How much is too much?

Carolina Girl100+ posts

I know this might be a silly question but my son, who is a 2016, has started reaching out to schools he is interested in and sending them his schedules. In his letters, he is trying to keep it as brief as possible - 5'11" rising sophomore, 160 lbs, switch hitting middle infielder with a 4.9 GPA playing on the top team in his state. However, I wonder if keeping it too short is going to result in nothing standing out in his letter. We included the team name and the positions he plays but we have not put anything in these letters about him leading the team in all hitting stats? Should we include that info? He played Varsity and JV for his high school and won the award for best hitter as a freshman. Do we include that? Also, this past summer he attended two camps - both at two of the top SEC baseball programs in the country. He was just out of 8th grade and barely 5'4" but both of the head coaches talked with him after camp and asked him to send them his schedules this summer and to stay in touch. Would it be helpful to name those schools and the coaches that talked to him, say if we were sending a letter to UNC? I just feel like the coach receiving the letter might be more interested if he knows other coaches of top schools felt he had potential. In one case my son was the only one the head coach spoke to. Finally, there are some other really great players on my son's team who will also definitely play D1. Do we mention that at all? Sorry for so many questions. As you can see - I am a bit long winded so good thing he is writing these himself! Any advice is appreciated.

6/19/133:42 PM

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keewart10,000+ posts

On this site, are sample letters. You may have to update to bring them up to 2013 standards (like using email!), but the content is there.

At this link http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/sample_bio.htm is some information you can include in the intro letter. It will get you started. It does have a spot to say which camps you have attended.

Also, don't overlook the college's online questionnaire that your player can fill out.

Good luck!

6/19/135:22 PM

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whits23100+ posts

stats mean nothing to most coaches..i have heard kids or parents say they hit 500 and the coach say..i dont give a damn what your average are how are you hitting the ball?

Also unless your a true D1 kid its not likely they are interested in sophmores..they will see you when its time.

6/19/138:47 PM

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PGStaff10,000+ posts

From an ability stand point... Scouts and recruiters are most interested in Running, throwing ability, arm strength, fielding actions, how hard you hit the ball, how often you hit the ball hard, and how far you hit the ball.

Once they see enough of the above, they want to see the player compete. Obviously academics are important, but great student, poor playing ability, doesn't trip any coaches trigger.

After that they want to understand the makeup of the player. If they like the package they get interested. If they like what they see they get very aggressive in recruiting the player.

They (coaches/recruiters) receive tons of letters written about outstanding players from parents and players. The main thing is to be identified by someone that speaks highly of the player. The best thing is to be seen by the college coaches. If enough people see the talent, there will be no need to write even one letter. You will be getting a message that you should call coach ABC.

Now there is nothing wrong with writing a letter. Just don't think it will have a giant impact. Get in front of as many decision makers as you can. That is what creates decisions. They need to SEE you. They understand that in most cases the players they want the most are not the ones writing them letters.

6/20/1311:06 AM

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