My son is a sophomore this year. He played in a prospect camp at a Major D1 school this past weekend. After he pitched the Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach came into the dugout from his spot behind home plate where the coaching staff had been watching the boys play. He first asked my son what his grades were. Then he asked, "Are you interested in our school?". After my son replied, "Yes", the coach said, "Good, because we're interested in you too." Then they talked pitching for a while. He's also gotten a little interest from another Major D1 that saw him pitch in a showcase tournament. It was just a camp invite email, but the email addressed him by name, mentioned his performance in the tournament, and came from a coach's email address. Also my son's friends in the tournament didn't get the same email, so it wasn't sent to all of the tournament participants. Anyway, I understand this early in the process, and as a dad going through this for the first time, it can be overwhelming. I've tried to read up as much as I can about the whole process, and I've read a lot of great information on this website and the forum, so I thought I'd ask for a little guidance.
I know the colleges aren't allowed to call/email/contact sophomores. But what should my son do over this next year? With the school where the pitching coach approached him, should he send a Thank You email for the camp and let them know he's interested in learning more about the program in the future? Also, I've heard of players letting coaches know how their season is going throughout the season. Should my son send them periodic updates this year of his progress? And should he attend future camps at this school, perhaps in the coming Summer? This won't be the only school he looks into, but it will definitely be among his top choices considering the program and the location.
Also, what about the college that sent the camp invite via email. He won't be able to go, but should he send the coach that emailed him a reply? And this was a big prospect tournament, so I don't know if they sent out 5 of these emails or 105. If it's a school he might be interested in down the road should he send them updates this season?
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, so any advice or suggestions are welcome. I want to make sure I do what's best for my son throughout this whole process.
Thanks.