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Thanks in advance for all of your help and for allowing me to vent. Being patient with the recruiting process is a must but it is challenging.

2019 Son attended a multi-college camp this weekend...he went off:

2 HR, 2 Doubles and a triple in 6 ABs. All 5 hits were hit hard. 

He has emerging power, hustles always, good size, 60 time under 7, and is an A student. Plays on a very good travel team. Has been on the radar of a few schools (no offers), several of which were at this event. No college coaches spoke to any players after the event, however all of the college coaches were engaged during games (clipboards, radar guns, stopwatches, taking notes, etc.). It was a well run event.

Son followed up with an e-mail to some coaches at the event indicating that it was fun to play in front of them and that he was hopeful that he left a good impression. A few coaches at the event were familiar with him as son has e-mailed video and updates over past year. This event had all levels of schools (mostly D1 but several D2, D3). 

He has received zero feedback. No return e-mails, no phone calls, no texts. Nothing. It has only been a few days....however I have read that "if they want you, you will know it, and fast." Most important part is that WCP Jr. is much more patient and calm about the whole situation. I'm trying to be as well.

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My 2019 went to a similar, but I think different, event.  He did not go off, but he had one strong game.  He hasn't heard anything yet, either, but frankly, I'm not expecting him to at this point.  These coaches are back at their schools, with their assistants, sorting through lots of info that they just got.  I'm thinking patience is the way to go.  Keep plugging away at logical points with new video/info. I empathize with you though. If my kid had a weekend like yours, I would want his phone to blow up, too, and would be eager for some endorsement of his talent!

smokeminside posted:

My 2019 went to a similar, but I think different, event.  He did not go off, but he had one strong game.  He hasn't heard anything yet, either, but frankly, I'm not expecting him to at this point.  These coaches are back at their schools, with their assistants, sorting through lots of info that they just got.  I'm thinking patience is the way to go.  Keep plugging away at logical points with new video/info. I empathize with you though. If my kid had a weekend like yours, I would want his phone to blow up, too, and would be eager for some endorsement of his talent!

Your reply is rather comforting and I do appreciate it - Thank you. Here's hoping your son gets some attention from his strong game.    

West Coast:

What position does your son play? I'm guessing  MI or OF. Given his grades (A average), if you are looking at "high academic" schools, you are still early. Try to get on the radar with as many schools as possible; given your son's performance he probably has some additional interest. A number of coaches go for a string of recruiting events on a trip, often not one showcase. There is some time that they need to process what they've seen when they return to the office. They are probably reassessing their needs for 2019 class. Keep in contact with them on a regular basis if interest remains on academic or athletic news (recent transcript, showcase events, personal best running, lifting , SAT/ACT score, etc. Things will heat up next year, especially  next summer. If your son received an offer, would he be ready to commit? You'll see more peaks and valleys..I know from experience. 

2019Dad posted:
TPM posted:

Give it a few days, this is an NCAA dead period for D1 and D2 baseball which corresponds with NLI signings.

Good advice. Case in point: my son just got an inbound call from an AC who apparently saw him play at an event a couple weeks ago. That was unexpected . . . I'm sure these guys are busy.

Although phone or emails are permitted, coaches use this time to regroup and use the time exclusively for their players which includes finishing up fall practice and feedback.

 

If your son is hitting the ball hard, breaking a 7.0 and is an A student. You really have nothing to worry or fret over. He'll be fine. The right school will take notice. And when they do they'll make their intentions clear.

I understand your frustrations . Try to remember that more times than not these RC's don't do anything until someone moves first. In other words you need an offer to really kick off your sons recruiting .

Once you receive an offer and notify the other schools on your list that you've received that offer and are seriously considering accepting it, your email is gonna light up like a christmas tree.

My son ( 2016) received his first offer in 2014. Prior to that he had emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Nothing. Not a peep. He sent them an email that he'd been offered and was considering accepting....... UCLA responded in less than 10 min. And had him throwing for Savage within 72 hours .

But once again, your son sounds like a solid ballplayer. It's all gonna work out

Last edited by StrainedOblique
StrainedOblique posted:

If your son is hitting the ball hard, breaking a 7.0 and is an A student. You really have nothing to worry or fret over. He'll be fine. The right school will take notice. And when they do they'll make their intentions clear.

I understand your frustrations . Try to remember that more times than not these RC's don't do anything until someone moves first. In other words you need an offer to really kick off your sons recruiting .

Once you receive an offer and notify the other schools on your list that you've received that offer and are seriously considering accepting it, your email is gonna light up like a christmas tree.

My son ( 2016) received his first offer in 2014. Prior to that he had emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Nothing. Not a peep. He sent them an email that he'd been offered and was considering accepting....... UCLA responded in less than 10 min. And had him throwing for Savage within 72 hours .

But once again, your son sounds like a solid ballplayer. It's all gonna work out

I have no doubt that what you are saying here is true...I just find it beyond stupid. Who runs a business or a program this way? Why would you as a consumer want to be a part of this type program? What reasonable expectation would you have that daily operations, after you have signed and are tied to the program would be satisfactory?

I mean honestly when you are dating (rough equivalent of recruiting) you try to but your best foot forward as to who you are...it takes some time to find the bad parts of your partner. This seems like a girl who makes no pretense about being a high maintenance, selfish you know what...but she is hot so I will over look it.  

Maybe I am excepting to much but I would have been hard pressed to want to be a part of a program that operates in that fashion. Maybe that is why my son likes smaller campuses...I don't know all the answers but UCLA would have kicked to the curb in my opinion.

old_school posted:
StrainedOblique posted:

If your son is hitting the ball hard, breaking a 7.0 and is an A student. You really have nothing to worry or fret over. He'll be fine. The right school will take notice. And when they do they'll make their intentions clear.

I understand your frustrations . Try to remember that more times than not these RC's don't do anything until someone moves first. In other words you need an offer to really kick off your sons recruiting .

Once you receive an offer and notify the other schools on your list that you've received that offer and are seriously considering accepting it, your email is gonna light up like a christmas tree.

My son ( 2016) received his first offer in 2014. Prior to that he had emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Nothing. Not a peep. He sent them an email that he'd been offered and was considering accepting....... UCLA responded in less than 10 min. And had him throwing for Savage within 72 hours .

But once again, your son sounds like a solid ballplayer. It's all gonna work out

I have no doubt that what you are saying here is true...I just find it beyond stupid. Who runs a business or a program this way? Why would you as a consumer want to be a part of this type program? What reasonable expectation would you have that daily operations, after you have signed and are tied to the program would be satisfactory?

I mean honestly when you are dating (rough equivalent of recruiting) you try to but your best foot forward as to who you are...it takes some time to find the bad parts of your partner. This seems like a girl who makes no pretense about being a high maintenance, selfish you know what...but she is hot so I will over look it.  

Maybe I am excepting to much but I would have been hard pressed to want to be a part of a program that operates in that fashion. Maybe that is why my son likes smaller campuses...I don't know all the answers but UCLA would have kicked to the curb in my opinion.

The fact is there are well over 1000 players every year that try to get UCLA's attention, they get to be choosy, and they get to be the high maintenance chick in this scenario.

Over the years I have met plenty of "ladies" that give off an ice cold vibe of NEVER being happy and I've seen plenty of "men" eat that crap up and trip over themselves to make her happy. Some guys like that dynamic, to each their own.

The unfortunate truth about recruiting is that there's often a huge gap in the perception of parents regarding their son's production at showcases & tournaments and what college coaches evaluate in a kid. In the most polite way I can put it, going off at a showcase doesn't mean squat if you don't fit what the coaches are looking for. That is not to say your son is not a talented player worthy of playing Division 1 Baseball, but the emotional lens parents see their kids through makes objectivity nearly impossible.

On the flip side, showcases where coaches are paid to attend always have at least a minor buyer beware as just because a coach is physically present doesn't mean they are mentally present.

There's a confounding variable here all of us don't know because the way you described how everything played out shouldn't end up with your son getting zero feedback. 

A couple of points to address from other comments:

 

-All High Academic schools are recruiting the 2019 class right now. Period. Do not believe otherwise. Many Ivies have multiple commits on the board already.

-Patience is critical in the recruiting process but if a school is truly interested, they will 100% contact you and let their interest be known.

 

highheat15 posted:

The unfortunate truth about recruiting is that there's often a huge gap in the perception of parents regarding their son's production at showcases & tournaments and what college coaches evaluate in a kid. In the most polite way I can put it, going off at a showcase doesn't mean squat if you don't fit what the coaches are looking for. That is not to say your son is not a talented player worthy of playing Division 1 Baseball, but the emotional lens parents see their kids through makes objectivity nearly impossible.

On the flip side, showcases where coaches are paid to attend always have at least a minor buyer beware as just because a coach is physically present doesn't mean they are mentally present.

There's a confounding variable here all of us don't know because the way you described how everything played out shouldn't end up with your son getting zero feedback. 

A couple of points to address from other comments:

 

-All High Academic schools are recruiting the 2019 class right now. Period. Do not believe otherwise. Many Ivies have multiple commits on the board already.

-Patience is critical in the recruiting process but if a school is truly interested, they will 100% contact you and let their interest be known.

 

Very good point to make is that coaches do get paid to attend these camps, that's how they make extra money. Also these camps usually are attended by unpaid assistants. 

Make sure that when attending you know who will be there and their title.

Just a suggestion.

fenwaysouth posted:

Old School,

Ah, I caught you.   Applying economic, common sense logic to the recruiting process.  Drop and give me 50!

Image result for old guy doing pushups

 

  

my apologies...we already know common sense left the academic world a long time ago! and honestly Fenway at this point in my life 50 could leave permanent scar!! I would rather send a small donation in the name of college baseball to PETA or some other crazy band of misfits!!

Last edited by old_school
CaCO3Girl posted:
 

The fact is there are well over 1000 players every year that try to get UCLA's attention, they get to be choosy, and they get to be the high maintenance chick in this scenario.

Over the years I have met plenty of "ladies" that give off an ice cold vibe of NEVER being happy and I've seen plenty of "men" eat that crap up and trip over themselves to make her happy. Some guys like that dynamic, to each their own.

lots of truth here...I have seen the same, I have some business partners who have spent staggering amounts of money on the same "ladies"... due to them being wealthy and horny...and stupid IMO - but it is their right no doubt it.

So we really kind of agree...just maybe we different opinions on what our response would be. I never said it was a right or wrong, just that I didn't get it and gave some, what I consider valid reasons why.

highheat15 posted:

 

A couple of points to address from other comments:

 

-All High Academic schools are recruiting the 2019 class right now. Period. Do not believe otherwise. Many Ivies have multiple commits on the board already.

-Patience is critical in the recruiting process but if a school is truly interested, they will 100% contact you and let their interest be known.

 

Both are true, but being contacted by a school who expresses their interest -- heck being invited on campus for a two-day visit, football game, etc. -- does not mean an offer is forthcoming. I do think there is some truth in Strained Oblique's point about "once you get an offer . . ." 

StrainedOblique posted:

If your son is hitting the ball hard, breaking a 7.0 and is an A student. You really have nothing to worry or fret over. He'll be fine. The right school will take notice. And when they do they'll make their intentions clear.

I understand your frustrations . Try to remember that more times than not these RC's don't do anything until someone moves first. In other words you need an offer to really kick off your sons recruiting .

Once you receive an offer and notify the other schools on your list that you've received that offer and are seriously considering accepting it, your email is gonna light up like a christmas tree.

My son ( 2016) received his first offer in 2014. Prior to that he had emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Nothing. Not a peep. He sent them an email that he'd been offered and was considering accepting....... UCLA responded in less than 10 min. And had him throwing for Savage within 72 hours .

But once again, your son sounds like a solid ballplayer. It's all gonna work out

Thanks for that. My gut tells me it will work out...on its schedule. 

I think most of us have been in the OP's position, where are boy is definitely talented enough to play at a certain level, and for whatever reason, the wheels are not turning on the recruiting front.  It can be maddening!  As several others have stated, once an offer comes in, the news seems to travel so fast. Once one offers, or even just shows real interest, others will follow, because the word gets around.

Agree with Strained Oblique and some of the recent posters. Son's Legion coach filled him in on what was likely to happen with school of his biggest interest. The offer he said may come in a few weeks after a few additional showcases for coaching college recruiting staff. Once Big State U offered, son got offer from school he committed to on very same day after committed school watched him play  in DH.

I agree with StainedOblique, 2019Dad, RynoAttack, RipkenFan, others....competitive validation is a strong recruitment tool for the coach and the player.  The recruit should leverage it to its fullest capabilities.   He could even go so far as to discretely contact every school within a conference where one of its school members has offered (or serious interest) the recruit.  Personal experience has shown me this is a sound strategy.

As always, JMO. 

WESTCOASTPAPA,

Based on the information you gave, your son should be getting some attention.  Maybe the lower division schools will wait, thinking he will be a DI recruit.

The hitting performance really stands out.  The only question is what was the pitching like that he faced.  Obviously DIs love to see kids hit against high level pitching.  I mean if he had that same performance against 90+ pitching I would think every DI there would be salivating.

Sometimes hitters will have a long swing or approach that can own 80 mph pitching, but simply can't work when the pitching gets much better.  Not saying this is the case, but 5 for 6 with two doubles, two home runs and a triple sure would amaze me. Even if the swing was long and the pitching was poor.  Sure doesn't add up to no interest.

Hopefully you start hearing something soon.  Wish you the best.

PGStaff posted:

WESTCOASTPAPA,

Based on the information you gave, your son should be getting some attention.  Maybe the lower division schools will wait, thinking he will be a DI recruit.

The hitting performance really stands out.  The only question is what was the pitching like that he faced.  Obviously DIs love to see kids hit against high level pitching.  I mean if he had that same performance against 90+ pitching I would think every DI there would be salivating.

Sometimes hitters will have a long swing or approach that can own 80 mph pitching, but simply can't work when the pitching gets much better.  Not saying this is the case, but 5 for 6 with two doubles, two home runs and a triple sure would amaze me. Even if the swing was long and the pitching was poor.  Sure doesn't add up to no interest.

Hopefully you start hearing something soon.  Wish you the best.

Thank you PG staff. For what it's worth, PG gave him a solid grade as a rising freshman (3 years ago) and indicated "interesting bat speed through the zone that projects well with physical development." Well, the physical development has arrived through maturity/weight training. For my son, PG events and showcases have been a positive piece to this whole recruiting puzzle. 

highheat15 posted:

The unfortunate truth about recruiting is that there's often a huge gap in the perception of parents regarding their son's production at showcases & tournaments and what college coaches evaluate in a kid. In the most polite way I can put it, going off at a showcase doesn't mean squat if you don't fit what the coaches are looking for. That is not to say your son is not a talented player worthy of playing Division 1 Baseball, but the emotional lens parents see their kids through makes objectivity nearly impossible.

On the flip side, showcases where coaches are paid to attend always have at least a minor buyer beware as just because a coach is physically present doesn't mean they are mentally present.

There's a confounding variable here all of us don't know because the way you described how everything played out shouldn't end up with your son getting zero feedback. 

A couple of points to address from other comments:

 

-All High Academic schools are recruiting the 2019 class right now. Period. Do not believe otherwise. Many Ivies have multiple commits on the board already.

-Patience is critical in the recruiting process but if a school is truly interested, they will 100% contact you and let their interest be known.

 

Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross are all in "aggressive" mode for 2019's as soon as the dead period lifts (term used by a coach at one of the aforementioned schools during a phone conversation last night). My son has been fortunate to be asked to attend basketball games in the coming month at all three schools by the head coach at each.

On a side note, he has not put on a winter coat since a trip we took to Sun Valley, ID when he was 10.  Living in SoCal, we are a warm climate to warm climate vacation family (not that we have been on one thanks to BASEBALL!) The Lafayette coach was NOT amused when he jokingly asked if it was "shorts, tee-shirt and flip flop weather out in PA".  Oops...

2019cubdad posted:
highheat15 posted:

The unfortunate truth about recruiting is that there's often a huge gap in the perception of parents regarding their son's production at showcases & tournaments and what college coaches evaluate in a kid. In the most polite way I can put it, going off at a showcase doesn't mean squat if you don't fit what the coaches are looking for. That is not to say your son is not a talented player worthy of playing Division 1 Baseball, but the emotional lens parents see their kids through makes objectivity nearly impossible.

On the flip side, showcases where coaches are paid to attend always have at least a minor buyer beware as just because a coach is physically present doesn't mean they are mentally present.

There's a confounding variable here all of us don't know because the way you described how everything played out shouldn't end up with your son getting zero feedback. 

A couple of points to address from other comments:

 

-All High Academic schools are recruiting the 2019 class right now. Period. Do not believe otherwise. Many Ivies have multiple commits on the board already.

-Patience is critical in the recruiting process but if a school is truly interested, they will 100% contact you and let their interest be known.

 

Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross are all in "aggressive" mode for 2019's as soon as the dead period lifts (term used by a coach at one of the aforementioned schools during a phone conversation last night). My son has been fortunate to be asked to attend basketball games in the coming month at all three schools by the head coach at each.

On a side note, he has not put on a winter coat since a trip we took to Sun Valley, ID when he was 10.  Living in SoCal, we are a warm climate to warm climate vacation family (not that we have been on one thanks to BASEBALL!) The Lafayette coach was NOT amused when he jokingly asked if it was "shorts, tee-shirt and flip flop weather out in PA".  Oops...

Hopefully you can do them all in a single trip, since UVs are on your nickel.

2019cubdad posted:
 

 

Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross are all in "aggressive" mode for 2019's as soon as the dead period lifts (term used by a coach at one of the aforementioned schools during a phone conversation last night). My son has been fortunate to be asked to attend basketball games in the coming month at all three schools by the head coach at each.

On a side note, he has not put on a winter coat since a trip we took to Sun Valley, ID when he was 10.  Living in SoCal, we are a warm climate to warm climate vacation family (not that we have been on one thanks to BASEBALL!) The Lafayette coach was NOT amused when he jokingly asked if it was "shorts, tee-shirt and flip flop weather out in PA".  Oops...

Lafayette is practically warm / tropical compared to Bucknell.

Bucknell sits up in the mountains along the river...it is a good 10 degrees colder there then Easton where Lafayette is. It has an amazing campus and alumni network but all 3 are high quality schools. What is 65k a year between friends...if they get you down to 40k they probably really like you!

old_school posted:
2019cubdad posted:
 

 

Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross are all in "aggressive" mode for 2019's as soon as the dead period lifts (term used by a coach at one of the aforementioned schools during a phone conversation last night). My son has been fortunate to be asked to attend basketball games in the coming month at all three schools by the head coach at each.

On a side note, he has not put on a winter coat since a trip we took to Sun Valley, ID when he was 10.  Living in SoCal, we are a warm climate to warm climate vacation family (not that we have been on one thanks to BASEBALL!) The Lafayette coach was NOT amused when he jokingly asked if it was "shorts, tee-shirt and flip flop weather out in PA".  Oops...

Lafayette is practically warm / tropical compared to Bucknell.

Bucknell sits up in the mountains along the river...it is a good 10 degrees colder there then Easton where Lafayette is. It has an amazing campus and alumni network but all 3 are high quality schools. What is 65k a year between friends...if they get you down to 40k they probably really like you!

Bucknell is VERY cold, as is all of PA.  However, Bucknell is beyond beautiful! I know nothing about their sports, but it was one of my favorite campuses.

I went to Kutztown, we had to go to Bucknell often for inter-college things with the college service org linked to Kiwanis.

Stand Up comedy and college baseball recruiting have one important thing in common, (pause)....................(wait for it)..........................(wait)............................TIMING!!!!!!!!

Matching a coach's timeline with yours is like cracking a safe code.  If it's not there, it's not there............at that moment, at least.  And you can't force it.  If it's not a chemistry issue, it may just be a timing issue.  That may be overcome by fate, or it may not.  

 

Fact: Son attended a college camp on September 4th his Jr. year.  He was finally offered by, and committed to that camp school on September 4th his Sr. year.  Exactly one year later.  

In the 365-days between camp and offer, son was offered by two other schools, committed to one of them, six months later decommitted and reopened his recruitment, attended some 15 more recruiting events (tournaments, camps, showcases, etc.) in the latter six months of that year looking for a new home. 

WESTCOASTPAPA, it was one year, to the day, after son left his camp that he was finally offered by the school. He accepted and heads there in July.  So relax, it could be a while!

Free advice: after every camp, tournament, showcase, email, etc., don't think too hard about it, just go on to the next one.  Keep.................showing................up.  

Last edited by #1 Assistant Coach

2020CubDad......I am in NW Ohio....so I'm guessing that I'm close to the same temp as Lafayette and Bucknell.......AND IT'S 21 DEGREES....heading for a balmy high of 31 today.   My son grew up here.  I tried and tried to convince him to "go South" to play....heck, even 3-4 hours South of here is close to 40 right now lol.   Make sure your son understands that he may not see an outdoor practice in the Spring before the first game due to cold/snow/etc.  If you plan on visiting during the first month of the season, stop by somewhere and pick up a nice snowmobile suit as based on your "warm climate people" comments, you're not going to be real comfortable watching baseball while cleaning an occasional snowflake from your glasses (I am not joking lol) .   My son's team just picked up a kid from Santa Barbara who has never experienced winter.  Got to meet him a couple weeks ago and he looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to explain that the leaves fall off the trees here every Fall.  I can't imagine what he's going to think when he has to walk thru a foot of snow to get to class.   I would seriously consider making your visits to the 3 schools in January so you can get a true feel of what 3-4 months of your sons year will be like and see if it's really something he thinks he'll enjoy. 

Last edited by Buckeye 2015

Thanks for all the feedback. I grew up in northern Maryland and was recruited by many of those schools but never went further north than Villanova for any recruiting visits. We are fortunate as my son has several boys from his high school attending at all three schools who are great ambassadors to the three schools mentioned. I guess that really says something about the quality of the school and the coaching staff for these California kids sticking it out!

My wife and I are looking forward to the trip!

#1 Assistant Coach posted:

Stand Up comedy and college baseball recruiting have one important thing in common, (pause)....................(wait for it)..........................(wait)............................TIMING!!!!!!!!

Matching a coach's timeline with yours is like cracking a safe code.  If it's not there, it's not there............at that moment, at least.  And you can't force it.  If it's not a chemistry issue, it may just be a timing issue.  That may be overcome by fate, or it may not.  

 

Fact: Son attended a college camp on September 4th his Jr. year.  He was finally offered by, and committed to that camp school on September 4th his Sr. year.  Exactly one year later.  

In the 365-days between camp and offer, son was offered by two other schools, committed to one of them, six months later decommitted and reopened his recruitment, attended some 15 more recruiting events (tournaments, camps, showcases, etc.) in the latter six months of that year looking for a new home. 

WESTCOASTPAPA, it was one year, to the day, after son left his camp that he was finally offered by the school. He accepted and heads there in July.  So relax, it could be a while!

Free advice: after every camp, tournament, showcase, email, etc., don't think too hard about it, just go on to the next one.  Keep.................showing................up.  

#1 Assistant, LOVE this advice of Keep Showing Up!  It's exhausting for the kids and for the parents too, but it's the process and the more you show up to the camps and showcases those target schools are at, the better.  I saw this for myself last week at Showball -- there were two coaches there who have seen my son 4 times and several others who have seen him 2-3 times -- they have a pretty good picture of his ability and consistency and even his personality.  He was approached by several of these for visits and had three calls this week.  I am not totally certain he would be in this spot if it were the first time they had all seen him.  Maybe, maybe not.

Midwest Mom posted:
#1 Assistant Coach posted:

Stand Up comedy and college baseball recruiting have one important thing in common, (pause)....................(wait for it)..........................(wait)............................TIMING!!!!!!!!

Matching a coach's timeline with yours is like cracking a safe code.  If it's not there, it's not there............at that moment, at least.  And you can't force it.  If it's not a chemistry issue, it may just be a timing issue.  That may be overcome by fate, or it may not.  

 

Fact: Son attended a college camp on September 4th his Jr. year.  He was finally offered by, and committed to that camp school on September 4th his Sr. year.  Exactly one year later.  

In the 365-days between camp and offer, son was offered by two other schools, committed to one of them, six months later decommitted and reopened his recruitment, attended some 15 more recruiting events (tournaments, camps, showcases, etc.) in the latter six months of that year looking for a new home. 

WESTCOASTPAPA, it was one year, to the day, after son left his camp that he was finally offered by the school. He accepted and heads there in July.  So relax, it could be a while!

Free advice: after every camp, tournament, showcase, email, etc., don't think too hard about it, just go on to the next one.  Keep.................showing................up.  

#1 Assistant, LOVE this advice of Keep Showing Up!  It's exhausting for the kids and for the parents too, but it's the process and the more you show up to the camps and showcases those target schools are at, the better.  I saw this for myself last week at Showball -- there were two coaches there who have seen my son 4 times and several others who have seen him 2-3 times -- they have a pretty good picture of his ability and consistency and even his personality.  He was approached by several of these for visits and had three calls this week.  I am not totally certain he would be in this spot if it were the first time they had all seen him.  Maybe, maybe not.

Good to hear Midwest Mom

Bucknell's roster includes many players that have come from warm weather states.  They seem to be able to get players there probably by offering a beautiful campus, strong alum network  and a very high quality education while playing competitive baseball.  Patriot League in general is good baseball and if you look at some of the school's past schedules.....they are challenging.

Last edited by JABMK
Midwest Mom posted:
#1 Assistant Coach posted:

Stand Up comedy and college baseball recruiting have one important thing in common, (pause)....................(wait for it)..........................(wait)............................TIMING!!!!!!!!

Matching a coach's timeline with yours is like cracking a safe code.  If it's not there, it's not there............at that moment, at least.  And you can't force it.  If it's not a chemistry issue, it may just be a timing issue.  That may be overcome by fate, or it may not.  

 

Fact: Son attended a college camp on September 4th his Jr. year.  He was finally offered by, and committed to that camp school on September 4th his Sr. year.  Exactly one year later.  

In the 365-days between camp and offer, son was offered by two other schools, committed to one of them, six months later decommitted and reopened his recruitment, attended some 15 more recruiting events (tournaments, camps, showcases, etc.) in the latter six months of that year looking for a new home. 

WESTCOASTPAPA, it was one year, to the day, after son left his camp that he was finally offered by the school. He accepted and heads there in July.  So relax, it could be a while!

Free advice: after every camp, tournament, showcase, email, etc., don't think too hard about it, just go on to the next one.  Keep.................showing................up.  

#1 Assistant, LOVE this advice of Keep Showing Up!  It's exhausting for the kids and for the parents too, but it's the process and the more you show up to the camps and showcases those target schools are at, the better.  I saw this for myself last week at Showball -- there were two coaches there who have seen my son 4 times and several others who have seen him 2-3 times -- they have a pretty good picture of his ability and consistency and even his personality.  He was approached by several of these for visits and had three calls this week.  I am not totally certain he would be in this spot if it were the first time they had all seen him.  Maybe, maybe not.

MWM:

You are correct with your, “Maybe, maybe not,” remark.   Your son will know in the end only after it all has played out.   In my son’s home stretch he was down to 2 offers; one from a school that had known him since he was 11 years old (him going to their camps, then later them seeing him at tourneys and showcases, and him going to their camp Jr year of HS), and the other serious offer he considered was from a school that was NEVER on his radar, nor he on theirs.   They saw him when he “showed up” at a PBR event (July of rising Sr. year, his first and only), then he coincidentally pitched on their campus w his travel team a week later.  RC texted him a few days after that with offer.  So one school knew him for 7-years before offering, the other for only 10-days.  

So it can happen like people on this board say, "fast."  But it also may take years.  Might as well keep grinding till that day happens. 

No way to predict it, but as Michael Jordan says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  Gotta keep shootin’, gotta keep moving forward, gotta keep beatin’ the bushes.   As budget allows obviously.   

Last edited by #1 Assistant Coach

With all due respect, it's just factually incorrect to claim the Patriot League plays competitive baseball. Warren Nolan has them perenially finish in bottom 5-10 of D1 Conference RPI with two of their six teams among the bottom 20 of RPI in 2017 and none of the 6 cracking the top 200. Bucknell offers an excellent education, a beautiful campus, and from what I understand a top-notch student-athlete experience, but compared to other Division 1 conferences (even the Ivy League) the baseball is just behind. 

Update to the original post....

2 weeks after the camp, one coach from a good D-1 school e-mailed and asked for son to call him. The e-mail included cell phone number and that the coach saw him "do very well at the camp." Son called immediately and coach answered indicating that he would call him back that evening....son waited but no return call that evening. Son waited until next day, still no call from coach. Son decided to text coach asking what would be a good time to call. Again, no response to the text message. It was very strange since the original coach e-mail was very personal and included his cell and request for a call. This was over a week ago now and still nothing. 

I advised my son that if this school really wanted/liked him, the coach would have called or at least replied to the text by now (over a week later). No hard feelings - just move on and keep working until the next opportunity. 

This was the only contact that emanated from the camp. There is another young man that hit extremely well and he also has received zero feedback from the camp. It really is too bad because he to is a great kid and a solid mid level D-1 type (only my opinion of course).

Another valley in the recruiting journey. 

WCP

   

 

WestCoastPapa posted:

Update to the original post....

........................................................................

I advised my son that if this school really wanted/liked him, the coach would have called or at least replied to the text by now (over a week later). No hard feelings - just move on and keep working until the next opportunity. 

........................................................

Another valley in the recruiting journey. 

WCP

WCP - Those that have been through this process know this is a bitter pill to swallow at first.  I've been in your shoes, and it is maddening that an adult figure (presumably responsible) would treat a young person in this manner.   You provided the exact advice that I provided my son when this happened to him countless times during his recruitment. 

The truth of the matter is that my son handled it much better than I did as the parent.   I hope your son is fortunate enough to play against the coach/school that treated him poorly.  My son was very fortunate (twice in one season), and one of those games was the game of a lifetime.   Move on, but never forget.   ;-)

As always, JMO.   Best of luck!

fenwaysouth posted:
WestCoastPapa posted:

Update to the original post....

........................................................................

I advised my son that if this school really wanted/liked him, the coach would have called or at least replied to the text by now (over a week later). No hard feelings - just move on and keep working until the next opportunity. 

........................................................

Another valley in the recruiting journey. 

WCP

WCP - Those that have been through this process know this is a bitter pill to swallow at first.  I've been in your shoes, and it is maddening that an adult figure (presumably responsible) would treat a young person in this manner.   You provided the exact advice that I provided my son when this happened to him countless times during his recruitment. 

The truth of the matter is that my son handled it much better than I did as the parent.   I hope your son is fortunate enough to play against the coach/school that treated him poorly.  My son was very fortunate (twice in one season), and one of those games was the game of a lifetime.   Move on, but never forget.   ;-)

As always, JMO.   Best of luck!

+1.  Had a situation where a P5 coach emailed my son and told him to call him on his cell, the night of the showcase.  By the time my son saw the email that evening, it was a bit late - so he called the coach back the next day, then emailed him back the next week and called him again.  No response at all.  Ghosted without even talking once lol!  Not a good way to treat anyone.  The good thing is that our son is not hugely interested in the school (it being a P5 though he certainly wanted to at least look into it).   Oh well.

Midwest Mom posted:
#1 Assistant Coach posted:

Stand Up comedy and college baseball recruiting have one important thing in common, (pause)....................(wait for it)..........................(wait)............................TIMING!!!!!!!!

Matching a coach's timeline with yours is like cracking a safe code.  If it's not there, it's not there............at that moment, at least.  And you can't force it.  If it's not a chemistry issue, it may just be a timing issue.  That may be overcome by fate, or it may not.  

 

Fact: Son attended a college camp on September 4th his Jr. year.  He was finally offered by, and committed to that camp school on September 4th his Sr. year.  Exactly one year later.  

In the 365-days between camp and offer, son was offered by two other schools, committed to one of them, six months later decommitted and reopened his recruitment, attended some 15 more recruiting events (tournaments, camps, showcases, etc.) in the latter six months of that year looking for a new home. 

WESTCOASTPAPA, it was one year, to the day, after son left his camp that he was finally offered by the school. He accepted and heads there in July.  So relax, it could be a while!

Free advice: after every camp, tournament, showcase, email, etc., don't think too hard about it, just go on to the next one.  Keep.................showing................up.  

#1 Assistant, LOVE this advice of Keep Showing Up!  It's exhausting for the kids and for the parents too, but it's the process and the more you show up to the camps and showcases those target schools are at, the better.  I saw this for myself last week at Showball -- there were two coaches there who have seen my son 4 times and several others who have seen him 2-3 times -- they have a pretty good picture of his ability and consistency and even his personality.  He was approached by several of these for visits and had three calls this week.  I am not totally certain he would be in this spot if it were the first time they had all seen him.  Maybe, maybe not.

They have pretty much covered it.  Go to camps that there is interest in the school, gain experience in the recruitment process, learn to relax and enjoy the game at these events, and most likely someone will notice.  Sometimes a no call or non return call from a coach is just as valuable as a coach who does keep contact open.  My son probably did 15 or so camps/showcases.  He just went out, did his best without the pressure that he HAD to show what he has to coaches.  After a couple years with zero serious interests he went to a camp during the summer of sr year.  He has a good camp, nothing different than others in my opinion.  Something though caught the eye of 2 D1 coaches and he signed a few weeks later with one of them.  Speaking to the D1 HC a few years later, he said he knew about son as a hs soph but it didn't "click" with coach until he saw him again as a hs sr.  So, take home message (sorry about being wordy) is keep at it, do your best and one day it may "click" with the school for some unknown reason.  

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