When and how did you know?

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sluggers

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May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Hey folks,
When and how did you know your child was capable of playing at the next level?

(My DD had to be prodded to practice. But, once she started practicing, she worked her rear end off.)

I had talked to her pitching instructor several times. He said, over and over, that a college level pitcher had to have a good breaking ball. My DD threw the ball hard, she didn't have a breaking pitch. She just could get it.

One day, a kid who pitched for Ken Eriksen at South Florida showed my DD how how to throw a drop. For some reason, it clicked with her.

She threw one to me that looked like a knee high fastball, but it hit the floor about 2 feet in front of the plate, and missed my face by about six inches. She threw several drop in a row with severe, sharp movement.

She didn't have any control, but she had a breaking pitch. Her pitching coach came over, took a look at the pitch, and told us to quit working on the rise and to concentrate on the drop.

Once she got that pitch, I knew it was just a matter of time until she learned how to control the drop.
 
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Apr 20, 2015
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If you watch enough athletes its pretty easy to identify as young as 10 which ones have enough pure athletic ability to play something at a high level IF they want to. They just move differently and have a different mindset when it comes to sports. Then you have the next vast majority of kids who are athletic and have work ethic and will get there by a mix of both. These are harder to spot at young ages as they may simply be average but start to differentiate themselves around 14-16yrs. There is a level of collegiate softball for almost every kid who wants to play but finding the match between softball and academics may be harder for those with limited talent for the sport.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
FWIW about height, a few of my DD's recent/current teammates...

5'-2" pitcher - Talented overall ball player, excellent athlete, and a crazy-good work ethic. Committed to D1 (not sure about the financial package).
5'-2" pitcher - Mid-level skills, good worker, okay athlete. Full ride to NAIA school.
5'-0" SS - Excellent athlete with great hands. Great game smarts. 90% tuition help at a highly-regarded private D3.
5'-1" CF - Good athlete and gritty competitor. Has some untapped potential if she put in more work. Currently weighing options between multiple D2 and D3 opportunities.
 
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
113
At 10U when they were doing some soft toss into a net and she knocked the net over.

However, you also learn as you get older that there are many levels
 

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