Softball This Weekend in Rock Hill SC

our girls did good on friday and saturday and should have stayed home on sunday. Friday night we beat the magic and on saturday we won against the knockouts and the dazzle. Sunday morning we lost the the comets (not sure which one) who came out swinging their bats. 7 errors didnt help us any and in the next game we lost to the cobras. was told they have 7 college freshmen on their roster? I know the pitcher goes to limestone. It was a good game they just out skilled us.

 

Why would you spend the money to take a team loaded with college freshman players to a showcase? I'm sure there is a good reason but shouldn't you let the girls play that need to be seen by the coaches rather than ones that are already playing college ball.

 

no idea but 2 weeks prior to rockhill at USC Upstate the only game we lost was to one of the cardinal teams who had a rising junior at PC pitching against us. I think her last name was Hensley?? One of our parents showed us her college BIO and I was stunned that they brought her to a showcase. we beat them the next morning with another girl pitching 10-1.

 

Most of the kids I talk to still think they are going to the showcases to win. Don't tell 'em any different; let 'em have fun.

 

Just a thought, but if loading up with college players to take to "showcase" tournaments becomes an accepted practice wouldn't college coaches get tired of going to watch girls that are already committed? Will it diminish the amount of college coaches that attend? Will "showcases" become just another tournament to win? It is no wonder that certain teams are the dominate ones.

 

Maybe the college players' coaches are there to see them. Could be skill development, like a farm team.

 

It's 18-U. If a player is 18 on Jan. 1st, then they are eligible. As a team builds over the years, some kids stay for 3 or 4 years until they age out. Sometimes you may have a really young team, and sometimes an older team. The college coaches do watch their players the same as they watch the recruitable kids, so guess what, they see your younger players. The network grows. The college freshmen want to play as well. We could have had 2 teams if we had enough money, and a couple more pitchers. I don't see anything wrong with the freshmen playing at all. They need the work, so they don't sit around all summer. Almost unanimously, their coaches want them out there, and they will watch them play with the other kids.

 

I can understand that it would help a college coach to see players play against college players and hit off of college pitchers, but what happens to the future of showcases when college players are the majority of the players participating? Will it be more about college coaches watching their own players playing or getting the younger girls seen so they can also play at the next level? Maybe college players can have tournaments just for them or form some kind of summer league of their own. Would you have a problem as a parent if you pay for your daughter to be seen in a showcase and the coach brings in college players not normally on the team and plays them instead.

 

I'm just throwing some thoughts out there because I'm not really sure how I feel about it yet. In recent years the age of girls that play in 18U showcase tournaments has gotton younger, true 16U teams and even a couple of 2nd year 14U have been seen. It would be benefitial to the younger girls to see how they measure up but I see no benefit to a college player playing against 16 year olds. College players would be playing down so to speak and should look good, but how can a college coach measure his players talents when they are playing younger girls? Seems it would be better for them to play "up" in 23U to get a true measurement of their skills, if that is why they are there. It would seem that teams loaded with college players would be in a lose/lose situation. If they win, they are supposed to win BUT if they lose to a much younger team, well...