Move Up to 16U or stay 14U?

[Orange Socks]

07 would be either 8th or 9th grade in the Fall.

Okay. I think knowing the grade of the kid might play a part in the decision. But I think staying back on a better younger team will yield better long term results as far as developement and recruiting. As a look back there was a 14U A team that got 4th place at ASA Nats out of 135 teams. Dont' rememeber a lot of them making it to college. So there's that.

 

[radness]

The 14U A team will expose her to a much higher level of competition than 16U B. Not only are they playing a regional schedule, but A level is almost always higher than B regardless of age. She’ll be hard pressed to find the competitiveness and commitment it takes to play collegiality on a B team. At younger ages B is about development and many girls are still driven. By the time they get to 16U/18U If they’re still B level they’ve largely checked out of the rat race and are just playing for fun.

While there may be some accuracy to that.
Decifering what A or B really is toughest part.
Seriously how many teams who are calling themselves A teams actually are?
And if thats identified by usssa it aint pgf...just sayin
That said
Would look at the schedule teams will play that season/year.
What tournys/events?

16u has more showcasing eyes on.

Playing time should factor into decision.

 

[MNDad]

Okay. I think knowing the grade of the kid might play a part in the decision. But I think staying back on a better younger team will yield better long term results as far as developement and recruiting. As a look back there was a 14U A team that got 4th place at ASA Nats out of 135 teams. Dont' rememeber a lot of them making it to college. So there's that.

DD’s 14U team actually took4th at ASA Nationals too. Two went to the SEC, one to Big 12, one to Big 10 and one to a mid major. Two went to two different D2’s and won national championships. Unfortunately the team blew up after that. Would have been fun to see what they could have done together.

 

[radness]

DD’s 14U team actually took4th at ASA Nationals too. Two went to the SEC, one to Big 12, one to Big 10 and one to a mid major. Two went to two different D2’s and won national championships. Unfortunately the team blew up after that. Would have been fun to see what they could have done together.

Great experiences!
...blew up after that.
Terrible thing... Any hindsight learned or noticed?

 

[efastball]

Rule #1 - team coaches are not there to teach YOUR kid anything. Your DD needs individual development most of all. Do not expect a travel coach to teach your kid how to hit or pitch

A couple of other notes:
Depending on your area of the country, you may not have to travel everywhere to get better, or to be seen (Atl metro, socal, etc.)

The odds are against you to play high school (depends on area/region) or college playing on a B team

 

[Rick M]

DD played in a tournament last weekend that had a 14U B bracket and a 16U B bracket. Of the teams that I watched play, the 14’s were significantly better.

Why? Because the talent in 16U has started to focus on showcase events and not on local tournaments that break teams down by A,B, and C level. If preparing for recruitment is the goal, you have to be on a team that plays (mostly) showcases. Teams playing local tournaments are mostly playing for fun at that age, with the occasional showcase team playing as a tune-up.

Grade level should be a guide as well. If your DD has one more year of middle school, a 14U A team for her second year is a good choice. If she’ll be playing in high school, best to move up to 16U.


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[cdhboiler97]

Thanks everyone for your input, definitely some things to think about. She will be a Freshman in the fall. From a high school perspective, we are strictly look at it as a way to keep playing when all of the travel teams stop playing. From what we saw this year, our HS coach tends to be more loyal to the seniors than putting the best team on the field.

I use "A" and "B" mainly because USSSA is the dominant org in our area. Most of the registered 13O or 14A or 16A teams are playing other things like PGF or large regional/national events and only a couple of the local USSSA events a year.

 

[Capone]

If she is not dominating the 14U teams, then I would say stay in 14U and find a team that plays higher level competition.

 

[black17]

Before going to 16B, I'd look at 14A. The biggest difference is pitching and coaching. The consistently better pitching is a big deal for college coaches. If you play B ball forever, you have no shot at D1, and almost no shot at D2,... or in other words, receiving athletic $ to play at a 4 year school.

 

[MNDad]

Great experiences!
...blew up after that.
Terrible thing... Any hindsight learned or noticed?

Not really. Everything was amicable. People just had different goals. We all did what we thought was best for our DD’s. At the time we didn’t know who the 16U coach would be and that was a huge factor.