Bobcats I feel you're pain
I'm from Canada, and had to do all the promoting myself, I only attended Shocase my Senior year because I just found out about them my Senior year. Be Proactive, the old addage if you're good they will find doesn't apply to everyone.
Some of this might help you out, along with talking to Tom.
Showcases:
Be is Perfect Game, College Select or any other major recruiting service
It's advised that you do attend a showcase because that way you will have knowledge of where you stand in relation to others as well it allows for you to know what level you are able to play at Personally I recommend Perfect Game USA they are the best of the best and most well known and highly regarded and offer you the most for your money
http://www.perfectgame.orgMLB Open Tryout Camps
1.) They are free, you might as well go to them
2a.) Looks good on a letter to a Coach
2b.) Gives you a scout(s) name to include in the letter to the Coach
3.) Great experience gained from attending these
NOTE* ANY Showcase or Camp you attend (be it PG, College Select, MLB or College Specific) you gain invaluable experience from. Going to these not only shows you the talent you're competing against and where you stand, but how to control yourself and your emotions while being at a high profile event.
School Searches
1a.) NCAA DI DII & DIII
http://www.ncaa.org1b.) Keep in mind that you can not workout with a team during a vist for NCAA. Chek out the site for more info
1c.) Keep in mind that there are Dead periods and Early signing periods for NCAA. Check out the site for more info
2.) NAIA
http://naia.collegesports.com/3.) NJCAA
http://www.njcaa.org/4a.) Inquire about Other scholarships i.e. Entrance Mark Schollys
4b.) Inquire about International Student Financial Aid
Looking At Schools
This is the hardest thing to do
Do your research on the Coaching Staff as well see what they have done not only as a Coach but as a player, this can help you determine whether or not you want to go to that school.
Here are some of the Most Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What type of school do I look at?
A: Approach it like you would search for a school up here. Look at Education FIRST then look at Baseball SECOND. IF the school is appealing to your EDUCATION needs and you think it would be a good school put it on your list. REMEMBER-You are a STUDENT-ATHLETE, Student comes BEFORE Athlete
Q: Where do I start?
A: Just get a list of schools found on any of the sites provided on this post and pick one school at random and start there and work your way through the list
Q: How do I cut down on the number of schools to look at?
A: Some people don't want to be far away from home so do a proximity search within the distance that you are comfortable of being away from home. This will automatically rule out a large number of schools. If you know you can only attend schools with Athletic schollys and Financial Aid run a search and get your new list. A note NCAA DIII Doesn't provide Athletic Schollys, Keep this in mind when doing your search
Letter to send out to Schools
Use the shell that is found on the good ol'HSBBW it's one of the best I've seen and I used it myself to send letters out to the schools that recruited me
http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/intro_letter.htmVisits
1.) Find out if it's an official visit or not
2.) See what expenses they can cover for your trip
3.) Talk to Players while you're there to get a feel for the program, school and coaching staff. Talk to as many players as you can, don't be shy they'll talk to you and tell you their honest impression of everything
4.) See if your able to work out when you go on your visit, and what all is going to be required of you on the field
Clothing, and Etiquette on a Visit
5a.) Wear dress pants and a nice shirt, don't show up in jeans and a t-shirt
5b.) Remember you're making a first impression about yourself
5c.) The Coach wants to make sure that the players he brings in are guys who will represent the school in a professional manner
5d.) Speak properly, no slang or jargon unless you're on the field
5e.) Watch the profanity, keep it at a minimum if any at all
Some Questions to ask Coaches (either on the phone or during a visit)
1a.) What's your Coaching Philisophy?
1b.) How much playing time would I be looking at getting?
2.) What type of role do you see me playing when I come to this school?
3.) Is there any other way I can get more Financial Aid from the school?
4.) What's the living arrangements like?
5a.) Hazing, is it allowed?
5b.) What happens if it does happen?
6a.) What's the teams policies in regards to drinking and drugs?
6b.) How often is there Drug testing?
7a.) How do you get to away games?
7b.) How are you supposed to get to home games and practises (if diamond is not on campus?)
8a.) What's the policy to missing school?
8b.) What's the policiy to missing school due to Baseball?
8c.) What's the teams policy on the different holidays ie our Thanksgiving vs. theirs?
8d.) How does the program handle class schedules ie do all players need to be done school at a certain time during the corse of a week and what happens if a class can't be scheduled prior to the time that the Coach has requested?
Grades
1.) Buckle down and get your marks up to a good level or make sure to keep them at a good level if they already are there
2.) Aim as high as you can, most schools will give you a scholly for your marks as well
Working out both Offseaon and Inseason
1.) Make sure your lifting weights and doing cardio work all the time during the school season, most Highschools have a gym that they allow for students to use for a minimal cost. If this isn't provided go to a local gym like Goodlife which costs roughly $24/bi weekly
2.) Throwing and Hitting. This is probably the hardest thing for us to do. If there's not a place that you can use indoor then there's really not much you can do except for dry work
Networking
Just like in business knowing the right people pays off.
1.) Don't be afraid to go out of your way to talk to people if you're at a Showcase, Camp or Workout.
2.) Sometimes the best way to find out whoose looking for what type of players comes through talking to people who are at the event you're at.
3.) The more people that know you the more you get talked about, all you have to worry about is that they only say good things about you, which is something that you can control.
Any school that you talk to make sure you have a list somewhere's of who you talked to when you talked to them and what was discussed during each and everytime
