Introduction
College softball is softball played on the intercollegiate level at the institute of higher education, predominantly in the United States, and is played under the auspices of the NCAA(National Collegiate Athletic Association). The NCAA writes all the rules of the game while the sanctioning body supervises season-ending tournaments, softball happens to be one of the only three sports in NCAA which are designated for women. Here we will see about What do college softball scouts look for?
What do college softball scouts look for?
Top recruits usually look for players who can excel not only on the high school level but at a college level because college-level sports are a different level. When watching a recruit the coach tries to project how much success they will have in college.
- Division 1: A very few high school softball players can compete in the division 1 level, the talent level is extremely high. These players are recruited at a very young age and possess ideal softball measures, there are some recruiting guidelines that the coaches look for.
- High school experience- 3 to 4 years on varsity with at least 2 years as a starter.
- Club experience- 4 to 5 years of high-level travel ball.
- Award- multiple-time All-Conference, All-Area, All-State honor.
- Division 2: if the player is not able to get admitted they still have a shot at getting in D2, majorly what separates D1 players from D2 is the excellence on the field and in terms of academics. D2 softball players tend to be exceptional in one category and above average in others.
- High school experience- 2 to 3 years on varsity with at least 1-2 as the starter.
- Club experience- 3 to 4 years
- Award- multiple-time All-Conference, All-Area, All-State honor.
- Division 3 and NAIA: D3 and NAIA students receive the most attention from coaches during their sophomore and junior year, to stand out the athlete should make connections with coaches and improve their game. Playing on a D3 and NAIA level can be beneficial for an athlete, they just need to be careful when choosing a college that is good for academics and sports.
- High school experience- 2 to 3 years on varsity with at least 1-2 as the starter.
- Club experience- 2 to 3 years of travel ball.
- Award- multiple-time All-Conference, All-Area.
When do coaches start the recruitment procedure?
For Division 1, the coaches start recruitment as young as 7th and 8th grade, if the student wants to start her career by playing at the D1 level they should start initiating contact with coaches early in their career to snag a post before it is too late.
For the D2 level, the recruitment procedure starts a little later than D1, the recruitment process also depends on how competitive the program is, the more competitive the recruitment process is. D3 and NAIA start the recruitment process even later, contacting students during their sophomore and junior year because they tend to spend more time looking at the academic background of the student making sure that they are a good fit for their school.
Which college has the best softball team in the United States?
The University of Florida has the best softball team this year and is considered the best college if a student wants to make a career in softball. UF’s women’s softball alone has brought in a revenue of $648,592 in a single year and an academic progress rate of 991. The school has a retention rate which is that the student satisfaction level is 96% which means that the students liked the university enough to come back for a second year.
The other colleges after the University of Florida are:
- Baylor University: The Women’s softball team of Baylor brought in a revenue of $2,375,263 in a single year.
- University of Arizona: The Women’s softball team of the University of Arizona brought in a revenue of $1,109,688 in a single year.
- University of California: The Women’s softball team of the University of California brought in a revenue of $592,598 in a single year.
- The University of Tennessee: The Women’s softball team of the University of Tennessee brought in a revenue of $712,294 in a single year.
- University of Tulsa: The Women’s softball team of the University of Tulsa brought in a revenue of $1,373,452 in a single year.
- The University of Michigan- Ann Arbor: The Women’s softball team of the University of Michigan brought in a revenue of $488,298 in a single year.
- Fordham University: The Women’s softball team of Fordham University brought in a revenue of $1,294,687 in a single year.
- Florida State University: The Women’s softball team of Florida State University brought in a revenue of $2,860,820 in a single year.
- James Madison University: The Women’s softball team of James Madison University brought in a revenue of $1,545,527 in a single year.
- Syracuse University: The Women’s softball team of Syracuse University brought in a revenue of $1,171,225 in a single year.
Conclusion
Softball happens to be one of the few sports that are only for women, it is a highly competitive sport as 400,000 high school students play soft and the scholarships are limited. The student has a few scholarships for which they can apply including NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIA softball scholarships. The scouting process is also difficult because the scout wants a player who can not only play at the high school level but also at a college and professional level, the student also has to focus on their academics because no college will accept a below-average student, however amazing a player they may be.
Frequently asked questions
Which state produces the most softball players?
California produces the most number of D1 softball players, it also ranks first in the percentage of high schoolers competing in NCAA 1 with a maximum number of scholarships.
How much percentage of softball college students go pro?
Fewer than 2% of college athletes have a chance of going pro, and the majority of athletes depend on academics to make a life for themselves.
