Especially for those who may be starting out their club softball journey, it's really important that you understand the context of national programs and their impact on recruiting.

For example, Athletics Mercado has more than 106 teams across the country, and they're actively expanding. So, it's no surprise that they have high numbers of total recruits. But there is a BIG difference between their top program (at 18U, Smith) and their other teams. This holds true for just about every other program on this list.

That doesn't mean that the Chicago area branches have anywhere near the schedule, roster, coaching or resources as the national teams. In fact, if any Chicago area kids are good enough to play on 16U or 18U national teams, it's likely they're getting on planes every Friday and headed to national tournaments - you won't find those teams playing anywhere in the Midwest, except for Alliance Nationals in Indiana.

There are only a handful of national teams based in the Midwest - teams that consistently play a national schedule, are consistently competitive and have a high % of P4 commits. You're talking the best team at Bandits, Chill, IMG and IP. The only other team that I can think of with national schedule and a high number of P4 is one Cheetahs team.

My point here is not to bash any program. A national brand jersey can absolutely help with tournament entries and access to some resources. But as these national brands grow, there will increasingly be a have and have nots within their on org - the number of D1 roster spots isn't growing!

I'll close with a final shout out to Quinn. Dude must feel like a dinosaur at times, but it's so cool how he stays nationally competitive with just three teams. I can't think of another example of a program like what he's done, and it's good for our area to have guys like him, and others, involved.