Tell your recruiting story

One word summary: Frustrating.

The biggest part of recruiting: what the coach is like on the field. Many times, a coach is different while recruiting than while coaching on the field. Get a sense for how the coach reacts during games, whether he is laid back or if he is a yeller, etc. This might not come out in the recruiting, but if your son is going to be with the coaches every day, I believe it's important to figure out how the coaching style fits your son.

As PUHD said, (hopefully I used a suitable acronym) the recruiting process can be frustrating at times. But, if you knock hard enough, a door usually opens-even if it's not the one you were expecting.

Just like a rollercoaster ride....a lot of ups and downs but at the end of the ride....a good ride!

Recruited = passion + skill + exposure + persistence + luck

Top 4 Lessons learned:

1) Lead with what you are good at and define your goals. We looked at all kinds of baseball programs & levels and then tried to match the academics....this was the wrong approach for us. If we had led with acadmemic schools that had good baseball programs we would have saved ourselves a lot of time, money and frustration. In the end it worked out fantastically for my son, but the journey was a lot "bumpier" than it had to be.

2) Be flexible. If something isn;t working or you aren't getting the results you desire, change the way you are doing it.

3) Trust your gut. Coaches will tell you what you want to hear. Ask specific questions. If you don't understand the answer, ask the coach to explain. This is your life. You have to feel comfortable about committing, enrolling, and your 4 years. If you aren;t comfortable then you need to move onto the next school that is recruiting you. Don't be afraid to say "no".

4) Use HSBBWeb as a tool to learn from others.

Good advice above.

My one comment is to go where they really want you.

Of course it has to be a good fit. I've heard this many times here at HSBBW and believe it is very important. It is hard for me to put into words why but you will understand it when you experience it.

quote:

Originally posted by Aleebaba:
My son and his Summer teammates are incoming juniors in North Texas, and parents/kids in our position are very curious about what to expect and how to handle it. Some of the top pitchers on our Summer team have already received verbal offers from local colleges, and some position players have been told by coaches they are interested. This site has been a great source of information, but we would love to read more stories from those that have already been through the recruiting process, (both good and bad), that will help us on our journey.

Please share your recruiting story, and include information on how son got on radar, what mistakes we should try and avoid, and what you would do differently if you could do it again. Thank you.

It's been more or less 10 years since son was recruited and while there are some things that have changed (earlier commitments, minimum for D1, more tournaments and showcases) the basic concepts have not. Not being able to transfer to D1 to D1 or up to D1 without sitting, demands that baseball players remain on target for graduation, higher GPA requirements also has played a huge role in the importance of trying to make better decisions, and of course the higher costs of education.

What hasn't changed is that pitchers will always be the first to be offered, then catchers and MIF. Top HS position players will be offered good scholarships to keep them out of the draft.Sometimes for some it's a quick process and for others a waiting game, and sometimes things make no sense, but IMO the more you gather information and understand the process the better prepared you will be. I also don't believe in quick decisions and I don't believe in accepting an offer when you have not established any type of relationship with a coach, because as stated more than likely he will wear a completely different hat when your player arrives in the fall. In other words, the honeymoon will be over! And remember when you take on the commitment it is to the PROGRAM and SCHOOL, not the coach.

Everyone has a different story and even for those with lots of attention it can be frustrating as well. My opinion is that the quicker one narrows down their choices based upon sincere interest (you will know what that is when it comes and as suggested trust your gut) the easier it becomes. Also in this day and age if your player is not out playing junior and senior summer, fall you are missing out out great opportunities to get exposure.

Important also as Fenwaysouth suggests is defining your goals. Don't go by what others are seeking, keep in mind that big state U may be good for one player but not others. That's why having a plan based upon your son strengths (and weaknesses) should be the main focus. Sometimes you just have to let go of the dream school scenario and be more open minded.

My son gained recognition by being a try out for youth USA (though he didn't make it). I felt that this opened a lot of doors, but they do things a lot differently now and I am not sure whether the added expense is worth it as there are so many more great venues than there were years ago. Attending the preliminary tournaments is great exposure, having to travel when it is a hardship should be a consideration for going further. The next most important event was WWBA in Jupiter, but because we live close by, this also was not a huge expense as we were in state. We paid a lot of money for elite travel team in summer and that was well worth the expense.
My sons recruiting story more or less is that we didn't spend the money we didn't have and did when it was more meaningful. I think that people become frustrated for two reasons, they spend a lot and no results or they don't attend the right events and wait for someone to find their player.
In the end son didn't feel the need to make 5 OV visits, or waste anyone's time, the coach that he met junior fall and developed a relationship with that still exists today was what made his decision, though I believe that a player should not sign for the coach, but for the school, my son absolutely loved where he attended and would do it all over even if the coach wasn't who he was. Smaller class size, smaller school population, change of weather, and conference worked out well for him.

Be sure you look at the roster of the teams you are highly considering. When our son was being recruited, I noticed that the guy who played centerfield for the school we chose was graduating but forgot to take notice that there was a young guy in right who had been the first guy in almost twenty years to start at the school as a freshman position player who fit the profile of a center fielder. Well, that guy moved to center and quickly became a two time All Conference player, blocking my son, causing him to become a red shirt that we hadn't expected and a part timer his freshman year. There were also about six other junior or senior outfielders who filled the other outfield spots. Now three years later I look at our team with four great outfielders this past year and next and see the same delimma developing for the freshman and sophomore outfielders of last year. Often it may take a guy three years if ever to get in the starting lineup at a good baseball school.

quote:

Originally posted by Aleebaba:
Please share your recruiting story, and include information on how son got on radar, what mistakes we should try and avoid, and what you would do differently if you could do it again. Thank you.

My son is a 2013 LHP and his recruiting story began last summer. About 2 or 3 weeks before the 2013 WWBA in Georgia his pitching/travel coach asked if he would be interested in attending the tournament in Georgia with another team in need of pitchers. We decided to go and it was the best decision we ever made. He performed very well and was noticed by a couple of D1 coaches in attendance.

He continued to show development over the summer and coming off the PG WWBA experience decided to tryout for one of the premier showcase teams on the east coast (and arguably the country). He made the team and pitched very well in the fall at the PG WWBA underclass championship in Fort Myers. That put him on the map with several D1 schools in our state.

During the fall and into the winter he made contact via email with all the schools he was interested in, as well as, those that were interested in him. Things began to move very fast for him when he attended a pitcher/catcher showcase put on by his showcase organization and again performed very well. No less than 20 D1 schools were represented including several ACC and SEC schools. At this showcase, the recruiting coordinator of one of his two dream schools approached him to inquire where he was in the recruiting process.

He spent most of the spring visiting schools including his two dream schools. The coaches of both of his dream schools made it clear there was significant interest in him however, they wanted to see him throw in a game again. By the end of April his velocity was in the upper 80s and one dream school came to see him on a Sunday in another skills combine. They then traveled to watch him throw in a game the very next day.

He and the pitching coach of dream school talked that night and they set up another visit during their last home stand of the season. Offer was made during that visit and son accepted.

My advise from my experience and assuming the skill set is there, 1) Make sure your son is proactive. Contact coaches of schools he's interested in attending via email/phone. 2) Hopefully his showcase team/organization attends the PG events in Georgia in summer and Florida in fall. That experience was incredible and highly scouted. And finally, try to enjoy the ride. It was exciting, hectic and stressful (and that could be all in the same day)!

It was an experience my son and I will remember the rest of our lives. Good luck to you and your son in the coming year.

This has the potential of being a Golden thread. Will have to come back to it when I have a chance.

I hope that you persons on site with 2012s and 2013s that are getting interest and making commitments start telling your stories here.

I'm a 2012 commit to a small NAIA school, yet I think my story is worth sharing. I played at a very political high school in which I didn't really get a lot of playing time. After 2 years on JV and a string of injuries/off field incidents with teammates on my high school team, I became an everyday starter on varsity my junior year. I had a very above average year(an above .300 average) in which I was happy with, but I knew I wasn't going to get recognition from my high school. My high school coach was known for not help players get scholarships, so I knew that I needed to play very well my Junior summer and most of all, get teams interested in me by watching me firsthand.

One weekend after receiving my Junior summer schedule, I sat down and did research of every school within a 60 mile radius of where we were playing. We played mainly in Tennessee, but I e-mailed coaches from Virginia,North Carolina, and Kentucky in addition to Tennessee schools. I sent out over 100 e-mails to different coaches from schools that I was interested in attending(for me, I knew that I wanted to be relatively close to home; not on the West Coast playing in California), and received only 3 e-mails back(2 DII's and an NAIA).

I kept each coach updated weekly on how I had done each weekend tournament. The interest grew stronger and stronger with the NAIA coach, yet the other two coaches' interest slowly died down. Eventually, the coach from the NAIA school came and watch our team play while his team had a break in between his traveling team tournament(coincidentially in the same town). I went 3-4 that game, and felt very optomistic about how I performed in front of the coach. However, I didn't hear from the coach for a few weeks afterwards. I continued to keep him updated weekly even though I wasn't hearng back from him. He did reply back after one weekly update and invited me to a private showcase camp later on in the year, and I attended. The week of and before I had been very sick, a virus and sinus infection respectfully, so I wasn't necessarily sure how I was going to perform at the showcase. My body wasn't at 100% but I knew this was a great opportunity that I needed to take advantage of. Personally I wasn't happy with my performance during the workout portion of the camp. I was winded after doing easy tasks, and certainly didn't run a solid 60 yard dash time. However, I once again had a 3-4 game when we played an intersquad with the camp members. So at the time, I really wasn't sure where I stood.

The coach was suppose to e-mail an evaluation after the camp to each player, but I never received an evaluation: instead just a scholarship offer a few weeks later.I accepted the offer shortly after receiving it in November, and was very happy to be committed to the school. When the Spring season came along, I was optomistic about what I could do being one of only 3 seniors on the team. I had a solid winter and fall working out with the team, yet I was not a starter. I started only 3 games my senior year being the only commit on the entire roster. I batted above .300 once again, but once again politics played a role. Remember, regardless of what your high school coach thinks of you, a college coach might be willing to give you a chance. Always workhard and play the game the way its meant to be played.


Needless to say, I have an unique experience as well.

lebanonbb,

Yours is a great story! Congratulations to you for being proactive and persistent, and especially, CONGRATS on the scholarship offer!


I hope that you will stick around and keep us updated on your college baseball experience.


Julie

Son spent first two years of high school sitting. Junior year was on JV and pitching quite a bit in relief and suffered a concussion half way through the season. Doctor shut him down for the rest of the season. Started summer ball and pulled a groin had to shut it down again. He had no collage baseball prospects at this point. He got well in the fall and went to Headfirst. Pitched and played well there and had several DIII schools contact him that following week. He will be playing at Stevens this fall.

The thing that I want to stress is how easy it would have been for the 5' tall 90# HS freshman to have quit over the last 4 years. He never gave up. Now he is a 5" 11" 160# college freshman who is still growing

First, I have a daughter and so, I’ll have to respond from that perspective. IMO, it is important that a coach see your child play. That is the benefit of selecting a few college teams your son is interested in and then attending camps there. My daughter started attending college camps at the age of 9. She knew early on she wanted to be a player. By the time she was 12, she was often used by the coaches at various camps as a “demonstrater” because they knew her so well. That was a bonus for us in the recruiting process. Along the way, she had also built a reputation by say 12-14 with travel coaches, etc. and even the late Mary Nutter who just passed away asked her to be a demonstrator at some of her clinics. We put that on her recruiting resume. Ironically, the head coach at the school where she attend the most summer clinics never recruited her despite the fact that over half of the conference that school plays in was recruiting my daughter. You see, it was nothing personal. This coach didn't need a player like my daughter for positions she was looking to fill after her senior year. We are still on great terms with that coach. That is a part of the frustration of recruiting.
The travel ball program your son plays in matters. What tournaments they play, showcases they attend … are all important. If I had a son, you can bet I’d get in to a Perfect Game Showcase. Anyway, since I am talking softball, you have to be honest about your child’s ability and realize whether you have a player (child) capable of playing D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA, JUCO, … Honesty is the hardest part. Typically, how your child does in the best tournaments at the highest level will show whether he can play at any given level. My daughter started playing 18U when she turned 14. She played in 7 or 8 states every year and made contacts to coaches in each of those areas before each tournament. It was hit and miss on who showed up but she always made contacts prior to those tournaments with schools in that area that she was interested in. In the long run these constant contacts paid off as she received offers from Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley schools in our area as well as some offers from schools in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. She played in major exposure tournaments all over.
One of the best pieces of advice we received was to get a good video made and get it on YouTube. Most college coaches will take the time to look at it. One school made an offer to my daughter based solely upon her YouTube video. They had never seen her play and they are a solid D-I school. We made a very nice recruiting brochure to send out to colleges and although I don’t know the effect it had, it had every bit of information a college might want to know. If anyone wants to see my daughter’s brochure, pm me and I’ll find out how to get you a copy.

I know that I am jumping around. What we did was that we drew an arc on a map that represented 4 to 5 hours away from our home. That represented our focus for recruiting. When she was a freshman in high school, we went on an unofficial visit to one of those colleges and they were impressed at her size and the information in the brochure. My daughter was all everything even as a freshman. You know the standard for most is that they will follow your child and so this coach did. In fact, we stopped by there a lot. This is where you have to understand that your child’s heart just might get broken in this process. On one of the winter camps there, the coach even had my daughter try on one of their uniforms. By then, she was a junior. Daughter did well at the camp and coach wanted daughter to go home, think about what she really wanted and then come back and verbal after listening to the offer. We couldn’t since daughter had one more tournament and then high school ball started. However, we agreed to come back for summer camp. In between something happened. We don’t know exactly what but coach came to watch her play and she had a tremendous tournament. She hit 3 bombs, 4 or 5 doubles and didn’t make an out in a very tough tournament. Instead, the coach went to our daughter’s coach and wanted to recruit two other players on the team. He still had an offer but it was pretty much 25%. That is the way the process goes. My daughter cried a lot. We messed up by telling all of the other schools that she was going to this particular university. Don’t make that mistake! We got her name out there fast and she got a lot of offers. In the end, the assistant coach recruiting her at the one university became the head coach at another and so, my daughter was his first recruit. She just finished her freshman year. She had an exceptional freshman year was 1st team All-Conference Team and 1st Team All Midwest Team. Therefore, she was nominated for All American. She is so excited to be where she is and truly loves playing for her coach. I wish the same experience for all of you!

Thanks Coach 25,

Having an 18 yo daughter that was moderately recruited along with teammates there seems to be a difference in the process as girls mature earler. They still have similar paths, but not as much exposure opportunities. My daughter was recruited directly at tournaments by low-level D1s, but she elected to attend the college of her choice and she is going to try and walk on. Coaches would call her high school and Summer coach to get her to change her mind, but she never did. We will see what happens in the Fall.

As someone said above, it is indeed frustrating.

However, the great thing is you are as good as the day you play in front of certain coaches. You can have some miserable performances, but have one great day in front of five coaches and four of them will offer.

My son has several JUCO, NAIA and NCAA DII offers, and hope to get one or two of them that he likes to offer more than the others. Right now they're all offering tuition and books, but maybe one or two will step up, now that they know he has several offers from their competitors as well.

Good luck to all of you.

Son went to a JC after highschool.Had a good year as a true freshman and had good grades.Was getting a lot of calls and we had been on a few visits.

Three days before school started a PAC 10 school lost a player to late sign with MLB draft.Offered son scholarship.Was a school my son had loved since he was a little boy.

Never visited until we took him down there.Was it perfect NO.But he was a three year started two time Pac 12 Honorable mention and got his degree.

Maybe it was better not having to think about a lot of stuff.Just going with a leap of faith.(???)

Our recruiting story is too long to delve into too deeply in this particular forum but, suffice it to say, lessons were learned I wouldn't wish on anyone if they can be avoided . . .

The absolute main thing I would offer is to pay very close and complete attention to the process of establishing a relationship with the Head Coach along the way. Watch him in game situations and how he interacts with the kids pre-game and during the game as that will speak volumes about what they think of him. If possible, take in an actual practice which could be monumental with regard to affording you the ability to make the correct and proper observations. Let's look at the facts . . . it is him who makes out the line-up, calls all the real shots, gets the credit when things go as planned and the **** when things don't, etc. Yes, Pitching Coaches make pitching changes and other Assistant Coaches are given lots of latitude and their suggestions credence but, at the end of the day, the buck stops with the HC. Thus, he will be the one who most can affect your son's college baseball experience - both good and bad. We learned that there is an ever turning revolving door where Assistant Coaches are concerned as, in my son's case for example, the entire coaching staff - save the Head Coach - was turned over prior to his FR season and then again by his the end of his SO season which makes it doubly tough on a young man who had no relationship with the HC coming into the program. This includes strength coaches, trainers, pitching, hitting, infield, Associate, Graduate, Volunteer, etc. ALL of THEM. EVERY SINGLE COACH. NOT MOST OR ALOT . . . EVERY SINGLE COACH WAS NO LONGER THERE. The only Coach who did not see our son play baseball prior to him arriving on campus and showing up that first day of practice in the Fall of his FR year was the HC. That sounds hard to imagine but it really is very typical as it is the assistants who do all the main recruiting and then present the options they have narrowed down to the HC for his final blessing. I would also implore you to follow that same type of thinking/thread as, when a program has the type of hard to fathom Coaching turnover as I am referencing, what then unfortunately unavoidably follows is equal player turnover and we all know that in life - where there is smoke, there is fire. So, if at all possible, make sure you do your homework in this regard. Think about all of that and it will make sense.

Another key thing would be to attempt to find parents of current players and ask them what their experience has been at the school and with the program. I didn't do that until it was too late and learned at the Conference Championships my son's FR season when I was staying in the same hotel as the team (a decision I incorrectly made throughout the season to NOT do as many, if not most, of the parents stay in the same hotels as the team on the road) and ended up on a stool beside several of our most talented and decorated players' fathers (all three whom would get drafted three weeks later) who absolutely shocked me when they got going about what their thoughts REALLY were regarding the HC and the program. I only wish I had the benefit of that information when my son was considering this school and this program as a HS JR and not once he was there and things were already progressing poorly.

Those two major items - getting to know the HC and asking existing parents of kids who are doing well their thoughts (common sense will dictate that parents of kids who are doing poorly or not playing are not going to typically have a lot of great things to say . . . sadly, I would appear to fall into that category but absolutely, positively I would be of the exact same opinion whether or not my son was performing up to capabilities or not) will make a giant difference in helping you determine if a particular school or program is worthy for your son to attend and play ball.

And, I'm sure that I will get bombarded by some of the old timers on here but this was our black and white experience, not just some sour grapes story of some wannabe but can't be, just the cold hard facts. My son left home 100% healthy and in love with the game he'd grown up playing from sunrise to sunset and progressed to where he told us out in SD, CA while out there for the team's first weekend of the season that he didn't respect and was literally getting to the point where he unfortunately hated the Coaching Staff, a sentiment he swore was rampant throughout most, if not, the entire squad and one that I personally then had shared with me by many other parents during the season, swore he thought he may need Tommy John Surgery (a fact now confirmed) and literally had reached the point where he wanted to just give up playing the game. All this from a kid who two years earlier was an MLB draft pick out of HS as a two way guy, voted by the HS Coaches in our state as the overall Player of the Year - in a State that had 13 HS players drafted his SR year - and roughly a year and a half later, he is ready to quit the game????? Do your think getting things right during the recruiting process is important? He ended up transferring this summer to a CWS participant from this past season who is absolutely thrilled to have him and is ready to play for a HC who I personally know is exactly the opposite of the one he left and for a Pitching Coach who has been at the program forever and for whom he will be playing at a school where both main Coaches (as a pitcher only now, that's the HC and PC) have seen my son play since he was 7 years old so there can and will be a happy ending to this story but it didn't have to be this way and it all could have been avoided if we would have taken the steps I've outlined above for you to take.

So, in closing, I implore you to dig a little. And . . . since I ended up getting on a bit of a run here, make sure to get your own opinion regarding medical issues if things you are being told don't appear to be matching up with what your son is personally experiencing. If someone tells you something that is not jiving with pain your son is experiencing, get things looked at on our own. It's HIS career and HIS arm, and it's more important to HIM and YOU than it is anyone else. I'll stop there . . . and I apologize for straying from the original topic but it was actually kind of cathartic . . . LOL. I would hope nobody has to go through what we have these past two seasons and wish you nothing but good luck with the process as the recruiting part can be and is a lot of fun . . . enjoy the ride. Thanks.

It always surprises me when I hear stories such as yours Cannon. Due diligence is so important when making such a life decision on a school and program. So often we get “starry eyed” when an offer comes in that we forget to really do our homework. I think the most important decisions my son made were the “no thank you” after checking out the program, coaches and contacting some of the former players and parents. No matter how good a program you will find players who did not fit for a number of reasons and finding those who did not have a positive experience are so important to get a complete view of a program. This is really hard to do especially when, in your mind you think you have found a perfect fit. This is when you really need to seek out dissenting opinions.

The beauty of this site is that you can usually find these connections or at least testimonials like yours on the importance of doing background work on a school, players and coaches. Other than the academic match to me the number one criteria for picking a school is to go where the head coach has a plan for you.

quote:

The absolute main thing I would offer is to pay very close and complete attention to the process of establishing a relationship with the Head Coach along the way.

Sure, it is a good idea to carefully evaluate the HC. But, speaking from my son's experience, I don't think it is even close to the "main thing". My son had offers from 5 schools (Pac-12, Big West, ACC). Now, entering his second year of college, three of the HCs are different and none of the pitching coaches are the same.

Wow . . . just goes to show you that even getting a read on the HC still brings peril. I am an advocate of allowing the players to transfer without penalty if the HC leaves the program and that is a good example of the type of turnover there is in the coaching profession. For us, I maintain it was at the top of the list . . . thanks.

quote:

Sure, it is a good idea to carefully evaluate the HC. But, speaking from my son's experience, I don't think it is even close to the "main thing". My son had offers from 5 schools (Pac-12, Big West, ACC). Now, entering his second year of college, three of the HCs are different and none of the pitching coaches are the same.

I agree, but it sure is one variable that has to be taken into account, and I would put it in the upper 50% of the decision vs the lower 50%. I know our sons's were recruited by some of the same programs and the stability (or lack of) of two of those HC's were partially why he decided to go elsewhere.

I had a very direct conversation with my son's current HC about this because he was rumored to be in line for number of other jobs because of the success he has had at his current program. My son is thrilled with his coaching situation, and I would venture to guess maybe 1/2 of his friends who are now playing can say the same thing. Of course if a coach get's a great offer he is going to take it, but you can get a pretty good idea on the status of a coach if you do your homework, which I think is what cannon was referring to.

cannon,

I will bet if you asked half the parents here if the HC was the same guy who they and their son met several times was the same one your son met up with when he arrived, the answer might be "no". Either he was replaced or he was just totally different while in the recruiting process.

I admit my son chose where he went, not only because he really liked the school but because of the pitching coach. The HC was not the reason why son attended that program and he was not recruited by the HC. He was fortunate to attend a program where the HC lets his coaches also coach and control their players. I guess that is why the reason they leave is to become HC at other programs.

My opinion, just because of the way things are (as in 3FG's post),the recruit should make decisions based on the program, the history (success or failure) of the program, school, social and geographical considerations as well as academic and career degree (leave out the pro stuff). The recruit definetly should meet the HC and make sure the HC is aware of who he has offered that scholarship to. Keep in mind HE is the one who also renews that scholarship year after year.

I am not an advocate of the player transfering if the coaching staff changes. Also, keep im mind that parents will always find reasons to dislike a program, mostly for their own personal reasons regarding their son. Never expect things to be 100% perfect or 100% the way YOU think it should be (not that your story doesn't have merit, but that is YOUR story someone elses maybe entirely different).

FWIW, my son, who attended a high profile program, called us at some points in the year, telling us he had enough he was out of there, blah, blah, blah, but we let him vent. I remember the first weekend of the season, they lost every game, he called us to tell us he didn't sign up to play on a losing team, that year they missed Omaha by one loss and the following year they were there. Again, sometimes you just got to let them vent, and understand that it's not always as bad as they want you to think it is.

This is not HS baseball. My sons coaches were VERY tough on him, most successful coaches are tough, and looking in the rear view mirror son knows that toughness has made him who he is today.

Let me start by saying my son was dropped off on Saturday at a D3 school that is the absolute best place for him. Good academics, fits his personality, AND good baseball program (notice what is last).

We got a bit of a late start for not being in a high profile part of the state and my son was not very proactive in the process. I think there would have been many more opportunities if he had taken ownership of the recruiting process. Let's face it, you are marketing yourself and need to get out there.

He did have a mid-D1 program follow him through part of the Summer of his junior year but they disappeared. I still think part of the reason was that my son didn't follow-up with the recruiting coordinator after one of the coaches drove an hour to see him pitch (about the third coach that had seen him including the head coach).

He was also contacted by several D3 programs. It was the school where the HC called weekly and that my son turned to me during the campus tour saying "I really want to go here" that we dropped him off at on Saturday.

Yes, the process was a roller coaster ride (especially when interest was coming from more than one level) and it was frustrating with a son who was not taking ownership. As I kept telling him, "there is a deadline." Our deadline was that he had to make a college decision prior to the start of his Senior season so there would be no distractions, especially with his classes.

We are so glad that he is at the school where he answered "Yes" to the question "Would you still want to go here if you could not play baseball?"

VaRHPmom:

Your son is not alone in the ownership department. It almost seems like a rite of passage. It also sounds as if he is in a good spot. Best of luck.

This is a great thread. I have three recruiting stories -- all very different and all probably helpful in one way or another. I just have to figure out how to condense them down so they make sense. I can tell you that at the time, they did not, although in retrospect things seem so very clear. Maybe I will tell them one at a time.

Our 2013 son's recruiting journey was very heavily focused on finding a good academic fit in addition to a good baseball fit. If needed, he was willing to sacrifice a little bit of baseball (relative strength of the program) to find what he wanted in the classroom. He started with a list of about 30 schools, which, honestly, more closely reflected the USNWR college rankings than NCAA baseball rankings. However, since like many players, he hopes to get a chance to play even beyond college, he made sure that there was a history of players getting drafted out of the school in recent years. There is a website that helps you find all players drafted out of a particular school(http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/research.asp)
There were, however, a very, very few schools that were near the top of both lists, so he set those as his "dream" schools.
Then we researched how to get in front of all of these schools, and this website was invaluable in identifying those "must-attend" events. I should add that my son is NOT a big-body player who hits bombs. We found that that the events that allowed coaches to watch him over an extended period of time (vs.a straight showcase format) were the best events for him...maybe consider that when signing your son up for events. This was his entire showcase/major tourney schedule:

1) USA baseball 16U Championships West (JOs)-summer after frosh and soph years
2) PG CA underclass showcase-winter sophomore year
3) Headfirst in NorCal and Quakes Baseball Ivy West Camp-summer after soph year
4)PG National Games 2013-summer after soph yr (only one day bc Ivy Camp above was going on at the same time)
5) Stanford Camp-summer after soph and junior years--in my opinion the MUST MUST MUST camp for high academic baseball players, but I'm a little biased bc that's where he got seen by his #1 dream school
6) WWBA 17U-summer after soph and junior years-great for being seen by east coast and southern schools for west coast kids.
7)AZ Junior Fall Classic-soph yr, AZ Senior Fall Classic-jr year. Sr Fall Classic has I think 150-200 coaches there and they ARE following the kids who emailed them. I know this bc I sat in the stands with a bunch of them that I know my son emailed a schedule to!!
8) USA Baseball NTIS 15U, 17U, and Tournament of Stars in Cary, NC (all free events-thank goodness). TOS in particular was a great event...many many many coaches there watching them PRACTICE/warmup. Also had an awesome time living with a host family and meeting incredibly talented kids from all over the country (Cavan Biggio was a teammate!) Not sure how they pick kids for TOS...maybe through seeing them at other USA Baseball events like JOs?
9) Scout ball junior fall-only played a few games and tourneys but coach was an INCREDIBLE source of wisdom and served as a valuable reference for college coaches who called.
10) Area Code Tryouts-didn't get very far in process but boy were there a lot of coaches and pro scouts there!!


When he started the process, he was honestly thinking if he could get the chance to play at an Ivy that would be great. As he grew and progressed baseball-wise, the list of "possibles" grew, as well, but again, keeping up the academics were what kept all of the options open. Consistent communication with coaches was also very important to keep him "top of mind" as my friend Fenway puts it. He emailed his updated transcripts each semester and sent standardized test scores every time he took them, as well as sending detailed schedules of each upcoming season (high school and summer), and another one a couple of days before each major event. I would like to emphasize this: SEND YOUR SCHEDULE because if they are interested, they WILL come and watch, and that includes during the high school season!!!
Another thing we learned is that you should not sign early unless you are 100% sure that it's your #1. Our son's scout ball coach told him that in 20+ years of coaching scout ball that he's had plenty of kids regret signing early, but not one who regretted NOT signing early. He said if you are getting an early offer, there is a really good chance that more offers will be coming so don't panic and accept thinking this is your one chance. It is hard to wait, especially when kids are signing left and right...there is definitely some pressure that your son will have to deal with, but compared to the potential heartache and regret of choosing the wrong school, I'd guess it's worth it. And no matter what, apply the "broken leg test" to ANY school you are seriously considering...if you broke your leg and couldn't play baseball, would you still like the school...the academics, environment, student body, faculty interaction, etc? Son had to miss about a month of baseball in late spring due to an injury and that was the first time I think he really understood how important that loving the SCHOOL was.
The process is exhausting and feels never-ending, and I am rooting for all of you who are still going through it. Keep the faith and keep working hard on the baseball but also on those test scores and grades!

My youngest son's experience was a roller coaster ride at best.
First, a local D1 offers him early in his sophmore year. They got to know of him through camps. We did not expect this so early. He waited a couple of months and verbally accepted. Over the next two years the communication and organization from the D1 completely dropped off. Not good! He contact them and decommited.
Once he decommitted others took interest immediately. Late in his senior year a dream school of his took interest and he will be attending there in the fall. A great fit for him and he is very excited to get things going. He has been busting his tail all summer as he understands that the fall will be the biggest challege for him to date. But with his makeup, the bigger the challenge the better!
It just seems like the other day that Junior was 2 years old swinging off the Tee with a big smile on his face! Now he is off to college with big plans and on track with his goals that he set for himself.
Amen!

My 2013 attended Demarini, PG, Jupiter, Headfirst, D1, D2, and D3 camps over the course of the past 2 years. He attends a very small high school in a very small state. Legion in the summer for 2 years. Missed junior year of high school ball due to injury. However, he had a remarkably good summer of Legion ball.

He wants to play D3 baseball at a small liberal arts college on the east coast, not so interested in most of New England due to weather. Good academics are a priority as he wants to go to law school. He is an A student.

Phone rang out of the blue a few weeks ago from a head coach out of state. School fits all of sons criteria. Son attended camp there this weekend, and has an offer of a roster spot. Not completely clear but best guess is that the initial contact was a result of Legion connections.

There's a lot of discussion about showcases, and for kids who showcase well, I'm sure they get great results. My son is one of those players coaches learn to appreciate over the course of a season. The coach noted that he is athletic, can hit, and is a hard worker.

So for the folks out there who are concerned that they or their sons aren't great showcasers, or that they are in a place with little exposure, don't give up. Lots of roads to take.

If anyone wants more information about what mistakes we (and I mean we) made over the past 3 years, please drop me a pm. What HE did right was work hard on the field and off, play the game with respect. He dug deep to overcome injury, and stayed out of political BS on any team he played on. If he was the number 2 catcher, he worked hard until he started. If he was the number 7 batter, he kept swinging until he found the four hole. Year after year, team after team. I am so proud.

Way to go Twotex son and family!

My son is a 2013 LHP. I coached him growing up until his 14U season. Knowing that he was actually pretty good and that he wanted to play baseball in college, I started doing research to see how to make that happen. Part of that was discovering this site when he was 12. I learned that he needed to be on a good travel team so I researched and found one I thought would be good. We saw some games of theirs when he was 14 so he said he wanted to play for them. So he tried out and made the team at the 15U level. And he is still a member of the organization today.

Didnt do much as far as college recruiting until after his sophomore year, just playing some games in front of colleges. As soon as the 16U year ended, summer of 2011, he went online and did a recruiting questionaire for all D-1, D-2 and NAIA schools in Missouri. Then did some surrounding schools in Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas. Doubt much came of this, but they knew he was interested I guess.

Junior year hit and some school started emailing and showing interest. One D-1 became his favorite and they seemed to like him. Some D-2s were looking. He did some showcases through his summer team, that had a lot of participation from colleges. I think that is where the schools interested in him saw him. Did his first perfect game event last fall and honestly it was very discouraging for him. He is a slow throwing lefty (82) who throws strikes and gets people out. He went to the Kernals thing last fall and pitched 4 scoreless innings with no walks and maybe 3 hits allowed and left with a 1-0 lead. A guy who throws 90 or so came in and blew game. Walked a bunch, hit some guys, gave up hits, and we lost 4-1 or something like that. The next day, all perfect game talked about in the blog was how hard the reliever threw, and it really threw my son for a loop. That winter did some showcases with summer team and got a little interest from D-1s and D-2s. Summer coaches said velocity was keeping away any offers. High school ball, he pitched well, some local D-2s came and watched him, and said some good things about him. That summer, he would email coaches and tell them when and where he was pitching. Went to the WWBA perfect game event at East Cobb and pitched well. 9 innings, 10 Ks no walks, no runs, and made the all tournament team. He was happy but nothing came from it. Still colleges kinda calling and emailing showing a little interest. But nothing

Then his high school coach called him and said "what about JUCO?" Talked to a JUCO from around here that makes repeated trips to the NJCAA world series and has won its conference 6 or more years in a row. The pitching coach calls him and that talk off and on for about a week. They invite him down for a visit, and say we have been watching you pitch for about 2 years and really like you. Named off some games they saw him throw and talk about Atlanta and that they followed him there. Showed a ton of interest and offered a full scholarship, plus some off on room and board based on this "A+" program that Missouri offers. He committed last week to them and they were very happy with his decision. So are mom and dad. Honestly, we never thought about JUCO until a couple months ago. It makes a lot of sense for him. While he could go to most 4 year schools based on his GPA and ACT score, he could use the two years at a JUCO to get his academics more in line before transferring. And as a baseball player, hopefully he can work hard, and get the velocity up so in two years, there will be good interest in him. A lefty that throws strikes, who wouldnt want that. And he will more then likely get more innings these two years then he would at a 4-year.

I will repeat something RJM has said over and over. GO WHERE THEY WANT YOU. This school acted like they really like our son and want him in the program. Even my son made that comment on the way home from the visit. He felt they wanted him there. Means a lot. I could go on, but I will spare you.

These are all good stories, congratulations to everyone who is moving on to the next level.

I have one who is just now a freshman in college and a 2014 who just committed. Just a quick one about my 2014. He is 16 yrs old, 5'6" 138 lbs. Looks more like a batboy than like a D1 baseball player. He has a decent bat, decent arm, decent speed. We never put him in a showcase event because we didn't think he really had much to show. He has a couple of real strengths... one is incredible hands and the ability to make plays. He has been an "ESPN highlight reel" since he was about 8 yrs old. The other is his attitude. He loves being part of the team, supports everyone, sprints out to his position, knows the game like a coach, and just loves being out on the field. Coaches love him for his effort and attitude on the field and in the dugout.

He played on the JV HS team as a freshman and sophomore. Early this past summer, he was border line to make our local jr. legion team. He was on the team the prior year as a courtesy because his older brother was also on the team. The coach told us the main reason he put him on it this year was to not kill his confidence. He liked him defensively but thought he had some work to do at the plate (and a little more growing to do). He made him his starting 2nd baseman and batted him last in the order. Told him his first priority was to get on base, had him take every first pitch, and had him hitting everything on the ground. He flourished defensively. Midway through the summer, he was calling my 2014 the best defensive 2B he has coached in his 38 years. He is a long time baseball guy in our area and fairly well connected. He started making a few calls on his behalf. We ended up sending him to a camp for one of the schools earlier this fall. The coach liked what he saw and offered him a scholarship on the spot. He said my son would be the first 2B he had ever recruited specifically for defense. He said it had to do with how the changes in bats was changing the college game. So a kid who has not yet played on his HS varsity team, barely made his jr. legion summer team... he just committed to play D1 baseball in a solid mid-major conference. The coach says he expects him to start at 2B for him all 4 years. Pretty neat!

Wow! That is terrific! Congratulations to your son!

Congrats!! How exciting for your son and your family

Would love to hear from the recently signed crowd.

Aleebaba I think this is a great thread, I just don't have tiem right now to tell the story. Just giving this a 'bump' to get the thread some visibility!!

I'll post my son's recruiting story soon, and I look forward to reading others. I know it was very very helpful last year at this time to read these threads.

MASTEROFNONE: I love, love, love your story! tell your son congrats!!! It is amazing how far hard work and a good attitude will get you.