high school to college

[bgmlrh]

This is a topic I feel very strongly about. A couple of times I have overheard or read where a parent says, "my child doesn't need high school ball" or "the high school coach is no good" or "the team is no good." The point here is to stress all the similarities of high school and college. A goal here is not to bash summer ball in any way, but rather put into perspective how high school and college are more alike.

 

First and foremost are academics. H.S. ball requires athletes be held accountable for their grades as does college. Summer ball does not. Grades will never leave a summer player ineligible to play summer ball (unless the parents are extraordinary!). In high school you learn to balance the academics with the athletics as you do in college. Summer ball˜you have to balance when church camp and your family˜s vacation will fall but not much else.

 

H.S. ball requires practice nearly everyday from Feb through the end of the season, and college has even more practice over a longer time period. You don˜t miss practice for work or other excuses. Summer ball can only practice occasionally. Summer ball players can˜t always make it to the practices. Do you ever see summer ball kids working on agility or strengthening on a daily basis?

 

H.S. ball has consequences for academics, attitude, missed practice... etc. as does college. Summer ball... have you ever seen a player run or be benched from playing for any discipline, forgetting gear, missing practice... etc.

 

H.S. ball is about committing to a team for four years, as is college. Summer ball you can sometimes change mid-season.

 

H.S. ball is a range of ages from 14-18 (generally) with a spectrum of talent as college is a range from ages 18-22 (generally) with a spectrum of talent. Summer ball is a select group representing 8U through 18U. This is concentrated talent. You do not get that at college or high school. You get good teams. But you don't see a high school team playing 9 talented players that are all 18 years old nor do you see it in college.

 

H.S. ball is a team of 16-20 players (generally) and college is a team of 16-25 players who work to challenge their teammates for position-- no guarantees to even get to play. Summer ball is a select group of 10-12 (generally) where players get to play every game. And if they don't, look out coach, ma and pa are taking the kid elsewhere. Of course kids love to play summer ball˜they all get to play!

 

H.S. ball represents something more than a name on a jersey, as does college. Read some of the threads that high school players have written about returning to state or beating a rival high school team˜ they are full of pride for their school. Summer ball-- the name on the jersey changes according to whom the player chooses to play for that summer or what age group they now fall into. You may be blue one summer and green the next.

 

High School and college play in the spring. Have you ever worn mittens to a summer ball game in the South? Seen snow falling?

 

High School has good coaches and bad coaches, as does college. Summer ball is reportedly only coached by the greatest (lol). Suppose you don't play high school ball because you don't like the coach, what if you don't like the college coach? How will you be able to face that adversity and still be on a college team?

 

Stats and awards earned as a high school player are more comparable to college. Summer ball stats and awards are good, but the measurement of accomplishment is not the same unless you earn ˜all tournament˜ or ˜MVP˜ at an 18U National Tournament.

 

I know there are more similarities than I have listed and that some individuals will want to dispute or refute many of the above as well as write the differences. I know not all high school teams are created equally, but look out if you think all college teams are. The negativity about high school that is related through some threads here on CoachT is frustrating. If a player can˜t play for the high school team or doesn˜t enjoy it or just chooses not to play, I am not sure that the same player will be suited for college. College is hard work˜daily. And the players are student athletes. Academics are most important. No pass, no play says the NCAA! The pity here is that not enough emphasis is being put on academics and the balance required doing well in both the classroom and on the field. It requires a work ethic where you don˜t always reap rewards, but you do get to wear a jersey and say that you were a part of college ball˜and that is a good feeling!!

[govolz]

Great Post bgmlrh. I don't have a good mark to give but if I did you could have it!... Maybe a little help here CoachT.

 

The one thing that you could easily say about this subject is that Travel ball is pretty expenxive to keep up with and maintain as a parent. That is one of the reasons that my girls are limited at times on their travel ball. High School ball is one that as far as memories are concerned, you will never ever forget some of the good or bad things that happened and the lessons learned. High School does try to instill responsibility and a good work ethic to the students. I know that it is a great personal pleasure to remember things about High School. What I would give to be able to do and undo things that I did or didn't do in H.S.

 

Travel ball to me is nothing less than let me go get me 10-12 girls, maybe make a few trades, check my salary cap (lol) and lets line them up and see how we can do. That˜s what makes travel ball great though. There isn˜t a better feeling as a coach than to put together a wonderful team and go out and be ˜World Whoppers˜.

From the age of 16 ˜ 18 I feel that most kids have learned how to play the game. As a coach you just have to tweak and fine-tune your players. The foundation has been laid for you and the player. But, as we all know you can teach an old dog new tricks.

[mikemcgee]

You sir, said a mouth full. Great post.

[Guest MSSoftball]

I agree that there are many benefits (as noted by bgmlrh ) but there are also as many valid reasons that a young lady that desires to play College ball should play on a good quality summer team.

 

Here are a few facts to consider:

 

˜ D1 colleges typically do not watch or recruit players based on high school play.

˜ Travel teams are able to draft players from much larger areas than high schools. Rather than having two or three very good players, the travel team coach is able to field 9 very good players.

˜ The athlete that might be the best athlete on their high school team will discover that there are many other athletes that are as fast and throw as hard as they can.

˜ Travel teams generally play better quality teams during the summer than the girls face during a typical high school season.

 

In closing, I agree there are good things associated with high school ball but there also many aspects of the game that will be missed if the athlete skips summer ball. I do not know of a single D1 softball player that did not play summer ball.

[bgmlrh]

I agree with you about summer ball. The point is to recognize the importance of high school in preparing players for college. There are college teams that are not as fully stacked as some summer ball teams. I think it is great that girls get that opportunity to compete at that level. They may not get that in college. A 0.500 season may be the greatest accomplishment that some of the best summer ball players get to compete for once they enter college. Winning a national championship in summer ball may be the highlight of a player's career. Summer ball is an elitist group, and it can not be afforded easily for all. I think there are family sacrifices that are made to travel as summer ball does. I don't dispute that it is good for girls to play summer ball. It is just frustrating when I hear that high school ball "stinks"-- from players and parents and then kids don't play for their high school team. There are talented players who do not play for the high school because the summer coach tells them they don't need to play. The most important thing to a college coach offering a scholarship is grades. First question, "how did you score on the ACT?" College softball programs do not have scholarship money to waste on players who can not balance academics with the demand of time that softball will require in college. I would want to talk to a player's high school coach about coachability and not just ability that you see on the field. For the most part high school coaches get to know their players for four years. Most of the players in the mid-state that have gotten out-of-state D1 scholarships have not been on account of their summer ball, but for the exposure they receive from Club K. I don't want to sound as though I think summer ball is unneccessary. I think summer ball is good. Honestly. Most players who have stayed in state for college, got scholarships based on knowing someone. I do know in state college coaches are at local high school tournaments watching and looking for players. A great high school player can stand out on the high school team where as a great high school player on a summer ball team may blend-in. Just my thoughts. I have coached both summer and high school ball, and I love both (only summer is getting hotter as I am getting older ). I wish the two could go hand in hand, and I think they do. Though I feel there is a resistance to accept that though. Is there?

[govolz]

Man do you have stamina with that keyboard.

 

I do agree with you on most of your points. I just always enjoyed the game of softball and the relationships that you build with friends, the kids and their parents the most. Thats the kinda stuff that is important to me.

 

I also, agree with you that their is college scouts that go to High School softball games and High School Tournaments. I have seen them there. But, you almost need a great unsigned or a couple of scoutable players to lure them into the lair.

[Neil]

College coaches are glad to see talented players anytime they can. It is usually more convenient to see players during the summer since the spring high school softball schedule conflicts with their college team's schedule. College coaches see as many high school games as possible, especially during tournament time. College coaches are generally reluctant to sign a player who has not played high school ball, unless there are unusual circumstances to be considered. Summer travel ball and high school ball each serves a legitimate need. Both are good for the player, the fan, and community.