12yo playing 16u softball HELP!!

[Cannonball]

My dd did this. One main difference between my dd and yours was size. My dd was always big and strong. She could also bring it in the circle. Mine could have played one more year as a 12U then. Many of her friends did. The 16U will be in HS and so, if your state plays in the spring, you have to have her practice on her own until they finish HS ball. (I know some states now have different rules for HS and TB.) My dd played on a 2nd year 14U team that was playing 14U, 16U and 18U. So, the local games were normal and they usually won. It was the other games which were against great teams that scared us. That team traveled to 7 states her first year. We saw her get drilled in the ribs, legs, butt, ... when she missed her spots against these better teams. You will go through that as well. I hope she wears a face-mask. In the end, we decided to do this since my dd had the drive and wanted to make the varsity when she became a freshman. Good luck.

 

[quincy]

SB size does not matter to much, DD has been thrown around a little bit but nothing serious.

(There are some big girls out there.)

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

The things these girls talk about at the 16U level is jaw dropping...........

Ive been hearing relationship issues, to catching Pokemons, to which boy should I talk to. Actually that relationship discussion was from our youngest player on the team who is an 03. That was what I was worried about, most of the girls are great. Call me jerk, but when it comes to overnight functions with the team, WarriorAngela is at home. When we were in Colorado, the girls wanted to go to the mall. Nope, sorry. Sure enough, the stories came back that some of the girls exchanged phone numbers........

 

[SandyM]

My daughter, also a pitcher, always played up. It was nice for the challenge, and I think she became a better pitcher for the experience. She is now 18 and headed off to play in college. However, based on my experience, I would offer the following for your consideration: the chatter in an 18U dugout is not appropriate for a 12 year old. Teammates become like family, and no subject is off limits. Often that is where they share the topics they do not want to discuss with parents. The 16U dugout topics of boyfriends/girlfriends and booze transition to the heavier subjects like drugs, sex, abortions, and gender questions in an 18U dugout. Be prepared for some interesting conversations on the drive home from tournaments. This can be a nice opportunity to open the discussion on tough topics, but can be challenging to keep an open mind about her teammates' activities. Secondly, a 12 year-pld pitching 50 mph to A-level 18U batters is going to get hammered even if she has the best spin on that ball. That puts her in a dangerous position. Mine had the broken arm to prove it. Finally, if she doesn't get much playing time, it will eventually deteriorate her self confidence. I think playing up is a good thing to challenge a great player, but that is a big gap. Just my $0.02. Good luck to your daughter. It sounds like she has a great future on the ball field!

 

[IRONMAN]

a 12 year-pld pitching 50 mph to A-level 18U batters is going to get hammered even if she has the best spin on that ball. That puts her in a dangerous position. Mine had the broken arm to prove it.

This was the first thing that I thought too.

Top level 16U and 18U will hammer this type of pitch, occasionally up the middle because they are letting the ball get deeper. I've seen balls come off of my DD's bat that I've thanked God the pitcher got her glove up in time. I've seen a few that have not too. Good luck with which ever decision you make.