Needing advice

Sit down with him and go over any specific baseball questions he has but from our experience, the coach really drives the conversation and they don't talk much about baseball.  Usually the first few minutes were about how his season is going.  Beyond that, they asked what he did over the weekend, hobbies, do you know what you want to study in college, etc.  My son was stressed out the first call, but after that, he realized that the coach would really help facilitate the conversation.  I would just remind him to use sentences, no just yes or no answers.

Towards the end the coach will likely ask "Do you have any questions for me?".  My son learned the hard way that the right answer is not "No".  Have a couple of specific questions ready to ask the coach. 

My suggestion is put in a 7 word rule.  My son was not allowed to answer a question without using 7 words so he did not say yes sir or no sir.  he had to elaborate.  The good RC's will dictate conversation.  They will ask about life, school, maybe a few about baseball but not difficult.  They are wanting to build relationship with your son.  The good ones know how to talk teenage boy.  The bad ones ask stupid questions and only talk a few minutes.  Most of all tell him to be honest and enjoy it.  Not life or death.

PitchingFan posted:

"My suggestion is put in a 7 word rule."  

We did this with success - I may have even seen the suggestion here on the forum! It's a great guideline to help your son converse on the phone. He should also have researched the school in preparation for the call and have a short list of questions ready. Good luck!

Your son should expect "softball" questions with his first "one on one" with the RC.   The RC is trying to sell his program while your son is trying to figure out this whole college baseball recruiting world.   Writing down a few specific questions in advance is a great idea as this will take some of the pressure off your son.

After the call is over, I'd suggest your son write down everything they discussed in a notebook.   There will most likely be future conversations with this RC plus many others.   Over time your son will become more proficient at asking and answering questions with RCs.   Keeping a notebook may help clarify his thoughts and what subjects they've previously discussed.  My son is an introvert and it can sometimes be difficult to have a conversation with him unless you know him.   The good RCs are really good at getting these recruits to talk.   If my son can get through it, anybody can.

Good luck!

Thank you for all of this feedback.   My last question is should my son reach out to his dream school and reiterate his interest while mentioning that he has been in contact with other schools directly or is this frowned upon?  His dream school did call his high school coach and expressed interest but they haven't specifically asked him to call them yet.   Thank you again.

I would have his travel coach do that.  Most coaches do ask who else you are talking to.  If they are really interested, they will ask him to call.  He has plenty of time and they won’t see him until summer most likely.  We didn’t have anyone to call for my son’s dream school so we went to their camp and then he started weekly calls.

I don't think it hurts for him to reach out to his dream school at this point - maybe an email to the RC to express interest if there has been no prior direct communication. If his travel coach can make a connection as well, that is ideal. Once a conversation happens, I would not have him lead with who else he's talking to but expect it to come up. In our experience, it's a small world and coaches talk so be honest about it. Good luck!

4Arms,

I agree with BaseballHS.  Reiterating interest is always good, but there is no need to preemptively mention other colleges at this point.   That topic will eventually come up if things move forward.  One step at a time.

You're asking for advice so I'll throw in my two cents.   Over the course of 20 months my son had no less than 3 "dream schools", and he is a very particular and picky kid.   Why is this, how did he have 3 dream schools?   His requirements changed over the course of those 20 months as he learned what was possible and where his true interest were.  Baseball absolutely helped with that.   So, I would throw the idea of a "dream school" out the window until they prove they are a "dream school".  Based on your initial post (above) your son has interest from 3 schools.  Throw out labels and branding.   Give each school an equal opportunity to prove what they can do for your son athletically, academically and financially.  Then see who comes out on top and is the real "dream school".

As always, JMO.