Is there a place for tiny girls in softball 12u and beyond?

[uncdrew]

We aren't to 12U yet but DD played on an 8U team and is on a 10U team now. She is always the smallest on the teams, but both coaches have said she is the most improved over the winter.
That is what I preach to her when DD gets down for being small. She has to accept the challenge of outworking every other girl out on that field.

Yup.

And as the dad of tall, strong girls I watch girls like yours with envy. I watch them beat out grounders to 3rd that my daughter will never do.

 

[SMS90]

DD is 5'3" maybe up to 5'4" now as a sophomore in high school. I looked at the rosters of the D3 and the few D2 schools we are looking at to see the size of their catchers. Almost all of them have at least one or two catchers 5'3" to 5'5".

 

[ANNASDAD]

The SS on my DD's 18U team is 5'-1". She's a very good all-around ballplayer, with one of the best gloves my DD has played with.

2B is shorter.

That's my kind of team!

 

[BigSkyHi]

 

[RedeemerKing]

I did? Personally I would worry a bit about some of these big 11 YO I see eating themselves out of the game by the time they get to 18’s...

This does happen. Some large, unathletic girls can overpower the game at 12s but never put in the time to develop the skills needed to maintain that advantage as they age.

 

[_MIA_]

never put in the time to develop the skills needed to maintain that advantage as they age.

or keep up their fitness...

 

[TigerD313]

I was watching some college softball the other day and the starting shortstop at the University of Auburn was 5ft even

 

[BrianTx01]

DD has always been small, but now the girls are hitting puberty her small size is becoming more apparent. DD is 4'7" and 80lbs at 11.5 years old. Growth charts say she might hit 5'2" full grown. She has always been the smallest on the team, but the size disparity just keeps getting larger as we move up in age. DD often can beat everyone on the team at self-weight based exercises like pull ups, planks, etc. She is often the fastest on the team as well. When it comes to hitting and throwing, her size really hurts her. She has good throwing mechanics, but just doesn't have the muscle mass to really put some zip on the ball. Same goes with hitting. A really good hit for her will just get it over the infieders while her peers are able to get the ball at least halfway into the outfielder and some almost to the fence. Is there a place for tiny girls in softball or should I start having her train as a horse jockey? I hear horses make softball look cheap, LOL!

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She is definitely not too small to play softball. It is a sport were girls of all heights can excel. My advice is start capitalizing on her strengths. If she is fast you might consider slapping. This should only be attempted by employing the services of a qualified instructor. I would suggest someone that has either done it themselves at a high level or has a history of producing high level students.

The other thing to do is to consider her position. She probably will not be high level first baseman. It is the one position that height really helps. Smaller, lighter girls tend to play middle infield or outfield. Versatility is important. The ability to play outfield is an important skill for any position player to have. If you are fast than you should be able to play the outfield. Arm strength is important but it can be developed throw long toss and other exercises.

Another thing you can consider is pitching. Pitching is one of those things that you have to want to do in order to succeed but lots of small girls can pitch well. It is all about locating and spinning the ball. This is especially true if she is paired up with a flame thrower. It is almost humorous watching them swing out their shoes when you bring in a slower junk pitcher after they have faced a flame thrower. FYI...junk is a good thing in this case. It typically refers to change ups are balls that are ending up out of the strike zone.

 

[krazykat]

There are tons of examples of small girls who can play. And heart and work ethic are certainly two of the characteristics that can make a player great. However, if your looking at two girls (5' 4" and 5' 10") that have similar skills including heart and work ethic, which one will a coach at the highest level of softball recruit. There is systemic bias in softball.

 

[Bernmoll]

Appreciate this post - DD is shortest one on her 12u team. Seems like she is the only one who hasn’t grown and as a pitcher she’s been frustrated that her speed isn’t picking up like the others who have grown taller. She’s a lefty and is working on her slapping and bunting. It’s hard to not focus on height when you’re in a team with all girls over 5’2” already and she’s only 4’10.