will be meaningless unless the players applies at a certain college/university; emails, followup with letters/phone calls. providing tapes and they show an interest as well. I have had my star players as well as my role players(runners, pinch hitters, relief pitchers, DHers, EP, runner for catcher and players #11-15) move on to College ball just by following their checklist. Note: one player at Limestone, role player in travel ball, pitched in hschool and rarely plays there, still on the team and just loves it! She wants to teach and coach as her career and do you think she will be a good teacher/coach real soon in NC/SC...........i think so! Simply put............its everyone responsiblity to market the Player not just going to Showcase Tournaments. You should have a coach who is truely interested in seeing each player 1-15 Make it to the next level, one thats honest with the player/parent on her softball abilities/academic responsibilities and to provide a To Do Checklist for them. The competition for scholarships, both athletic/academic oackages(generally used by all schools) is becoming fierce, money is limited, quality of players are getting better so as a dad or mom...........marketing our DDs is Our responsiblity, coaches' are just assistants for the most part. Start seriously by getting SATs taken and retaken as early as 9th grade, encourage her to attend alot of clinics that are offered by colleges(great showcasing), play as many positions as possible, display a team attitude full-time and workout yearround on the fundamentals of the game. These ingredients are extremely important to the development of Todays potential college softball players who wants scholarships and compete at the highest level.

sorry for rambling ...................and good luck to all underclassman working on their game so you too can make it to the next level.

 

Next question

How do you find a team that has all of those qualities mentioned above. We are committed to the game, excellent skills(could be much better with a better team that teaches instead of socializes), young, quick, and has a Dad that knows the game inside and out that would be willing to help coach. We need help!

 

Showcase

There are many quality organizations out there with lots to offer. I think there are about 6-8 that are in a league by themselves but many more that are headed in the right direction. You need to interview the coaches as they will want to interview U. Picking the right team for your daughter is a very tough task. The Wildcats, NC Challengers, Cardinals, Crushers, Curve, Cobras,Dominators, Spinners, etc have been around awhile and could be areas to start. I know I have left off many quality organizations and only mention these as examples. There are teams that just quickly came to mind. Sorry for anyone I did not name. Go to eteamz.com and look up team websites and check out their home page etc., it can help U learn a little about each team. Hope this helps.

 

Showcase

RATTDD
Good advice by all.....can't go wrong with teams LBLUES1 mentioned. But I do think you need to explore the way the teams that impress you the most approach showcases. Being said that the coach and your daughter have alot of work ahead of them....you want to make sure your daughter is seen on the field playing no matter what her age is if she has the ability. You don't want her sitting behind a rising senior just because... especially if she is better. Was talking to a D-1 coach a couple of months ago about a soph. that the staff saw at one of their camps when she was in the 7th grade. They have been following her since then and when the coach goes to a showcase he wants to see her pitch. Not just the seniors. They want to keep up with her progress. If your daughter is younger you want to make sure she will be able to show what she can do. I'm not saying search for guaranteed playing time but you know what she is capable of doing and what atmosphere you'd like to see her playing in. Good luck to you and your daughter.

 

Need any players

Does anyone know of teams needing players? I was under the impression that most teams were set.