Canadian needing Recruiting Help

Blake

You have a PM

I am curious what you have done so far to cathch the eye of a recruiter.

I would also like to know who you play for. You can PM me if you prefer or post it.

I'm a junior, going into grade 12 next year. I play for the Thornhill Reds Midget team, playing with both '89 and '90s. I tried a year of "Elite Baseball", but prefer playing Rep.

Thanks,

Blake

Blake you should have a DVD/CD made and start to get active contacting schools by letter or email. If you are not willing to play elite ball it makes it harder to get noticed. Most OBA teams don't play in tournaments/showcases south of the border.
I know elite teams are expensive and not all are created equal.
You can contact Perfect Game and they will put you on a team to showcase your talent at one of their events. PG posts here often and maybe he can advise you.
There are also camps put on at different schools that can put you in front of recruitors.

I would start by reseaching the schools you might like to go to. The type of school may depend on your grades as much as your talent. Also be aware of the contact rules of the different types of schools ie. NAIA,NCAA, JUCO. Also NCAA AND juco have different divisions. D1 D11 and D111. Some can give BB money and some can't. You have a lot of research to do and I would go to the web site for each type of school and understand the process for each.
This site has an excellent timeline for recruiting at NCAA.
Keep in mind as a foreign student you have to apply for an F1 student visa and a CEAVIS.

There are lots of pitfalls to playing in the us college ball ranks.

I have sent an email to one of the assistants at Michigan State, but will probably send out a few letters to other schools. I'm participating in one of the Ringor Showcases that is put on here in Toronto, as well as a Showcase put on by Boston College. I'll probably register for one of the bigger ones as well. My team is also playing in a tournament in Livonia, Michigan, so maybe something will come of that.

Blake

You will have to send out a lot of emails/letters.

Have you had any formal training ?

The competition is very tough to get a spot on a D1 team as a cathcher and many schools sign 6-7 catchers and they cut/red shirt a few before the season starts. That is one of the toughest spot to get playing time.
You need a plan to show you can compete at the college level.
We used a DVD and it got great response. For a pitcher it is much easier. Most of the catchers I know that play coolege ball played for top elite teams like team O and OBJ. They were noticed at big events like PG Jupiter and had coaches with contacts with US college teams.
You have time but you may have to rethink your plan.

Personally, I think I have the ability to play for Team O or Ontario Blue Jays, but would rather start on a Rep team then be second or third catcher on one of these elite teams. I do have a few coaches/ex-coaches who have contacts to the states, and I'll be talking to them.

What do you mean by formal training?

Thanks.

Formal training like camps put on by pros or MLB scouts. Ernie Whitt for example had a training camp in Richmond Hill but I understand it folded a few years ago.
Those elite teams have great coaching. The Canadian Thunderbirds had great pitching and catching clinics a few years ago. Dennie Bernie in Etobicoke (sp?) is a good catcher guy who runs clinics all winter. That is the type of formal training where you learn all the skills of a catcher.
Most college coaches don't have time to train you if you lack the fundamentals.

You are at the critical time in getting yourself out there in front of coaches.

The Niagara Rebels hold a College showcase in I believe it is August and they get a good assortment of colleges . That might be worth considering. It was only about $150.

I have trained at the Baseball Zone with Rick Johnston this past Fall and Winter.

I'll check out that Niagara Showcase.

BBzone is a good place. We were invited to throw for Rick a few years ago after my son struck 5 guys in 2 innings against the Brantford Red Sox which he managed. my son was just turning 17 in a couple weeks. My son's cathcher at the time is a backup catcher for the Red Sox. What a great team they have. Rick is head of player development for them now. he knows what he is doing.
Hlf of the team is or was a college player so he would have great contacts. I believe he is also invoved with Team O this year.

I posted this a few years ago in the Canadian Forum, this should help you out in some regards:

Registrations;
1ai.) Register to take the SAT or ACT-You can get info from your guidance councilors at school
1aii.) Check with schools to see what the minimum mark requirement is to get on this test to be accepted by the school.
1b.) Register to take the TOEFL (if needed)-You can get info from your guidance councilors at school
2.) Register with Clearinghouse (if you plan on playing NCAA DI or DII)Can be done at http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

Showcases:
Be is Perfect Game, College Select or any other major recruiting service
It's advised that you do attend a showcase because that way you will have knowledge of where you stand in relation to others as well it allows for you to know what level you are able to play at

MLB Open Tryout Camps
1.) They are free, you might as well go to them
2a.) Looks good on a letter to a Coach
2b.) Gives you a scout(s) name to include in the letter to the Coach
3.) Great experience gained from attending these

NOTE* ANY Showcase or Camp you attend (be it PG, College Select, MLB or College Specific) you gain invaluable experience from. Going to these not only shows you the talent you're competing against and where you stand, but how to control yourself and your emotions while being at a high profile event.

School Searches
1a.) NCAA DI DII & DIII http://www.ncaa.org
1b.) Keep in mind that you can not workout with a team during a visit for NCAA. Check out the site for more info
1c.) Keep in mind that there are Dead periods and Early signing periods for NCAA. Check out the site for more info
2.) NAIA http://naia.collegesports.com/
3.) NJCAA http://www.njcaa.org/
4a.) Inquire about Other scholarships i.e. Entrance Mark Schollys
4b.) Inquire about International Student Financial Aid

Looking At Schools
This is the hardest thing to do
Do your research on the Coaching Staff as well see what they have done not only as a Coach but as a player, this can help you determine whether or not you want to go to that school.

Here are some of the Most Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What type of school do I look at?
A: Approach it like you would search for a school up here. Look at Education FIRST then look at Baseball SECOND. IF the school is appealing to your EDUCATION needs and you think it would be a good school put it on your list. REMEMBER-You are a STUDENT-ATHLETE, Student comes BEFORE Athlete

Q: Where do I start?
A: Just get a list of schools found on any of the sites provided on this post and pick one school at random and start there and work your way through the list

Q: How do I cut down on the number of schools to look at?
A: Some people don't want to be far away from home so do a proximity search within the distance that you are comfortable of being away from home. This will automatically rule out a large number of schools. If you know you can only attend schools with Athletic schollys and Financial Aid run a search and get your new list. A note NCAA DIII Doesn't provide Athletic Schollys, Keep this in mind when doing your search

Letter to send out to Schools
Use the shell that is found on the good ol'HSBBW it's one of the best I've seen and I used it myself to send letters out to the schools that recruited me
http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/intro_letter.htm

Visits
1.) Find out if it's an official visit or not
2.) See what expenses they can cover for your trip
3.) Talk to Players while you're there to get a feel for the program, school and coaching staff. Talk to as many players as you can, don't be shy they'll talk to you and tell you their honest impression of everything
4.) See if your able to work out when you go on your visit, and what all is going to be required of you on the field

Clothing, and Etiquette on a Visit
5a.) Wear dress pants and a nice shirt, don't show up in jeans and a t-shirt
5b.) Remember you're making a first impression about yourself
5c.) The Coach wants to make sure that the players he brings in are guys who will represent the school in a professional manner
5d.) Speak properly, no slang or jargon unless you're on the field
5e.) Watch the profanity, keep it at a minimum if any at all

Some Questions to ask Coaches (either on the phone or during a visit)
1a.) What's your Coaching Philosophy?
1b.) How much playing time would I be looking at getting?
2.) What type of role do you see me playing when I come to this school?
3.) Is there any other way I can get more Financial Aid from the school?
4.) What's the living arrangements like?
5a.) Hazing, is it allowed?
5b.) What happens if it does happen?
6a.) What's the teams policies in regards to drinking and drugs?
6b.) How often is there Drug testing?
7a.) How do you get to away games?
7b.) How are you supposed to get to home games and practices (if diamond is not on campus?)
8a.) What's the policy to missing school?
8b.) What's the policy to missing school due to Baseball?
8c.) What's the teams policy on the different holidays ie our Thanksgiving vs. theirs?
8d.) How does the program handle class schedules ie do all players need to be done school at a certain time during the course of a week and what happens if a class can't be scheduled prior to the time that the Coach has requested?

Grades
1.) Buckle down and get your marks up to a good level or make sure to keep them at a good level if they already are there
2.) Aim as high as you can, most schools will give you a scholly for your marks as well

Working out both Offseason and Inseason
1.) Make sure your lifting weights and doing cardio work all the time during the school season, most High schools have a gym that they allow for students to use for a minimal cost. If this isn't provided go to a local gym like Goodlife which costs roughly $24/bi weekly
2.) Throwing and Hitting. This is probably the hardest thing for us to do. If there's not a place that you can use indoor then there's really not much you can do except for dry work

Crossing the Border
1a.) If you get a scholarship, you can only cross the border to attend school if you have received your I-20 (international student visa) they mail it out to you, normally by express post. This allows you into the country to study at the school, this process can take from 30 mins to 2 hours (it varies)
1b.) Subsequently each and every time you cross the border you need to have this with you while your attending school.
1c.) You have to have it resigned by your Admissions Officer on a yearly basis.
2.) At the border claim any electronics i.e. TV, Stereo, Computer etc. that you will use while your down there so that when you cross back home you won't be questioned or in some cases charged if you can not produce receipts.

Networking
Just like in business knowing the right people pays off.
1.) Don't be afraid to go out of your way to talk to people if you're at a Showcase, Camp or Workout.
2.) Sometimes the best way to find out whose looking for what type of players comes through talking to people who are at the event you're at.
3.) The more people that know you the more you get talked about, all you have to worry about is that they only say good things about you, which is something that you can control.

Miscellaneous
1.) Passport->Get it as soon as possible
2.) Extended Health Care->Go to the Ministry of Health Office and inquire about it. You NEED to have a letter of acceptance when you go and get this extended
3.) Any school that you talk to make sure you have a list somewheres of who you talked to when you talked to them and what was discussed during each and everytime

DOC

great post---