recruiting letter turned motivation tool....

As we all pour enough money into baseball to actually pay for college, these are the little things that help me rationalize it all. Beyond the fact that the sport is great and it keeps them out of trouble, there are the times when you can watch them grow into men. I have loved watching my son have conversations with recruiters and send emails. The conversations he has been having are way beyond anything I would have had done at age 16. At 16, I had not even thought about the things that I wanted out of a college. Good stuff!

Yeah, didn't even think about college until SR yr, but things ere different way back then...lol. You were absolutely correct, it was funny watching him try to respond to this one...he was nervous as all could be...He didn't even want to open the letter. I laughed at his reaction when I told him to send a email back acknowleddging receipt of the letter and saying thanks....I think he was scared....LMAO

quote:

Originally posted by lefthookdad:
Son received a letter from a very highly regarded program in CA, very much to our suprise..lol,.....hand signed. not robo-stamped. Son was baffled. It opened the door for a great conversation on how important it is to stay on the grades and push yourself harder to get better. I think the light bulb got a little brighter cause I have not seen him work as hard, school wise and physical training wise, his whole HS career. this school does it right, has sent sevreal follow-ups with SAT/ACT advise, character advise and so on. While this school may be out of our reach they have already been a tremendous asset

I will take you at your word that this school may be out of your reach. I presume you are referring to their talent level? (apologies if wrong)

Then why do we think this school (and a few others) send these letters and emails? Are they recruiting for the academic side? Do they want to embellish the entire school's reputation? Want to expand their database?

Would be interested in anyone's views on why a school would expend significant effort communicating with prospects who are out of reach of the school.

That is a great question, Green Light! My son has received letters and emails from some of the top 10 schools in the nation. I do think he may project to that level, but it would be a grindingly long haul with a low probability. Maybe they are looking at projectability. In fact, many of those programs are well into their 2014 recruiting process.

I agree. I am not sure if they have actually seen my son play, or are maybe going by limited info on the PG site. I could my son getting their talent wise if he gains a couple if inches and bulks up a little. Academicly not out of the question. Price wise steep, long distance...not really sure. i was going to have the son ask them how and/or where they saw or heard about him.

If its Stanford, they have the most far-reaching 'network' of friends of any school I know. They have to as the academic/athletic profile they need has a small pool of possible players.

They apparently write every HS coach in the nation each year, asking if they know of any players that fit their profile (academics + talent). One of my son's teammates there from Florida was found just that way.

They also have 'trusted sources' that report back to them on good players. I can think of another player that was 'found' that way. Heck, even though we live 15 minutes from campus, it is my understanding that is how they first heard about him.

And they attend events. They work hard, fly across the country and see loads of games.

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
If its Stanford, they have the most far-reaching 'network' of friends of any school I know. They have too as the academic/athletic profile they need has a small pool of possible players.

They apparently write every HS coach in the nation each years, asking if they know of any players that fit their profile (academics + talent). One of my son's teammates there from Florida was found just that way.

They also have 'trusted sources' that report back to them on good players. I can think of another player that was 'found' that way. Heck, even though we live 15 minutes from campus, it is my understanding that is how they first heard about him.

And they attend events. They work hard, fly across the country and see loads of games.

I am not doubting anything you say, and in fact it confirms some of my own experience.

But I remember being told a long time ago that Stanford doesn't need to recruit, they can choose. OK, that comment is a little overstated, but there is an element of truth there. And yet, they are one of the schools sending these (excellent) letters and emails to kids with extremely low chances of making the cut athletically.

Guess one shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

lefthookdad,

Congratulations to your son for having received the attention he has in the form of the recruiting letter!

By calling attention to the motivational and maturating qualities of the recruiting process, this thread has focused upon elements that I've always considered extremely important results for those players who have gone through it.

Programs, particularly major ones, cast an extremely broad net; one that is systematically narrowed as the coaches collect more and more influential insight into their decision-making process. This is especially true for programs at privately-funded universities that have high academic admissions standards. They have to identify players who can (1) contribute on the field, (2) perform acceptably in the classroom, and (3) (often) come out of pocket with more money than their public-university counterparts. As a result, it's not unusual to have them begin with respected services like Perfect Game's as they form their database.

Best of luck to him!

Green Light,

While a program like Stanford's would be highly attractive to a disproportionate percentage of recruited players, perhaps making their task easier at the time players are making their decisions, I think Coach Stotz there would tell you that their process of identifying, evaluating, and recruiting is as large and developed as anyone's in the country. They have to literally scour the nation for a select group of players who meet the criteria mentioned above.

The same would be true for a number of other academically demanding, privately-funded universities; particularly if they routinely compete at the highest levels of the college game.

Thanks Prep, but like stated in the original post this particular letter has served its value already if nothing else comes out of it.

Justbaseball hit it the nail on the head.....we have experienced some of the "wide net casting" letters, and if this is their version, they set the standard.

It opened up the eyes of player and made him realize his potential instead of hearing it from good ole dad...lol. So in his eyes, he is a recruit and now more motivated than ever

quote:

But I remember being told a long time ago that Stanford doesn't need to recruit, they can choose.

Parental myth. Not true.

They lose many a recruiting battle each and every year. On top of that, they have to battle scouts and 'advisors' "advising" very talented players that they won't be seen as a serious pro prospect out of HS if they choose Stanford...or the Keith Law's of the world telling them that they'll ruin their swing or pitching motion or <fill in blank>.

They identify players that ultimately cannot or do not get admitted. The admissions there makes a decision separated from the coaching staff.

See Prepster's post above for accurate comment about thin-ness of the pool.

They have a tough job...a 'different' kind of tough job, but tough nonetheless.

There are myths among parents?!



Who knew?!

I was actually posting in "tell me your recruiting story" when administrative maintenance booted me out. I saw this topic, and it actually fits here per prepster and justbaseball's wisdom. Stanford does indeed have a far reaching network. Our son also received the emails in Sept of junior year. We figured a few hundred others did as well, so didn't think much of it. However, it was fun to receive the emails, and he did the things they asked for-- such as sending transcripts and test scores.(probably around Oct. Nov.) Son never talked to Coach Stotz, and he was really concentrating on schools in the southeast-- closer to home. Well- 2 days before Christmas he was actually emailed an offer. First thing I had my son do was to check the address to see if it was a hoax. Son emailed and they decided on a time for us to call. We left the room to give our son his space, but Coach Stotz asked that we get on speaker and we basically passed the phone around. The first thing my husband asked: how did you even find out about him. His answer was an event in Carey. He also called PG, but it was after they had unearthed him. He also talked to a HS coach (not our son's) who was familiar with him. Finally, and most notably, he said that they have a network of trusted friends and alumni. They had video. I got the feeling some people had seen him who had their trust. It goes back to, "you never know who is watching you." It took son two months, a trip out west, and some serious soul searching to decide he could live across country, away from his family. But he absolutely loves baseball and school, so I am comfortable even though he will be so far away. You never know what is behind that door. Son was officially accepted just recently and we are tickled. Son is absolutely 100% over the moon. You just never know.

I was hoping you'd share your story smalltownmom!

quote:

Originally posted by justbaseball:
I was hoping you'd share your story smalltownmom!

Me, too!!!

Thats awesome! And you drive home the point when you referenced the ole "you never know who is watching".. Thanks for sharing

Many people might be surprised to find out how often the opposing coach lets a college coach know about your son. Its far more effective then his own coach calling! Happened at least 3 times with my son that I know about. Its important to treat the opposing coach with respect.....even if you don't think you like him.....

quote:

Originally posted by smalltownmom:
Son was officially accepted just recently and we are tickled. Son is absolutely 100% over the moon.

Congratulations to you all!

I certainly like the stories above and found that it is odd how these work out. We got on Stanfords mailing list during our college search process and had no clue how? My son used this fact a little differently however. He was very interested in going out there since he was born in CA. But while on an unofficial visit to the school he ended up at, he was asked who else he was talking to. He mentioned that Coach Stotz had contacted him and was also interested in another school close by. He ended up with a verbal offer that afternoon after hearing about Stanfords interest. Well, I can't say for sure that was what made them move so quickly, but????

I say use everything you can within reason to your advantage.

smalltownmom,
Congrats on your sons acceptance to Stanford, I am impressed!