When does contact begin.

A 15U 2018 is probably not on the radar of the college guys yet.  Unless he is a LHP throwing 90.  

 

In our area they are just starting to seriously look at the 2017s.  We have a 2017 LHP sitting about 85 and hitting 89 on our HS team.  Very good control and lots of movement on both FB and CB.  He just committed.  We have a 2017 MIF who is on the Area Code jr. team this year.  Fastest kid I've seen in a while, good range and can smash the cr@p out of the ball.  He is just starting to get some  offers.  Both of these kids play on the top travel teams in terms of recruitment in the area.

 

The big year will be the fall after your Sophomore season and the season between jr. and sr. HS years.

 

For comparison my 2017 is a 6'4" 185 pound RHP as well as plays 1B.  He ran the 60 in 6.9 and has an exit speed of about 90.  According to scouting writeups, his body is very projectable.  At the travel team tryouts a couple of weeks back he was sitting 82-83 and touched 85.  We are getting some preliminary contact and hearing from folks that he is on the radar of some of the mid-D1 teams around here.  

In our area the very top players all seem to get verbal offers during the fall of their sophomore year.  These are often guys who have yet to step on a varsity field.  it seems crazy sometimes.

I resurrected this thread last year, it had some interesting information that I thought might be helpful.

 

http://community.hsbaseballweb...69#21426439999456369

 

 

2018 RHP .... tops 88-89  he has started to get interest. we are hearing it indirectly. Summer coach feels after Ft.Myers and Jupiter this fall should do the trick

It is my understanding that there can be no direct contact until September 1, 2016 for 2018s.  By direct contact I mean by phone call, email, text, etc.  They can go through your coach and have you call them but they can't call you. 

If you are interested in a school find a way to contact that school. Reciting is a two way street. It is easier for a school to recruit you if they know that you have an interest. On campus prospect camps are a great way to show interest. I have a 2017 catcher son that got his first D1 offer last month from the school that he was first seen at the schools on campus prospect camp.The on campus camp was Oct. 2014. Son sent the school his spring and summer schedules. The school came out to watch him play 3 different times over the summer, and like i said made the offer in July after we had a nice visit of the school.

Now we are waiting to see what we hear on Sept. 1st from any other schools.

Good luck   

Livingthedream is correct.  Coaches are not allowed to contact you via phone calls or texts until Sept. 1 of you player's junior year (9/1/2016 in your case).  They can email camp invites and snail mail you player information forms for you to fill out and return.  If you feel that your son should be getting direct contact but isn't, it's simply coaches following the NCAA contact rules calendar.  I highly suggest you begin reviewing the various NCAA rules about contact, on campus, off campus, blackout periods, etc.  By that same token, your son is not allowed to approach a college coach off campus (i.e., at a tournament not at that school's campus) and have a discussion other than to exchange pleasantries.

 

That said, your son can call or email any coach he wishes now, just know that they cannot reply to the email or return a call to him if they miss picking it up.  If your son calls and the coach picks up, they are free to talk

 

If a school is interested in your son and wants to reach out to them, they can call or email your son's travel or HS coach and have then ask your son to call them.  This is the norm.

 

Some of the rules are pretty quirky and can lead to some oddities along the way.  I'll give an example.  My 2017 was on a campus visit and getting a tour of the campus with the coach.  We were jetting around on a golf cart, making various stops at the academic center, dorms, etc.  The weight room on this particular school sits just off the main campus, so you'd have to shoot across about 50 yards of "non-campus" property to get back onto the campus area with the weight room.  The coach was not allowed to transport us there to show us the weight room.  We had to get in our vehicle, and meet him there to see it.  It would have violated NCAA regs for us to be in the golf cart with him to transverse the 50 yards to get there.

 

If his HS coach is getting inquiry, then I'd say he's doing fine.  Start reading all you can on this forum about recruiting, what questions to ask, etc., etc., and prepare for the journey ahead.  So many people here that have been down this road many times that have been willing to share and will help you immensely.

 

Good luck.

Baseball-Dad,

 

Welcome to the site.  As you'll learn there are official and un-official ways of looking at this.  Here is the NCAA's version of what is contact and when it happens.  I strongly suggest you read this guide as it will answer many questions and allow you to use the jargon that you will hear over the next few years by college coaches, and college adminstrators, travel coaches and folks on this website.  http://www.ncaapublications.co...ctdownloads/CBSA.pdf

 

For most recruits your son's age the travel coach, high school coach or American Legion coach will be asked about talented players on his roster.  In our situation, it was the travel coach who introduced us to schools that were interested in my son.  However, don't let that be your only way of contacting college coaches.  I'd strongly urge you to have a seperate list of schools and begin contacting (email & phone) those schools that your son is interested in..  Share your progress with the travel coach or whomever is helping you through this process.  While it is great to get help from people that have networks of college coaches (like a travelk coach) it is ultimately up to your son (with your guidance) to make this important decision.  

 

Good luck, and keep the questions coming.  You've got a lot of knowledgeable folks right at your fingertips.. 

 

 

Here's the 2015-16 version of what fenwaysouth posted:

 

http://www.ncaapublications.co...downloads/CBSA16.pdf

 

Thanks all. This is very informative and helpful. I probably did a poor job of phrasing the question. I have always heard that pitchers are first in line for college offers and that colleges build their recruiting class around the pitchers they offer. I have noticed though that theD1 colleges in our are tend to offer the position players in the middle if the diamond in the summer before or fall of their sophomore year and that the pitchers are offered in the fall of their junior year or the summer after their junior year. I was wondering if that is the norm. It appears they are watching my son and talking to his coach but nothing more so I was curious if that is the norm.

 

Thanks everyone!

Having just gone through this with 2016 son and watching his teammates I would say that your timelines for the pitchers is pretty spot on.  All 4 D1 guys on his team were committed prior to junior year.  One as freshman who is PG AA.  Another fall of sophomore year (been to Jr National and National) and two right before junior years.  

 

Position players seem to be all over the board.  I have seen lots go early but I have seen three of the best not go until this summer as rising seniors.  One going to a perennial top 10 program in our area, one to a mid major close by with very large offer and another to a good school in CA on a 100% deal (yes they do exist and i couldn't hardly believe it myself)

 

As has been stated many times.  Lots and lots of kids don't commit or get offered until summer as a rising senior.  Number of college coaches at WWBA this summer looking at 2016s has to be seen to believe.

My 2016 RHP committed to D1 winter of sophomore year.

My 2016 committed, D1, RHP, July of rising senior summer. Several offers.......his dream school,also happened to be the school courting him heavily. Mutual admiration club, great fit.

2017 RHP received six calls Sept 1st, but has spoken to three of them over the summer several times. Already have two visits scheduled in Sept. Don't want to put the cart before the horse on this, but just look to learn all we can about this process and make the best decision we can when it feels right

Change Up before curve,

 

Similar to your rising junior son, our son received a half dozen calls when Coaches were allowed to, and scheduled some visits in the Fall.  I will not lie, it was satisifying for me and my son to know that some schools were interested in him.  Some of these schools/coaches we knew, and others schools/coaches we had no idea they were watching him.  I specifically remember the date as we were at a PG event in East Cobb, and the phone started ringing at 8am.  My son was about as excited as he gets.  However, what we were going to learn is that there was a lot greater opportunities out there, and we hadn't even scratched the surface.  We had a lot to learn..

 

What we learned in this process is there is always a reason why they are calling.  Sometimes you'll figure it out and sometimes you won't.  They may never call again.   We had two schools call on that contact date never to be heard from again.  The best thing you can do is take those calls talk to the coaches and research the heck of these schools and situations....and listen very closely to what the coaches say and don't say.  Ask tough questions but in a respectful way.  Take notes.....I can't emphasize that enough.  Your son is going to talk to dozens upon dozens of coaches.....write it all down so you can reference it and know exactly what was said and what he needs to do.

 

Additionally it is so much better for your son to play offense than defense.  He should be reaching out to these schools on his own and possibly leveraging a travel coach or Legion coach to open some doors for him as well.  This is how you can "scale" to make contact with quality schools that fit your son's profile.   The coaches that are calling you Sept 1, those are the coaches where your son meets their profile.  While this is a good place to start it may not be where your son wants to end.  You'll  want to be calling colleges/coaches that meet your profile.   Just something to think about, as this process is not easy.  It is a lot of hard work.

 

Good luck!.   

Fortunately we know a couple of older players who have gone through this before. While it helps it doesn't equal the first face to face sitdown with the coaching staff. 2017 has a notebook with tabs of every one he has talked to. Immediately after a conversation he writes down what was covered, who he talked to, with date/time. Hopefully it will help him keep it organized.

As an update, 6 colleges reached out over the past 5 weeks and we have visited 5 of them, The visits have generally run 3 plus hours -- watch some of the practice, campus tour and a meeting with the coaches. My son has received one offer - which we are extremely grateful for- and the others have not made offers but have expressed interest in my son and have asked him to keep in touch. 3 of the 4 that have not made offers have reached back out to his select coaches asking them to ask us if my son would like to come back and visit again - to meet another coach, to watch practice again etc. Is this normal? it seems strange that they want him to come back again after just having spent several hours with him. also, they have all said that he should frequently reach and out and call them at any time since they can not call him directly. We are a little unsure about where we stand and how to proceed - do we go back and have second visits? Should he call them once a week/ once a month? once a quarter? Any advice would be appreciated.

The following was provided by Perfect Game, (Condensed  by CoachJackE)

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

July - August

Attend a Pro Try-Out Camp in your area; these will be listed in the message section of your daily newspaper’s sports section or on recruiting websites; start learning about Showcases and make contact with several of the directors -- find out if they may be interested in including you in one of their events.

JUNIOR

September- Send out your first contact letters; ask your high school coach to write letters to a few preferred colleges; Include a copy of your fall schedule (if available).

September 1-Written contact by college coaches is allowed.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (www.eligibilitycenter.org).

February – March: Send out your spring schedule; prepare a video to be sent out when requested; do not send unsolicited tapes. Plan visits to as many schools as possible this spring and summer.

Some schools have "Junior Days" during the spring season; all of these visits are "unofficial" which means that the college cannot pay for any part of the visit.

Summer

Play a top schedule against strong opponents where you will be seen. In this environment you will be able to gauge yourself against some of the best players, at each camp. The college coaches will be able to do the same.

 July 1

Phone contact from college coaches is permissible.

SENIOR

July - August

Seek out a team that plays fall "showcase" tournaments (pro scouts can be helpful with this); Send out your fall baseball schedule; Request information on Christmas camps, especially from schools that you are most interested in or those that have shown an interest in you.

 November

Early signing period. Dates vary slightly from year to year; update college coaches on any changes to your fall schedule; you can contact college coaches (by phone) at any time (prior to July after your Junior year they cannot call you).

Official Visits- If you are offered an official visit, prepare for your visit with a list of prepared questions.

What area are you in?  Probability of recruiting has favored your area...

 

ALso, he is not able to be persoannlly contacted by coaches. They can send him general info abut camps, and have your coaches relay info to him.

Just to be clear - my son has already met with 5 schools. They call his travel coach and tell him to have my son call them. If he calls them and they answer then my understanding is that it is not a violation. We have had onsite visits with five different schools. And one offer has been extended. The colleges all want him to call him, keep in touch and when he does they invite him back to campus to meet additional coaches, to watch practice etc. My question is this -- do these coaches really want our son to call them every week or two and to come and visit them again and again? And if they do it seems like it could be a big use of time and a distraction for a fifteen year old boy.