Can anyone give info on how a player gets invited to "free" recruiting events? Attending college camps whether on campus or off, etc @ $300 up to $995 seems like they are just money makers. Do colleges really get their players from these events or mostly from attending tournaments? Any help is appreciated.
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Yes
OK - yes - meaning I should pm you?? Or can you give me info on this public site?
Son's school saw him at a tournament but attendance at camp sealed the deal.
Thanks - just trying to decide where the $$ should be spent. Have already attended quite a few camps last summer/fall/winter. Grad yr 2017 for my son.
Sure. He never attended a camp cold. Meaning the camps he went to were at the invite or suggestion of the staff after they had seen him pitch
Thanks, will attend tournaments with the summer team and see what happens from there.
Has some interest from some small D3 schools but waiting for test scores and Jr. yr final grades...so now it is a waiting game...GPA is very good...just hoping ACT and SAT are as good.
Want to be invited to a free showcase? Be an absolute, jaw dropping stud with major D1 and pro prospects.
Colleges absolutely find their players from right showcases and right camps. How else would a college fin a player hundreds of miles away?
The key is make a business plan. Make a list of target schools. Email the head coach and recruiting coach to find out where to get in front of them. Figure out from there what's affordable. There are also showcases for kids with top grades.
If you're in southeast PA be good enough (all conference) to be invited to play Carpenter Cup. It's free. A lot of regional college coaches attend.
Don't take this the wrong way but if your 2017 is getting interest from small D3 schools then he probably isn't a player who will be getting invites to attend showcases for free (this is coming from a parent of a 2016 who will pitch at a D3 this fall). It's best at this stage to be more strategic about what camps/showcases you have him attend - focus on camps/showcases where there are a large number of D3 schools of interest attending, contact those schools ahead of time and try to get on their radar. Don't count on just being found out of the blue - put together a plan with your 2017 and execute. Many D3 schools hold their own recruiting camps and rely heavily on them for recruiting. Contact the schools of interest, send video, try to have them see 2017 play over the summer and then attend their camp - but have contact with coach(es) prior to the camp. If grades are good and test scores come out good as well - consider Headfirst camp.
Coming from another 2016 dad whose son received small school (D3/JUCO) interest, MKBASEBALLDAD is spot on.
Thank you so much for the response. I was just wondering how kids get to go to camps for free. I understand this won't happen for my son. Now we need to pick and choose. We have already done what you have said, contacted schools, sent video and also attended camps on their campus, only a few though. We will continue to contact them and then possibly go to a Headfirst event - depending on SAT and ACT scores. Thank you again, appreciate all of the input.
RKBH,
I agree with the advice above- don't attend a college camp cold- if a college asks you to come to a camp, personally, and they tell you they are interested in your son, then you might want to attend. Emails inviting you are typically not indications of interest. Sometimes they even look personal, but they aren't. You should always make sure there is 'real' interest in my opinion- otherwise you are probably just wasting your money.
The comment you make above about "free" camps- in my experience, if you are attending a camp, you are paying. Whether or not you are invited. We attended a couple of camps where there was genuine interest in my son- but we still had to pay. I'm pretty certain that if you don't pay, when everyone else is, that would be considered a recruiting violation.
There are free showcases out there, colleges will be in attendance, but those usually aren't put on by a college.
I don't want to be the guy who is always on here talking about how great Headfirst is but I guess for today I will be. You said that his GPA is good - how good? Did he take PSAT and have good scores (so you have some sense of where he'll be)? I would consider signing up for Headfirst now, before it sells out - because it will sell out on Long Island. I think that there is a belief that you need a 4.0 and 2200 SATs to attend HF or other academic events but that's not the case. Sure there are schools there where you'd need those sort of grades/scores - but there are plenty of schools there looking for solid players with solid academics. You'll just need to work to find those schools and get your son in front of them. HF helps with that work because you'll know who is there and they give you a booklet with HC's picture.
If a kid is a preferred recruit at a top academic often a unweighted 3.5 and 1300 on Math and English is sufficient. Without baseball the kid might need a 4.0 and 1500+
3.5 GPA, PSAT projected he will get about a 1300 on the SAT. But he had a private tutor for the SAT and ACT's so he may get a little higher. Won't know for sure for a few more weeks because of the new SAT results not being available until May 10th and the ACT he took just last Sat. due to snow in our area on April 9th.
