College Scouts

[softball_chic_12]

I live in Pennsylvania. My dream college is in Arizonia. One of my questions is, would a college scout travel that far to watch a tournament? And if so, I'm assuming it would be a big tournament right? What kinds of big tournaments in Pennsylvania get the best exposure to college scouts? How far do scouts travel?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

At the U of A, they travel approximately to CA. Here is the roster ARIZONA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE - Softball

 

[SoftSocDad]

Yeah, reality is what it is and the numbers speak for themselves:

15-woman roster

7 from AZ, 7 from CA, and 1 from TX

 

[SoftballMama]

I live in Pennsylvania. My dream college is in Arizonia. One of my questions is, would a college scout travel that far to watch a tournament? And if so, I'm assuming it would be a big tournament right? What kinds of big tournaments in Pennsylvania get the best exposure to college scouts? How far do scouts travel?

Don't give up hope! (BTW, I am a HUGE wildcat fan) Here is an article about the UofA having walk-on tryouts in 2008. Do some research on this, you never know, it could be useful!

Softball to Hold Walk-On Tryout - ARIZONA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Here is some inspiration: When my sister in law graduated from college in Texas she wanted to work with a famous heart surgeon here in town. She moved in with my husband and I and we told her to go get a waitressing job and then apply for anything she could get at the hospital to get her foot in the door. Well, she went to the hospital first and hung out there for a few days telling everyone she met what she wanted to do. One week later she was working on an artificial heart program for the famous surgeon's team.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Well there is always hope.

ASU carries a much bigger roster than UofA, but not everyone plays.

Most colleges hold walk on tryouts, but I can't remember a girl that really got to play much, that made the team that way.

You could go to the university's camps and make yourself known that way. But you really need to visit the school to see if it is a good fit for you. Tucson and Phoenix are both large cities.

It was 105 here yesterday, by 9 AM.

You need to make certain that the college you choose is the college that you would pick, whether or not you play softball.

In the mean time, take all of the AP classes that you can and work on getting As and top test scores. Take professional hitting lessons and play catch.

But last January, Mike Candrea said that his scholarships for 2011 and 2012 graduates are gone. He said that he doesn't like it but he has to consider girls that are basically 14 YO, anymore, and hope that they committ early.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

DD's best friend is going to be a Junior in the fall in hs. She plays on a tb team that does nothing but college exposure tournaments - travelling about 12 hours away in August and this weekend is 6 hours away. Our hs team is also going to play in a couple of exposure tournaments this coming season. I do know, listening to her family, that coaches either go or send scouts. However, we are talking the South - not sure what other areas do...

 

[softball_chic_12]

thank you so much. i will be a sophmore in hs this coming year and have already planned out the rest of my high school career as far as academics. and trust me, i am committed. I have previously done research on the U of A roster and did notice that all the players come from around the area. Which makes sense. Not a whole lot of travelling between school and home. I am curious about if any girls have played on the team that came from here, the east. My tb team went into one big exposure tournament which was about an hour or so away. but we don't travel much. no more than 2 hours away. so we don't get much exposure. And i'd like to go to a team where i can get that exposure but i can't. For financial reasons, mainly. or if it's not the money, its the travelling. My parents dont enjoy traveling that much and for me to travel and stay with a teammate or something would be out of the question. and we aren't going to just go to AZ so i can play ball there. Not when all of our roots are here. and as for me attending a camp in AZ, omg, i would LOVE that! but again, i can't. My parents wouldn't let me fly alone (thats understandable) and neither would go with me. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they can't get off of work.

I've been told I'm rare. I started out as a catcher, now I'm a pretty good pitcher too. I've been told that isn't seen much anywhere. And on top of that, I'm a good hitter and I can play anywhere. i'm hoping to use that as a secret weapon. On top of that, Amy said about it getting to be 105 at 9 AM. That's something I'm definetly not used to. And the truth is, I have issues with the heat. But it's something I'm willing to work through in order to get there. My aunt said that the coach at Penn state worked closely with Mike Candrea and other local schools have good softball programs. They do, but I've already set my goal. and why would I go to a program that uses some of Candrea's techniques and ideas if I have the shot to go to Mr. Candrea himself?

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[amanda_cake]

Most colleges hold walk on tryouts, but I can't remember a girl that really got to play much, that made the team that way.

There was a girl in the Women's College World Series who had walked on to her team. (Lousiana Lafayette, if I remember correctly)

VA Tech Hokies have had some walkons do excellent in the past as well.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Most colleges with good athletic programs have regional scouts. Meaning they have paid scouts ( not on an official roster ) that report directly to the schools when they see something special 500 miles away. These guys know exactly what the school is looking for and DO NOT waste their time on BS. It is much more economical for the schools to work this way. Unless you are the super of super stars you will never see the head coach of any college team come see you personally. Well, not in softball or baseball anyway.

 

[sluggers]

I am curious about if any girls have played on the team that came from here, the east.

Not as far as I know. If you check out the Penn State roster, you'll notice that 9 of the girls come from the west coast (Washington, California and Arizona).

Generally, the best softball players come from the west coast.

Arizona is one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the US. Candrea recruits about 4 girls a year. So, you would have to be one of the top 10 players in the USA to even be considered.

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sure--softball is a lot of fun. But, that is all it is. You will only play softball until your are 21 or 22 YOA, if you are lucky. You will then spend the next 30 or 40 years relying upon what you learned in the classroom. In the "real world", people really don't care very much whether you can drag bunt.

An intelligent person would determine what she wanted to do after college. After that is decided, then she would select colleges based upon her career choice. After a few colleges have been picked out, then she would look at the softball programs and talk to the coaches and see which colleges fit best.

But, softball would be the *LAST* thing on your list when you choose a college.

I had two DDs play sports in college. The truth is that very few girls who plays sports in HS are good enough to be on a college team. And, of the girls good enough to be on the college team, only about 50% are good enough to play. (In college, the coach may not play you, ever.) And, of the girls whot play, only about 10% are "impact" players.

What does all of this mean? Well, if you loving *playing* softball (as opposed to sitting on a bench *watching* softball)l you would find a team that really needs you and wants you on the team.