How do we know if coach was interested after visit

My son's recruitment did not start until last summer, the summer before his senior year.

In his case, he knew. They gave out phone numbers.They would contact him, when it was allowed.  Some more than others but he knew. They used texts, calls, emails, etc. They were personal and not generic.

As you will read, and I'm sure others will respond, every case is a little different. Each school is different. Just because the school is not as interested today doesn't mean that they won't be tomorrow. Their situations change; just like yours does. If your son's velocity goes up 5 mph, schools will be more interested in your son and likewise, there will probably more schools that your son is now interested in. If a school loses 3 pitchers, they are more interested in signing pitchers, more so than maybe another position.

It was a personal invite. After many, many, emails and texts...I was just expecting more than him just throwing 20 pitches....

As Coach May has posted here many times. "you will know when they are REALLY interested in you". You will get phone calls, emails, texts, etc. If not you are just one of the likely many prospects they have on their board. Just a side note, this school has to be an NAIA, as NCAA schools are not allowed to work out players individually. 

 

Good Luck!

BOF, Sorry to correct you, but I'm 95% sure that D2's can work out players as well. I remember a couple of my son's HS travel teammates going through workouts on the D2 level.

So how do I tell my son to approach this as this was the school he was wanting to attend....Do I tell him to just do as they asked and send schedule and be done with it? I just found it strange after all the emails and texts and trying to get him there since Jan, that him going and throwing 20 pitches right after their game was weird.

Dolphindan1,

 

Most talent evaluators, whether recruiters or scouts, will tell you that 20 pitches is plenty to glean what they can from a bullpen environment. In that setting, they're watching mechanics, velocity, and ball movement. A 20-pitch session is adequate for that. That, of course, differs from watching your son in a game environment to observe additional qualities like his mound demeanor, ability to hold runners on, capacity for fielding his position, etc. 

 

Although disappointing for you and your son, I don't find their reaction unusual. Nor do I find it disheartening. I also think they probably meant exactly what they told you.

 

They want more time to evaluate your son, as well as others with whom he's competing for a scarce number of spots. Some of that additional evaluation means watching him play this Spring in game situations. In other words, they're interested; just as they are in a number of other talented players who are on their active list of recruits.

 

Your son should thank them for the opportunity, reiterate his strong interest in their school and program, and make sure that he keeps them up-to-date with opportunities for them to see more of him.

 

Above all else, he should make sure that he keeps his head up and stays hard at it! Recruiting is so much about mutuality of need and fit. By consistently working at all of the aspects, he'll find the right spot; whether at this school or another.

 

Best of luck to him!

 

 

Your son could call the coach, thank him for taking the time to let him pitch for him and ask him for advice on what he needs to work on to be a contributing member of his team. If the coach doesn't answer when your son calls, your son can either call back at a different time of day (keep in mind the coach's practice, game and travel schedules) or leave a voice mail message. If the coach does not call back, your son can follow up with an email to the coach a few days later. You may already be aware that coaches are allowed different degrees of contact at different times of the year: http://www.ncaa.org/student-at...recruiting-calendars. 

Baseball is a grind and so is the recruiting process, trail. Stay focused and be persistent. My son got his 1st big d1 offer from a Big10 school after attending a camp....one of those every kid plus the kitchen sink camps and threw a bullpen beside another kid, as they threw two kids simultaneously. The PC is the only one watching both. Imagine how we felt when he got back in the car after a campus tour and no one talked to him, approached him or gave him any feedback? He told me in the car..."Dad i just don't think they liked me or my style, guess i'm not a fit at this program." Now, he had been to a few other smaller camps and gotten immediate feedback so his frame of reference was skewed a bit. 2 weeks later they called and offered. The hitting coach had seen him in Jupiter in Oct and we went up to the valley in Dec so the PC could lay eyes on him. Don't get discouraged. The school my son finally accepted and signed with basically stayed in touch, viewed his profile and responded to emails but truly came around when he showed up for his Jr HS season at 90-92 and was up from 86-88 previously, so RedFish was spot on with the velo intel.

 

Best of luck to you and your son!

I think RFF and Prepster pretty much covered it. But I've been there. Personal invite, bullpen then thats it. What that generally means in MY experience is two things: a) Not interested b) Interested but clearly not ready to change players recruiting status to 'Prospect'. And yes both kinda suck....but its the way it is.As a parent I generally move forward under the assumption of 'Not interested' it's the safest way for me to help my kid achieve the ultimate goal which is to get the 'offer' and the offer clearly isn't at that school. So, I need to find a new one. If the lukewarm school really wants your son. They have his contact info. They will let you know.

I've also seen the offer. It looks way different. In my case my son was at an individual college camp out of state. He finished his 2 innings. The RC pulled him out of the dugout during the game. The HC found me in the stands and it was on! The best advice I received on this kinda thing is: When a college is interested in your son they MAKE THEIR INTENTIONS CLEAR. There is NO ambiguity whatsoever. You will know.

At the risk of being maybe a bit too direct, my advice would be : Email a thank you to the coach along w HS schedule or anything else they requested. Then move on to the next school. Your son is at best a 'High Follow' which is doesn't mean a whole lot. You gotta get on 'the board' as they say. And only 'prospects' are on the board.  You gotta become a ' Prospect' and even then, you gotta move up the board to get an offer. It's prioritized numerically with 1 being the best. There may be 8-10 RHPs on a particular board at a school for a given class of recruits. The RC's are working them base on numeric rankings .The simplest way to differentiate between a 'Follow/High Follow' and a " Prospect' is the phone. RC's call 'Prospects' they do not phone 'Follows'. RC's call guys they want to play for them.

The problem with all this stuff is kids who have their hearts set on certain schools. And they all do. I know mine does. The truth is that most will never end up at their dream schools. The trick to this thing is to cast a WIDE NET . Nationwide. D1, D2, D3 . Looking for the school that loves the player as he is and what they project he will become. And the kid finding a place where he can mature and improve as a player while receiving the best education possible in the best social setting at the right price financially.

It sounds like your son is a talented pitcher. Pitchers without talent rarely get invites to throw bullpens for college coaches. I would focus on that. Take THAT talent and get it in front of as many great academic schools that your sons GPA/ Test scores will allow. Everyone needs pitching. He's gonna play somewhere.

As far as this particular school goes, If its at the top of your sons list that is fine but it means nothing to the school...Don't forget that. My job as a dad in this is to present my kid with as many options as possible and to keep it about getting into the best possible school academically. "Let baseball take you somewhere you normally couldn't go" is the rally cry at my house.

All the above is just my opinion. I'm not a recruiting coordinator or consultant. Just a parent. My opinions are just based on my own personal experiences

No matter what transpired your son needs to continue the process.
Never put your eggs in one basket applies here.
Good luck.

Thanks everyone for the advice...and words of encouragement...