How do college coaches recruit?

The reason why it seems like everyone knows each other is that there rarely is a kid who slips through the cracks. Word spreads very rapidly throughout the baseball community about players. A coach talks to a scout, who talks to another scout, who talks to said big time program, who finally sees the player.

This does not necessarily mean that automatically there is a match made in heaven and everythign works out as it should, but basically players end up at a school that plays the level of baseball the player should be playing.

As far as the exposure goes, the more different sets of eyes that see a player, the better it is for that player. Rarely does everyone like a particular player, which is fine, the player only needs one person to like him to play at the next level.

Fungo - There's an interesting side note to this that I really only became aware of after the fact. I think Coach Ope refers to it in some ways.

That is, the "baseball network." Midway through the recruiting process I learned that our son's eventual school was quite aware of him well before we had any contact. True, we live near our son's campus...but I never saw a coach watching him play in HS or summer ball. Our son's HS coach called the school during his junior year to say, "Hey, I've got this kid who I think you should know about." They responded, "Oh, we already know quite a bit about him but tell us some more." And the conversation and recruiting began out in the open.

Similar things with other schools that he didn't eventually sign with. I once ran into a scout who had been watching him pitch and had an allegiance to a certain school...he finally stopped me after a game, introduced himself and told me he had been talking to that school's coaches about recruiting our son. They eventually did.

An agent/advisor stopped me after a showcase and introduced himself. "I enjoyed watching your son pitch and I was asked by Coach *** to report back to him on my thoughts."

And when our son pitched in the Area Code games, I never saw his eventual college coach. Yet the coach called me to tell me they were there and enjoying what they were seeing. I looked all through the stands...never saw them.

The network is out there and its churning. Hidden faces in the crowd at HS games, summer tournaments, showcases. Other faces aren't so hidden. It all adds up to the result in the end.

If I might add our scenario-

Our son never had a radar gun or scout at any of his high school games either junior or senior year as far as I know. He was fortunate enough to be picked up by a very well respected and Top select program in Texas the Fall of his junior year. After throwing for this team in the Fall and Summer and having a little success, we started receiving a call and an email or two. Long story short, my son was offered the opportunity to play at the next level just from someone seeing him at a showcase or tournament. Our son was not in a pipeline or on a radar screen. Attended one PG showcase and never received a rating. Never was all-state or even all-district (second team) but as mentioned above, it just takes one person to like what they see.

Take care of your class work and bust your butt on the field and someone somewhere will like what they see.

quote:

That is, the "baseball network."

Most of the schools that my son was contacted by were because he contacted them first through his own recruiting website. 50 D1 schools were initially contacted via email, 35 returned an email asking for more in-depth info via a questionnaire or blew him off.

Some schools were directed to him by local pro scouts who had college contacts.

Some schools went straight to his HS coach, he in turn provided information and how they got his name who knows as he had not been to a showcase or on a travel team at that time.

The school that he signed with was not on his list of 50 schools he contacted, not referenced by a pro scout, that coach got his name from the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association.

Our son's alma mater, that DIII in San Antonio, Tx. , opened this weekend. They started 4 freshman from CA, one from British Columbia and had one other freshman from CA scratched from the lineup with an injury.
He said each are quality players.
They also started a lefty pitcher from Va. who threw well in front of a number of scouts.
When you are a DIII coach, or a DI trying to build a program, you do "network" a lot. But you also do a lot more to try and find "players" that others don't.
When you talk to some of the younger coaches who are constantly building to improve their program, you realize it is a very tough job, with travel, phone calls, letters, emails, travel, travel, on campus visits, recruiting and more travel.
Then they get a class and start over.
I think it can be very different for the vast majority of coaches who aren't in those top programs.
I believe they all use many types of resources but the lower you go, the less they might overlap.

So you can conclude that college coaches and MLB scouts BBQ together...........I guarantee it, and don't be surprised if certain player assignment to colleges results from a few "bones and suds"

Another example: A few years ago I attended an ABCA Convention that has hundreds of college coaches and hundreds of high school coaches in attendance. The lobby of the hotel was a forum not to dissimilar to Wall Street with coaches making inquiries and other coaches making pitches for their players. It was very informative and enlightening to see how one weekend involved so many discussions about possible players. I was impressed how some of the high school coaches were trying to help their players.

Have a question rz1: What do you mean by "his own recruiting website"? Thanks

I think that most coaches work really hard at recruiting. Even schools that receive tons of letters of introduction with players wanting to play at their program still spend enormous amount of time seaching for the right player. Some spend hours searching their state, some spend hours searching the country and those that do have connections everywhere to find them recruits.
As far as son's recruiting experience, we didn't send letters, DVD's, unofficial visits. He had received only a few questionaires by the time he was a junior. After attending Jupiter in late fall and recorded hitting 90 the letters and questionaires starting coming. I am not sure if it was that or just attending but by January of junior year, he had heard from just about every program you can imagine. And I am sure most of them did not see him pitch that day. The one who did, sitting in the front began the recruiting pursuit and I can tell you that he was watched for quite a while before they made an offer. I'll swear on that PG wood bat tournie for making a difference. We found the schools that truely were interested were the ones who had actually seen him play during senior summer. There were a few who had connections with his summer coaches who hadn't seen him play, but other than that he had to show his stuff to get real interest even being a ranked player at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by bb10:
Have a question rz1: What do you mean by "his own recruiting website"? Thanks

This is recruiting from the other side aka player recruiting a college

Many on this site feel this process is overkill and unnecessary but they don't live in my part of the world where the word "exposure" is usually referred to as frostbite. For under $100/yr you can rent some space on a website and develop your own page. Besides a recruiting tool my son learned how to develop a web page, how to manage a business, honed his communicating skills, but most of all I feel that developing a site about himself he was able to look at himself from a different dimension. By far this was the best learning experience he had in HS.

This was back in early 2001 and the Internet was probably not envisioned as a recruiting tool by the masses. The site was simple.

1. A Bio tab

2. An academic tab.

3. A picture tab, 3 simple pics of pitching motion.

4. A reference tab that included statements by 2 coaches, 1 teacher, 1 employer

5. Contact tab or "E-mail Me" tab.

Ryan then researched email addresses of the recruiting coordinators and head coaches of his top 50 schools (d1,2,3) and sent an email that introduced himself and a link to the page. At the same time he made an email folder and a hard copy file folder of each school. Any correspondence was filed, any questionnaire he filled out was copied and filed, any phone call was noted and the conversations generalized. I told him that with 50 contacts he had to be completely organized because you don't want to confuse coach A with coach B.

In the end 35 schools responded to his emails and 4 official visits resulted. Besides the "baseball exposure" Ryan came away with the biggest life lesson in his life to that point. I think that coaches talked to him in a more professional manner. He had confidence before that but the fact that I dropped him off at the airport on Friday for his visits and picked him up on Sunday went to show that he was ready to leave the nest. In the end he accepted an offer to a school that was not on his list, had the lowest rpi of any of his visits, was in the coldest climate school, but he said it was the "best fit" for him in a baseball and academic sense.

After 3 years the draft rolled around and he created a new site. Armed with the knowledge he had Ryan created a draft site and used a "trickle down" plan. His adviser used his contacts at the lower scouting levels and Ryan emailed the MLB team scouting directors. His thought was that if he sparked an interest at the top the word would "trickle down" to the bottom creating a Zink saturation. It was working perfectly. However, In Feb of 2006, throwing an indoor pen in front of almost 20 scouts he tore his UCL and required TJ surgery. He still used the site to keep teams updated on his progress, and when he was back he notified everyone of that.

I'm sure many/most blew off his emails but the point with any marketing plan says it only takes one customer to be noticed and 2 to create competition. Who knows if the sites themselves did any good but I can say that my sons business savvy because of managing these sites will make him more valuable when the baseball career ends.

Our story was somewhat different. Did not know about PG or showcases until soph year, none in the NW anyway so did not go that route. Played for a last place high school team every year, very small school. Did the Legion instead of the more expensive traveling team, middle of the road team. We found out by accident that son was on all sorts of scouting lists and college coaches knew about him but to this day have no idea how. Never sent a letter anywhere or made any attempt for contact. HS coach made no contacts. Went to a small college camp after freshman year then the same one after junior. Received multiple offers and others still inquire. It's a real mystery how they do it.

Youwould be greatly surprised by how info is passed between coaches regarding players and it is all good, bad and indifferent

I think Fungo questioned the process for those who are not "Big DI" players. The ones all the coaches aren't buzzing about. He signed with one of the very top DII programs. We live in an area where the closest premier summer league team is three hours away and there are for the most part NO scouts visable at any of our games. That being said, we had to "go" to them b/c they aren't "coming" to us. Son attended the Natl. Underclass PG showcase as a junior, did fine made the top prospect team. That in itself didn't seem to generate any interest, though I think it was confirmation that he could play ball. Every camp he went to generated interest and "conversation", in the end though, since they were mostly far away I'm not sure he would have gotten offers from any of them except maybe two. I think in reality the closer the camp was to home the more true follow-up there was.

Where he is going ended up being a combo of all of above: Son had sent them a letter and filled out their questionnaire, then they saw him at a camp where he did well, and lastly the HS coach confirmed what his bio and camp performance had shown. I think for that above average, hard-working player you just really have to work it. Don't give up but know YOU have to do alot of the work, they aren't just going to show up on your doorstep. And, like so many on here say, you have to make sure you target schools that you can fit in to, not just target the big SEC or ACC etc. school that you will never have recruiting you. Be realistic. My son has good grades and test scores too and I really think that helped him a lot. We never in a million years would have thought that his A.C.T. score/grades would have been so important from the baseball side of things.

I believe my son was discovered via the US spy satellite that was just blown up. Had several coaches monitoring the thing during a fly-over of the Korean peninsula.....or it could have been that he was at the right Sacramento area showcase at the right time. I'm not sure how it works, either. I'm just glad it DOES work.

Ahhhhh....a secret spy satellite is how they do it! Now it makes sense!

But....wait a minute....they just blew that up! Now, how will they find our players???

Krakatoa,

You are krak-ing me up.

Our son was discovered at a soda fountain wearing a form-fitting cashmere sweater and pearls while ... wait, that was someone else.

Seriously, we didn't really perceive any solid interest from colleges going into fall of senior year. I think he had two calls on or after the July 1 call date and his "exposure" to that point was Junior Olympic team.

His major promoter was his h.s. coach and assistant coach, both of whom did a LOT on his behalf.

So, in the fall of senior year, he went to a PG event and performed so-so. (Still not a believer and pretty much had to drag him to that.)

Then, since he felt that wasn't going to get him anywhere, he called local JUCO (Yavapai) and expressed interest in playing there. They seemed kind of astounded. It was like they hadn't recruited him yet since they assumed he would be selecting a 4-year school.

At the VERY end of senior year, following his last game as a high schooler in which his team got whomped, a recruiter came up to us following the game and invited him for an official visit. This was the only invite he got, and we really had to hurry to squeeze that in, in the midst of finals and graduation.

Cutting to the chase, he did go to Yavapai for a year and then moved on to a D1 this year, the one that invited him for the official visit.

He was drafted twice middle and next to last round), so we know that he's been on the some watch lists. All things considered, we know he is very lucky to have found both a JUCO and a D1 that wanted him.

Just curious, you stated your son's HS coach did a lot for him, what did he actually do? Was it before his senior year?
Parents, what steps did you take in the recruiting process or was it an assumption that someone would notice your son along the way. Did you ever leave the state you reside in to play ball?

All questions are not specifically directed towards you, but am curious as to how much a player and parent do not do, waitng for someone to find them on a HS field or wating for someone else to do the necessary work.

TPM,

Let's see.

Living where we do, there isn't a lot of experience from which to draw. It is not typical to have scouts and recruiters attending games here. So, we were largely completely inexperienced and unprepared in this area.

I wouldn't say we sat around waiting for him to be discovered. The whole concept of college or pro ball after high school was just out of our realm and not something we ever considered we needed to study up on until the recruitment actually began.

What our coach did:

1. Held individual meetings with all kids at end of season. Was very encouraging to son following sophmore year, and told US that he believed our son would one day be drafted.

2. Recommended son for Junior Olympics team at city about two hours away.

3. After that JO experience, son started getting some invites, etc. whenever coach received inquiries or profiles, he filled them out immediately and told our son about them.

4. Assistant coach was on state coaches association committee that selects Junior Sunbelt teams, and son was invited to that.

5. Assistant coach, head coach, and JO coach told some MLB scouts about him, which we learned when they began scouting him during senior year and, when introducing themselves, told us how they'd heard about him.

6. During the crazy MLB scouting period, h.s. coach was available to answer questions and give support at all times, even recommending an advisor he knew when we began to feel we were in over our heads (understatement!).

What we did:

1. Scratched our heads and felt confused.

2. When the generic recruiting letters began, found H.S. Baseball Web and spent hours here trying to learn what they meant, what we should do and when.

3. Started the NCAA clearinghouse process after reading about that here, in a just-in-case scenario, not really thinking that would be happening.

4. Helped son sort through recruiting letters and invitations to showcases, etc., and fill out profiles, plus made him a a simple marketing website.

5. When MLB stuff kicked in, checked around about finding an advisor.

6. Tried to remain calm.

I have met a lot of parents since then who do seem to believe that if their kid has talent in any sport, that it's up to the coach to make something happen.

I think that's a naive view of the process.

Looking back, I know our son was incredibly fortunate to have the coaching squad he did and I know that made a difference in his life.

rz1,

I apologize up front, but everytime I see your screen name I think of Rizzo from Grease. Just a weird hangup I guess.
Again, sorry!

When I see ktcosmos avatar, it looks like a cup of ground up earthworms. I've always meant to ask him, "What IS that in your cup?" It's hard to look at.

Anyway, we had to work hard here in Korea, over many years, totally isolated, then take the show on the road back home to drum up interest. That's a pretty long haul, and devoured our last two summer vacations. My wife is still very unhappy at the amount of money that had to be spent, and how the travel team's destinations dictated where we went as a family .... and much to her chagrin, these locations were Topeka Kansas and Elk City Oklahoma last summer.

BUT....because two of the coaches who ended up recruiting him did the dirty work of hitting the road and attending certain events, it all worked out. Two other coaches ended up recruiting him based solely on a video. In our case, we simnply had to do about 90% of the set-up work, and the coaches then just had to come in as closers and seal the victory!

Krakatoa,

So, now that you HAVE asked, that's whipped cream on top of a cafe latte, but I guess if I look at it sideways I might see worms. Or mealybugs, maybe.

I hope I don't think of that the next time I am drinking one.

I am thinking of changing my avatar to a bowl of homemade pasta....

And not that it matters a bit, but I am a SHE, not a HE.

How do coaches recruit?---I have used this example many times before I think it fits here as well especially with the influx of new posters

My son got his situation at New Mexico State in a very weird way---the recruiting coach from NMSU was from the Northeast, he played in the Big East and is now the Villanova Head Coach---he was with a few buddies on a weekend trip back home after the season ended and they were talking HS prospects---he was looking for a frosh OF and a frosh P to complete his recruiting for that year---my sons name apparently came up in the conversation and his buddies recommended that Coach call him---he did and the rest is history--the following week my son visited and he had a scholarship---never even being seen but a coach trusting his buddies on the talent.

And you ask how they recruit/---you tell me !!!

quote:

Originally posted by ktcosmos:
Krakatoa,

So, now that you HAVE asked, that's whipped cream on top of a cafe latte, but I guess if I look at it sideways I might see worms. Or mealybugs, maybe.

I hope I don't think of that the next time I am drinking one.

I am thinking of changing my avatar to a bowl of homemade pasta....

And not that it matters a bit, but I am a SHE, not a HE.

Sorry, ktcosmos, I shouldn't have assumed you were a guy! I also hope I haven't spoiled your appetite (can one have an 'appetite' for a beverage?) for those lattes......isn't whipped cream white?

Krakatoa,

quote:

Originally posted by Krakatoa:

Sorry, ktcosmos, I shouldn't have assumed you were a guy! I also hope I haven't spoiled your appetite (can one have an 'appetite' for a beverage?) for those lattes......isn't whipped cream white?

That's ok.

A. I am the only daughter, sister, niece, and granddaughter in my family and all my offspring are male, so I am used to being treated like one of the guys.

B.My appetite for lattes cannot be spoiled.

C. Yes, whipped cream is white until you cover it with fresh ground nutmeg. Yum. (Thereby proving, perchance, that I am a girl. )

ktcosmos,
You go girl.