The mall or Softball?
August 14th, 2008 - byFor all you softball players out there: What did you this summer? Going to the movies, hanging out with friends, shopping at the mall?
Or did you play softball?
Hopefully, if you’re serious about the college recruiting process, you were doing the fourth option. According to an article written by Kenny Cress, the verdict from coaches is out. If you want a college scholarship, you better have travel experience. From the piece:
What [Cal State Bakersfield's head softball coach Kathy Welter] said about travel ball softball echoed what much of the other coaches interviewed by the Santa Maria Times said about it. Travel ball is extensive, travel ball is expensive and travel ball is a must if a player wants a college scholarship.
“They can play a lot more games than they can (during the high school season), and of course they’ll have a better chance of being recruited by coaches,” thanks to exposure tournaments, Welter said.
So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Playing travel sports – not just for softball, but soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming and volleyball to name a few more — give you a better chance of playing at the next level. It comes down to dedication, striving to become the best player you can be.
And yes, travel and club sports can be expensive. But here’s the thing — college is expensive! The end goal is to get some sort of aid for college expenses, and if a couple thousand dollar investment could ultimately lead to a scholarship and knock $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 off your education bill, that’s a pretty impressive return on investment.
