"Why Force Players Get Recruited and Play in College"

In the 2012 College season, Twenty-Two Former Force Players were playing college softball. Fifteen of these players were playing at the NCAA Division I level. (Many programs may say their players are getting recruited, but the proof is checking the college websites. To see where Force players are playing, click on our "Force Alumni in College" tab on the left.) These players will be joined by Six additional recent high school graduates in the 2013 College season to bring our total to Twenty-eight former Force players playing in college. Five of these six players will be playing at the NCAA Division I level. Of our recent graduating seniors, 89% have gone on to play college softball.

If you click on our "Force Alumni" tab on the left you will see a list of 154 former Force players who played College softball at a four year institution. How did these players get this opportunity? Talent and hard work can only get you so far. You also must be seen by the College Coaches. To be seen, you must play in the biggest tournaments and College coaches must come and watch your team play. You also must know how to communicate with College Coaches and be able to network with the College coaches. The Force years of experience, vast alumni base and quality of former players keep College Coaches returning to watch and recruit Force players. The best indicator of where a team will play next year is where did that team play the last two years.

This year our Force Gold team will be playing at the Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City at the 2012 ASA Gold Nationals. This is the same stadium that hosts the NCAA Women's Division I Championship tournament. Our Gold team is the only 18U team from the Central California ASA metro that qualified and is playing in any National Championship tournament. For the first time, our 16U team will be playing in Premier Girls Fastpitch National in Huntington Beach. They are the only team from the Central California ASA metro to win a berth to both Premier and ASA 16U nationals. Our Force 16U was the first team from this area to ever qualify for Premier by winning a berth. Only the Force has all of their high school age teams playing at National Championships in front of College Coaches.

While our Force teams play at the same Surf City Showcases in Southern California as other Central California teams, only the Force teams allow you to play at the two biggest showcases, the Independence Day Tournament in Boulder Colorado and Champion's Cup in Irvine California. The Independence Day Tournament is the top Showcase tournament in the nation. It is where all the top softball programs from around the nation play at or try to get in. It is where all the College coaches come to watch and recruit players. Champion's Cup is the top Western regional showcase. This tournament will draw College Coaches from around the nation, but it is the biggest showcase for being seen by College Coaches from the western states especially the California Colleges.

Hard work, talent and being seen are the keys to making it to the next level. At the Force, we know our players are talented and work hard. This is why we work hard to keep our teams in the best tournaments. It is also why we worked with Clovis Unified to bring eight college coaches to Buchanan High School to work with local softball players so they could showcase their talent to these College Head Coaches. So if you want to give yourself the best chance of being recruited, play for the Force.