Email campaigns and recruiting

It's a nothing to lose scenario. Any email that is effective helps the player. I would think your son's class, size and max velocity would draw attention. You can't be sure what the coach did and didn't know on first meeting. You can't expect him to know him by face. He may not know him by name but have him on a list.

I would say my son's experience mirrors Root's.  During the course of recruiting it was clear future school had no clue son had sent an email three months before they saw him first pitch. Not saying it won't work at D1 level but I would too question its effectiveness and certainly wouldn't bank on it. Eyeballs on the player is still going to be vital in most cases. 

It's just anecdotal, but my son's experience so far in the recruiting process jibes with what you suggest. Only a few of the schools he emailed before Head First, for example, have paid him much attention.  With I think just one exception, the schools that have pursued him the most were not even on his radar.

Email will not get a player recruited.  IMHO, email serves as one vehicle to introduce a player to a coaching staff and admissions reps.

Coaches need to see player's play in person, usually multiple times.

Email is one vehicle that demonstrates a student-athlete's interest in a school (emailing both baseball and admissions).  It's a convenient way to send video, schedules, etc.  It's so convenient/easy, that thousands of other players are doing it too...the coaches are bombarded.

For most student-athletes, demonstrated interest is a very important part of the recruiting and admissions process.  Touring a campus, attending admissions events, sending a hard copy player profile, interviewing with admissions, filling out online baseball and admissions profiles, playing at a camp, introducing oneself to a coach at a showcase, meeting the student's admissions rep, etc.  These are all ways to demonstrate interest in a school and we found all to be important...including email.

I agree. Email is not the answer but it is part of the answer along with these other activities.  I think the trick is to make the email stand-out by knowing what the coaches are looking for.   Always put yourself in the coaches shoes.  The initial replies (small number) my son received were from the schools where he fit their profile.  JMO.

Sounds like most of us are having the exact same experience with contacting coaches via e-mail, so at least we can believe it is not just our kids who are being ignored this way or not anything especially negative about our kids.  Too bad more coaches do not at least open e-mails to see what might be there as a starting point.  Maybe they do and don't have a fit or need, but no reply leaves a kid hanging onto hopes.  Would it be that hard to say: thanks for your interest but we are already filled at your position or our 2017 class is full?  They can sure send out the mass e-mails for the camps.

And Branson made some great points about other means to demonstrate interest.  Unfortunately, for most kids, there is a real limit to how much you can do that.  Nobody doubts the best way to get them interested is to be seen, but that is not always an option.

First, there is a significant financial cost anyway you can cut it.  My son is strong academically, so we took the plunge and did both Head First Sacramento and Stanford back-to-back figuring at least the travel costs were reduced doing it that way.  And he generated some serious interest from several schools and a few others are still possible as well.  That was about a $3K commitment, but it allowed him to play in front of a lot of coaches who would have never otherwise opened his e-mails and never known about him.  It would have cost even more had he tried to do separate trips to some of these schools.  And going to their camps without getting a sincere expression of interest ahead of time is a waste of time and money from what I have observed.

Second, particularly for incoming Seniors is the time constraints.  My son would love to visit all of these schools who are showing serious interest, but we live in SoCal and lose an entire day traveling to the MW or East.  Then we have all of the other items competing for his time like test prep, common applications and essays, etc.  And he still needs to play some Fall ball to stay sharp for those remaining showcase events.  My son's calendar for the Fall looks crazier than my work schedule!

In the end, I guess trying to generate interest by any means possible is still the way to go.  But it seems pretty apparent that e-mail is becoming less and less viable as an option to get a coach's attention.

When we first sent out emails, we did it at about 9pm while watching an MLB World Series game.  We attached a video and some other pertinent info.  We probably sent it to 30-35 schools that night.  By the next morning at 8am, we had 7 or 8 replies.  Half were "thanks for the email, come to a camp" emails.....but 4 of them were replies that by their wording let us know that the coach had watched the video.  A couple comments and 2 asked us to update him on the schedule for the following summer.

Funny thing is, the school my son committed to is 45 minutes from home.  We had emailed them several times....and never gotten one reply.  When the July 1st "legal phone call" date rolled around, he got a call from their RC....said "we've seen you pitch, we like what we see....come up next week for a visit".  He visited, they came to watch him throw the next morning and he called the RC and accepted their offer the next day.  The whole process with this school was 8 days, start to finish.....Tuesday til the following Wednesday.  Couldn't have been easier.

Remember that for the class of 2018, there cant be any emails or text replies from coaches until after September 1st if I am not mistaken.  I also have a 2018 and son has been doing the email route.  Will be interested to see if the communication gets a little more personal and non-generic after Sept 1.  I think we also need to remember that the coaches probably get thousands of emails along the way and it is difficult to sort thru them all.  We shall see.

Root- my 2018's story is very similar to yours. However, there is plenty of time.

College coaches routinely put out emails to their network of coaches asking specifically for "dudes". Meaning guy's that can rake, 60 yard time of 6.5 or less, athletes over 6'3" and 90+mph arms, which translates into plus or plus, plus and projectables with any of those characteristics/tools.

I know a HC (SEC) very well, who showed me his email in box on his phone................the amount of emails in relation to recruits is insane. There is NO WAY to sort through that many and have any confidence in what was sent.

I was also told by an RC (SEC) that there is an abundance of 90 arms in the '18 class and it may be another year before they know who will be a PO or position player, as it's still early. Unless you're looking to commit early with 15-20 others, that may or may not ever see the campus in the fall of '18.

Who know's? It just goes back to play your heart out every time you hit the field, shag foul balls if you're on the bench, have fun and enjoy the ride!

Much depends on what level of college a person emails.

For example, I get a thousand or more emails on some days.  Can you imagine how many emails the coaches get at programs like Vanderbilt or LSU?  Then think about how many players these coaches actually see.  They see many more players they would love to have than they have roster spots.

Chances are if you email a DIII coach, he is likely to follow up.  If you email a top 25 type DI, you might end up with a camp invitation or never get a response.  Every one of the highest level programs have a list they work off of.  So unless you are already on their list, not many emails are going to have much impact.

Every once in awhile a player creates some interest based on email.  However, if you are looking at national power type programs, they know who they want and they're extremely aggressive at recruiting those they want.  

All that said, there is no harm and possibly some value in emailing coaches.  Just don't expect great results.   If they don't contact you, don't worry about it.  Just keep plugging away and don't go into hiding. Them seeing one pitch or one swing means more than any email.  Especially to those programs that are getting thousands of emails.

I'm a little more bullish on email contact than most of the others who have replied. My 2 cents:

As FriarFred points out, coaches can't just call or email your 2018 until this coming September 1st. There are a few ways around that. Include a high school or travel coach phone number and hope he uses it to arrange a time that junior can call. (Difficult if you don't have a coach who's part of your recruiting team.) Or, include a date/time that you will call him and the number that will be calling. For example, "I'm going to call you next Monday from 8am until noon... on the hour."

The standing out in a crowd issue. My kid did two things. First, put the good stuff in the subject line. In his case, name, grad year, position, measurements, POP, and SAT for the better academic schools. Second, he put a PG profile screenshot in the body of the email. He had a good grade and ranking, and that profile gives them lots of verified information in a concise format. Some of the coaches who were interested in him mentioned those things. In your example where the coach had interest after doing some research, I wonder if your son's emails made it easy enough to for coaches to identify his strengths in an instant.

Don't send generic text. Make it clear in the first sentence that you aren't sending him a blast. For example, congratulations on winning the conference, love your new ballpark, great new PC hire, etc.

As Backpick25 pointed out, there are a bunch of 2018 RHPs banging 90 already. Crazy. Is your boy fishing in the right pond? And at the right time? They very well may have interest later, when they still need pitchers, and his velo is higher.

So the Sept. 1 contact--my understanding is that's when college coaches can actually talk to a player?

My 2018 got a camp invite from a fairly far away state. He sent his standard replay "I'm sorry, my schedule doesn't allow me to attend. I will be playing at this showcase and this camp on these dates if you're able to attend, or I'd happy to send you video or other information from them."

Coach responded that "due to new contact restrictions" the camp was the best option. any clue what that means?

I also think it's interesting on the email. We have gotten many of the same replies you list, but son did tell one coach he was attending a particular showcase and then said "If you don't mind me asking--how do you feel about showcases? Do you attend them? Are there any that you especially recommend?"

He must have caught the guy in a free moment because over the next 15 minutes the two exchanged a long series of emails on the value of showcases versus camps, what the coach is looking for, and so on. It was a great conversation with lots of good advice, just because of one question that went beyond the usual.

In my son's case, the headline always reads: NAME, 2018 RHP 6' 4" / 225 lbs. The hope was that this would draw attention. The email is always specific to the school and includes phone and email contact for HS HC and Summer HC. The idea of the email isn't, in his case, to get a return contact, but to get them to at least take a look at the info out there on him. Then to maybe get them to pick up the phone when he calls (usually does give a time he'll call). For the most part, however, if they answer the phone, he ends up getting someone out to see him. Every school he's actually talked to showed up for his first game at WWBA. However, very few schools that he hadn't been able to make phone/personal contact with him have come out to see him. My guess is that it isn't a lack of interest, but rather just the nature of the game and the overwhelming volume of emails they must get. Then he gets sudden interest from schools he has been emailing that seem like they just discovered him that day. I also thought it interesting that when he simply showed up on campus uninvited, the spectacle of a 6' 4" / 225 lb kid walking around the stadium looking lost certainly caught the HC's eye.

Maybe his emails should read: NAME, 2018 SS 6' 11" / 420 lbs - video attached.

I can't imagine a coach who could pass up opening that.

Root - He's been seen just give it some time.

I know a rising college junior that's 6'-7", 260lb, had TJ in his senior year, was drafted,  T93 and has made all of two starts in his entire collegiate career with an ERA higher than my shoe size.

I don't think I'd wish that path on ANY kid.

My point is, he'll get a chance to go somewhere but go where he can play!

I hope I wasn't sending the wrong message. Mainly, I was just pointing out some of the things I've learned. Originally, I thought that you get the videos out there, make the introductions and they would do a little research. What I'm finding is that you've actually got to reach them and email (perhaps due to the large volume of it and heavy use by wanna-be recruits?) is not very effective. What does work is getting them on the phone, having coaches who are willing to go to bat for a kid, and having people that have the contacts. This is where picking a summer program can be so important for a kid like mine. Many, if not the majority, of contact has come through a hard-working summer coach who is trusted by college coaches.

My son is a perimeter kid. His size is a huge plus, but, so far, his performance level leaves him just a bit below that top tier of pitchers everyone is after. He's on a lot of lists and has a couple of offers, but he's the guy recruiters are still waiting on. That's ok. I'm not, by any means, in panic mode. There are so many factors in play, I'm learning. Geography has been a huge one that I hadn't considered much when this started. We live in a state with practically no D1 presence (believe it or not, neither Colorado or Colorado State even have baseball programs) and no reciprocal deals with other state universities concerning tuition. Because of that, any chance they take on him with a scholarship is a much bigger gamble due to the bite it takes out of the budget. To put it bluntly, one coach told us that a 50% offer to my son was a $20k gamble whereas the same offer to a kid from Kansas, Illinois, or Missouri (states with deals that give in-state tuition to kids from those states) was only a $6k gamble.

The plus is that he's a big guy and coaches who come to see him very much want him to be the guy. So, when he has a not-so-stellar outing in front of a coach, his size gives him another chance. I get that and I really do appreciate it. The minus is that he absolutely hates the whole recruiting scene. It's hard to get him to make the calls to coaches. Bottom line is, right now, he's that kid that coaches will be happy to have, but not the kid that they absolutely feel like they have to get.

The 2018 class is extremely pitching rich. The number of kids who have jumped in one year from mid-80's to 92+ has been eye opening. Actually, I'm not as concerned as some of these posts make it seem. He's actually in a pretty damn good position. The path, though, is a lot different than I imagined it and a lot different than I remember it from 20+ years ago. Regardless, the journey has been a lot of fun and I'll miss it when it's over.

roothog66 posted:

I hope I wasn't sending the wrong message. Mainly, I was just pointing out some of the things I've learned.

I don't think you sent the wrong message. Good information for those coming up, and good follow-up that illustrates how unique each person's experience can be. There definitely is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to recruiting.

Maybe more naivete on my part, but what does your son say when he calls these coaches?  (Unless he is calling because he is visiting the campus, this I get). 

Twoboys posted:

Maybe more naivete on my part, but what does your son say when he calls these coaches?  (Unless he is calling because he is visiting the campus, this I get). 

His first call is a simple introduction and let's a coach know he's filled out the questionnaire and is interested in their school. He's actually gotten in touch with nine or ten schools. Every coach he's gotten ahold of has listened and interacted, answered questions and asked them. Many who only have their office phone listed on the school website will give him a cell number. A couple have asked him to call and keep them updated on his progress throughout the season and all have asked for schedules and for him to let them know when he is going to pitch. One of his favorites right now is high on his list mainly because the recruiting coordinator seems to know everything that happens with him. He called about a month ago and this coach had read every local article on him. I've found that most of these guys are more than willing to talk to kids - just have to find a way to actually get an audience with them.

roothog66 posted:

and no reciprocal deals with other state universities concerning tuition.

No help here?

http://wue.wiche.edu/search_re...s.jsp?searchType=all

WICHE is a help for western states, but notice a lot of schools don't participate and the rate savings are anywhere from OK to not much at all. Most schools also limit the number of students who can receive the rates. Most public schools and states have deals with other states that drastically reduce the out-of-state burden without quotas. Arkansas for example, allows any student from a bordering state, and a couple of non-bordering states like Illinois to attend at basically 110% of in-state. You will also notice, for example, that in Oregon neither Oregon or OSU participate. In Arizona, ASU and the U of Arizona offer something around 150% of in-state, but in California, UCLA, USC, Cal-Berkley, are among the major schools that don't participate. In Washington, Wash State does, but U of Washington doesn't. So, it's a help, but limited. Most states do better.

Root,

I am in agreement with Bransonbb on the emails and backstops excellent post.  And PG as well. I also understand its hard due to your geographic location. I am a firm believer that most players are found on the field by coaches. And as PG points out a lot has to do with the division. In our situation, my sons summer program new every coach in FL and the southeast, along with the northern IVY programs. It cost a lot of money even back then but we could not have completed the process without them.  I suggest that everyone take the time to find a summer program that truly cares in helping your son secure a scholarship.

Dont forget they can't call him yet, all of that will change september 1.

I think you are learning along with others that the process isnt an easy one. I also think you were hung up on this early committ thing and I dont think most programs, even the ones from the power conferences have their 2018 filled in, except for the top studs in that class.

I dont think that anyone realizes just how much work is involved for D1 coaches who consist of 3 paid only and one volunteer who is not allowed to recruit.  Some schools have guys called director of player development, they handle a lot of this email stuff but they cannot coach or recruit. I dont see how coaches have time to read any emails. I do think they rely more on scouting reports from companies like PG and go watch them play. And this all depends on their needs and some coaches may not have fully developed their needs for 2018 and again you will know after 9/1 if all of the hard work has paid off.

Always remember that camps are for one purpose only. The HC has to raise 35, 40k for his volunteer coach who is not a paid employee.  If a prior relationship exists between the recruit and a coach, the invitation to the camp will be to discuss business or the coach will ask the recruit specifically to join 3 or 4 others for an unofficially visit. Just as an FYI many of these camps have been watching local talent for a long time, so yes kids get recruited from their camps.

The most important contact is the recruiting coach. He gets paid the big bucks to first identify the player for the other coaches. HC do attend big events because they need 3 guys to go watch everyone. Some HC dont recruit on the road. 

FWIW, if you have the funds or willing to pay full tuition anyones player just became more attractive. 

But realistically, no matter how much the player pines for a program, the program who gives your player the most attention will become #1 for him. Thats usually how it works. Thats howbthe recruiting affair begins.

I agree its early, thats why I stand by what I have always said, for pitchers especially, take the first few summers in HS a bit easy to play and get better, do a showcase thats meaningful, because the big push for most comes between junior summer and senior summer.

I dont know what programs your son is intetested in.  Maybe he needs to reevaluate and try another direction but i think this fall, this winter and spring will be determine a better fit. 

I think from your post you are learning a lot about THE recruiting process. And for anyone who gives advice before it begins, I believe you will NOT get it until you actually live it. 

roothog66 posted:

Maybe his emails should read: NAME, 2018 SS 6' 11" / 420 lbs - video attached.

I can't imagine a coach who could pass up opening that.

Didn't hurt Prince Fielder at 5'-11" and 275 lbs. 

roothog66 posted:

WICHE is a help for western states, but notice a lot of schools don't participate and the rate savings are anywhere from OK to not much at all. Most schools also limit the number of students who can receive the rates. Most public schools and states have deals with other states that drastically reduce the out-of-state burden without quotas. Arkansas for example, allows any student from a bordering state, and a couple of non-bordering states like Illinois to attend at basically 110% of in-state. You will also notice, for example, that in Oregon neither Oregon or OSU participate. In Arizona, ASU and the U of Arizona offer something around 150% of in-state, but in California, UCLA, USC, Cal-Berkley, are among the major schools that don't participate. In Washington, Wash State does, but U of Washington doesn't. So, it's a help, but limited. Most states do better.

If you haven't yet I would make sure your son includes DII or Junior colleges on his list.  I think it is a gamble to target top D1's only.  

Also size isn't only a factor.   It was like a cold bucket of water thrown on me early this year realizing that my 2017 son would probably never make it on a top D1 baseball or football program.  And my son isn't far off from your son's size (6'-2 1/2", 205 lbs)

roothog66 posted:

Maybe his emails should read: NAME, 2018 SS 6' 11" / 420 lbs - video attached.

I can't imagine a coach who could pass up opening that.

Name: Sidd Finch

If you are a dude it doesn't matter when you commit. A dude will typically knock an early commit IF the early commit did not do their part by continuing to develop.

College baseball is a business.

Committing to a college really early is like proposing to the first girl you ever date - and then letting her "shop around" for other dudes while you stay faithful.

roothog66 posted:

What does work is getting them on the phone, having coaches who are willing to go to bat for a kid, and having people that have the contacts. This is where picking a summer program can be so important for a kid like mine. Many, if not the majority, of contact has come through a hard-working summer coach who is trusted by college coaches.

 

Root- Can't agree with you more on this one. Find this to be the case. Son participated in a number of showcases with big numbers of coaches (bang for buck) that opened a number of eyes--especially on his 60 time. List narrowed to about 5 or 6 based on needs and continued communication with schools. Went to school specific camps of "finalists." He ended up committing to one of those schools.

But it was his AMERICAN LEGION coach who helped with personal contacts  and helping sealing the deal. When coaches saw son play in real games (not showcases or "skill sets"), their interest grew almost unanimously. It was GETTING the coaches to his games.  Good luck! I know things will work out great!

Found email communication helpful as long as the emails address things about each specific school and why son is interested. Schools can read through generic mass sent emails.

FriarFred posted:

Remember that for the class of 2018, there cant be any emails or text replies from coaches until after September 1st if I am not mistaken.  I also have a 2018 and son has been doing the email route.  Will be interested to see if the communication gets a little more personal and non-generic after Sept 1.  I think we also need to remember that the coaches probably get thousands of emails along the way and it is difficult to sort thru them all.  We shall see.

This is a piece of info that until now had somehow eluded me. We had heard from our 2018's HSV coach and one of his summer coaches that a few schools had called asking about him, but so far we hadnt received anything but a few generic showcase invites, that were honestly probably just off a mailing list derived from the one showcase he did attend.

Im curious though, how is it that college coaches arent allowed to contact 2018's, but most of the top 2018's locally are already committed to colleges? Is it just that the college coach cant initiate contact, but if a HS player contacts them or if they interact at a camp they are allowed to talk about whatever they want?

What about JUCO's? Are they bound by the same restrictions? Lets say....hypothetically... that  JUCO coach had initiated contact with a player i knew, could that cause problems for the player?

We are very late to this game.  It feels like we have been scrambling around like maniacs for the last three months, and never quite getting it right., given that we were receiving almost zero contact from colleges. Knowing that there is actually a prohibition on contact before Sept takes a little weight off.

threeunassisted posted:

FriarFred posted:

Remember that for the class of 2018, there cant be any emails or text replies from coaches until after September 1st if I am not mistaken.  I also have a 2018 and son has been doing the email route.  Will be interested to see if the communication gets a little more personal and non-generic after Sept 1.  I think we also need to remember that the coaches probably get thousands of emails along the way and it is difficult to sort thru them all.  We shall see.

This is a piece of info that until now had somehow eluded me. We had heard from our 2018's HSV coach and one of his summer coaches that a few schools had called asking about him, but so far we hadnt received anything but a few generic showcase invites, that were honestly probably just off a mailing list derived from the one showcase he did attend.

Im curious though, how is it that college coaches arent allowed to contact 2018's, but most of the top 2018's locally are already committed to colleges? Is it just that the college coach cant initiate contact, but if a HS player contacts them or if they interact at a camp they are allowed to talk about whatever they want?

What about JUCO's? Are they bound by the same restrictions? Lets say....hypothetically... that  JUCO coach had initiated contact with a player i knew, could that cause problems for the player?

We are very late to this game.  It feels like we have been scrambling around like maniacs for the last three months, and never quite getting it right., given that we were receiving almost zero contact from colleges. Knowing that there is actually a prohibition on contact before Sept takes a little weight off.

Juco can contact players anytime. All divisions have different rules.

Those 2018 players already committed, more than likely went to campus to meet the coaches or attended a camp at one time or another.

1. Think Marketing Mix, i.e., email is one of a many tactics available as a part of the overall strategy.
2. Be sure to use an email tracking system so that you can see who opened the email and who clicked through from the email to the player's digital presence. Our data showed that HCs opened and clicked far more than RCs!!

Ripen,

did you thank the Legion coach? When I coached the Legion team for 6 years, no player was charged. One played MLB, 36 major college college

players. 

Bob

RJM,

You wrote:

" FWIW, if you have the funds or willing to pay full tuition anyones player just became more attractive."

Are you referring to a preferred walk-on? While the difference in scholarship money between 25% and 0 may in some cases may not be all that much isn't the perception between a walk on and a scholarship player in terms of opportunity etc huge?

Dad18 posted:

RJM,

You wrote:

" FWIW, if you have the funds or willing to pay full tuition anyones player just became more attractive."

Are you referring to a preferred walk-on? While the difference in scholarship money between 25% and 0 may in some cases may not be all that much isn't the perception between a walk on and a scholarship player in terms of opportunity etc huge?

I wrote that.  

People have a perception walk ons dont get full consideration, but some folks can afford to pay full tuition which leaves the coach an opportunity to offer more to a player who needs it more than they do. They do this all the time.

If a coach that asks a player to come and try out for as a walk on, remember he is only offering a try out.

There lies the difference.

Agree with TPM.  Do your research.  A walk on or no baseball money opportunity differs greatly from school to school.  At some of the top programs at private schools many key contributors are there with no or institutional money only. 

Unfortunately players do not recruit the school. Schools recruit the player and as said previously many of the top D1 know who they are going after. That doesn't mean you do not make an attempt.

For the mid D1 and D11, a 1-2 min video is all that a HC/RC will look at. The subject line should trigger the interest.  As an example "John Doe- 6'2 210lb -Left Hitting Catcher".  No music, no stats, no game film....just show the skill.  

Dad18 posted:

RJM,

You wrote:

" FWIW, if you have the funds or willing to pay full tuition anyones player just became more attractive."

Are you referring to a preferred walk-on? While the difference in scholarship money between 25% and 0 may in some cases may not be all that much isn't the perception between a walk on and a scholarship player in terms of opportunity etc huge?

That post must have been adjacent to mine. My belief is if the coach doesn't have some athletic money skin in the game he has everything to gain and nothing to lose. If the player fails, so what. He was just a free insurance policy, third stringer. I saw it happen to two friend's sons. They never really got a shot despite performing well what little they played.

This has been a great thread. Thanks for all the valuable information and insight.

I have a very basic question. We were told to make sure my son is contacting the recruiting coach, but in some cases, we can't figure out who the recruiting coach is based on the information available to us. What do you do if you cannot identify the recruiting coach? Send email to head coach or all coaches? 

kandkfunk posted:

This has been a great thread. Thanks for all the valuable information and insight.

I have a very basic question. We were told to make sure my son is contacting the recruiting coach, but in some cases, we can't figure out who the recruiting coach is based on the information available to us. What do you do if you cannot identify the recruiting coach? Send email to head coach or all coaches? 

Send to Head Coach. Usually in the coach bios you can see who does the recruiting duties. Or look at some of the bigger showcases--which coach attends.?Sometimes there is an "Associate Head Coach" by title, who is like a #2.

RC is usually designated on the coaches page of the team website, and it's usually the first person listed after head coach.