College Scholarships

[Bleacherbum]

As a long time follower of local high school softball in the midstate, I have noticed that most of the girls signing college scholarships these days are signing with small schools, or juco. In the years 1995-2000, there were several girls signing with SEC and other big name programs. Over the last few years, there have only been a few.

I'm glad that the girls are able to play elsewhere in college, but does anyone have any ideas why the big schools aren't coming?....are there any trends going on that i'm not aware of?...is the brand of softball being played not as good as say, 10 years ago?

Edited March 21, 2005 by Bleacherbum

[deadeye]

I am not sure what you consider a "Big School", but I have some experience with this.

 

My daughter made all-state the past 2 years. She now plays for a JUCO (ranked number 4 in the country right now as I crow like the rest of you high school parents :justwrestle: ). She has decided to skip her sophmore year and move up a year early to a D1, since she has firmly decided on a major.

 

Probably what you are seeing is the increase in available scholarships out there. Used to be that a good JUCO or D2 couldn't offer any scholarships in fastpitch. Now, there are many. Heck, her JUCO offers more full scholarships than nearly any D1 in Tennessee.

 

Put things in prospective. What is the difference between playing for a "Big School" and a less well known one? If the college provides a good education and is a good fit, who cares if it a Big School?

 

This is NOT college football or basketball. There is no fastpitch after college. Yeah, there is a small pro league and olympic ball, but you can;t make a living at it.

 

The goal was supposed to be a quality education right? Maybe even a free one (which I am finding out ain't so free, they gotta live on something besides school and softball). It is not about bragging rights. It is about enjoying the last days of fastpitch and the first days of adulthood and the rest of your life.

 

My daughter is having a blast playing for her JUCO. She likes the coach and the program. She passed on the Big Schools, mainly because the so-called better Big Schools did not offer a full ride, or other Big Schools were up north (brrrrr). Oh yeah, and she is playing right now instead of working her butt off to ride the pine.

 

Best pitcher in the state last year (arguably I am sure) was Megan Rhodes. Real fine pitcher. She is riding the pine at UT right now. My daughter was not quite as good as her, but she is her school's number 1 pitcher and bats 3rd in the line-up every game. She is happy, enjoying college life, doing well in her studies, and still playing. It may be JUCO, but what was the goal anyway?

 

I think the quality of fastpitch is better than it was 10 years ago. So many more opportunities to play and get good quality coaching and instruction.

Edited March 21, 2005 by deadeye

[crazyvolfan]

I thought Megan Rhodes was getting some playing time for UT. At least the UT website mentions her name in some of the games.

[Bleacherbum]

I am not sure what you consider a "Big School", but I have some experience with this.

 

My daughter made all-state the past 2 years.  She now plays for a JUCO (ranked number 4 in the country right now as I crow like the rest of you high school parents   ).  She has decided to skip her sophmore year and move up a year early to a D1, since she has firmly decided on a major.

 

Probably what you are seeing is the increase in available scholarships out there.  Used to be that a good JUCO or D2 couldn't offer any scholarships in fastpitch.  Now, there are many.  Heck, her JUCO offers more full scholarships than nearly any D1 in Tennessee.

 

Put things in prospective.  What is the difference between playing for a "Big School" and a less well known one?  If the college provides a good education and is a good fit, who cares if it a Big School?

 

This is NOT college football or basketball.  There is no fastpitch after college.  Yeah, there is a small pro league and olympic ball, but you can;t make a living at it. 

 

The goal was supposed to be a quality education right?  Maybe even a free one (which I am finding out ain't so free, they gotta live on something besides school and softball).  It is not about bragging rights.  It is about enjoying the last days of fastpitch and the first days of adulthood and the rest of your life.

 

My daughter is having a blast playing for her JUCO.  She likes the coach and the program.  She passed on the Big Schools, mainly because the so-called better Big Schools did not offer a full ride, or other Big Schools were up north (brrrrr).  Oh yeah, and she is playing right now instead of working her butt off to ride the pine.

 

Best pitcher in the state last year (arguably I am sure) was Megan Rhodes.  Real fine pitcher.  She is riding the pine at UT right now.  My daughter was not quite as good as her, but she is her school's number 1 pitcher and bats 3rd in the line-up every game.  She is happy, enjoying college life, doing well in her studies, and still playing.  It may be JUCO, but what was the goal anyway?

 

I think the quality of fastpitch is better than it was 10 years ago.  So many more opportunities to play and get good quality coaching and instruction.

825626313[/snapback]

 

Thanks for your imput. I guess my question would be....since your daughter was all-state for 2 years, I would assume she is a very capable player.....was she even recruited by an SEC callibre team?

 

I wasnt trying to imply there was anything wrong with playing JUCO or a small school, I was just wondering why more SEC callibre schools arent interested in signing girls from our area. I have seen many good softball players over the years. You're right, its much better to be playing at a small school, enjoying college, and getting a degree, than sitting on the pine, being miserable, and not getting a degree. Why do we not produce more girls that are good enought that dont have to sit on the pine?

When you mentioned that small schools offer more money than big schools, why is that?...they all have the same number of scholarships to award in the DI level, which is 13.

But I will say that playing at a big school does have its advantages....such as the great places they travel, and how they travel by plane than by a rickety old bus or van. I wouldnt necessarily say that Meghan Rhodes is sitting the pine. From what I have seen, she has pitched in about 1/3 of U.T's games which isnt bad since she is behind a 1st team all-american and future Olympic player.

 

Given the choice if she knew she was playing, I would think a girl would enjoy playing for the prestige of a big school and on tv, than playing for a small school.

And in the real world (like it or not), a degree from a UT or Florida, or any other SEC usually pulls more weight in the business world than a degree from an unknown college.

[Bleacherbum]

I thought Megan Rhodes was getting some playing time for UT. At least the UT website mentions her name in some of the games.

825626352[/snapback]

 

Megan is getting to play alot....and I think doing quite well. She probably would be playing alot more at most other schools, but she is behind a 1st team all-american, which limits her time

[Indian]

Georgia going to fastpitch a few years ago affected the number available for Tennessee players. Some of the best players from around Chattanooga the last few years have been from North Georgia. Some of the name schools aren't necessarily better than OVC, Southern Conference, Sun Belt teams, they're just more familiar to everyone because how they do in mens' sports basically.

[Bleacherbum]

I am not sure what you consider a "Big School", but I have some experience with this.

 

My daughter made all-state the past 2 years.  She now plays for a JUCO (ranked number 4 in the country right now as I crow like the rest of you high school parents   ).  She has decided to skip her sophmore year and move up a year early to a D1, since she has firmly decided on a major.

 

Probably what you are seeing is the increase in available scholarships out there.  Used to be that a good JUCO or D2 couldn't offer any scholarships in fastpitch.  Now, there are many.  Heck, her JUCO offers more full scholarships than nearly any D1 in Tennessee.

 

Put things in prospective.  What is the difference between playing for a "Big School" and a less well known one?  If the college provides a good education and is a good fit, who cares if it a Big School?

 

This is NOT college football or basketball.  There is no fastpitch after college.  Yeah, there is a small pro league and olympic ball, but you can;t make a living at it. 

 

The goal was supposed to be a quality education right?  Maybe even a free one (which I am finding out ain't so free, they gotta live on something besides school and softball).  It is not about bragging rights.  It is about enjoying the last days of fastpitch and the first days of adulthood and the rest of your life.

 

My daughter is having a blast playing for her JUCO.  She likes the coach and the program.  She passed on the Big Schools, mainly because the so-called better Big Schools did not offer a full ride, or other Big Schools were up north (brrrrr).  Oh yeah, and she is playing right now instead of working her butt off to ride the pine.

 

Best pitcher in the state last year (arguably I am sure) was Megan Rhodes.  Real fine pitcher.  She is riding the pine at UT right now.  My daughter was not quite as good as her, but she is her school's number 1 pitcher and bats 3rd in the line-up every game.  She is happy, enjoying college life, doing well in her studies, and still playing.  It may be JUCO, but what was the goal anyway?

 

I think the quality of fastpitch is better than it was 10 years ago.  So many more opportunities to play and get good quality coaching and instruction.

825626313[/snapback]

 

I'll agree that the callibre of play in the areas around nashville have greatly improved since 10 year ago, I dont think the teams around Nashville are nearly as good. The traditional powers (Father Ryan, Ezell Harding, Lipscomb, Overton) I know are no where near state-championship levels that they are used to being. Could it be the summer leagues have almost disappeared in the younger age groups? Although Brentwood has remained strong, I'm surprised they have been so competitive with their rec leagues playing slow pitch and not fastpitch. Individual instructions that they are getting at places at Club K develop good individual skills, but are team skills being jeapardized by not having competitive summer leagues?

[Bleacherbum]

I am not sure what you consider a "Big School", but I have some experience with this.

 

My daughter made all-state the past 2 years.  She now plays for a JUCO (ranked number 4 in the country right now as I crow like the rest of you high school parents   ).  She has decided to skip her sophmore year and move up a year early to a D1, since she has firmly decided on a major.

 

Probably what you are seeing is the increase in available scholarships out there.  Used to be that a good JUCO or D2 couldn't offer any scholarships in fastpitch.  Now, there are many.  Heck, her JUCO offers more full scholarships than nearly any D1 in Tennessee.

 

Put things in prospective.  What is the difference between playing for a "Big School" and a less well known one?  If the college provides a good education and is a good fit, who cares if it a Big School?

 

This is NOT college football or basketball.  There is no fastpitch after college.  Yeah, there is a small pro league and olympic ball, but you can;t make a living at it. 

 

The goal was supposed to be a quality education right?  Maybe even a free one (which I am finding out ain't so free, they gotta live on something besides school and softball).  It is not about bragging rights.  It is about enjoying the last days of fastpitch and the first days of adulthood and the rest of your life.

 

My daughter is having a blast playing for her JUCO.  She likes the coach and the program.  She passed on the Big Schools, mainly because the so-called better Big Schools did not offer a full ride, or other Big Schools were up north (brrrrr).  Oh yeah, and she is playing right now instead of working her butt off to ride the pine.

 

Best pitcher in the state last year (arguably I am sure) was Megan Rhodes.  Real fine pitcher.  She is riding the pine at UT right now.  My daughter was not quite as good as her, but she is her school's number 1 pitcher and bats 3rd in the line-up every game.  She is happy, enjoying college life, doing well in her studies, and still playing.  It may be JUCO, but what was the goal anyway?

 

I think the quality of fastpitch is better than it was 10 years ago.  So many more opportunities to play and get good quality coaching and instruction.

825626313[/snapback]

 

I'll agree that the callibre of play in the areas around nashville have greatly improved since 10 year ago, I dont think the teams in Nashville are nearly as good. The traditional powers (Father Ryan, Ezell Harding, Lipscomb, Overton) I know are no where near state-championship levels that they are used to being. Could it be the summer leagues have almost disappeared in the younger age groups? Although Brentwood has remained strong, I'm surprised they have been so competitive with their rec leagues playing slow pitch and not fastpitch. Individual instructions that they are getting at places at Club K develop good individual skills, but are team skills being jeapardized by not having competitive summer leagues?

[iheartsoftball]

I am not sure what you consider a "Big School", but I have some experience with this.

 

My daughter made all-state the past 2 years.  She now plays for a JUCO (ranked number 4 in the country right now as I crow like the rest of you high school parents   ).  She has decided to skip her sophmore year and move up a year early to a D1, since she has firmly decided on a major.

 

Probably what you are seeing is the increase in available scholarships out there.  Used to be that a good JUCO or D2 couldn't offer any scholarships in fastpitch.  Now, there are many.  Heck, her JUCO offers more full scholarships than nearly any D1 in Tennessee.

 

Put things in prospective.  What is the difference between playing for a "Big School" and a less well known one?  If the college provides a good education and is a good fit, who cares if it a Big School?

 

This is NOT college football or basketball.  There is no fastpitch after college.  Yeah, there is a small pro league and olympic ball, but you can;t make a living at it. 

 

The goal was supposed to be a quality education right?  Maybe even a free one (which I am finding out ain't so free, they gotta live on something besides school and softball).  It is not about bragging rights.  It is about enjoying the last days of fastpitch and the first days of adulthood and the rest of your life.

 

My daughter is having a blast playing for her JUCO.  She likes the coach and the program.  She passed on the Big Schools, mainly because the so-called better Big Schools did not offer a full ride, or other Big Schools were up north (brrrrr).  Oh yeah, and she is playing right now instead of working her butt off to ride the pine.

 

Best pitcher in the state last year (arguably I am sure) was Megan Rhodes.  Real fine pitcher.  She is riding the pine at UT right now.  My daughter was not quite as good as her, but she is her school's number 1 pitcher and bats 3rd in the line-up every game.  She is happy, enjoying college life, doing well in her studies, and still playing.  It may be JUCO, but what was the goal anyway?

 

I think the quality of fastpitch is better than it was 10 years ago.  So many more opportunities to play and get good quality coaching and instruction.

825626313[/snapback]

i have seen meagan rhodes pitch several times for ut she is playing don't know how much but she is not riding the pine....if you get a chance please go watch the ut vols play i got to see them play alabama on the sunday they lost but if you get a chance to see some of the big schools play like alabama,ut,georgia,lsu you would see some very wel played softball.

[rocole98]

another thing you must consider is that schools have a limited number of softball scholarships and more often than not, scholarships are split between players. some schools do give a full ride to a pitcher or a catcher occasionally, but all the others must get the rest of the tuition from another source. this may be academics, lottery money, etc. now if a girl has really good grades and good test scores, she may get offers from other schools and that may not encompass softball. my daughter played with a girl last year and this girl attracted attention from some "smaller" schools for her softball skills. however, she won a full academic ride from a SEC school and chose to give up sports to pursue her educational goals. it goes back to -- what is the future for most girls after school? for the large majority, it is the business world, not the olympic team.

 

and i guess it also depends on what your definition of major college is--rhodes from lipscomb and natalie brock from ezell have gone to ut in the last couple of years and danielle peroni from goodpasture will join them this fall; one of the wright girls from ezell is at alabama (or just graduated); camille harris from beech went to LSU and played in the college world series last year. kassie stanfill from beech and kristi cunningham from davidson academy are both going to louisville this fall. i don't know if lindsey cavarra of brentwood has decided yet, but i understand she has interest from some impressive academic schools. those are all pretty big schools in my mind.

[slr52]

Bleacherbum,

 

Of the six fall signees at UT for next year four are from Tennessee - Vaughn from Lenoir City, Hammond from GPS, Fulmer from Maryville, and Peroni from Goodpasture. Currently there are seven Tennessee girls on the UT squad. So there are some Tennessee girls getting noticed.

 

Deadeye,

 

Glad your daughter is enjoying a great year at her JUCO. I think I know who she is, and she is a very fine pitcher. I'm not surprised at her success. I noted also from your post that she is opting to move up to DI next year instead of playing out her option at the JUCO.

 

On the other hand, regarding Megan "riding the pine," she was very much aware of what her playing time would be when she chose UT. Her reasons for choosing Tennessee were the coaches, players (she has really enjoyed her teammates), and a particular academic degree that she is interested in which is not offered at many schools. She also wants to see if she can be successful at that level of play. She knew going in that she would pitch behind an All American and she was fine with that.

 

The most important thing is for each girl to find the situation that is best for her.

[Antwan]

Bleacherbum,

 

Of the six fall signees at UT for next year four are from Tennessee - Vaughn from Lenoir City, Hammond from GPS, Fulmer from Maryville, and Peroni from Goodpasture.  Currently there are seven Tennessee girls on the UT squad.  So there are some Tennessee girls getting noticed.

 

Deadeye,

 

Glad your daughter is enjoying a great year at her JUCO.  I think I know who she is, and she is a very fine pitcher.  I'm not surprised at her success.  I noted also from your post that she is opting to move up to DI next year instead of playing out her option at the JUCO. 

 

On the other hand, regarding Megan "riding the pine," she was very much aware of what her playing time would be when she chose UT.  Her reasons for choosing Tennessee were the coaches, players (she has really enjoyed her teammates), and a particular academic degree that she is interested in which is not offered at many schools.  She also wants to see if she can be successful at that level of play.  She knew going in that she would pitch behind an All American and she was fine with that.

 

The most important thing is for each girl to find the situation that is best for her. 

825626753[/snapback]

 

Well said...there are many opportunities at all levels of college softball. The thing is to find the one that is suitable for each girl. What is good for one...may not be the best situation for another.