Scholarship

You want to go to Notre Dame, you want to get noticed? How about attending their camp program so the coach WILL notice you? No one here would make fun of you for trying to reach that goal.

Don't forget to do well in the classroom. Coaches DO notice those things also.

There is no way around it when your sights are set high......you have to play well

but first things first, play well enough to beome a varsity contributor.....

research your choices, check the rosters.....are there players from your area on the team?.....if not, you have to go where they can see you...(camps, tournaments)

But you also have to have grades.......dont forget the grades.....scholarships are fewer and usually only partial, so no coach is willing to waste money on someone who wont be academically eligible......

The days of dummies getting money are long over....

dont worry about your dreams seeming unreasonnable.......as a freshman, you have the time and right to dream big.......

But get busy......the clock is ticking

best of luck....

Dont worry about grades Im fine there. I dont think my parents would even let me play baseball if I didnt have good grades. I've never gotten any type of a C on any report card/midterm ever. So thats pretty well covered. I have now registered to recieve a brochure about their baseball camp. Any other help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks always

quote:

I dont think my parents would even let me play baseball if I didnt have good grades.

Great parents!! Sounds like they've done an excellent job with you and you're doing your part as well.

Good luck!!

quote:

Originally posted by This Guy:
Dont worry about grades Im fine there. I dont think my parents would even let me play baseball if I didnt have good grades. I've never gotten any type of a C on any report card/midterm ever. So thats pretty well covered. I have now registered to recieve a brochure about their baseball camp. Any other help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks always

You will also want to send the coaching staffs an introduction letter letting them know who you are and how interested you are in their school and any other baseball specific information. You can check out what to include on the recruiting tab toward the left of this site.

If you true are interested in Notre Dame, check into the entrance requirements into the school, I know several very good students (not just no "c's”) who could not get into the school.

BTW you need to have the skills that they are looking for!

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

P.S. don't put all your eggs in one basket, make sure you are chasing after other schools that fit you acedemic and athletic skills as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Homerun04:

You will also want to send the coaching staffs an introduction letter letting them know who you are and how interested you are in their school and any other baseball specific information. You can check out what to include on the recruiting tab toward the left of this site.

If you true are interested in Notre Dame, check into the entrance requirements into the school, I know several very good students (not just no "c's”) who could not get into the school.

BTW you need to have the skills that they are looking for!

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

P.S. don't put all your eggs in one basket, make sure you are chasing after other schools that fit you acedemic and athletic skills as well.

Could you maybe please elaborate on the italicized print in specific. I'm Not quite sure I fully understand. Thanks.

Oh a web page would help explain any examples you might have.

What he is talking about is that Notre Dame is a very tough school to get into academically. I'm sure they shoot down valedictorians who want to get in.

Their enrollment is just over 8,000 students in their undergrad school (first 4 years of college). Now to give you an idea of how tough it will be to get into Notre Dame if you compare their enrollment to University of Indiana (same state) IU has 30,990 undergrad students. That is a difference of 22,990 students.

Now don't let that discourage you. Let this be the beginning of the road map to how to get into Notre Dame. Understand it won't be easy but it's not impossible because 8,000 people prove each fall it's not impossible.

Everyone has given you great advice so far. You want to go to Notre Dame then you initiate it - don't wait for them because you will be waiting a long time. Go to the camps, talk to your high school counselor about going there, talk to Notre Dame NOW about what they require / look for with incoming freshman so you can get a head start doing it and take care of business.

If you do that then your options will be there if you are not one of the 8,000. If you can just miss getting into Notre Dame there WILL be other schools you can qualify for. The best thing going for you is that you are young and it seems willing to do the work.

Shoot for the stars but landing on the moon is still pretty impressive.

Good luck and never be afraid to ask for help.

This Guy, what he is referring to is that not only do you need to be a very gifted baseball player to be seen AND recruited by such a prestigious program, but you MUST also have the academics in place.

Just making A's and B's is not enough nowadays.

I copied this off of ND's website so here are just a few things you and your parents need to consider:

Admissions Statistics

2007 First Year Applicant Pool

14,506 applications
3,548 admitted
1,985 enrolled
Incoming Class Academic Profile (mid 50% ranges)
Fifty percent of the admitted class scored or were ranked between the numbers below. 25% of the class admitted scored or were ranked above the numbers below, and 25% of the class admitted scored or were ranked below the numbers below.
1350 – 1490 on the SAT I (including Critical Reading and Math sections; excluding Writing section)
31 – 34 on the ACT
1% – 5% rank in class

Application Process
Early Action deadline is November 1
notified by mid-December
Regular Action deadline is December 31
notified by beginning of April
Confirmation deadline is May 1

Academic Profile

61% Male
39% Female
118 (74%) applied as First Year students (7 had been admitted as frosh, 33 wait listed and 78 had been denied)
83% are Catholic
87% entered ND as sophomores
13% entered ND as juniors
98% of students transferred from four-year institutions
AVERAGE COLLEGE GPA: 3.70
AVERAGE SAT COMPOSITE (CR + M): 1286
AVERAGE ACT COMPOSITE: 28
AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL RANK: 16%
70% enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters
17% enrolled in the College of Science
13% enrolled in the College of Engineering

If this is YOUR dream and you want it, who out here can tell you no? No one! Your asking the right questions at your young age. Unfortunately these questions are usually asked by players going into their Junior or Senior years and it's too late.

What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve!

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/contacting_coaches.htm

So do I write an email to Coach Mainieri? Or send a letter in the mail? How do I get this questionnaire they talk about? Will they simply send it to me or do I have to ask? What kind of questions will it ask? Am I too young to answer these questions? Thanks for all your help guys your helping me tremendously. Thanks

Coach and Younggun, Thanks for helping address the academic requirements.

This Guy, I did not want to discourage you but more make you aware, we actually had a valedictorian (prestigious catholic school) that got accepted to many very good schools and who had played at a good D1 school that could not get into ND. We also had a very good student and player who tried to get into ND and had two parents who attended ND not be able to get in....

If you are a great player, the baseball team might be able to help; it did not help these good players.

This Guy:
No problem having Notre Dame as a goal, but consider that you could do everything right, have the grades, have the skills, but Notre Dame might not be recruiting your position that year. You never know.

So keep all your options open. Most important right now are grades and baseball skills. Communicating with the coach right now is not all that important, because you (presumably) aren't even a varsity player yet.

Sure, contact the coach and go to one of their camps, but realize the best thing you can spend your energy on right now is grades and baseball skills.

quote:

Originally posted by coach2709:


Shoot for the stars but landing on the moon is still pretty impressive.

I like that. I've always said, set your goals high. But be willing to adjust them when reality catches up with you.

Take the ACT this fall and visit with your high school counselor about your goals. This will give you info that will help you down the road. best wishes.

quote:

Originally posted by biggerpapi:

quote:

Originally posted by coach2709:


Shoot for the stars but landing on the moon is still pretty impressive.

I like that. I've always said, set your goals high. But be willing to adjust them when reality catches up with you.

Thanks - it just came to me and I wasn't even near the throne where I do most of my great thinking.

Oh great, now everytime you say something smart, I'll picture you....

Oh, never mind!

You may contact the coach but he cannot contact you until your junior year. Most likely if you do reach him they will send you a camp brochure.

There are many players who strongly desire to attend their dream school and attend their camp program year after year so that they can get familiar with the coach and he can watch him progress. Many times that coach may not be the coach in a few years. However that should not stop you from getting better at your game and doing well in the classroom.
My son was offerd an opportunity to play at Notre Dame, and he didn't have the academic requirements that have been listed here. He was a good student and a good player, the former pitching coach (Rooney) was FAMILIAR with him as he had been recruiting him while at Stetson and watching him for a few years. While Notre Dame had been recruiting him, the serious discussions didn't happen until after Coach Rooney came.
My son made it his business to let his dream school's coach know who he was before the recruiting process began. Strangest thing, when it came time for him to be offered an official visit and possible offer, he declined, he had already decided that it was not the right fit for him in the end and went elsewhere. I do beleive that one of the main reasons, he really didn't like the Head Coach. How you feel today may change in a few years.

Coach2709,
Thanks for the visual.

Sorry all for the visual but if it helps any people say I look like Brad Pitt.

quote:

Originally posted by This Guy:
How do I get noticed for one besides being really really good? I'm only a Freshman, but want to know the ropes before baseball season. I'd love to get a scholarship to Notre Dame. Even though I know its an extreamly unreasonable goal I seem to still think that I can do it. So... yeah dont make fun of it or anything please. I just want to know how to get noticed.

Thanks always

If you are close by Notre Dame Call the recruiter, I believe he is the catcher coach, Graham Sikes, if he is still there they move around so much. Anyways he is a real up front person and will let you know what you have to do and know.

He told me one time when I ask him what he looks for in a ball player; he said skills will get you noticed. Being teachable, a hard worker and someone with a good attitude/good teammate, will get you a check mark to call on when he is scouting/recruiting. Good grades

My son took private lessons from him when he worked with JMU here in Va. Last I heard he was out at Notre Dame. Give him a call and ask him for a lesson if you are near by. Get to know him and he will steer you in the right direction.

Hated to see him leave the area, have yet to find a catching and hitting instructor that will equal to his work ethic with my son, when he gave my son a lesson it was an actual workout for him and my son. He gave some of the best hitting lessons I saw. He would have my son stand in the box and ask him to identify which zone he pitched the ball to him. Than he taught what you had to do to hit the ball from the different zones, my son was 12 years old last year and just getting into catching and he would split the lesson up.

Wish he would come back to JMU.

Go to Notre Dame web site, I think he is involved in some camps coming up next month. I don’t know what the rules are but he will let you know, I am sure.

drill

Thanks you guys keep the info comming the more I get the better chance I'll have I feel.

Drill: Thank you for the info on Coach Sikes I found some info on him off the ND site, but cannot find any contact info. Could you help me out there maybe.

All: I also cannot find any information on Fall/Winter camps. Only summer of '09 a little help here too would be nice. I am a catcher so catching camps and lessons would be especially helpful.

Coach2709: That leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I'll have nightmares for weeks!!! hahaha!!! funny though

TG,
ND all star baseball camp runs Aug. 30- 31 and Sept 20-21 this year. You should find info on ND website. Many of their players are identified there. Fun experience and very good exposure to the coaches and the school.

Academic minimums are 27 ACT and 3.5 GPA. Graham Sikes is a very good contact.

At this point in your career you would be best to focus energies on skill development and maybe target the camp next year but it never hurts to get started early if thats where you want to go. Good luck.

RUDY! RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!

Sorry but it was on TV either tonight or last night.

quote:

Originally posted by This Guy:
Thanks you guys keep the info comming the more I get the better chance I'll have I feel.

Drill: Thank you for the info on Coach Sikes I found some info on him off the ND site, but cannot find any contact info. Could you help me out there maybe.

All: I also cannot find any information on Fall/Winter camps. Only summer of '09 a little help here too would be nice. I am a catcher so catching camps and lessons would be especially helpful.

Coach2709: That leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I'll have nightmares for weeks!!! hahaha!!! funny though

CAMP DATES:
Session I: August 30-31
Session II: September 20-21
For more information, or to receive a camp brochure, please contact camp coordinator Graham Sikes, at (574) 631-6366, or e-mail Scott Lawler at lawler.22@nd.edu or Sherard Clinkscales at clinkscales.1@nd.edu.

This is what I found for you about camp and a contact number for Graham, if you get a chance to talk to him tell him Jerry and his son Michael says hi and we miss his private lessons with him at JMU, He should remember Michael taking catching and some hitting lessons from him.

Hope this helps, he sure helped me as a father understand the recruiting process and gave my son a realistic look at what to expect in the future from the game of baseball if he stays with it.

Just remember what I said in my first post, Graham said skills will get you noticed. Being teachable, a hard worker and someone with a good attitude/good teammate, will get you a check mark to call on when he is scouting/recruiting. Good grades. The last kind of player is no matter how good they are, is someone who thinks they know it all/not coachable and thinks they are Gods gift.


Have fun and keep up the hard work and keep a level head,


drill


Graham was telling me about the work ethic a player for JMU who signed a big pro contract for big big dollars.

he said he would come in everyday with his skills and ask what Graham or coaching staff wanted him to work on each day. He did not come in with a swelled head, he came in with a, how can I improve on my skills gifted to him from the man above.

To me hearing the story just impressed me of this young mans work ethic, I mean here is a player with all these skills and he just keeps working harder and harder to be the best.

I guess the lesson is, you can never be too good or too humble.

oh and there is only one number 1 (the best)

Thanks for the try but I am going to be a Freshman this year. Class of 2012. Sorry I didn't really say that in the beginning. Here it says the camp is for Sophmores thru Seniors. Thanks for the try though.

quote:

I am a catcher so catching camps and lessons would be especially helpful.

Not sure what area you are from,...so kind of hard to point you in the right direction, with regards to camps etc.
Check out the HSBBW catching & baseball camps forums.

I'm in around the Chicago suburbs.

So should I contact the coach or not? If he cant contact me untill my Junior year shouldn't i wait untill sophmore. Im not so sure someone would come out from ND to a small Chicago suburb to watch some hopefull Freshman. I dont know though maybe.? If i do should it be email or snail mail? If Coach Mainieri cannot contact me can Coach Sikes contact me, or is there to be no contact whatsoever except for flyers and camp brochures and stuff. Thanks

I would do a little more research before you contact the Notre Dame Baseball Office. Coach (Dave?) Schrage took over for Coach Mainieri two or three years ago.

As my experience serves me with this coaching staff, I wouldn't wait for them to come see you. You have to put yourself out there by attending their camps and initiating contact yourself.

Hope this helps.

Oh yeah thats right. I feel really stupid now. He used to be the coach for Northern Illinois University didnt he. Then Ed Mathey took over after Schrage left and went to the University of Evansville then somthing happened and Schrage went to ND if im correct. Thanks for the refresher iturn. How embarrassing would that have been.

Haha, Sounds like you know Schrage's background pretty well. Glad I could help- Good luck.

Well I got a reply back. I just about jumped out of my shorts when I saw the logo on the envolope and the words University of Notre Dame below it addressed to me. I have a few questions on some of the paperwork he sent me. Any idea who I would ask for when I call the university. The student-athleate info. sheet they sent me asks for class rank and ACT + SAT scores GPA and other info I do not have access to yet as I have not taken any of of those tests yet. That kinda stuff.
Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by This Guy:
Well I got a reply back. I just about jumped out of my shorts when I saw the logo on the envolope and the words University of Notre Dame below it addressed to me. I have a few questions on some of the paperwork he sent me. Any idea who I would ask for when I call the university. The student-athleate info. sheet they sent me asks for class rank and ACT + SAT scores GPA and other info I do not have access to yet as I have not taken any of of those tests yet. That kinda stuff.
Thanks

First, just because you received a rely doesn't mean they're interested. It means you're on the mailing list. You will now get invited to camps. They are interested in your money. Enventually if you feel you are a prospect, attend the camp and let the coach know you are.

As for the information they're looking for that you don't have, you've just learned a lesson. It's hard to sell yourself when you haven't done much to this point. Send them your GPA and class rank. Tell them you're planning to take SAT's the summer following your sophomore year.

Just another example of what the process entails----HOME WORK___HOME WORK