Whitney Gillespie is so driven to play for an elite select softball team that two to three times a month she makes the drive from Jackson, Miss., to play or practice with a team from Forney.

Her father, Jeff, is so committed to giving his daughter the best opportunity to polish her skills that he has spent about $8,500 on select softball this year.

“If I took her anywhere else, she would go backward as far as her development, because the competition level’s not there,’’ Jeff said. “She can go pitch in Mississippi and Louisiana – and she did. She’ll have 17, 18 strikeouts in a game. Or she can come play at nationals, where she has to hit her spots and throw change-ups and throw different pitches or the ball will get hit out of the park. It challenges her.

“Maybe when she gets [older] ... maybe she’ll have a chance to play Division I or Olympic softball. That’s what we’re striving for.’’

Whitney is 11.

But a pitcher who threw a perfect game in a 10-and-under select game when she was 8 doesn’t mind traveling six hours or more to play for the ’95 Texas Glory. The team played in the Amateur Softball Association’s 10-and-under A national tournament in Moline, Ill., for the last week, and the Glory won the national title Sunday night with its fifth victory of the day in the 52-team, double-elimination event.

“It’s worth it,’’ Whitney said. “It will probably get me a good scholarship if I stay with them.’’

That’s why families are willing to pay big money to cover out-of-town trips and tournament entry fees that can range from $300 to $650 per team. There can be recruiting benefits down the road that might not be available without select softball.

Kevin Shelton, a coach for the Texas Glory Gold 18-under team from McKinney, said Glory Gold players pay $3,000 to $5,000 just for summer ball (there’s also a fall schedule). But the team has played in front of college coaches at all six tournaments it has been to this summer. Nine of the team’s 14 players have signed with or orally committed to a Division I program, and the other five have drawn Division I interest.

“The summer teams are really where those kids get exposure from college coaches,’’ Texas A&M coach Jo Evans said. “During high school [season], our own teams are practicing and competing at the very same time, so it’s challenging for our coaches to get out and watch high school games. But our entire summer is spent recruiting kids that play club ball. We see hundreds and hundreds of games.’’

JUAN GARCIA/DMN

Texas Glory Gold coach Dan Adkins has taken his team to the Amateur Softball Association's national tournament.

The ASA 18-and-under Gold national tournament, which started Sunday in Oklahoma City, is a recruiter’s mecca. The 64-team tournament is expected to attract 250 college coaches. Four local teams – Texas Glory Gold, Texas Glory 18U, Texas Travelers Gold and the Fort Worth Batbusters – are among the 11 Texas teams that qualified.

Justin Northwest pitcher Brittany Barnhill is also playing in the tournament, as a member of Impact Gold from Houston. She played for a select team from New Jersey last year and now flies to Houston for Sunday practices, but the exposure she received by traveling to tournaments in California, New Jersey, Florida, Nevada and Colorado helped her get recruited by the nation’s premier teams.

“Even though it’s kind of a pain to fly [to Houston] for practice, it’s totally worth it,’’ said Barnhill, who has orally committed to Texas.

College coaches flock to select games because there’s a standout at every position, making it easier to judge talent. Recruiters aren’t just looking at 17- and 18-year-olds, though.

“I’ve seen more college coaches at this tournament than I ever have,’’ said Evans, who was attending the ASA 16-and-under A national tournament in Seattle. “I think that’s the trend, that coaches are going to tournaments with younger and younger players to try to get an advantage. There’s going to come a time where the 14-and-unders are going to be highly attended by college coaches.’’

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