Received Email From Coach

Somewhere in the last year or two your name and email address was used for something related to baseball. Then chances are the data was sold. What does he want? Is he inviting you to a camp? That's called a fund raiser for the baseball program.

 

You are not guaranteed anything. To play there you need to be recruited based on the coaches seeing your current skills. Even though D3s don't have scholarships they still recruit their baseball players.

He asked me if I was interested in the program as they are trying to create a list of players from the Class of 2015. Basically, saying that he is wanting to know if I would be interested in playing for the program.

It's not normal for a college coach even at the D3 level to ask a player he has not seen play recently if he's interested in playing for him. I have to believe he's trying to get you to spend money on a camp. Spending money on a camp guarantees nothing. In reality by NCAA rules the coach can't contact you in regards to recruiting unless you are past your junior year of high school. You must have misinterpreted the intent of the email.

I didn't want to respond but I think RJM has hit the nail on the head.  Somehow, your name got on a list that was sold to college coaches.  When my daughter was being recruited, we went to one camp where some of the girls, including my daughter, were given name tags, T-shirts, ... and then walked to one area of the facility.  Some parents were upset that their daughters were left behind.  This was an invite camp.  Long story short, the first group was comprised of the players that they were interested in and the second group was comprised of the lists kids.  All got the same stuff but the coaches made sure that the first group was taken care of first.  It was a bad scene and I swore to do my homework better from that day on. 

I don't believe this is correct.  D3's aren't limited to juniors and seniors when it comes to Email or phone contact. They have the same rules as D1 and D2...and can't talk to you off campus...but can email or even call if they want to regardless of grade.  They aren't subject to the same contact restrictions as D1 and D2 schools....

Huh?…Which is it?

Buckeye ... Regardless, I highly doubt a D3 coach is recruiting a kid he hasn't seen play and didn't make the JV team in his first two years of high school. He's probably on a mailing list from attending a camp in 7th grade.

D3 recruiting rules are significantly different to D1/D2 rules.  As Buckeye 2015 wrote, a coach can call or email at any time.  However, he can't have an in-person, off-campus contact in most circumstances until the junior year is completed.

You guys are missing the point of the thread. Do you think a kid who was cut from JV as a sophomore is being recruited via email by a college program? He doesn't understand why he was contacted. He wants to know if a roster spot is guaranteed since it's only D3.

Alright, here's the email. By the way, my question wasn't if the roster spot guaranteed. D3 doesn't offer scholarships, all they do is "guarantee" roster spots. My real question was "How legit is this?". 

Just wanted to reach out and keep you updated with our program. We are a week and a half into team practice. The guys are all working hard and looking forward to the Florida trip.

I hope all of your winter workouts are going well. Please keep me updated on your recruiting process. We are putting together a list of interested players for our 2015 class. Please let us know where we fit in your list of colleges.

We are graduating 12 players in next year's class. We are looking for players to come in and make an immediate impact. There will be plenty of opportunities for playing time as a freshmen.

Please reply if you are interested in our program!

PABallplayer....I wish you the best baseball or otherwise....do you have a common name?  Coaches/administrators make mistakes, could have the database messed up, info recorded wrong, etc.  Someone with more experience on the board can comment on the letter. 

I have a semi-common first name in Dylan. But my last name is hyphenated and as far as I know,I am the only person in the world with my hyphenated last name.

 

Young man, I like your enthusiasm.  I'll tell you what I tell every other person who posts and asks us what a letter means.  A letter represents an opportunity.  It gives you the opportunity to call the coach and ask him why he sent the letter.  He might say it was part of a mass-mailing program.  On the other hand, he might say he saw you in a summer tournament and you caught his eye.  Nobody, and I mean nobody here, can tell you that.  Go to the team website or if a phone number is included in the letter, get the number and call the coach.  Even if he does not know who you are directly, ask him what type of skills you would need to play for his program.  Tell him you are trying to make varsity this year and if not, you'll put your heart and soul into making it next year.  If you love the game, you'll find out what it takes to play first in high school, then potentially at the next level.  While you are talking to the coach, ask him for advice so that you can meet your goal.  Also, ask him if he is aware of other opportunities if he is currently not interested.  Where there is a will, there is a way. 

Thank you, I like to say that I'm the type of person that "if you give me a chance, you won't regret it". Coaches have given me chances and they haven't regretted it as far as I'm aware of. My high school cuts me due to my size, I pitch in the high 70s-low 80s at 5'9/5'10 130lbs. I"m a decent hitter, but again my HS cuts me due to my size. We'll see what happens. But thank you ClevelandDad!

I absolutely love your attitude.  Don't let others opinion of you change what you know in your heart is true.  Don't tell people what you are going to do, formulate a plan and do it.  You are about the same size as my son was at your age.  By the time it gets time to make a college decision, you'll be big enough.  Pay no more mind to the size issue.  Start eating properly, learning how to lift, and the size thing will take care of itself naturally.  Here is my favorite quote I ever heard in sports: "Talent creates opportunity, but desire creates talent."

Keep at it young man and if your goal is to continue to play in college don't give up. Physically you appear to be at a disadvantage but your heart and desire may take care of that, keep persevering.

PABallPlayer15 - I wish you well in your efforts to play baseball, both for your HS squad hopefully and anything beyond. I've never seen or heard of a letter quite like the one you shared.  Is that the entire letter? Is there any mention of an upcoming camp? Have you ever attended a camp at this college or with this coach? Have you ever sent any sort of email/letter/phone call to the coach? In other words, do you have any idea how he got your name and address? 

 

I have seen a few of your posts over the past months, a couple of things I've wondered about, if you care to share:

1. I know you haven't had luck yet making your HSJV ... And never stop trying to do so, by the way!  But do you play summer baseball on a competitive team?
2. You always list your height as 5'9/5'10, which seems strange to me. Height doesn't fluctuate, so why the two differing measurements? 

PABallPlayer15, I was cut as a freshman and sophomore.  My problem was not that I was too small though I was smaller than you apparently are, my problem was that I had built a reputation for fighting.  I've told the story many times and so won't bore the readers repeating it again.  As a Junior, I was given a chance.  I became a starter my junior year and started all my senior year leading my HS team in hitting both years.  You have to work hard like your love (baseball) depends upon it.  It does!  Then, you have to prove to the coaching staff that you are too good to cut.  You don't have to be the best.  You have to be better than the bottom 5-8 guys that they are going to keep.  From there, you can then prove your future worth to the team.

 

Soylent Green, my daughter is never the same height when she goes to the Doctor.  She is 5'11" half of the time and 6" the other half of the time.  She listed 5'11" on her bio because she didn't want to mislead anyone. 

Fair enough, and I know that time of day when a measurement is taken can impact height measurement too. I guess my point in bringing it up to the OP would be to suggest that he simply go with one or the other measurement... especially when communicating with coaches. No big deal but I would make it a point to be precise.

Coach ... Girls don't like to be six feet. It rules out heels and/or a lot of guys. When my daughter hit 5'10" she started praying she wouldn't hit six.

I did not attend any camps or anything like that. The email literally just came out of the blue and it was addressed to me.

PABallPlayer15,

Really it does not matter why. the fact is you received the letter. Use it as an opportunity, like CD, mentioned to introduce your self. Ask inteligent questions, and research the school. Is it a school you can see yourself attending? Do you have the grades to be accepted? If not, you have work to do, on top of what you need to do for baseball.

Never use size as an excuse, let your talent speak for itself. My son received similar emails, and letters, from D3 schools, but not until his junior year was complete. 

Many kids do not get even this opportunity. Use it and hopefully others will follow.

Trust me, I'm taking this opportunity. I have already done research and I'm currently working on my reply email.

Good for you - as mentioned in a prior reply, the letter represents an opportunity. Even if it a small one, or simply for your personal motivation. Good luck with the reply and keep us posted. I'm pulling for you.

My son received emails like that when he was in high school.

 

CD nailed it.

 

Many D3s cast a wide net. One thing they need to know is who might show up to play for them. Follow CD's advice!

 

If you can, get in that weight room and mind your nutrition and see if you can put on a few pounds.

 

Good luck!

Whenever my 2016 son gets an unsolicited email from a coach, even if for a camp, he always sends a response. He thanks them for the invite, tells them a little more about himself, and then asks how they got his name. Responses have ranged from a list to a scout saw him play. I can tell you nothing pumps up a kid more than hearing that someone saw him play and thinks he's got a shot to go further.

 

PABallPlayer15 - my son did not make the JV team as a freshman at his high school. Too many times politics take over no matter what the talent level is. Keeping working hard and take advantage of the opportunity with the D3 if it comes. It wouldn't hurt to attend one of their games if the school is close and introduce yourself to the coach.

who cares why you got the email, you got it....make something out of it!

Don't give this player false hope. We should be giving him truthful advice.

Your a Soph and will not make JV which means u will not play HS baseball This yr. Chances r you will not make V next yr.  size is not your problem, it's skill level where your at. Size is an excuse.

There were some smaller player on Vandy yesterday. I've seen them on many college rosters. They will take u but u must be very talented.

Not sure what u r doing in Summer. You have not attended camps, showcases, PG events which is telling. 

My advice would to be to try to get with team as manager, student trainer etc if you love the game and want to be a part of the team. Maybe your talents lie in future coaching. Many good colleges have club ball, so u can continue to play while getting a degree. 

 

I totally agree with playball2011 that we should not be giving this player false hope.  Also, 5'9 or 5'10 whichever height is true isn't that short for even a Division 1 baseball team. I have seen many college baseball teams that have players ranging from 5'8-5'11

I hope this kid pays no attention to "THE FALSE HOPE" comment...Justin Verlander got cut from his HS baseball team his freshman and Sophomore years, he did pretty well...He got the email from a D3 school.  This kid isisnt saying he wants to go to South Carolina, its a D3 school...This kid should continue to play and go after this opportunity. If he doesn't make his HS team, he should play summer ball and go out again in the spring. Don't listen to the false hope crap, go work hard, improve and follow your dream! Respond to the D3 email, see what happens!!!

What was Justin throwing in HS. Bet it wasn't 79-81. If this player has nasty pitches that moved at that speed fine, he would have made some HS team as PO. Player also said he is only decent hitter-honest comment, but what does that mean. 

Those telling kid to go lift and gain weight r also giving bad advice. yES, it would be nice to bigger but that's not going to solve his skill level. Sure the player will spend hundreds and play Summer ball but be realistic his chances of playing in college r slim.

what r u going to tell him when he's back as a Jr and he doesn't make V.?  

E-mail is mass mailing.  

I just wanted him to stop believing it's a size thing. As a parent if a smaller pitcher I know coach doesn't care what size u r fat the mound, it's how the ball is coming across the plate that matters. 

If he doesn't try, he won't make it for sure.  Many kids grow late and PA15 might be one of them.  My son was 5-6 120 as a freshmen and now 6-4 215 as a college sophomore.  Not recommending weight lifting is bad advice in my opinion.  He needs to gain weight and this will surely help his fastball.  Resistance training should be part of a lifelong fitness program, might as well get going on it.

 

steve

       
       

Hello Dylan! Welcome to HSBW!
Was the letter addressed to you personally on the actual letter? If not, that may indicate more of a Mass Mailing List that was purchased. But, I like CD's attitude and reply. Smaller players usually have to prove themselves more than some of the bigger players at your age. But, kids develope at different rates. Some may have fully matured bodies, while in 8th grade, and reach their peak early. While others do not have that mature developed build yet. Some are just late bloomers. Seen it happen. If your mechanics are good, you can continue to work on improving or perfecting them. You can also use this time to work on building body strength and speed. Sometimes, a Coach can just see that a player, plays with heart, has a great attitude, and dedication. And might be willing to give a kid like that a shot. You would have nothing to lose by calling the Coach directly. If anything, it would be a good learning experience for you, and your future. Check out the schools website. See what position the Coach that contacted you, holds. See how long he has been there. Also, look at current, and previous years rosters. See what size of players that they have recruited at different positions. And many fudge on those heights too! As in, they round up...

Have a nephew, who is about your size, maybe weighs a bit more. But, didn't even reach that til he was a Sr., and he started school late, because of a late Spring birthday. So, he was one of the oldest players in his class. Well, he was recruited from schools. Plays NAIA as a P and Position player. So size isn't always the only deciding factor. 

If you can. Get some private lessons, go to some actual camps to learn. And continue working on your own. Get a tee, and hit balls at a local ballpark. Get someone to play catch, practice fielders.

You gotta want it! And it sounds like you do. Don't loose faith or heart.

Good Luck! Keep us posted!

       
       

DITTO! What Jprov111 said! There will always be pestimists (although they'll call themselves realists). Never say never! Prove em wrong! Now go get it!