Just to clarify, verballing and signing are two completely different things. Verbals are non-binding, while signing a NLI is binding. I don't think anyone has an issue with their DD signing a NLI, I think we are discussing the time frame between while a player verbals and when she signs. And as Riseball has pointed out, once a player signs she is fighting for her position on the team and currently there are no 4 year guarantees, each scholarship is renewed on an annual basis.
Schools rescinding offers....
- Thread starter JAD
- Start date
Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch
Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.
Just to clarify, verballing and signing are two completely different things. Verbals are non-binding, while signing a NLI is binding. I don't think anyone has an issue with their DD signing a NLI, I think we are discussing the time frame between while a player verbals and when she signs. And as Riseball has pointed out, once a player signs she is fighting for her position on the team and currently there are no 4 year guarantees, each scholarship is renewed on an annual basis.
I cannot answer for everyone, but the reason my DD verballed early (DD is a 2017) was because we felt like we were involved in a game of musical chairs. We did not want to be left without a chair (metaphor for a scholarship) when the music stopped playing.
There is a big difference between being a STUD and being a good D1 player. A STUD (Jackie Traina, Kelani Ricketts) will be recruited by multiple schools up until she signs a NLI. Most good D1 players will verbal, then sign, with little fanfare and little to no recruiting activity after they verbal. College softball programs operate in the "red", so most schools do not have the time or resources to continue to recruit players who are already verballed somewhere else. Schools have limited budgets and most of the time when a coach fills a spot they mark it off their list and move on to the next position or next class. There are always some last minute changes, but 92.8% (I just made that up, but this is the internet, so it must be true) sign with the school they verballed to.
Since Candrea is no longer the coach of the Olympic team the incentive for players to commit to Arizona is not near what it used to be. Arizona was one of the first schools to embrace fastpitch softball, but today there are a lot of schools building new facilities and spreading the wealth of players over more teams. It will be much harder for a coach to build a "dynasty" at this point.
She went to Tulsa ...then disappeared. Brittany was her name I believe.
LOTS of rumors on that situation and they were all about the player choosing a less committed softball career hence the transfer. Well never know as it her choice and business
Any pitcher who can throw 70 MPH will have a lot of scholarship offers, especially if she has good control and movement. It is much harder to "coach up" velocity vs. movement. Velocity is a lot more natural ability vs. movement is mechanics.
- Jun 18, 2010
- 2,613
- 38
The girl who threw 70 was the 2017 verbal commit Lauren Rice (article here)
Rice, Lauren P 2017 Missouri Beverly Bandits
After Rice finishes at Morrison High School in 2017, she'll be attending the University of Missouri on a full-ride scholarship to play softball.
It was Dec. 15 of last year when she received the offer. At a prospect camp hosted by the university, prior to a scrimmage with 60 other players from around the country, Rice threw 70 mph on her first pitch of the day.
"A couple months before I was being radared and I was only hitting about 66 but I had no idea I was throwing that hard," Rice said. "I was working really hard in practice but I’m just excited that I hit 70. I didn’t think I could do that."
After watching Rice, who was 14 at the time, throw what is roughly the equivalent of a 98-mph major league fastball, Missouri coach Ehren Earleywine told Lauren to grab her parents, Larry and Kristy Rice.
"We met out with him down on the turf field and he gathered us together in a huddle and said, ‘We want to give Lauren a full ride scholarship to come to Missouri and play,’" Larry Rice said.
Goldfastpitch shows a recent 2018 verbal lefty Danielle Williams, but I have not heard about her hitting 70:
Williams, Danielle P 2018 Missouri Sorcerer-Williams
I just read the article and noticed that Lauren Rice is 5'-4". Very impressive to be throwing 70 MPH.
The newspaper the article if from, The Quad-City Times, is based in Davenport, IA
The player profiles list their high schools, but not the location of the school. As a marquee organization I would bet that the Beverly Bandits have players from multiple states on their rosters. I know the marquee teams in GA have players from a wide geographical area.
