How big of deal?

gpct8500,

IMHO, yes it is a big deal. It shows that your son is on some schools potential recruits list. Somone is interested, and most likely will continue to follow his progress. My son received enough that we could actually tell if it was your basic "form letter" or one that was a bit more personalized, from the head coach. This is another indication of the level of interest from the school.

The main thing here is to set yourself up a filing system and keep track of what is coming in from schools and what is going out from your son.

Make sure that he tries not to get distracted and continues to work hard on and off the field. Enjoy the ride and keep everyone here posted on his progress.

O42

gpct8500,
I think you’ve found yourself in the same position that many parents find themselves in. (I know I was there) You admit that you’re not sure of what’s happening and you’re starting to realize that quite possibly your coach may know less. You’ve come to the right spot. The easiest and quickest way to find out what these letters mean is to pick up the phone and call the coach that sent the letter(s). As a parent you have to be proactive. I recommend you read through the recruiting timeline on this site.
timeline
Browse through the different articles. This will give you an idea of what normally happens during the steps of the recruiting process in order to have a successful conclusion. There are hundreds of people that have been through this same process and those that are involved in it at this time. Educate yourself and be the person that can help your son during what can be a frustrating and confusing period of time. I said “CAN BE” but it doesn’t have to be.
Stay in touch,
Fungo

Our high school coach also downplayed any attention our son received. When we needed him to fill out questionnaires (senior year) that college coaches requested, he still tried to pull my son down and would tell him that he just didn't understand all this attention. There were 12 schools from last year's top 25 who were interested, with more who were lesser baseball schools, and he still couldn't believe they wanted to talk to my son.

When we held our signing party last month for a great SEC program with a solid scholarship, coach stood up and said that he sure hoped our son realized how much harder it would be at the next level and wished him luck. Thanks coach!

To make a long story short...there's a lot more pessimism I've left out... we got no encouragement or help from our high school coach. Some people are just negative.

If you're getting letters, read some of the posts on this site, follow through and enjoy the ride. IT IS A BIG DEAL and it may be the beginning of the rest of your son's life!
Congratulations!

KC Baseball,

Ditto here. Your post is exactly what we got.
NADA!

It was the BIGGEST DEAL of my son's life 'til he signed NLI last month!!
Take it seriously that schools are interested in your player!
Son's coach kind of "put questionnaires aside" in the beginning... So, I went to his office & said I was not leaving till I saw him seal the envelopes, then I took them to the mail box! He finally "got with the program"...Sometimes, I would have my son fill them out & attach a note that the coach was sending "his part" under seperate cover" & to please let him know if it was not received within a week. Then, we told the coach that we'd gotten a call that the coach hadn't rec'd it yet...So, sometimes you have to be PERSISTANT!

Congrats & enjoy the ride!!

gpct8500 - Welcome to the hsbbweb! You're off to a GREAT start.

Everyone has given you really good advice so I won't add anything there.

I just wanna comment that it is so sad that the experiences relayed above are so common...ours wasn't exactly that, but somewhat difficult too. I have another son who will enter HS in 1.5 years...I'm thinking hard about sending him to a different HS just so he can have a much better HS baseball experience. It just shouldn't be this hard!

Keep plugging away...and most of all GOOD LUCK!

Thank you for all of your comments. I have thought it was a "big deal" but then my son comes home discouraged after talking to his coach. He did attend a prospect pitching camp last weekend though and the coaches and scouts there assured him he was on the right path and would be hearing more from them.

Letters: Big Deal
Phone calls: Bigger Deal
Official Visits: Bigger Deal Still
NLI: Very Big Deal
Enrollment in Fall: Huge Deal
Rostered in Spring: Monster Deal

gpct8500,

"I have thought it was a "big deal" but then my son comes home discouraged after talking to his coach."

Welcome, and congrats to your son! Tell him this from us: One coach may think it's no big deal ... 6000+ members of this site say it is! There's a long and sometimes bumpy ride ahead (see Dad04's list), but he is off to a great start!

You might have already noticed this, but the people giving you advice above include parents of current college and professional players, and even a college coach. Keep reading, and remember to share your questions and stories along the way!

My son's coach was pretyy excited and thought it was a big deal, that was just about all he did about it.

Congratulations, it's a big deal, but will be a bigger deal when he receives a chance to play at the next level.

Follow the timeline given and come back if you have anymore questions.

It's definitely a big deal and welcome! I'm going through the same phase right now, although with a much more supportive coach. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask anything. . .the people here are great!

8500,

I would like to re-post a letter I wrote to the recruiting board on November 23, that best describes what a big deal it was for us.

Repost:

Dear members of HSBB Web,

This message is from a long time watcher of this board and one who felt the need to say thank you.

I just wanted to write a letter to all of you on this recruiting message board to let you know how grateful I am for all the input and information you allowed me to read about all of your experiences, heartaches, and many joys that were brought to you by the recruiting process.

I started the recruiting process after my son’s junior year in HS. I followed every step from the beginning that the owner of this website recommended. Many letters, paperwork, phone calls ect..

It has been one tremendous process going through the recruiting stages. It has been something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

As many of you know here in California we are a hot bed of baseball talent and our local colleges have hundreds if not thousands of kids to choose from. After sending out over 35 bio's and introductory letters and e-mailing coaches around the country for months to stay in contact, my son received a few serious interests from colleges ranging from D1 to NAIA.

However, at this time nothing we call "serious" ever developed until last week before the deadline.

All of a sudden the calls were coming in strong along with requested visits. Unknowingly, one of the schools of my sons choice (Top Three) had tons of interest and we did not even know it.

I am extremely happy to report that my son DID commit to the school of HIS choice on the last day of the deadline along with a scholarship.

Again, as I said in this post I followed EVERYTHING from this board and took to heart all your posts and experiences. Without all of you I don't think I could have done this.

A lot of you have experienced my ups and downs yourselves and I felt it along with you.

I will be a member of HSBB web forever. However, next year I will be reading from the "College Baseball" board. Then back again for my next son.

The information you have all provided me has given me the experience to teach friends how to do the recruiting process a bit easier.

For my next son it will take me about an hour as I feel I am now an expert.

I am the proudest father on the planet and I have all of you to thank.

My most sincere and best wishes for all of you as in some way you are almost family.

I will still be checking on everyone on this board only now it may only be 20-30 times a day.

Best Wishes

CaliBBdad

I have been to 1 camp at Louisiana Tech and it was great, but I was only a sophmore. This year I am a junior and I am going to film all the games that I pitch this year and send them off to a few colleges of my choice. I am a (LHP) and i was topped out at 82 last year as a sophmore. this year i have worked a lot harder and am hoping to at least hit in the upper 80's. How do i get college recruiters to come and see me pitch?

Dont worry about the HS coaches enthusiasm or lack of it--it matters not--do your thing and make it work

My son had a coach who was a great guy but knew nothing about recruiting--he even asked me one day "Who is Fresno State? They called today about your son."

As long as the HS coach is not a detriment all is good and yes any communication from any college is BIG DEAL !!!!

Same goes for us, HS coach told my son he would never play college ball. Were getting ready to commit as we speak.

Congrats!!
Lends meaning to the saying, "don't believe everything you hear"...


I would like to add that son's HS coach knew he was a "prospect" & was agreeable to our sending son to showcases, etc. & has had very good things to say about him.

Some high school coaches help out and some don't.

Just remember no one is going to look out for your son's best interest better than you.

Narrow your list, check out the baseball rosters to see what spots the schools your son is intrested in will be needing, have your son write letters, make phone calls, emails, visit the campus, talk to the baseball players and be pro-active in marketing your son, if he has the ability to play college ball & right grades, he will make it.

Good luck !

CV

I thought I was the only one who thought my son's high school coach was a bit "vague" about my son's desire to play in college. It almost seemed like the coach hadn't even considered that some kids might want to play beyond high school! For the record, my son's coach has provided no information or encouragement whatsoever in the college process.

To that end, I echo what many before me have said. This website has provided me with so much encouragement and insight. I told my husband about this website in the early fall. (My son is a junior). We both started sifting through this site and found really solid suggestions. It's going to be a long road..but I'm traveling with good people

Don't expect your high school coach to do anything to help you play baseball in college. It's not his job, its yours.

If you want to play baseball in college, you have to do it yourself. If you're lucky you'll have parents that will help you out some.

If you're getting letters from schools, respond to all of them. No matter what your interest level is right now becuase you never know what might happen a year from now.

College coaches send a bunch of mail out. Many times they know very little about a guy and send him stuff with the wrong name and stuff. If you reply to them all you will set yourself apart from everyone who didnt.

I believe the facts in this thread are THE reason this site is so popular and useful.

Thanks again to Bob and Julie!

We have set up a catalogue table with headings to with a roster sheet and tickler file to keep tract of what is being sent, what was sent, and responses that we have also catalogiued for level of interest, eg., dead file, good interest, reschedule for contact, schedule for visit, and so forth.

However at this point very few contacts have been made as I want to see what he does this season.

Right now I think he is a pretty good college pitcher, but needs to mature and get bigger eg., more weight, stronger etc.

Here is what I suggest to many who have had bad experiences. I will first say that its a really big deal to get college letters. College ball is great for your kid. But because you are moving on, don't just brush aside your son's past. Many other students will suffer if nothing is done. Write Letters to the school board, and copy to the principal and the AD. If you get no satisfaction, send a copy to the local newspaper. Give details of your experience and explain how your kid has moved on to bigger and better things, that way you won't sound disgruntled, like you weren't given a chance. I had asked about 40 parents to write letters about the head coach I worked for, and his dad is the AD. The board and principal reprimanded him, because his dad is Ad. So he still has his job, but I write posts on a local forum to warn parents of him. There are other schools that a kid can transfer to I'm sure. If you're in a private school there usually is some kind of board and administration. I would like to see a lot of these guys retire, with your help.

Coachric

If I hadn't found this website, I'd probably still be sitting wondering what the next step might be in helping my son play in college. And, while it is true that I'd much rather have my son's high school coach concentrate on the upcoming varsity season than on advancing players into college, I still feel that information can be given out by the coaches. My husband doesn't agree but I'd like to ask the coach face-to-face if there is some reason he's not "big" on my son's prospects...when every camp and showcase he's been to has given a completely opposite opinion. My husband feels that this is just opening a bad can of worms and that it could back fire and effect my son's play in high school. He's a junior and working hard. He's never been a problem or hinderance to his coach..but the coach is just indifferent. Not everybody is going to like our kids..

Newcomer, I agree with your hubby. Don't ask the coach that question. Just make sure that he is doing the college paperwork (questionnaires and such).

Good luck.

gpct...I think it is a very big deal and I applaud your son for achieving a certain level of performance which warrants some collegiate interest.

Key is what happens down the road and how his performance, both academic and on-field, translates into visits and offers for some academic/baseball money.

Congrats and a hug to him from Chicagoland.

Thank you, I have been giving him lots of hugs from a lot of very supportive people. His coach still hasn't provided the info we need but everytime I see him I make sure he knows we're still waiting. We are planning to send back all of the questionnaires we've received right after Christmas break but my son did send some personalized letters back to the coaches to let them know he was honored to hear from them and that the info would be coming. We have decided that enough people know him and are looking at him that it doesn't really matter what the HS coach thinks as long as he gives him the playing time this season which he will because he's his number one pitcher.