Providing Handouts at Showcase Events

It is great information for your son to share with all the schools on his vetted list.  He should be doing that now.  In advance of showcasing.  And after showcasing.  He should be communicating information regularly.  Come up with a gameplan of what to communicate and when to communicate and then follow that gameplan.

IMHO, providing a resume or packet of info at a showcase takes away from a couple key things:

1) Your son focusing on performing at the showcase.

2) Your son personally meeting, shaking hands with, and talking to coaches without stuffing a packet of info or a resume in each coach's hand. 

Take care of sharing information in advance of the showcase and after the showcase.  Communicate now and after via email and phone and text.  Communicate in person at the showcase.

I'll add one more thing...for most prospective college baseball players, "demonstrated interest" is important in college baseball recruiting, both with coaches and with admissions reps.  A student-athlete will want to engage both regularly at the colleges on their vetted lists. 

Providing a handout at a showcase is a bit of a drive by.  It's not persistently showing interest in a college. 

Regular emails, calls, visits to campus, visits with admissions reps, etc., are the things that show demonstrated interest.

BigQ.

question, can he hit the curve.?

Bob

Bob, 

He can, clips available for the recruiting video. 

As Branson Baseball said, "Demonstrated Interest" is a huge thing.  I overheard a few college coaches talking about it one day at Lakepoint.  One prominent Mid-Major RC clearly stated that there are too many kids out there to look at and he will not waste time on a player that doesn't have any interest in their program.  All of the coaches in that little conversation agreed.  I learned a lot listening to their 10 minute conversation.

Goin_yard posted:

As Branson Baseball said, "Demonstrated Interest" is a huge thing.  I overheard a few college coaches talking about it one day at Lakepoint.  One prominent Mid-Major RC clearly stated that there are too many kids out there to look at and he will not waste time on a player that doesn't have any interest in their program.  All of the coaches in that little conversation agreed.  I learned a lot listening to their 10 minute conversation.

 

Bingo!  However, make sure that you do get that info to coaches BEFORE the event.

FWIW, transcripts aren't technically official until sent from the school. 

One other thing, coaches get stats sent to them all of the time, then they go out to watch the player and they see a completely different player, so make sure you include info on where those stats come from.

This isn't info necessarily for you but anyone following this topic.  

FWIW, son had his transcript plus scores (AP/ACT) in sealed envelopes with his name on the envelope. This allows the coach to see at a quick glance if academics meet the school minimums. We didn't put any baseball stuff in the envelope on the theory that the coach can see performance and will not judge performance by awards, accolades, and stats created/awarded by others.

He (we) had a handle on which schools would be represented at the event and targeted schools which met his (our) desired profile. IN ADDITION, he (we) were open to any coach who wanted to chat with him (I never participated in these conversations and managed to be far enough away that he was on his own during the conversations.) I kept one of the college books in the car so I could get a quick handle on schools which we had not targeted but seemed interested in him - lots of schools popped up that I (we) hasn't considered (today, a smart phone will do the same).

"Demonstrated interest" is a term of art used by schools In which a potential student's contacts with the school are monitored - be it on campus tours, written requests for information, listing on standardized tests, etc. SOME schools (but by no means all schools) give some weight in the admission process to kids who have "demonstrated interest." For regular students, the common data set (CDS) lists the various elements of a kid's "resume" which are considered by the school.

"Demonstrated interest" - the term of art - isn't a factor for athletes (it's only used by admissions in weighing applicants); but a more layman's understanding is, I believe, what the coaches refer to. That simply means the kid has expressed interest to the coach that the school is on the kid's radar. For example, in a conversation (or even email) the fact that the kid's parents are Alma Maters, indicate the school is not a random selection. Basically, as used in this context, the coach is looking for players he has a legit shot to land if academics, baseball skills, and demand match up - as opposed to a random school.

Of course, if the coach sees the kid has an interest in the school, coach has a leg up; however, make no mistake, if the kid has something to show, coach will at least try to cultivate a relationship. 

During S's recruiting (mostly as a rising senior), I would bet that half the schools which contacted him weren't even on the family radar; many would have been great matches. He had demonstrated no interest in any of them at the time of initial contact.

Probably the best way to show a coach a kid is truly investigating the school, is to show up on campus and speak with the coach (any coach, even a volunteer). If a kid is lucky enough, someone will be on campus. He met a dozen coaches using that approach - in their offices, for one on one sessions (parents were nervously walking the halls, out of sight, out of mind, waiting to debrief.)  Even if no one was there, just talking his way into the building added to his ability to interview. (We began serious efforts to meet coaches as a rising sophomore; by then he had one year of grades which also showed a whiff of his course rigor.)

Just an FYI, I don't believe my son was ever asked what his HS stats were. And I know he wasn't the type to offer up that info. It just doesn't matter when comparing kids across the country. They can make their own determination when they see the player in person. 

NYdad2017 posted:

Just an FYI, I don't believe my son was ever asked what his HS stats were. And I know he wasn't the type to offer up that info. It just doesn't matter when comparing kids across the country. They can make their own determination when they see the player in person. 

You are on the money with that answer. Coaches want to see players in person and a lot depends on the type of program. 

BigQ,

In short, your son has strong academic numbers.   He should be communicating that right now to the schools he is interested in.  It wouldn't hurt to have some flyers/resumes/one-pagers at the events to hand out to those schools he has not communicated with already.   As others have suggested, follow up with these coaches after the event.

The coaches have to see him play to know he is a fit for their program and baseball level.   just as your son scored a 32 ACT (thereby seperating himself from many others) , the coaches need to see him run, throw, hit, pitch to meet an athletic metric.   If he does, they may convey their interest.  It never hurts your son to convey his interest in the school at all times.   In summary, that is the game you are playing.....it is all about the numbers.   For high academic kids that want to play college baseball, you have to have both sets of numbers. 

Good luck!

Again a lot depends on the program. Here in Florida, most D2 programs are private with 40-50k fees. D2 programs have 9 scholarships. So the first thing a coach asks for are grades and a profile to see if they qualify for academic or needs based aid, or parents can afford the school.

I would imagine the D3s, private schools and Ivies do the same. 

There are so many players out there, coaches want to know who they are recruiting will pass admissions, if not someone else will.

GPA rules. Make sure that you make your player understand that.

GPA rules more than SAT? 

We're in a similar situation as the original poster.  Our plan was to email a link to a web site that contains his profile info.  We could do this before, during, and after the events we go to.  Any feedback on this approach would be appreciated.

http://www.hsstudentprofile.com/francissegarra

BaseballinCT posted:

GPA rules more than SAT? 

Many players do not take their tests until later.  So a lot depends on what year, but since so many are concerned about early recruiting, make sure the grades look good.

BaseballinCT posted:

GPA rules more than SAT? 

Currently going through the college process (non-baseball) with my 2018. See both scenarios with schools. SAT is a way to level the playing field as it is a standard scoring instrument. Some schools are test optional (Holy Cross is the first one that comes to mind). As you would imagine studies show that a better indicator for performance in college is GPA versus SAT. How can you compare 4 years in the classrooms vs a 3 hr test? You can have a student with a high SAT who has the aptitude but doesn't get the job done in class. The transcript is the most important piece of the application portfolio (non-athlete). For the recruited athlete, a 90 mile an hour fastball may be key, but a good GPA/SAT/transcript  will not only open more doors, but it breaks ties for similar candidates. Also hearing that the college specific essays are key too. Of course recruited athletes should have experience in singling out why you like the school in their correspondences to coaches.

Ripken Fan posted: 

How can you compare 4 years in the classrooms vs a 3 hr test?

I know a couple of high schools in our area where they are literally coloring pictures in some classes. And I'm not talking about art class. 

So the GPA may not be a valid comparison in every instance. 

TPM posted:

BaseballinCT posted:

GPA rules more than SAT? 

Many players do not take their tests until later.  So a lot depends on what year, but since so many are concerned about early recruiting, make sure the grades look good.

I agree with TPM.  It is true many recruits wait to take their SAT and ACT later junior year.  GPA matters.  But once SATs and ACT scores are in, that is what matters most to high academic showcases the OP is referencing.

High academic recruiting begins (mostly) late junior year.  So, if your son is ready (academically and athletically) and wants to get a leg up in high academic recruiting consider taking the SAT/ACT in the Fall Junior year.   This is a way to differentiate yourself especially with high academic schools such as Ivys & Patriot League schools where you are competing athletically and academically for very few slots.    My son did this, and I've seen others do this successfully as part of an overall strategy.

JMO.

GPA is the early indicator which may be confirmed by scores. Both will be required to be tippy top for those tippy top academic schools.

Virtually no sophomores will have scores (and even fewer baseball players). Mine took his ACT September junior year (earliest kid in his school); most will retake until either getting the score needed or realizing that score is not to be made. (And, that is the reason that whatever pitter patter goes on between an Ivy coach and a player is meaningless; if I had a dollar for every missed parental score prediction, i could buy a lot of Starbucks. GPA is simply not a good enough early proxy for those schools. Any family hearing "offer" before a complete academic picture has been sketched is hearing things - or is setting themselves up for a huge unpleasant surprise.)

GPA is the early indicator which may be confirmed by scores. Both will be required to be tippy top for those tippy top academic schools.

Virtually no sophomores will have scores (and even fewer baseball players). (Roughly 3% of test takers are sophomores.) Mine took his ACT September junior year (earliest kid in his school); most will retake until either getting the score needed or realizing that score is not to be made. (And, that is the reason that whatever pitter patter goes on between an Ivy coach and a player is meaningless; if I had a dollar for every missed parental score prediction, i could buy a lot of Starbucks. GPA is simply not a good enough early proxy for those schools. Any family hearing "offer" before a complete academic picture has been sketched is hearing things - or is setting themselves up for a huge unpleasant surprise.)

Goosegg does a better job than I at defining "expressing interest"...which is what I specifically mean. 

The OP's son is a candidate academically for "high academic" schools.  In my experience, expressing interest in advance and in person with both the baseball coaches and admissions reps is extremely important if your player is fishing in this high academic pond.  With boys at high academic D1 and D3 schools, I'd suggest that it's even more important at the D3, where coaches need to know if the student-athlete is interested in say, Carleton College or Franklin & Marshall or Whitman College or wherever.  Generally, though it can happen, these coaches are less likely to spend their time reaching out to players who aren't already on their "expressed interest" list.

Additionally, we found that "expressing interest" with Admissions reps was very helpful.  Visiting campus or meeting the player's rep at their high school or a college fair and interviewing if possible, were very important.  Less so with my D1 guy where coaches were shepherding him through admissions.  Much more so with my D3 guy where the coach may have admissions slots, but potentially less pull.

With all due respect to Branson (and that's a lot of respect, as he provided invaluable advice during my 2017's recruiting process) our experience was that coaches who saw my son at events were not shy at all about contacting him.  It may be that some reached out to him partially because he had shown interest, and that others chose not to contact him due to his lack of demonstrated interest, but many  schools  he had never even heard of did reach out to him.  And why not? Most seem to use an email platform that allows them to quickly reach out to lots of prospects.

RE the OP's question, I do not see the benefit of that, and it could be just the opposite. The coaches at HF Honor Roll, for example are required to wear baseball unis, which are not strong on pockets. I could see having a handout passed to you by a student as being an annoyance.  Better send with a follow up email after the showcase.

Many here, including Branson, have more experience than me with this, but I see the High Academic conversation going like this, in a nutshell:

Coach: You're the kind of player I want on my team.  How are your grades?

Player: 4.0 GPA 32 ACT.

Coach:  Awesome.  When can you visit?

Your kid sounds like a great student and college applicant. But the coaches aren't looking for great students. They are looking for players who can help them win first, and worrying about if they are viable applicants after that.  So the handout is putting the cart before the horse. Show skills on the field and the coach will ask for grades. 

I'd have to agree with JCG.  Once my kid's SAT score put him in the middle of range at the high academics, I didn't worry about his academic chops.  It was all about the baseball ability.  OP's kid's academics get him in the stadium.  Now's the hard part, what's about to happen on the field.  I'm living through this again with my 2019. Some parts are easier, but it still feels like a lot of smoke and mirrors.

franksegarra posted:

We're in a similar situation as the original poster.  Our plan was to email a link to a web site that contains his profile info.  We could do this before, during, and after the events we go to.  Any feedback on this approach would be appreciated.

http://www.hsstudentprofile.com/francissegarra

Keewartson sent to each coach of schools he was interested  (separate emails) an introductory email  (name, contact information, school, position, team, GPA, link to hitting video) which included his summer tournament schedule.  This was done at the beginning of the summer between So and Jr years.  He was already playing varsity, and had had several unofficial visits during his sophomore HS season.

Then, before each tournament, he sent another followup email with the schedule and times his team would be playing for that weekend.   He would do this by pulling up the prior introductory email and adding to it.  That way the coach could just scroll down to see the prior email sent.  (Also, less chance of typing errors of email addresses).

It was strictly cold calling to all but 2-3 schools.... and he sent info out to about ~15 schools.

It worked.  

keewart, good approach! 

And, KEEP GRADES UP, register with NCAA Clearinghouse & work with HS advisor to make sure he's on track. No slacking...ever...no "senioritis" allowed just because he's met "min" requirements...

I've been through this once with my '17 before but I still have a lot to learn.  Followed Keewart's approach and that of many others by sending out emails/hitting videos/grades, etc to lots of schools that will be at the camps #2 son ('19) is going to this summer.  Many of the schools wrote back with brief personal messages that said (or words to that effect): Thanks for reaching out; we'll see you at blah blah blah. 

Probably just as many did NOT write back.  My question is this: if they did NOT write back does that mean we should no longer bother them with updates?  Is their silence a message? 

smokeminside posted:

I've been through this once with my '17 before but I still have a lot to learn.  Followed Keewart's approach and that of many others by sending out emails/hitting videos/grades, etc to lots of schools that will be at the camps #2 son ('19) is going to this summer.  Many of the schools wrote back with brief personal messages that said (or words to that effect): Thanks for reaching out; we'll see you at blah blah blah. 

Probably just as many did NOT write back.  My question is this: if they did NOT write back does that mean we should no longer bother them with updates?  Is their silence a message? 

Smoke, my brother is also a '19. Through our experience I would say keep updating them. There have been a few schools where I made my bro keep updating them last summer when he didn't play due to a knee injury. He would email every few weeks on how his rehab was going and where his mental state was at. He never got a reply which was partially to do with him only being a sophomore. Come this past January he kept emailing those schools right until he would be in front of them at a showcase. Within a hour into that showcase a RC that he had been emailing comes up to him and asks "how's your knee?" He kept a eye on my brother throughout the showcase and talked to us afterwards. My brother performed well, but ran a bad 60 time. The RC asked about his grades and told him the things he liked about his game and then talked to him on how he needs to improve on his 60, but he knew the reason behind the slower than normal time. I am sure a few coaches crossed my brother off their list due to him running that slow 60 and feel like this certain RC would have done the same if my brother didn't update him throughout his knee recovery. That proved to us that even though we never heard anything back, coaches might still be reading those emails. Your '19 is only going into his junior year so I would say keep updating those coaches even if you hear nothing. The worst that can happen is you never hear from them, but the upside can swing in your favor at any given time!

smokeminside posted:

................................................... 

Probably just as many did NOT write back.  My question is this: if they did NOT write back does that mean we should no longer bother them with updates?  Is their silence a message? 

I agree with BigHurt,  Some coaches are going to read and respond.  Some are going to read and not respond.  Some are going to not read and not respond.   You can't control it, and I think a key ingredient in being recruited is persistence.  Got to have persistence coming out of your pores.   The best way to keep in touch with these coaches (without wasting their time) is with a real milestone achievement such as grades, velocity, 60 time, act or sat score.  Emails lead to phone calls and phone calls lead to possibly developing a relationship with a recruiting coach.

The next question is when to stop.  I don't think you stop until you realize you are sending it to a program that is clearly out of reach (athletically or academically) or you've become disinterested in the program.  If you think the program is the right fit, I'd keep on sending updates and upbeat communications.  Let's face it folks....this is marketing 101 for your son.   He is going to use these skills in 3-4 years to find a job.  Coaches are busy, and coaches turnover in programs all the time.  In some cases we heard from programs a month or two after my son had sent them an update.   Your son has to learn to sell himself and his skills.  

fenwaysouth posted:

smokeminside posted:

................................................... 

Probably just as many did NOT write back.  My question is this: if they did NOT write back does that mean we should no longer bother them with updates?  Is their silence a message? 

I agree with BigHurt,  Some coaches are going to read and respond.  Some are going to read and not respond.  Some are going to not read and not respond.   You can't control it, and I think a key ingredient in being recruited is persistence.  Got to have persistence coming out of your pores.   The best way to keep in touch with these coaches (without wasting their time) is with a real milestone achievement such as grades, velocity, 60 time, act or sat score.  Emails lead to phone calls and phone calls lead to possibly developing a relationship with a recruiting coach.

The next question is when to stop.  I don't think you stop until you realize you are sending it to a program that is clearly out of reach (athletically or academically) or you've become disinterested in the program.  If you think the program is the right fit, I'd keep on sending updates and upbeat communications.  Let's face it folks....this is marketing 101 for your son.   He is going to use these skills in 3-4 years to find a job.  Coaches are busy, and coaches turnover in programs all the time.  In some cases we heard from programs a month or two after my son had sent them an update.   Your son has to learn to sell himself and his skills.  

Wish I could give this one 10+ likes!

The lessons learned thru this exercise (persistence, dealing with perceived rejection, etc, etc.) will last your son a lifetime. Not to mention what just might happen if an email hits @ the right place, right time?