New Player Identification and Development Program for Juniors and Sophomores

October 27, 2022 –

The Alliance Fastpitch is launching Player I.D. Combines and the Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games in partnership with Prospect Wire Softball. The Stars of Tomorrow Series – Combines and Games – is part of the Alliance Fastpitch Player Identification and Development Program which currently includes the Alliance All-Star Game and Player Recognition Program. 

Stars of Tomorrow Player Identification and Development Combines will be hosted at various college campuses during the winter and month of June. The Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games will take place in the Chicago-metro area in August 2023, following the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS). The Top 60 athletes will be selected from the talent pool of the Player I.D. Combines. This season’s Stars of Tomorrow Series is designed for sophomores and juniors (2024 and 2025 graduate classes). 

Why is the Alliance Fastpitch launching this Series? 

The Alliance Fastpitch’s goal remains to focus on athlete-centric programming and player development. The Stars of Tomorrow Series is the next evolution of our Alliance Fastpitch Player Identification and Development Program which already includes the Alliance All-Star Game – featuring the Top 40 Alliance Seniors, and our Player Recognition Program which honors National and League Players of the Month and National All Tournament Teams. 

Enhanced technology, data accuracy and individualized, data-driven training programs is the future of softball and youth sports. The Alliance Fastpitch is excited to partner with Prospect Wire Softball to help introduce this concept of advanced data capture to be used for player identification and data-driven training to help better develop our athletes. 

What will players receive at each Player I.D. Combine?

Player I.D. Combines will be limited to a maximum of 100 athletes from the 2024 and 2025 class. Athletes will go through the same combine-style format, evaluations and data collection at every Player I.D. Combine. Athletes will be tested and evaluated to define their overall Alliance Player Rating, a combination of cognitive, visual, athleticism, and technical skills – fielding, hitting, and pitching. 

Player I.D. Combines are utilizing the same data capture devices and analysis used by top college softball programs. This will help athletes prepare for what they’ll use in college and will help college coaches make more informed recruiting decisions. 

Following each combine, an athlete will better understand her specific data measurements and individualized assessments. She will also receive recommendation training programs based on her individual data and evaluations. 

At each combine, athletes will receive: 

• Objective scores from key areas of player development. Athletes will receive their scores via Prospect Wire’s Analyzer Report. Composite Scores include:
  • S2 Cognition Core 4
  • Vizual Edge EDGE Score
  • Athletic Measurement 
  • Hitting Score
  • Fielding Score
• Subjective scouting evaluation – Scouts will be present at Player I.D. Combines to evaluate an athlete’s fielding, hitting, and pitching. 
• Enhanced Training – Following these combines, athletes will be able to train smarter and more efficiently based on their individual data being captured at these events. 
• Leaderboards – Leaderboards will be developed after combines so athletes know where they compare against their peers in each of the key components. 
• Opportunity to earn an invitation to the Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games – Sixty athletes from each class will be invited to the final Stars of Tomorrow Games. These athletes will be invited based on their overall Alliance Player Rating which is inclusive of both objective and subjective scores, and also dependent upon primary positions. 

How do I register for a Player I.D. Combine?

The first Player I.D. Combine will be hosted at Texas A&M University on November 11th. The Combine will be hosted on Davis Diamond, home of the Texas A&M softball team. 

Register Here for November 11th Player I.D. Combine

The Alliance Fastpitch and Prospect Wire Softball will host additional Player I.D. Combines this winter with the remaining combines to be hosted during the month of June. The final Player I.D. Combine and last-chance opportunity to earn an invitation to the Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games will take place in Colorado June 26-28th. 

More information to come in regards to each combine date, location and event registration links. 

What is the Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games?

This culminating All-Star event for the Top 60 sophomores and juniors will be a 3-4 day experience consisting of data collection, elite training, classroom sessions, and games. We want this to be a next-level experience for youth softball’s top players that will help prepare them on and off the field. Athletes will be divided into four teams and will compete in the same point-style format as Athletes Unlimited! 

How will players qualify for the Stars of Tomorrow Games?

Players will receive an overall “Alliance Player Rating” following the combine. This composite score will measure their overall objective and subjective measures. The top 60 athletes in the 2024 and the top athletes in the 2025 class will earn an invitation to the Stars of Tomorrow Games to be hosted in the Chicago Metro Area in August. Invitations will be earned based on the athlete’s overall scores and evaluations. Selections will be based on primary positions. 

The exact dates will be within the DI recruiting window and after the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series (AFCS). More information to be released on the Games including the announcement of partnerships. 

We are excited to partner with Prospect Wire Softball, Yakkertech, S2 Cognition, and Vizual Edge to begin accumulating and analyzing data of the top high school players in the country. We hope this will better inform our athletes on their training and recruiting, better inform college coaches in their recruiting evaluations, and enhance our overall understanding of data in softball. 

More information to be announced on all upcoming combines, Stars of Tomorrow Top 60 Games, and partnerships.