I am currently a junior in high school and am anticipating starting for my varsity team this spring. Should I send out a letter to college coaches before the season even though I haven't played varsity at all yet?
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Absolutely! Playing varsity has nothing to do with you finding a college to play. You should be more concerned with your present ability. They put my son on J.V. as a sophomore and he ended up committing to a D1 school as a Junior.
Read through the entire recruiting section of this website. There's some great stuff. Now is the time to get to work! Work hard so you dominate this season. Meantime, identify which level you are capable of playing based on your talent, and contact 20-50 schools (using email, regular mail, telephone, etc.) where you might be interested in playing. Do that right now! Be sure to attend a few high-profile showcases next Summer. Check out the Perfect Game website. Play for the best Summer team possible.
Good luck.
Read through the entire recruiting section of this website. There's some great stuff. Now is the time to get to work! Work hard so you dominate this season. Meantime, identify which level you are capable of playing based on your talent, and contact 20-50 schools (using email, regular mail, telephone, etc.) where you might be interested in playing. Do that right now! Be sure to attend a few high-profile showcases next Summer. Check out the Perfect Game website. Play for the best Summer team possible.
Good luck.
Sending letters is great but try to send letters to only those schools you are intersted in and not just the ones close to home.
A great tool is College Search
From there you can start to pin down choices. Many schools have questionaires on their atrhletic website pages so you should fill those out and send them in.
Also don't be afraid to take a visit or two to the schools you like the most (and would most likely like to see you). By letting them know ahead of time, you can usually meet with the Baseball coaches as well as the acedemic departments.
Finally don't be afraid to call the coaches and introduce yourself. You can call any coach at any time and talk as much as you want. However coaches are only permitted to contact you during specific periods of the year. If the coach you want to talk to is not available then leave a voice mail.
A great tool is College Search
From there you can start to pin down choices. Many schools have questionaires on their atrhletic website pages so you should fill those out and send them in.
Also don't be afraid to take a visit or two to the schools you like the most (and would most likely like to see you). By letting them know ahead of time, you can usually meet with the Baseball coaches as well as the acedemic departments.
Finally don't be afraid to call the coaches and introduce yourself. You can call any coach at any time and talk as much as you want. However coaches are only permitted to contact you during specific periods of the year. If the coach you want to talk to is not available then leave a voice mail.
Couple of questions:
1. Should I send a letter to the coaches and fill out the questionaire on their website, if so, does it matter which one I do first?
2. Should I call the coach before or after I mail the letter?
3. What do I say to the coach other than I am interested in playing baseball at his school?
1. Should I send a letter to the coaches and fill out the questionaire on their website, if so, does it matter which one I do first?
2. Should I call the coach before or after I mail the letter?
3. What do I say to the coach other than I am interested in playing baseball at his school?
1. Do both -- it doesn't matter in what order
2. Call him a few days after you mail the letter to see if he has any questions and to personally invite him to see some of your games.
3. Tell the coach why you want to play baseball at his school (reasons can include the reputation his program has, the school's academic programs, family lives nearby, etc.). Also, tell him about yourself (height, weight, position, 60 time, velocity [as a pitcher or infielder/outfielder], pop time [as a catcher], the names of your high school and select teams, contact names and phone numbers/email addresses, etc.) With your letter, you should send a schedule of your upcoming games. Do this again right before your summer season begins.
Best wishes!
2. Call him a few days after you mail the letter to see if he has any questions and to personally invite him to see some of your games.
3. Tell the coach why you want to play baseball at his school (reasons can include the reputation his program has, the school's academic programs, family lives nearby, etc.). Also, tell him about yourself (height, weight, position, 60 time, velocity [as a pitcher or infielder/outfielder], pop time [as a catcher], the names of your high school and select teams, contact names and phone numbers/email addresses, etc.) With your letter, you should send a schedule of your upcoming games. Do this again right before your summer season begins.
Best wishes!
Infield 08 - I have just one thing to add to your very good suggestions.
Ask the coach about his program and/or school. Most will like the opportunity to discuss these topics plus it opens the door a little easier to two way conversation.
Ask the coach about his program and/or school. Most will like the opportunity to discuss these topics plus it opens the door a little easier to two way conversation.
How would you go about asking a coach about his program, as in is "Tell me a little about your program" a good question.
That almost seems backward like he has to impress me...
What sorts of questions should I ask, and I'm still just working on the first phone call.
That almost seems backward like he has to impress me...
What sorts of questions should I ask, and I'm still just working on the first phone call.
09thirdstop,
One of the coaches that was recruiting my son called here one night, son was not at home he asked if he could talk to me a little.He told me that they like kids to ask questions. during the recruiting process at least for my son (and these were all smaller schools) the coaches call every week or two and just chat with my son. They ask about his social life, school, friends, about football, ping pong etc. etc. I have heard my son in the room talking about things other than baseball, my son is not real verbal with people he doesnt know and some of the coaches just want to get to know you as a person . they told us they like the kids to ask about the program, it shows real interest on your part and that youve done your homework about their school. its a two way street you need to be happy and the coach wants a good fit as well. my son just recently declined a small D3 school.The coach was really nice, we kept communication open and w ewere honest. The coach said if things didnt work out at the JC he would still love to have my son. with some schools you build a relationship, my son has emailed coaches when tney have made playoffs and wished them luck. they are people too, in our exp. and my son is not a top D1 recruit, but we have sure ran into a lot of great coaches and have been very impressed with their openess .
One of the coaches that was recruiting my son called here one night, son was not at home he asked if he could talk to me a little.He told me that they like kids to ask questions. during the recruiting process at least for my son (and these were all smaller schools) the coaches call every week or two and just chat with my son. They ask about his social life, school, friends, about football, ping pong etc. etc. I have heard my son in the room talking about things other than baseball, my son is not real verbal with people he doesnt know and some of the coaches just want to get to know you as a person . they told us they like the kids to ask about the program, it shows real interest on your part and that youve done your homework about their school. its a two way street you need to be happy and the coach wants a good fit as well. my son just recently declined a small D3 school.The coach was really nice, we kept communication open and w ewere honest. The coach said if things didnt work out at the JC he would still love to have my son. with some schools you build a relationship, my son has emailed coaches when tney have made playoffs and wished them luck. they are people too, in our exp. and my son is not a top D1 recruit, but we have sure ran into a lot of great coaches and have been very impressed with their openess .
quote:What sorts of questions should I ask
Off the top of my head, here's a couple of open-ended questions:
* How do you think your team is going to do this season?
* What are some of the goals you have for your team this year?
Hopefully, others can chime in.
Remember to always be respectful and say "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" when coaches ask you questions. A little respect goes a long way!
[QUOTE]Originally posted by 09thirdstop:
How would you go about asking a coach about his program, as in is "Tell me a little about your program" a good question.
How about "I read about your program on your website. I am interested in your school and especially the baseball program. Do you have a good acedemic support structure for student athletes?"
Or..."What is most important to you when recruiting players?"
Or.... "Do you run a JV program or just Varsity?" (some, like ASU have both).
How would you go about asking a coach about his program, as in is "Tell me a little about your program" a good question.
How about "I read about your program on your website. I am interested in your school and especially the baseball program. Do you have a good acedemic support structure for student athletes?"
Or..."What is most important to you when recruiting players?"
Or.... "Do you run a JV program or just Varsity?" (some, like ASU have both).
Thanks so much for all of the responses
I too need some help
I sat the bench for Varsity as a freshman,and played some JV.Last year I missed a good portion of the year with a thumb injury,and this year I am recovering from a serious pars stress fracture on my spine,so Ive never been healthy.This will be my first full year on varsity as a starter.Should I send initial contact letters?Should I have the HS coach help
I sat the bench for Varsity as a freshman,and played some JV.Last year I missed a good portion of the year with a thumb injury,and this year I am recovering from a serious pars stress fracture on my spine,so Ive never been healthy.This will be my first full year on varsity as a starter.Should I send initial contact letters?Should I have the HS coach help
its also important to note I may not be at full strength all year.My back injury had me in a brace for the last 4 months(was cleared one month ago)
I wouls make sure you're completely healthy before you do too much in terms of marketing yourself. If a school only gets one chance to get out to see you play, you want to make sure you will be able to show them your abilities at full strength.