To Showcase or Not?

[Rick M]

I've become a skeptic on the value of showcase tournaments to the average player's recruitment. They may have some value at the top, top level, but I think they're mostly a money grab that parents and teams think they need to chase to be seen as "competitive".
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The ability to record and even broadcast games means that college coaches will probably spend less time traveling.

I guess this closely aligns with my attitude at this point. I just hate to think I’m being cheap and could cost DD some opportunity down the road.

I do all of the filming and live streaming for DD’s team, so I have that covered.


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[ChrisSB]

I suggest starting from the end result you seek and working backward.

What majors or schools is she interested in?
How far away is she willing to go, or not go?
How much have you saved for college?
How much are you as a family willing to spend to get her recruited?
How important is it to her to play in college?

I agree with top_notch about over-shooting. Much easier to scale down than scale up.

Also, what do you mean by lower-level D3? There are some top notch academic schools (U of Chicago comes to mind) that play low-level D3. Then there are top-notch academic schools (Emory, Williams, Claremont) that play high level D3. And there's everything in between, including some D1 and D2 schools that wouldn't hold a candle to high level D3.

What is the best way to find out what level they play at? Obviously we can try to watch some of the games they stream, but other then that do we just look up the conference they play in and see how they do?

 

[mmeece]

I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but DD is a second-year 14U and we’re starting to think about 16U and beyond. She plays for a large org now, and the 16’s and 18’s are “Showcase” teams, meaning they do a lot of travel and play more showcases than tournaments.

This feels like a bit of a turning point for DD. She’s been pitching for five years, but I honestly don’t see her pitching anywhere but lower-level D3 — she stopped growing at 12 and never developed any velocity. She still enjoys it, and she’ll be a solid HS pitcher.

So my question is: if she just wants to keep playing but isn’t looking to get recruited, should she stay with the big org to see (presumably) better competition at showcases, or just play locally and attend camps for the schools she’s interested in academically? Will she have no shot at getting looked at without some showcase experience? She says she wants to play in college, but she’s realistic about her talent level.

DW and I are thinking about the cost, and the time demands with another DD going into her senior year of HS. I don’t want to be the worst parent ever by selling her short, but I also don’t want to be one of the delusional parents we’ve all been chuckling about on some other recent threads.


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The most important factor for recruiting (showcases, camps, etc) is communication with schools. You can play all the showcases you want, but if you don't communicate with target schools she likely won't get noticed unless she just jumps off of the field at coaches. It's like dating; it's much easier to ask out the girl who you already know is interested than the one you just saw on the street. Most coaches are attending showcases primarily to scout the girls who have already expressed interest and then find that handful of girls who just jump out at them. Also, ask yourself if the schools attending the showcases you play are ones she's interested in.
All of that said, if she wants to play in college and is good enough to play 18u select ball at some point, there is a place for her to play in college. It may or may not involve scholarship money, but there is a spot. Be sure to consider NAIA schools. Many have good academic standards and play competitive ball with at least enough scholarship money to bring the cost close to or below most state schools but in a smaller environment.

 

[benjey]

What is the best way to find out what level they play at? Obviously we can try to watch some of the games they stream, but other then that do we just look up the conference they play in and see how they do?

What I did to get a quick idea is take a look at how often the team and other teams from their conference played in the NCAA tournament the last several years then look and see how the team performed in conference. Middle of the pack in a conference that only gets 1 team in the NCAA's is different then being middle of the pack in a conference that consistently send 3 or 4 teams to NCAA's.

This obviously is not an end all but will give you a good starting point.

 

[Rolling Hard]

We live in southeastern PA, but DD plays on an NJ-based team. We’re lucky to have a number of showcases in the area every year. But I think the org makes a point of traveling to overnight events, it’s part of the experience.


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It is part of the experience. Their experience. Travel, eat, drink and be merry on your dime. And they get away from their spouse, too. Or you are paying for him/her too!

 

[MNDad]

What is the best way to find out what level they play at? Obviously we can try to watch some of the games they stream, but other then that do we just look up the conference they play in and see how they do?

This site is pretty cool. You can select by division, or all divisions combined. It’s about the best you’ll find that compare one division to another. It’s all subjective of course, but it’s fun to look at.

Massey Ratings - College Softball : NCAA D1 Ratings

Computer ratings and rankings for CSOFT (College Softball), with links to team predictions, scores, and schedules.

www.masseyratings.com

 

[ChrisSB]

What I did to get a quick idea is take a look at how often the team and other teams from their conference played in the NCAA tournament the last several years then look and see how the team performed in conference. Middle of the pack in a conference that only gets 1 team in the NCAA's is different then being middle of the pack in a conference that consistently send 3 or 4 teams to NCAA's.

This obviously is not an end all but will give you a good starting point.

Awesome idea, thanks!

 

[ChrisSB]

This site is pretty cool. You can select by division, or all divisions combined. It’s about the best you’ll find that compare one division to another. It’s all subjective of course, but it’s fun to look at.

Massey Ratings - College Softball : NCAA D1 Ratings

Computer ratings and rankings for CSOFT (College Softball), with links to team predictions, scores, and schedules.

www.masseyratings.com

This link looks great, thanks!

 

[Shiloh]

What I did to get a quick idea is take a look at how often the team and other teams from their conference played in the NCAA tournament the last several years then look and see how the team performed in conference. Middle of the pack in a conference that only gets 1 team in the NCAA's is different then being middle of the pack in a conference that consistently send 3 or 4 teams to NCAA's.

This obviously is not an end all but will give you a good starting point.

This ^^^^

 

[sluggers]

So my question is: if she just wants to keep playing but isn’t looking to get recruited, should she stay with the big org to see (presumably) better competition at showcases, or just play locally and attend camps for the schools she’s interested in academically?

Based upon your description of your DD, there might not be a future in in college softball for your DD. (It is OK. Millions of young women go on to full, productive lives without playing in college.)

As far as softball, she should do what she enjoys *RIGHT NOW*. Whatever is the most fun, she should do it.

I'm personally not a fan of showcase tournaments. Unless your DD is a top shelf athlete, your DD still has to do all the leg work to find a college.