A Late Bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible until later than usual. There are different types of players.
Who are your different types of players?
- Natural Born Athletes: These players have that natural talent and stick out. Coaches and anyone that has an eye for talent recognize these players. You just know that they are going big if they stick with it. This is why you have players committing as young as 7th and 8th grade.
- Next tier are players that may not be in the top-tier but are not late bloomers. These are the players that still commit to your top to mid major schools. They are athletic, they train and they on track in the process.
- Then you have your Late Bloomers. These are the players that have committed to the process of training and playing on highly competitive teams just as your 1st and 2nd tier players, but they are just not ready yet to be recruited. Is it too late for these players? The answer is no! It is not too late for our late bloomers. I love it when a college coach gives me feedback that they would like to see how a player develops. Although, our late bloomers may not be recruited by the top Division I schools, there is still time for them to be recruited.
I honestly feel that one of the many reasons you have really good players playing in your smaller division I, II, III, NAIA, and Juco schools are because of the following reasons:
Players may have fallen into the late bloomer tier. With the recent NCAA Division I early recruiting proposal, later recruiting will definitely work to everyone’s advantage on all sides of the spectrum. Sometimes your big players do not want to play on the big stage. It’s about finding the right fit. Most importantly, academics come first!
So to all of my Late Bloomers, it’s not too late! Continue to work hard and trust the process. The right school, the right coach will see you at the right time!
Comments 3
Interesting. I often wonder what coaches categorize Abby to be and it definitely gives hope to the girls just coming into this sport. I’m looking forward to your blog. I don’t understand much about the recruiting aspect of Softball so I’m hoping to see a little about this. Keep up the AWESOME work!!
I agree with you on most of your points. I would like to add two things.
One, I think some top tier talent gets burned out, leaves the sport or at least backs off, for a period of time. Then they realize they miss it, and come back. They seem to be late bloomers, but really probably belong in that first group. Two, I think being in the right place at the right time also plays a part. Sometimes the coach, or politics plays a role in the advancement of the athlete, and who sees her when. Sometimes the athlete gets seen by a coach or recruiter when they are at the game to see another player. I think your bottom line to hang in there, work hard, and don’t get discouraged are great advice, not just for softball, but for life as well.
Good post…look forward to seeing more.
P.S. I would like to hear your thoughts on walking on at Div I and Div II schools, especially if you already have a scholarship of another kind.
Great blog. Awesome views. It gives hope to all depending on their status and where they fall. Hard work pays off and trust the process. Helps to have the right people in your corner and the right coaches.