There are a number of HS kids that do not receive attention from schools. So IMHO if you're receiving generic recruiting letters, emails, questionnaires, camp invites, phone calls, transcript requests, campus invitations, etc.....it's all part of the Recruiting Game...the journey for our kids, and for that matter, us parents.
The most important advice that I can give to those of you on the Recruiting Journey is Communication, and just as important, be honest with your son's playing ability. I sought out opinions from my son's HS and summer coaches, and spoke to college coaches at various camps to get a feel of where he'd fit in the college landscape . As I stated earlier, my son wanted to stay close to home, so I did everything possible to help get his name out there. He and I wrote out a list of about twenty schools within a six hour radius of our home. He wrote emails to the Head Coaches and cc'd the recruiting coordinators prior to each tournament that he participated in. Most of the coaches responded favorably. My son was looking for a home and a good fit to get his education and play ball, and of course the coaches were looking for players that fit their program from an athletic and academic standpoint...it's a game, they're competing against other institutions and our kids are competing against other recruits.
We went out to Georgia last year and my kid played in the WWBA 17U. We had a great time and enjoyed the southern hospitality. But only one of the west coast schools on his list made the trip to East Cobb. That was okay, we went for the experience and it was worth every minute. He played in three more tournaments over the summer and continued to send out emails and text messages to the programs on his list, and quite frankly, we were getting discouraged that only a few coaches attended. They expressed some interest, but there wasn't any offers. At this point we were in early August of his senior year, and we were getting nervous. In his last summer game, he dove for a ball in CF and sprained his shoulder on his non-throwing arm. He took four weeks off and started playing Scout Ball in September. Again, schedules were sent out to the programs on his list and communication was still going on, but no offers. At the end of September he played in a PG tournament in Arizona. It was well scouted and about ten of the programs on his "wish list" showed up to watch him pitch. A few of the coaches had spoken with him on the phone a few days prior to the tournament, so he was a little nervous and pumped. He walked two in the first inning and had a throwing error on a pick off move to first, but escaped without giving up a run. I believe he pitched 5-6 innings, giving up three hits and no runs, and struck out eight or nine to pick up the W. The following day he played a double header. In game one, he went 2-3 with a go ahead HR. In game two, additional scouts/coaches came out to the field and my son had one of his worst games...he went 0-4 with 3 K's and dropped a fly ball in the OF. Needless to say, he still had interest from schools, but how strong? Well, not strong enough to garner any offers, accept for a couple schools not on his list. At this point, my wife and I suggested that my son should expand his list and consider some schools outside of California that were interested in him. He was stubborn and remained steadfast with his goal to stay close to home. In the middle of October (about 3 weeks prior to the early signing period) he played in the Arizona Senior Fall Classic. Once again, he sent out emails and text messages to the coaches/programs on his list. He played against GED's son's team from Texas, and batted lead off going 2-2 with a triple and a double. By the time he toed the rubber in the 4th inning, about a dozen of the coaches he'd been communicating with were behind the backstop with their stalker guns. He gave up one infield hit, and struck out ten Texas batters in his four inning stint. The following day on the way home my son received six phone calls, and five invitations to visit campuses. Within the next week we went on three visits, and our son received offers from two of the schools. We were scheduled to take a seven hour drive to a Northern California school for a visit and more than likely aother offer, but a follow up phone call from the HC of his now-current university sealed the deal and we didn't make the trip. He finally found a home and we were very happy with his decision.
Yes, this is a very long post, and who knows...could be a bit boring too? With that said, I wanted to paint a picture of what our family went through with our son last year. It's not easy and can be stressful at times. Coaches aren't always honest with you (that's an entire different story and would take up much more bandwidth!), but you have to stay positive, communicate with the programs on your radar, and continue to work hard. Good luck to those families on the recruiting journey with their son's!