Responses from Introductory letters

realize thast true interest comes only after seeing a player in action

the intro letters will develop cursory interest only and get them thinking about the player

keep working the contact lines and return all info that is requested and make sure they know where to see the player and who he is playing for

Longtoss - We did the same thing only about 30 letters out, 20-25 back with questionnaires. I suspect the answer to your question could depend on each coaching staff...probability if the college is relatively close to your hometown, your son could go on a "need to see" list. But TR is absolutely correct that they MUST see him in action...the one exception being if someone they very highly trusts recommends your son.

Now I'll give you a true story related to your question. One of the schools our son sent a letter too responded quickly with a friendly typed letter and questionnaire. He promptly filled it out, wrote a personal cover letter and sent it back. He then signed up for their winter pitching camp.

About 3-4 weeks later, he went to a local showcase (his first) and pitched quite nicely. That particular school was there. 2-3 days later, a handwritten letter came from the pitching coach, expressing serious interest and asking him to fill out the SAME questionnaire and to consider signing up for his winter pitching camp.

Both were obviously already done (questionnaire and camp signup), but he politely did them again. Had to wonder where the first questionnaire ended up? (in the trash?, in the never-to-be-opened-again file cabinet?)

No big deal really...they ended up offering him a good scholarship when the time came...but it kind of illustrates that they've gotta see you play.

TR is correct.

Keep the communication lines open, let them know of your progress, schedule, national and local tournaments you are playing, and showcase events attending.

My son also found it very helpful to e-mail the head coach or recruiter for your top 10 college choices regularly to let them know how he did in each game he played in. My son is a pitcher and he e-mailed after every outing. League,tournament,camp....anything. It really seemed they appreciated the contact.

My son is attending a showcase in southern california this weekend. Should he have notified northern california colleges of his interest that he is attending this showcase? We figured that the northern california coaches (where we live) would rather see him play in league games than showcases.

Newcomer,
I do not know what schools your son are intereted in but D1 schools cannot attend.

We never let coaches know where son would be unless they asked.

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IMO..

The NorCal coaches need to know that he is actively working the process..

The NorCals may have an unofficial respresentative there...

It is a great excuse to keep up the communication process with the NorCals(priceless)...

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OB44,
Good point, they may have "friends" out there watching.
Newcomer,
If your son attends and does well, you could have him send info to the coaches about his performance after you receive info on how he did, or ask them to contact the showcase people.
There were lots of coaches who did not see son early, but if they asked we just referred them to the right people for opinions on his performance.

Seems like there is a division of opinions here. TigerPawMom says that they never let the coaches know what their son was doing unless asked. Not sure what this means but could it be a BAD thing to let OTHER college coaches know that your son is going to other showcases? There has been much talk here about the smallness of the world of coaches..i.e. they talk among themselves..so they must know that players are going all over the place, right? Having said that, observer44 notes that communicating with coaches that your son is going to other showcases is a great way to keep the communication channel open. I just don't want to step on the wrong toes..do coaches feel proprietary for players at this stages? Son is a junior and the only coaches that have even expressed interest (by a personal comment (USF) and what we think was a personalized letter(St. Mary's).

Son isn't particularly interested in anywhere at this point. He's still checking out the idea of playing college ball. He's just a junior and I think is just comfortable with the idea of playing college ball (or potential). I've said in other posts that his high school coaches haven't said much about his potential. Fortunately, we've sought other sources (personal trainers, hitting coaches, scouts and other college coaches) who think he could play D1..who knows? He's looking at USF, ST. Mary's, Long Beach, SF STate, Santa Clara, Cal State Monterey for starters.

My own view--let coaches know where you are playing even if they do not ask. It cannot hurt

I agree...let them know. Send them your HS season schedule. Then later send them your summer schedule (including any showcases or camps).

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Newcomer...

While I am a relative newbie...IMO I see agreement in the varying opinions. Let me explain...

Divergent opinions are part of what makes this place so special. On some issues there is near agreement on others there are some very different opinions, with some excellent reasoning on both sides. We talk alot here about "fit" and I think we all pretty well agree that one size does not fit all when it comes to recruiting.

IMO...if you are smart you will look at all sides of such an issue before making a choice and there is no better venue for see all sides of the recruting issues,and making intelligent well thought out, well informed and well researched decisions.

In the end any move you make is YOURS based upon your best reasoning, and that is the way it should be. As I've said before, no one cares as much as you do, no one knows your son better than you do.

Good luck and keep learning and asking...I do....

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Newcomer...

Didn't respond to the rest of your post...

IMO with the nature of the recuting process what it is at the moment...IMO it is better to be on the agressive side rather than the passive one. Yes the coaches all know each other, but you can't stop chasing the dream because your reading something into it.

IMO there are more coaches who will consider interest by another school to be validation of their decision to consider you, than those who will be put off. My best advice is to communicate clearly, know where you stand don't guess. Build relationships with the coaches if you can. But in the end it is a crazy, amazing, whirilwind game with unexpected twists and turns and you are well to remember that your son is not "off the board" until the ink dries. We all can relate stories of kids who knew that offer was coming and did not get it and others who got last minute offers from schools they had no idea were even considering them.

Have some fun!...


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I can't speak for anyone else, but we were never asked until his senior summer for a schedule. My feeling was if they were interested, they'd ask, but I also felt that no one was really interested until that summer anyway. I hear about parents sending in their 9th, 10th graders schedules and I don't really think coaches are interested at that time and when I posted, Newcomer did not mention son was a junior. Some coaches are very good at recruiting ahead of time, most are not, too busy. JMO.
We didn't send schedule because sons name was listed in PG tournaments, showcases so all they had to do was look to see who was attending, if they were interested, they came to watch him pitch or called summer coach in advance. I am assuming many college coaches call in advance of these events to see if a player is coming.
By teh time he entered his senior spring season of HS, he had gotten many letters, returned the ones he was interested in and was in communication with a FEW coaches through emails. Funny, came July 1 he got calls from coaches we never even got letters from or any interest from, and schools he sent multiple questionaires to he never heard from. His travel during senior summer was what opened doors, because that was when he was at his best, heading into early signing.
I do realize that recruiting has changed since my son was in early years of HS. However, if I had to do it all over again, we'd do the same thing, not really concentrate much until junior spring, senior summer. He did play tournaments before that time, local and traveled during the summers (for fun). One winter camp local. His FIRST showcase was in january of his junior year, that was it until that summer. I don't think one college coach ever came to see him play in HS.
Newcomer, if your son wants to play college ball NOW is the time to start preparing. College coaches will be getting ready for their own teams for the spring, winter camps. Many of teh D1 schools have scouts out watching during this time and spring.

The most important thing is that yuo have a plan.

FYI, newcomer asked a question, should they have notified the coach where son would be this weekend. I responded, that D1 coaches were not allowed to recruit this time of year. And I did say, what you could do is have son jot off a letter or email after he gets results of how he did.

Newcomer, there is no right or wrong answer, each parent has to decide by gathering information and then decide how to decipher it. Exactly what happened to Justbaseball's son happend to us, we sent in early questionaires, only to have them sent all over again, and sometimes again. So therefore, I have come to the conclusion, those schedules and questionaires some send out don't matter until the time arrives for them to matter.
If you need anything don't hesitate to pm.

Longtoss,
In answer to the question, they will respond when time is right, and that will be July 1. I do know that they can call in March now, but I wouldn't read much into that, I hear some coaches don't during that time, too wrapped up in the team.

TPM - I agree with everything you said.

I think back about the many pieces of advice I got all the way back to 8th grade for our son. One that stands out came during our son's HS sophomore season. I asked a local instructor who had played college and minor league ball, "Coach, a lot of people tell me that our son will probably play college ball...is there anything we should be doing now to support that?"

His answer, "yep, ignore all of that and make sure your son has fun this season and summer...the pressure will come soon enough...next year. Keep it fun and the pressure off as long as possible."

He was dead-on right!

JBB,
And I remember not hearing about ED until senior summer at PG National, the same time you must have heard about DK.
I remember when he got the first invite to a showcase, in sophomore year, from a promoter who has faded away. Asked him if he wanted to go, he said, "mom, I don't want to do that yet".


I am thinking of all the pressure put on the young players these days. Parents, do know that the pressure never stops, at any level. Give them and yourself a break.Pressure doesn't STOP when they get a scholarship or when they get drafted, or even when they make the Show. Each level brings on it's own anxiety, pressure, for our kids and ourselves.
I didn't mean to get off the subject, but parents shouldn't be worried about letters and what they might mean, sending schedules of your younger players, debating (as they are in another thread) who is the best 14, 15 year old in the area ,parents calling coaches about their 9th, 10th graders (yes they DO that).

Ltoss, a response from an intro letter is an indication of "common courtesy", that's all - - you can cut those off your list who did not have the courtesy to respond (add them back later if they show up with an offer)

quote:

by jbb: "ignore all of that and make sure your son has fun this season and summer...the pressure will come soon enough...next year. Keep it fun and the pressure off as long as possible."

that was some pretty good advice


I think it's important to keep in mind that
a "good communication" plan makes them aware of YOU and YOUR INTEREST in their program , plus gives them some contacts where more info is available


constant updates, weekly stats, unsolicited videos, schedules etc,
will not CONVINCE them to recruit you - -
if they become interested, it's because they saw you or checked you out with a trusted source - - "in spite of" - NOT "because of" a media blitz

my 2 cents


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quote:

constant updates, weekly stats, unsolicited videos, schedules etc,
will not CONVINCE them to recruit you - -
if they become interested, it's because they saw you or checked you out with a trusted source - - "in spite of" - NOT "because of" a media blitz

AMEN brother!

I'll be the first to suggest that recruiting is marketing but I also know coaches sign players because of their needs and what the players have to offer in the way of talent.
Fungo

The key to any success is marketing.
The majority of the offers my son had, he coaches never saw him play and other than UNLV never even met him.
A wondefull D2 school in CT made him a great offer(The largest) and never saw him or his video. They got his report from a scout who saw him in Long Island.
My son's team hosted several College Showcases but we didn;t go to any until last summer and he had several calls from that. I always called them back and told them right up front wether he was interested or not. We had beautifull Baseball Brochures sent to us from schools all over the US. Some I have no idea how they knew about him.
I discussed every school with him and he said if he was interested or not. I called the schools and told them. One criteria was that he wanted to be in a city where he could get around without a car. Lots of action. Also cheap flights from Buffalo.
If you are getting letters respond to them and if you have a video send it after talking to the coach and if you are interested. Be up front and the coaches will respect you and often the door will be left open in case things don't go your way. In our case we were prepared to have my son work for a year and have him showcase in the fall and summer. Part of making a deal is being able to walk away from the table. I get the impression a lot of people think its the end of the world if they don't sign in their senior year. You have 4 years of playing college ball, spend them wisely.
Go after the schools you are really interested in. Throw a few dream schools in and if you work hard and market yourself properly you might be surprised.
To me the video was the big asset to getting coaches to show interest. Most of the schools were so far away the coaches would never see him. At some point you nhave to choose the schools that you are inyerested in. If some have sent you a letter then stop what you are doing and get to work. If they need a guy at your son's position then you are that further ahead.