First, I wanted to thank this board for the wealth of knowledge, experience, and support. I have been a mostly passive consumer of information, and am very grateful to everyone who shared great advice on a range of topics. I am also very grateful to several active community members who took the time to answer questions offline, especially fenwaysouth and gov. Their willingness to share honest and insightful advice is amazing!
So, in the spirit of paying it forward, I wanted to share a couple takeaways from our experience, now that our son has committed to his dream school.
Travel Program/Coach Introductions
Many on this board have indicated that it is important to play for a travel program that has good relationships with college coaches and has a history of success in getting players to the college level. This is absolutely key, especially this year when the covid situation is changing the nature of recruitment, and college coaches are not able to see kids play in person. A positive recommendation from a travel coach (or a HS coach) who has good relationships with colleges can open doors. Our son’s program did just that – they put him on the radar of some schools he was interested in and were able to generate the initial interest. So, play for a program that has success in making those initial connections and supporting their players in the college recruitment process.
Patience
A wise person on this board told us that it is important to not get sucked into the hype of committing early or commitments that may be happening around you. Everyone’s recruitment journey is their own, and you should only take that important step when you are absolutely ready and when it is the right fit. Yes, early commitments may work for elite recruits who may have dozens of options to choose from and who are happy with going to a variety of schools, but this is not majority of the HS players aspiring to play in college. In addition, our son knew he was interested in only HA schools and knew their timeline was a bit later as they needed to see academic success through junior year. He had serious interest from a D1 school the summer before his junior year that he absolutely had no interest in (a great school, just not the environment he could see himself in). He was pressured by teammates to seriously consider it and to commit, but he knew it wasn’t for him. Instead, he used his junior year to further develop his baseball skills, to get bigger and stronger, and to focus on academics. He did develop a communication plan with schools and kept them updated on his interest and progress. But the communication ebbed and flowed during the year, with some periods where nothing was happening which definitely made us worried at times. But things happen very quickly when there is genuine interest, and there is still plenty of time for HA recruitment for 2021’s. Having said that, players do have to be active in their communication and share quality video demonstrating their skills.
Academics
This is absolutely critical, especially for players interested in HA schools, but also any players, since strong grades indicate work ethic and focus, and coaches won’t have to worry as much about eligibility. Make sure to take rigorous classes from freshman year on and to work hard in them. Strong academics are a separator for many players who may be of similar talent level and open up a lot of doors. Players who are strong academically also can help the program bring up their academic index which is very appealing to coaches. Encourage your son to take the SAT/ACT as early as they are ready. Our son took his in August before junior year and did well enough (although is planning to take it again to bring his score up even more). The SAT score, coupled with rigorous course load and grades, gave coaches confidence that he was a serious student. And, as a side note, you do not have to pay for expensive programs/tutors to prepare for those tests. Khan Academy has a free and quality online program for SAT prep (developed in partnership with College Board), and there are plenty of ACT prep resources out there as well. While hiring expensive tutors and programs may work for some, it’s worth exploring the free and cheaper options first.
Character
This brings me to the last point – character. Many on this board emphasize this trait as important for coaches, especially when comparing players with similar talent levels. This has been absolutely true in our experience, and I believe will be even more important this year when much of recruitment in the summer will need to happen virtually. The coach of the school where our son committed flat out told us that, above everything, they valued his character. They could see that he had skills and was strong enough academically for their school. But they spent extensive time behind the scenes researching who he was as a person, how he behaved on and off the field, how he interacted with others, and what was important to him. We believe this was the separator. Please emphasize this to your players – the intangibles matter, on an off the field, and is something that is 100% in their control. You never know who is watching (even virtually) and whom the college coaches will talk to during the recruitment process. Also, they absolutely check their online and social media presence. Players need to be mindful of their social media engagement.
I apologize for the long post. But I hope it will help some in their journey. We could not be more excited for our son and told him that commitment only means that now he needs to work even harder in the classroom and on the field to continue to grow and develop.
Please feel free to PM me with any specific questions.
Best of luck to everyone in the community. Stay safe and healthy.
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