College Roster Sizes, sorry some of you don't get to go with us~

[MightyMO]

This seems very predatory by the university.

I should clarify, the coaches who told her they were expanding rosters didn't actually tell her the last sentence about the reasoning behind it. That is my opinion based on some info from other contacts who have been involved in athletics at the college level.

 

[Dabears17]

This seems very predatory by the university.

I had a former NAIA coach admit to me at a coach's conference that the extra enrollment from VR teams is what kept his school in business for several years before they finally ran out of money and closed. To his credit, the coach worked his butt off to get all his players places at different schools, even though he was no longer receiving a pay check.

As long as parents and students are aware of that side of NAIA schools, but their DD's still want to play softball in college, I guess it's not totally bad. Just need to evaluate the whole experience and what you get for an education, not have blinders on about everything but playing softball.

 

[EC22]

I have to conclude some of these huge roster D3 coaches are bonuses for enrollment.

 

[tomorrow]

I have to conclude some of these huge roster D3 coaches are bonuses for enrollment.

Not just in softball.

 

[Orange Socks]

Out of curiosity I checked out DD's school's baseball stats. 41 on the online roster. I know there are more that practice but don't earn a jersey. I counted 14 positions players with AB's. 13 Pitchers with mound time.

 

[warbird]

Out of curiosity I checked out DD's school's baseball stats. 41 on the online roster. I know there are more that practice but don't earn a jersey. I counted 14 positions players with AB's. 13 Pitchers with mound time.

DD's school's baseball team looked like first day of spring training warming up out beyond the softball field. Players everywhere.

 

[TwoPitcherFam]

NCAA D1 rosters for baseball in 2024 are to be capped at 40. It’s a couple larger now due to the extra COVID eligibility. From memory, P’s are around 17 and for many programs it’s needed between injuries, inconsistency/development and 9 inning games plus pitch counts. That being said, it does seem they carry a few too many position players.

For softball rosters, number of games is a key factor. D1 teams can play more than 60 games. I can’t blame teams that carry a few more if they have a packed schedule given injuries. IMO 20 +/- is a good size but I would have atleast 5 P’s as an injury to your #1 or #2 can put the team into a thin rotation with 3 conf game series or tournaments if carrying 4 P’s.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

It's hard to conflate baseball and softball here. A baseball D1 roster may carry 35-40 guys, but in essence, so does a MLB team. They may only have 26 with them at any given moment, but they have a 40 man roster from which to pull players due to injury or ineffectiveness. Colleges don't have minor league teams from which to pull players during the season, so they have to carry larger rosters. Granted, the season isn't nearly the grind it is in MLB, but it's still pretty grueling.

 

[NJZoo]

I had a former NAIA coach admit to me at a coach's conference that the extra enrollment from VR teams is what kept his school in business for several years before they finally ran out of money and closed. To his credit, the coach worked his butt off to get all his players places at different schools, even though he was no longer receiving a pay check.

As long as parents and students are aware of that side of NAIA schools, but their DD's still want to play softball in college, I guess it's not totally bad. Just need to evaluate the whole experience and what you get for an education, not have blinders on about everything but playing softball.

This is a real thing. Many NAIA and D3 schools are financially insolvent, or very close to it. They know that parents want to brag that their kids play college ball, and use that as a revenue stream that may keep the college doors open. In many cases for marginal prospects, picking a higher ranked academic university and playing club ball would be a better option.

 

[TwoPitcherFam]

This is a real thing. Many NAIA and D3 schools are financially insolvent, or very close to it. They know that parents want to brag that their kids play college ball, and use that as a revenue stream that may keep the college doors open. In many cases for marginal prospects, picking a higher ranked academic university and playing club ball would be a better option.

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