Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com

Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com
[ Midwest Fastpitch - keeptheboardcorrect@gmail.com ]

Fall Ball

Posted by Parent on September 28, 2026, 10:31 am

Have a freshman who plays mid-major. The Fall Ball games are typically against smaller schools and JUCO's. I'm going to say the JUCO players aren't that far down the talent ladder as a team, yes, but as individual players, they're a step slower, a little smaller, etc. Very close.

Recruiting is a complete crapshoot.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by From the witness stand on September 30, 2026, 6:47 pm, in reply to "Fall Ball"

Interesting report.

My daughter plays for a P4 program. They just kicked the living sh*t out of a lesser level team in a fall ball game.

I didn't weigh or measure the girls on both teams, but somehow one was WAY better than the other.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Henry VIII on September 30, 2026, 5:32 am, in reply to "Fall Ball"

The slappers in college stay in the batters box (unlike in travel and High School).

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Thomas Cromwell on September 30, 2026, 12:37 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

....Liar. they just show you the correct angle.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Charles II on September 30, 2026, 9:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

I strongly believe King Henry VII of the Tudor House has the upper hand. The ongoing cheating by lefty slappers is the issue. Henceforth, please do not refer to it as a defensive lapse, else you will join Anne Bolelyn.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Henry on September 30, 2026, 1:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Teach your IFer's to play better defense. You're as bad as the Illegal Pitching screamers.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Anne Boleyn on September 30, 2026, 4:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

I think it's time for a grand compromise already.

Since we can all agree slappers are not restricted to the batters box, pitchers shouldn't be restricted to the mound. They should be able to deliver the pitch anywhere in the circle.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Mary Queen of Scots on October 2, 2026, 6:27 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Brilliant way of making the point. If anyone complains about pitchers pitching outside the circle we can counter “just get better hitters”.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Mary on October 2, 2026, 9:56 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

That's EXACTLY what I would tell my team when they would come to me complaining about the pitcher pitching illegal.

HIT THAT DAMN BALL & SHUT UP!

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Anne on October 1, 2026, 4:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

All hitters (&slappers) are restricted to the batters box. Try again.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Fit on September 29, 2026, 10:44 am, in reply to "Fall Ball"

Coming from someone who has a daughter who is a D3 player, I think there is very little difference in individual players. I know that's gonna make some D-1 parents rage, but it's true. She has played D1 schools in Fall Ball, and also JUCO schools in fall ball, and the games have been close. The biggest difference is the pitching from these teams.
If you look at a lot of the teams in the bigger organizations locally. The lineups could be 1)D3 commit 2)D1 Mid-Major Commit 3)D1 Power 5 Commit 4)D1 Mid Major Commit) 5)Power 5 Commit 6) D3 Commit 7)JUCO commit 8)NAIA commit 9)D2 Commit etc. So why is it so hard to believe there's not that much difference in the players?

These D3 players have been facing D1 pitching for years in travel ball, it's not like something they haven't seen before.
She has played on teams where the D3 players outperformed some the D1 players in every way. Were the D1 players over-committed? maybe. Were the NAIA, D3 or JUCO players under-committed? maybe. But it sometimes is all being in the right place at the right time and sometimes it's just about fit.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Local lineup example @FIT on September 30, 2026, 7:19 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

You're seeing a local team that has a couple of P4s sprinkled in with a couple of other levels, and thinking that they must be on similar talent levels because they are playing together on a travel team.

The answer is that there are very few P4 players in our area... If a team could grab and hold 15 of them, they would!

If you're watching an SEC game on ESPN on a Saturday night and thinking that there is "very little difference" in a mid-major (or even most Big Ten teams), then you need an optometrist.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Rockin Robin on September 30, 2026, 12:42 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

My D is 3rd year at mid-major. She played with girls who eventually went B1G, D3, Mid major, and I could be missing others. Moral of the story is the B1G girl was not better than the mid-major girls and on any given day our D3 girl was our best player.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Coach on September 30, 2026, 1:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

My guess is the D3 girl wanted an actual education with a degree that matters!!

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Coach on September 30, 2026, 2:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Take some time to actually do some research on financial outcomes at both levels, basically exactly the same. Some outlier schools and degree paths skew high in both groups. Quit trying to sell your narrative as an excuse for lesser ability in the field.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @@Coach on September 30, 2026, 4:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Please cite your sources.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @@@Coach on October 1, 2026, 9:03 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

NACE, the College Scorecard, and Gallup

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @@@@Coach on October 1, 2026, 9:10 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

The foundational study directly contrasting long-term earnings and Return on Investment (ROI) between small liberal arts colleges (typically Division III) and large public or research universities (typically Division I) comes from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW).

Key analyses from Georgetown CEW and recent labor-market reports highlight several important findings regarding this comparison:

1. The 10-Year Mark: Advantage Large Universities
Immediate Payoff: Graduates from large research and public universities generally achieve a faster return on investment early in their careers.

The Reason: Large DI schools often offer pre-professional, technical, and pre-credentialed majors (e.g., Computer Science, Engineering, Nursing, Business/Finance) that immediately map into entry-level roles paying $70,000 to $90,000+ right out of school.

Early Liberal Arts Risk: Liberal arts graduates face higher early-career underemployment rates (working roles that do not strictly require a bachelor’s degree) in their first 2–4 years, resulting in a lower initial 10-year net ROI.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @FIT on September 29, 2026, 6:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

That is the typical response that you get from every parent that has a daughter that plays D3 softball. You probably faced the 4th or 5th pitcher and a bunch of non starters or incoming freshman when you played the D1 team in the fall, and you still did not win.

In reality there is a big difference between a P5 softball player and a D3 softball player. There is also a big difference between a p5 player and top 15 team in division 1 softball. Then you got the truly elite kids that are going to Texas, Oklahoma, etc that are on a completely different level.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @FIT on September 30, 2026, 12:43 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

I don't think most people realize how much talent disparity exists at the D1 level, especially mid majors. The disparity decreases as the talent level rises, with much less at the P4 level.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by New analysis on September 28, 2026, 5:14 pm, in reply to "Fall Ball"

If the smaller school/JUCO players are a step slower and smaller, it seems like the recruiting worked - at least generally speaking.

Of course talent level isn't hard bound by level, and there are some in D3 who are better than D2, etc. - but in the end it usually works out pretty darn well.

And when it doesn't, the mismatches transfer up, down or out.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Scooter on September 29, 2026, 12:56 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

It’s pitching that makes the biggest separation between P4 , mid major and D2 etc! If a mid major is lucky enough to have 1 horse who throws 65-66 and can spot it… Gonna be a good season. If not, a very long one!

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by D1 Digs the Long Ball on September 30, 2026, 9:09 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Look at team stats- D3 teams hit far less home runs than D1 teams....the depth of those team lineups is dramatically different.

Of course, in a single game, those differences show up less than they do in a 3 game series or 50 game season.

Some real D1 talent does fall through the cracks. But that is the huge exception.

And my daughter is a D3 kid...

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Scooter on September 29, 2026, 1:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Riddle me this, Scoot. If pitching is the difference, how can you judge the position players if they're playing against lesser pitching?

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @@Scooter on September 30, 2026, 11:36 am, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

You can't judge position players without seeing them against the same competition. Every parent remembers individual plays, not the full body of work. With a few exceptions, college coaches generally get it right. The outliers are typically players who turn down offers for academic reasons.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Crazy on September 30, 2026, 12:37 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Everyone on this forum is nuts! If your kid plays college aoftball it’s great! Doesn’t matter what level. After these 4 year it means absolutely nothing. Wow your kid played D1 or wow your kid played D3. Nobody cares but these nutty parents. Parents want it more than the kids now. Yes I know some kids will play d1 and they are complete studs but I would bet you all my money that those kids parents aren’t on this forum. lol
Just sit back and enjoy these last couple of years and chill out!!

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by @Crazy on October 1, 2026, 10:39 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Fella,

This is an anonymous, youth sports discussion board. What in the hell sorta content do you expect?

If you want non-crazy, join a book club at the library.

This is a place for information exchange… plus snarky, pissy, jealous, ignorant and alcohol-fueled hot takes.

Midwest Fastpitch, don’t you change one bit!

The rest of y’all may be better than us, but this is our town. Go find another place to hitch your wagon.

Re: Fall Ball

Posted by Ha ha on October 3, 2026, 11:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Fall Ball"

Just finished kicking the shit out of a JUCO today in fall ball. Every single one of our players was bigger, faster, stronger and infinitely more athletic looking on the eye ball test ….including our incoming freshmen and I can attest that this is true for our midweek games as well when we play non P4 teams unless it is a very strong mid major typically out of California or TX. Do we win them all …nope…sometimes a pitcher has a great day or a bad day and it just is what it is but no…they don’t get the same caliber of player and if you think they do you are delusional.

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