Does trend toward early commits affect nationals?

[SoCal_Dad]

Committed players need to play against the talent level they'll face in college. Some teams can do that by staying local and others need to travel for it. Coaches get concerned if there is a noticeable dropoff in the level of competition on a commit's schedule. SoCal teams full of top D1 recruits have plenty of competition locally, however they still travel (e.g. Colorado, TCS/US Nats, etc) for the experience and because the college coaches want to see their commits playing against top competition from around the country as much as possible.

That's probably less true for a smaller group of athletes than you might think. Historically, that was the case for the big programs. Some of the best eastern teams will still travel west (and vice-versa), but because of the explosive and rapid growth of SEC softball, many of the eastern schools are quite happy to spend less on recruiting. ...

My post was about the OP's topic, committed players, not recruiting...

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I agree they should play at the highest level possible as a first step to prepare for college ball. But they also need to understand that even at the highest level of TB play, they are not facing college level talent and have much work to do before they are ready to play at that level. If they head off to college full of themselves because of what they did in TB they are in for a rude awakening. The pine has plenty of TB studs including national players of the year who were sure they were all that and a bag of chips.

There is a wide range of competition across the various college divisions and my post was geared towards playing against your level of commits, however you bring up a good point about aiming higher to approximate the level of returning college players. The best preparation for P5 commits is a good women's summer league full of D-I players. Otherwise, the best they can do is play as much as they can against top TB teams loaded with P5 commits. Players committed to lower levels should try to play against higher level commits, however it doesn't have to be against the very best.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

USSSA Elite is early July, so it will have little impact on PGF and JO Cup. Results from Colorado and other elite events will provide some insight into the relative strength of teams at PGF, JO Cup and USSSA Elite.

Clarification: USSSA Elite is same week as TC/USA Nats, so that's what will be impacted most. Top teams at those events will also play PGF and JO Cup. Colorado, TC/USA Nats, USSSA Elite and some other events will provide insights into the relative strength of teams at PGF and JO Cup.

 

[Momo'sDad]

My post was about the OP's topic, committed players, not recruiting...

It seems like with all the traveling they've done just to get recruited that by the time they're juniors or seniors, the idea of going across country for nationals isn't so appealing, especially if they've already done it once.

I thought the OP was about older players not wanting to go to Nationals. How many multi-team organizations hang their hats on their results at PGF or ASA Nationals anymore for 18u? Compare that to how many offer more weight (when talking about the value of their franchise fees) with respect to recruiting. The mechanics of recruiting have definitely changed the conversation and softball people's attitudes toward Nationals over the past decade. As the OP notes, a reason for the "going to Nationals!" motivation being absent seems to be that so many juniors have already committed.

What you guys are saying about continuing to play P5-laden teams is certainly true, but the eastern players/teams don't have to travel far to meet this goal. Birmingham's 18U Premier/Gold team has been doing their summer road tour for years, but how many of the top teams east of the Mississippi are following suit, even though they've got players heading to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, etc?

 

[#10's Dad]

I thought the OP was about older players not wanting to go to Nationals. How many multi-team organizations hang their hats on their results at PGF or ASA Nationals anymore for 18u? Compare that to how many offer more weight (when talking about the value of their franchise fees) with respect to recruiting. The mechanics of recruiting have definitely changed the conversation and softball people's attitudes toward Nationals over the past decade. As the OP notes, a reason for the "going to Nationals!" motivation being absent seems to be that so many juniors have already committed.

What you guys are saying about continuing to play P5-laden teams is certainly true, but the eastern players/teams don't have to travel far to meet this goal. Birmingham's 18U Premier/Gold team has been doing their summer road tour for years, but how many of the top teams east of the Mississippi are following suit, even though they've got players heading to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, etc?

Our schedule consists of So Cal A's Invitational, Colorado Independence, Chicago Demarini, Atlanta Legacy, and PGF. I will say she has played good competition at home but the competition we seen in California is a different level and is pushing the girls to compete. Looking forward to seeing how they grow over the summer. Senior year will be different because her school has the girls go to summer school to get acclimated to campus and to work with strength staff. The thing I like most about her travel team is they spend a lot of time practicing working on individual fundamentals and team defense.

 

[riseball]

I thought the OP was about older players not wanting to go to Nationals. How many multi-team organizations hang their hats on their results at PGF or ASA Nationals anymore for 18u? Compare that to how many offer more weight (when talking about the value of their franchise fees) with respect to recruiting. The mechanics of recruiting have definitely changed the conversation and softball people's attitudes toward Nationals over the past decade. As the OP notes, a reason for the "going to Nationals!" motivation being absent seems to be that so many juniors have already committed.

What you guys are saying about continuing to play P5-laden teams is certainly true, but the eastern players/teams don't have to travel far to meet this goal. Birmingham's 18U Premier/Gold team has been doing their summer road tour for years, but how many of the top teams east of the Mississippi are following suit, even though they've got players heading to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, etc?

I think for many teams that "going to nationals" is more about building and furthering their brand than anything else. After all if they are at nationals playing the best, then they must be one of the best therefore they are the organization to play for in order to get your kid into a P5 school. Right? Granted that is irrational as one has nothing to do with the other, but many buy in to that narrative.

 

[MNDad]

I thought the OP was about older players not wanting to go to Nationals. How many multi-team organizations hang their hats on their results at PGF or ASA Nationals anymore for 18u? Compare that to how many offer more weight (when talking about the value of their franchise fees) with respect to recruiting. The mechanics of recruiting have definitely changed the conversation and softball people's attitudes toward Nationals over the past decade. As the OP notes, a reason for the "going to Nationals!" motivation being absent seems to be that so many juniors have already committed.

What you guys are saying about continuing to play P5-laden teams is certainly true, but the eastern players/teams don't have to travel far to meet this goal. Birmingham's 18U Premier/Gold team has been doing their summer road tour for years, but how many of the top teams east of the Mississippi are following suit, even though they've got players heading to Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, etc?

I believe most of the top 18U eastern teams are still heading out west. Roughly 1/3 of the teams listed for 18 2016 PGF Premier & Platinum are East of or adjacent to the Mississippi. Saw several eastern teams at 18U TCS Nationals & JO Cup last year too, but I didn’t look up the breakdown.

Premier
Atlanta Vipers - Vallery GA
Beverly Bandits Tyrrell IL
Birmingham Thunderbolts 18 Premier AL
DeMarini Aces KS
Esprit-Huecker MO
Georgia Impact - Lewis GA
Georgia Impact Bass 18U Premier GA
Illinois Chill Gold 18U IL
Jersey Inferno Team Mizuno Meister PA
Jersey Intensity KOD Premier NJ
Lady Lightning Gold Corn NC
Lady Lightning Gold Midwest MN
PA Chaos Gold Spina PA
Rhode Island Thunder Gold - Lotti MA
Tampa Mustangs-TJ FL

Platinum
18U Texas Glory RWB TX
Firecrackers - GA Floor GA
Fl. Team Mizuno Morgan FL
Iowa Premier GOLD 18U IA
Jersey Flames Gold-Schaffer NJ
Jersey Intensity KOD Mizuno 18U NJ
Lady Blues - Albright NC
Midwest Speed 18 Gold WI
MN FORCE- Staton MN
NJ Cheetahs 18u Premier NJ
Team Kansas Gold KS

Premier Girls Fastpitch