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Anything to get excited about or not?

D dalesmomMember
My family is new to this recruiting business, so I'm apologizing in advance if my question is silly.

My son is a senior & attended what I thought was mainly an instructional X-mas camp at our local JC recently (his first one, so we really didn't know what to expect). It turned out to be more of a showcase w/quite a few scouts there. After a day & a half of instruction & workout, my son played 1B 5 innings of a 12 inning game and was supposed to pitch one inning, but was kept in for two. When camp ended, my son shook the hands of the scouts & coaches & thanked them for the opportunity & their time and 5 of them said, "See you soon" or "See you at your Spring games". Of course we asked other parents w/more experience if they thought they were serious when they say something like that or do they say that to everyone? All the parents said take it serious; the scouts don't have to say anything at all.

Yesterday, 6 days after the camp ended, my son received a letter from the D1 school he's wanted to go to since he was 14. (Two scouts were at the camp) He's never even contacted them because he thought he'd go to JC first & maybe if he was lucky & his grades were super, he'd have a chance to go there. The letter did include an invitation to their prospect camp being held the week of X-mas, even though the registration deadline has passed. Obviously, we're registering him in the morning! The letter stated that they understood if he couldn't attend based on finances or timing & that they would still be following him in the Spring. They sent him a questionnaire to fill out, info on the team's stats & requested a copy of his transcript & Spring schedule.

So...after my long-winded account, I guess what I want to know is, do we get excited or is this just standard procedure? I'm almost afraid to believe it could be real. My husband & I have so much emotionally invested in seeing him succeed; probably more than our son does! I must admit I shed a tear or two when I pulled that envelope out of the mailbox & saw the return address from the Athletic Dept. Good, bad or indifferent, it tickled me that they know he exists.

I'm sorry this was so long...I appreciate you taking the time to read it, if you've made it this far! I think this is the best site on the Web for this type of information & I respect everyone's opinion & advice. Thank you so much!!
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H HitaHomer1100+ posts
well, you have come to the right place for advice and encouragement. I am low on the experience list, but I'd say that asking for his transcript and sending the questionnaire when you haven't even contacted them is good.

Be aware that at a lot of schools to get academic money, applications need to be in soon - so if you haven't applied and can get academic money get it in soon.

Send the questionairre back and I'd include a note from your son telling the coach he's very interested and will see him at the camp.
Good Luck - we mommas all know how you feel!
R redstormdad10+ posts
Dalesmom,

Welcome to the HS Baseball Web. I agree with HitaHomer. The fact that they asked for a copy of his transcripts is definitely a plus sign. If they were just interested in getting him to their camp to increase their numbers and profit, why would they need to see his transcripts or want to know his schedule? There was something that caught their eye about your son. They wouldn't take the time to introduce themselves and want to know more about him unless they were truly interested. He would just be another camper, but based on your story I think this is a good thing.

Our son had a similar situation happen and shortly after a showcase the calls started to come in. Although this is the period that they can't contact your son (except for camps) if your son has a good season, other coaches will see him and more inquiries may roll in when the second signing period starts. Just make sure he's NCAA Clearinghouse eligible and his grades are good. Also a good SAT/ACT score doesn't hurt either.

The best of luck to you and your son. Keep thinking positively !
I iheartbb1,000+ posts
Very exciting times!
Good for son and family. Take Redstorms advice and make sure he is in the Clearinghouse and contact his counselor to make sure transcripts are sent.
When our older son went through the process his hight school counselor had no clue about the Clearinghouse, and had to push her along a learning curve, which she did willingly, but was her first time. So, just make sure they know what they are doing at school. Obviously they saw something in your son. If this is his dream school. Go Strong in the recruiting process - Make clear this is his number one- communicate whenever possible, return e-mails - letters , etc. GO FOR IT. Coaches love that you love their program.
Infield08Infield081,000+ posts
dalesmom, you definitely have reason to be excited! It sure is fun to receive interest, isn't it?!

Let me caution you, however, that interest unfortunately doesn't always translate into an offer. School programs cast a wide net and contact way more players than they would ever have room for, knowing that many of those players will choose a different program than theirs. Trouble is, there may be several players at your son's position who are interested in this specific school, and your son could potentially be the school's 2nd or 3rd choice.

This happened to my son with 2 schools. One school asked for transcripts immediately after seeing him play and called weekly for a couple of months, but when push came to shove, the money wasn't there. Another school sounded very interested at the outset, but in the end, did not make an offer.

My recommendation: cast a wide net yourselves, if you haven't already. Make sure your son contacts the recruiting coordinators of every single program that saw him play at this JUCO showcase -- especially the 5 who said "see you soon!" When your son gets his spring schedule, make sure he sends it, along with his coach's name and phone number, to each program. Then have your son email these programs every couple of weeks with information on upcoming games (location, game time, etc.).

Hopefully, an offer at your son's dream school will materialize and he will get his first choice. But if not, he should have some other options to look at come spring.

Best wishes to him as he works toward his goals!
Last edited by Infield08
FungoFungoHighly Regarded and Beloved Old Timer
All parent and players want to know where they stand and most, like you, get emotionally involved and have trouble separating the wheat from the chaff while in the “heat” of the recruiting ride. I see some positives and some negatives. The negatives first. Your son is in the talent rich state of Florida that swarms with pro scouts and college coaches. It would be difficult for a talented player (D-1 prospect) to go unnoticed and uncontacted until the middle of their senior year if he played for at least an average high school team and played some type of summer baseball. Secondly, D-1 schools are notorious for “hyping” players in order to get them to their “prospect camps”. It is a business. I’m not sure to what extremes they will go in recruiting players to attend their camps. I have never heard of any college dangling the “request for transcripts” to lure the campers to their camps but it could happen.

The positives now. On the surface it does seems all positive so we have to take it at face value. The request for transcripts indicates they are seriously considering your son as a student/athlete. The extra inning they had him throw at the showcase/camp indicates someone wanted to see more. It seems as if they are going an extra mile to see more of your son. I think I would go to the Christmas camp too. You have to play this one out. Don’t know anything about your son but he could be a “late bloomer” that went unnoticed and has suddenly caught the eye of coaches and scouts.

As you will soon learn, you should have taken him to a showcase a year or two earlier for some exposure to the recruiting world. Don’t blame yourself because parents suddenly find themselves thrust into being a recruiting consultant as their son develops. The learning curve is brutal. It’s hard to navigate the recruiting ride when everything is new and coming at you faster than a four seam fastball. Keep us posted.
Fungo

PS: I'm with FO here. Sounds like he might be a typical LHP with average velocity --- that can win ball games. Big Grin
Frank MartinFrank Martin1,000+ posts
OK reality check,

How many players have the DIV 1 signed in the early signing period? How players are on their roster right now at your position?

How are you tools, 60 YD , arms strength, fielding hitting, power. pitching wise, MPH, breaking stuff.


What colleges have been in contact so far, any make offers? Phone calls?


MOst colleges if they are trully interested will call you immediately after seeing you and request a visit or make an offer.

Good example 2 ball players I had in a showcase, both looked good, both currently in pro ball. One college called him up the next day, offered him 100% scholarship. The player is in the majors now. Another player after pitching in another showcase. The head coach at the hosting college HS showcase, ran to the mound and offered him a scholarship. He signed another ACC college and is in pro ball as a 1B.

One college coach mention he never sends letters to any players who write him,he does not want to recruit because parents think they are really interested in them and start calling the coach.

Other colleges will say attend are baseball camp, if your any good they might offer you money if any is left or ask you to walk on. Worse case they raised extra money for their baseball camps.
TRhitTRhit10,000+ posts
INTEREST IS INTEREST !!!

Send them the info they request---you never know what can happen---one thing is sure if you do not respond with the info requested nothing will happen---and if you can go to the campo since your son has sincere interest in the program---right now you have nothing in hand so what can you lose???
B brod100+ posts
You wouldn't get that excited if you got a letter from Publisher's Clearinghouse saying you may already be a winner, would you?

Seriously, good advice all around -

Here are a few thoughts to help you...

Transcripts are used to eliminate kids - can they get him into this college or not? Does he have a qualifying SAT score? And a better question for you, is if he is admitted, can he survive there? Better check out that college website for the average SAT/ACT score, high school gpa, etc.

To lessen your emotional rollercoaster - try to look at the big picture. If your son plans on playing baseball in college or beyond, what would be best for his development? The best strategy is for YOU to cast a wide net. Work with your school counselor. What schools fit your son's academic profile? Which ones of those schools fit his baseball level (pro, D1, D2, D3, NAIA)? Is it just your opinion or that of pro scouts or college coaches? Then send your own letters out (see this website for some examples).

As far as him succeeding - it is already happening. Try to enjoy his Senior year, because it will change after that..

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