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Recruiting is a fickle thing. Understand it and you are way ahead of the game. The one thing that I’ve never heard discussed is the fallout created by the changing needs of the college and the talent of the player. For instance... Let’s say State U is looking for a LHP. Your son is a LHP and in your opinion very capable of competing at State U. State U has sent your son a recruiting letter and has called the house. They also have sent letters to other LHP’s too. Their number one choice is not your son (player A) but another LHP (player B). You don't know this because they don’t tell you. If your son knew this he would move on. They neglect to tell you all the minor details. You find yourself in a situation where things have stagnated and you feel as if your son is being forced to sell himself to State U. What you don’t realize is State U is putting your son on hold because they are trying to “buy” Player B. If they are successful and player “B” accepts, your son becomes nonessential to their program. If player “B” declines and moves on, your son may move up to #1. I don’t know how to avoid this situation. I saw this happen to my son. He happened to be the #1 choice at one school and #2 at another. After it all happened I could look back and make sense of it all. At the time I didn’t know what was happening. All I can say is try to read between the lines as things are developing and keep his options open.
Fungo
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More good advice fungo....the hard part is reading between the lines, especially if you don't know who the other players are, and where you fall in the pecking order. Our son is a LHP, so your example hit home. Smile It's too early for phone calls for our son yet, we get letters from "good" baseball schools, but not as many as he would like, and not necessarily from the ones that are currently his top choices. Oh to have the proverbial crystal ball....Keep the advice coming..it's greatly appreciated in this household.
Great post...I would recommend that you "ask" the recruiting coach these questions:

* who else(by name)are you recruiting @ my son's primary position?

* where do you have my son slotted @ his primary position..1,2,3.

* when does your and your fellow coaches contracts end?

If the school is reputable, they will answer these questions because they really want and have a need for your son. If they do not, then you are probably on their long list.

Remember, when they talk $$, that will tell you the most truth...the other questions need to be asked and then YOU consider whether they are for real and then consider the offer.

IME, if a college pays 70%+, they will give him a definite shot as a Freshman...it is up to him to perform to this standard...this is where the rubber meets the road...

Good Luck!
Research and preparation are essential in the recruiting process. You need to do your homework on the coach and the program. IMO the research on the coach is the most important of the two. Check out his resume, this will tell you where he has coached and for how long. Look at the schools where he previously coached. Does he have a tendency to bring in JUCO players or develop freshmen? I could go on but you get the idea.
During my son's recruitment we did all the research possible and developed a list of specific questions for each school/coach. I thought it was important for my son to ask the questions and carry the majority of the conversation. I listened and studied the coach's answers and HOW he answered the questions.
But as Starzz said the best indicator as to how bad they want your son will be the money on the table. Once you get the offer you need to balance that with the feel you got for the coach during the visit. The highest offer may not always be the best fit for your son.
It's a complicated and sometimes frustrating process and everybody's experience is different. We enjoyed the process and ultimately made the right choice. The bottom line is that you and your son have to be comfortable with the coach and the program your son is commiting to, regardless of the amount of the scholarship.
Good Luck!
Fungo you ask the toughest qustions.
Find out as much as you can about the coach and how he has recuited in the past.
Talk to the players, not the stars of the program but the mid leval players.
If you can talk to some parents of current players.
I also think that accepeting a few truths will help in the process.
1- playing time is not a gaurenteed no matter what you are told, a player will be given a chance to earn it that is all.
2- you will not get a full ride on just baseball money, 50% is great.
3- HS is over, your not a big fish any more.
4- You are going to struggle with the work load,new freedom, distractions.
5-The feel good times are over, your there to win... the coaches job depends on it.

Now if our son is one of the top 75 to 100 players in the nation as evaluated by several top baseball people. you can throw a lot of this out.
Haveing a realalistic evaluation of your son,s talent and comparing it to the program your talking to will tell you a lot.
I also agree with the above that when you get an offer it will tell you the most. The real tough time though is before you get the offers. Some coaches will make an offer right away and some will tell you they will get back to you. That does not mean they are not intersted many coaces work that way, they want to think about it after meeting your son.
It seemed to me that we where evaluating more than one situation at a time and had not recived offers from most of them.
Last edited by hoop
We had the same situation at our house. Coach from Baseball U came to watch son pitch. (BTW, very high on son's wish list.) We talked during the game. I finally became "wise" when the coach told me that they were looking at two other LHP's who could throw 2 mph faster than my son and they were waiting to see what decision these kids were going to make. I am grateful to the coach for his candor. It was easier to evaluate programs and play the game when we "knew the rules". Looking back, there were many instances where son was told, "We're really interested in you". I believe each time this happened, it really meant we are interested IF this other kid doesn't sign with us. Fortunately, the best school, place, fit, and program for him "wanted" son. During the times they watched son pitch, they never once made any comments that might lead to false hopes. After they had done their evaluation, they told son they "wanted" him. It was a done deal as this school was also on his wish list. For us, things just seem to have a way of working out. Smile
The 'rules of the game', as somebody put it, are to be honest with the coaches and assume that they are being honest with you. Trust them, especially since you want them to trust you. Most coaches are not going to be 'playing games', they are doing their jobs and beginning to establish relationships that could become long ones, win-win ones.
I have to agree with grateful--most coaches are not going to string you along--they will be up front-- of course you will get the occasional guy is not on the up and up

One way a kid loses his scholarship is by not playing up to expectations but if the player is getting 75% coming in he should be a "stud" and thus produce

The other way it can happen is a change in coaching staff and they want to bring in their own players to fit their style and you do not fit their style


Keep in mind that scholarships are for ONE YEAR so if a coach wants you out he can make it happen--if you are doing your job and producing and working hard it should a good situation.

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