To Showcase or Not?

[Lance Steckler]

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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where are you located? Some of the larger orgs have 16 and 18u teams that are national / Showcase teams. BUT also have just high level A/B teams that don't travel all over and play a more local schedule, and the girls are D2/D3/NAIA level players.

Example, if player X wants to play at a close to home small town D3 school, why travel all over USA to play? Play a high level more local schedule with lesser fees and less travel expenses. Not really a huge fall off in competition, but a very good option.

I know that Ohio Hawks near Cincinnati is like this.

 

[RichK]

Agree with others this will really depend on where you are located and what types of teams are available. If she wants to keep playing 'pre-college' make sure she is playing at a high level of some sort, 'B' ball at 18U isn't really a thing she'd enjoy I would think. But there's a big gap between a national team and a local high level team (including about $10k in travel and other expenses) while both still can be playing PGF or some other high-level tournaments locally.

Also, if she doesn't REALLY want to play in college, then just forget about it completely (college ball, not playing 18U travel and high school, which she should also only do if she enjoys it). College ball is a big commitment and I see too many kids going with the flow when it's not really what they want, they get to college and don't last and they also miss out on some college choices too.

 

[Orange Socks]

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 really is another topic.
Yes and No. Looking back at a couple of scenarios that will leave you scratching your head. The D3 conference puts heavy weight on the NE teams. 1st example. How does Amherst and Williams end up playing in the D3 WCWS? These two teams came from the same conference. Shouldn't they have faced each other going through the regionals to knock one another off? In 2019 How does Southwestern U go 35-6 losing 5 of the games to TLU who went on to win the D3 Championships not get an invite? Massey had them ranked in the top 15 or so at that time. And 13th right now, which will change. I don't have a dog in the fight, but I am an advocate for fairness.

 

[benjey]

This really is another topic.
Yes and No. Looking back at a couple of scenarios that will leave you scratching your head. The D3 conference puts heavy weight on the NE teams. 1st example. How does Amherst and Williams end up playing in the D3 WCWS? These two teams came from the same conference. Shouldn't they have faced each other going through the regionals to knock one another off? In 2019 How does Southwestern U go 35-6 losing 5 of the games to TLU who went on to win the D3 Championships not get an invite? Massey had them ranked in the top 15 or so at that time. And 13th right now, which will change. I don't have a dog in the fight, but I am an advocate for fairness.

I will definitely admit I don't know enough about the 2019 D3 softball season to have an educated opinion on the selections that were made and it sounds like from the info you presented that Southwestern U may have gotten screwed but I still think there is merit in looking at this to get a feel for the quality of softball being played in a conference and by a particular school especially if you look at a few years as that should smooth out any oddities like a team getting the shaft one year. For example it is not uncommon for teams to get sent to other regions for NCAA tournament play and with 2 teams from the NESCAC making the WCWS I would say that speaks to the quality of the softball being played in that conference even with the apparent oversight on Southwestern U. If they were unworthy selections they likely would not have advanced that far and been exposed somewhere along the way.

Again it is not the only info I would look at but IMO it can provide some helpful info

 

[justAdad2]

showcases is where the best competition is going to be. my DD is 14 and this year will be her 2nd year going to 18u showcases, i feel its more about competition and getting used to the experience at this point then getting recruited. she is in 9th grade, i just want to know what is going with high school ball at the moment.

 

[Orange Socks]

I will definitely admit I don't know enough about the 2019 D3 softball season to have an educated opinion on the selections that were made and it sounds like from the info you presented that Southwestern U may have gotten screwed but I still think there is merit in looking at this to get a feel for the quality of softball being played in a conference and by a particular school especially if you look at a few years as that should smooth out any oddities like a team getting the shaft one year. For example it is not uncommon for teams to get sent to other regions for NCAA tournament play and with 2 teams from the NESCAC making the WCWS I would say that speaks to the quality of the softball being played in that conference even with the apparent oversight on Southwestern U. If they were unworthy selections they likely would not have advanced that far and been exposed somewhere along the way.

Again it is not the only info I would look at but IMO it can provide some helpful info

That is why I said Yes and No. After speaking with some of these college coaches that all had the same opinion, I started paying attention to this.

 

[jdint]

I have a friend going through this, but in volleyball. His DD is a very good student and a pretty good volleyball player, but she is only 5' 10", which is tall, but not volleyball tall (at least not at her position). Their strategy is to find the best academic schools with her desired major and the worst performing volleyball teams and contact them to get recruited.

I don't know how this is working out, but it's an interesting strategy.

 

[Orange Socks]

I have a friend going through this, but in volleyball. His DD is a very good student and a pretty good volleyball player, but she is only 5' 10", which is tall, but not volleyball tall (at least not at her position). Their strategy is to find the best academic schools with her desired major and the worst performing volleyball teams and contact them to get recruited.

I don't know how this is working out, but it's an interesting strategy.

This is a great strategy! Why not be the All star player that can bring the team to the next level?

 

[Rick M]

my DD is 14 and this year will be her 2nd year going to 18u showcases

Ha, our girls are playing different games! For someone who has that kind of talent, I can see why showcases are important.


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[Rick M]

Their strategy is to find the best academic schools with her desired major and the worst performing volleyball teams and contact them to get recruited.

This is exactly what I see DD doing. The question is, how much do low-performing D3 schools rely on showcases to recruit, vs in-person camps and skill videos.


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