How soon should we start?

When you send letters you need to have something to talk about regarding the HS level not the LL level


Have you got that?

Not sure. He played Junior High ball this past spring and will be moving up to Varsity next spring according to the Varsity coach. If all goes well he is expected to start at catcher then.

Shagnasty
Welcome to the best source for the information you're looking for. TR is right in his upfront kind of way; you have to have something for the coach. I recommend that you attend some more camps and find a good travel team to play on right now. Read everything you can on this site and others and be prepared. More so than anything else get your kid outside of the talent pool he plays in to see where he compares to other kids outside of his region. I think that some coaches may look at body projectability at the 15 y/o age but there's alot that can happen in 3 years.

In most cases the process starts when your son starts to play varsity ball, even if he is a freshman. Of course I always tell my guys to start sending out general letters of interest to the schools you like. Ask about the baseball program and get familiar with the process. If you get in a habit of corresponding early it gets easier when it matters.

Agree with Ozone. When you do send those letters and any other correspondence, figure out a way to record it, simply, so you canknow where you are at with each school. An excel file works.
I am sure I will get pelted for this suggestion, but go on line and fill out the questionnaires for each school. Might not work in the baseball world, (coaches use different technologies) but in the volleyball world they pay attention to it. You never know - I would guess there are as many ways to handle communication as there are coaches.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
When you send letters you need to have something to talk about regarding the HS level not the LL level


Have you got that?

Thanks for bringing a smile to my face with that. That is just too funny.

mikamom .....your right, filling out those questionnaires starts the process at most schools. The big schools with big staffs almost always start a file on you, and each correspondence gets added to the file. Most all schools will start a file on you as soon as sophomore year.....but it's important to continue corresponding.

Thanks for everyones input. Even yours hsbbweb old timer.

We are usually 100% right when we state the obvious.

Ive got to stick up for TR here (not that he needsit). Yes, he comes across as gruff, perhaps even rude at points. HOWEVER, you would be hard pressed to find a better source of info, or someone who works as hard as he does for his players. It may not sound like it, but that was a compliment, TR

highcheese

It is taken as a compliment and I thank you

First of all he is a rising freshman. His focus needs to be on making sure his academics are in order , he needs to be focused on working on becoming the best player he can be.

Once he has established himself at the level he is at as being the type of player that has the talent , grades and desire to play at the next level then the recruiting process can start.

With so many ways of being seen in competition by college coaches today it will become very clear what they think of him in due time. What amazes me is some kids are average hs players and they are worried about the recruiting process. Or they have yet to have a varsity ab or throw a varsity inning. Establish yourself as a player first and then the other stuff can fall in line. Focus on getting to the point where you have something to show before you start telling people you have something to show. JMHO

Understood Coach but I think you are missing the point of my question. It was my fault for not being clear. My son wants to play D1 ball. I believe with hard work and the right instruction he can do it. Time will tell. I sure would not discourage his dream. I understand that he does not have the varsity experience today to write a school and talk about. He should have that this spring. I wouldn't want TRhit to think I would give them his TEE BALL batting average. It was .950 TRhit. He got called out once for slinging the bat.

The point of my question is. If things progress as planned and he plays to the level I and he believe he can play to, should he contact schools and say hey, I'm just a freshman but give me a look or just remember my name? I would admit that it seems a little early to me but the recruiter said it and it got my curiosity up.

Also, I totally agree with you on the grades. He is a high GPA student to this point and very few days go by that he is not reminded of its importance. Thanks for the good advice.

Hi Shagnasty and welcome to the site.

IMHO, going into your freshman year is the year to plan. Identify the schools you are interested in and go to their camps. You should plan return visits to the camps/schools you like the most. Most have summer and winter camps. Many of the top programs (D1) will have commitments by the end of your junior year, so starting this summer/next fall only gives you three summer/winter camps before these top teams are making offers. Sometimes you can fit in more than one camp during the winter/summer if the schools hold their camps on different dates, but that becomes a little difficult considering summer and fall baseball schedules. I know one school that offers a single day camp on Labor Day weekend, so there are a few other exposure opportunities out there.

I would not limit your search to D1 either (preverbal “all your eggs in one basket”) and check out D2/3 and NAIA and JUCO as well. This gives you a good perspective across the board and there are excellent programs in these other categories. Watch which schools bring in several JUCO transfers over the next couple years and you may decide to go JUCO yourself. I would try to visit the schools as much as you can as well. Not just for the camps but to stop by and check out the campus and facilities in addition to baseball.

You should also find a local or regional Perfect Game ID showcase. This establishes a profile in their database. Then attend their events as your budget and time allows. Good rating from them is always a boost.

GOOD LUCK!