What to ask the Coach?

Some of the questions are standard ones you've probably already thought of. Why do you want me in particular and where do you see me fitting in on this team? Here I would be blunt and ask for an honest assessment by the coach. Really listen to the actual answer, as so many folks hear what they want to hear rather than what the coach actually says. E.g, "you have a chance to play this year," is often interpreted as "I'll be the star of the team starting almost every game, if not every game." When in actuality it usually means, "you have the same chance of starting this year as you do of finding the cure for cancer." Haha.

Ask if coach sees you starting by year two or three and in what capacity. Look for certain answers, and take note of vague ones. Coaches who really want your son, will know why and where they see him. Those that are looking for a BP pitcher, or bullpen catcher are usually more vague Generally, I would gravitate towards the coaches that really love your son as opposed to those that seem to take him as an afterthought. This is tricky, because so many young men let the prestige of playing for a certain school blind them to what the coach is really saying or really feels. In short, better to go where you are fairly certain he'll play, than where he has a minimal chance to see the field. The coach that loves him is more likely to play him.

Ask about offseason and in season practice schedule. How many of his players graduate on time, or at all. Unless your son is getting a full ride, you'll be paying 20k per year for the "privilege" of playing each extra year of ball if he doesn't graduate on time. Of those who graduate, press to find out how many are getting real degrees, how many of his players are graduating with basket weaving and Physical Education degrees.

Also, try to find out how many who have not gone on to become MLB all stars have real careers. This is important, because some coaches talk a good game to parents about academics, but once your son gets there, the pressure will be to sacrifice all to practice and play ball. In several sports, I've known athletes who were told by coaches to drop their major, because it was interfering with the sport. At the end of the day, it's the minority of MLB players who will be set for life because of their contracts. Your son's degree, is most likely what will really matter!

How many JUCO players does he regularly recruit, and of his starters how many were recruited as freshmen and how many as Juco's. Pay attention here, because some coaches will mainly play Juco's and recruit freshmen to help the team GPA.

Ask about pitching and hitting philosophies. Look for the coaches that are not trying to produce cookie cutter hitters and pitchers. If your son is looking to be drafted, then how many players actually get drafted from this team. Better to go with a program that regularly sends guys than ones that don't. You'll find that there are programs in D1, 2, 3 and NAIA that regularly send guys and ones in all divisions that hardly or never do.

The mistake that is regularly made in my area is that players are so captivated by a D1 program, especially the SEC and SoCon schools, that they ignore all the warning signs. Lots of great pitchers (90+ guys) and great fielders and hitters never see the field and either drop the sport or transfer out after their first or second year. Others end up in a school that doesn't have the major they wanted, and so they transfer. And still others leave because the actual school and or social environment was not at all what they wanted.

And lastly, make sure your son would go the school if he were to drop baseball. Lots of guys get recruited, and decide college baseball is not for them after a time. Once you start the transfer game, it gets very expensive as schools find all sorts of ways to reject another college's courses, so they can charge you for more classes at their school.

quote:

Originally posted by Jones fan:
And lastly, make sure your son would go the school if he were to drop baseball. Lots of guys get recruited, and decide college baseball is not for them after a time. Once you start the transfer game, it gets very expensive as schools find all sorts of ways to reject another college's courses, so they can charge you for more classes at their school.

You have given great advice, all that my son has followed and asked in some form or another. The stastement I quoted, I never really understood or agreed with.

Our family is a University of Missouri family. I went to school there along with a bunch of my relatives, and met my wife and made her a fan. Her classroom is decked out in Mizzou stuff, as is our basement. My academic based high school sophomore daughter is already planning on going there. My 2013 grew up a big fan and has a tiger head painted on his bedroom wall(been asking to paint over it, thinks he is too old for it now.) Always wanted to go there and as he got older, wanting to play there. Well, you know what? Mizzou deemed him not good enough to play there. So should he give up a dream of playing college baseball and just go to school there? Or should he find a place that he can play baseball in college? Some of the schools talking to him, he never would have dreamed of going to a few short years ago. He's a ball player, he wants to play college ball. So if he goes off to some school and gets hurt or whatever, we'll take care of that when it comes around.

You have to look at a school that you fit everywhere, socially, academically, and as part of the team. Not in that order though. Just my opinion.

My 2015 made his first phone call yesterday. After much anticipation, it was much easier than he thought! The coach was glad to hear from him, saw him this summer, asked a few general questions about positions he plays, does he like to hit (he is position player and pitcher), what other schools is he interested in, what team is he playing for and what tournaments is he playing in this fall. He talked to him about coming to campus to visit, take in a football game, or fall baseball game, and asked him to check in every couple weeks so they could stay in touch. My son is excited to have the contact and can't wait to call him back, has already made a note on his calendar which day (not to seem too eager, but not to forget!) All I can say is good luck to your son, and enjoy the ride! That is what we are going to try to do.

Jones and Mizz,

Thanks for the great insights and a starting point for some dialogs my son can have with the coach! Good perspective on finding that "right" fit!

Pink Lady,

Glad your son was able to break the ice with that first phone call and that it all went well. My son will be making his call later today I hope!

quote:

Originally posted by Mizzoubaseball:

quote:

Originally posted by Jones fan:
And lastly, make sure your son would go the school if he were to drop baseball. Lots of guys get recruited, and decide college baseball is not for them after a time. Once you start the transfer game, it gets very expensive as schools find all sorts of ways to reject another college's courses, so they can charge you for more classes at their school.

You have given great advice, all that my son has followed and asked in some form or another. The stastement I quoted, I never really understood or agreed with. . . .He's a ball player, he wants to play college ball. So if he goes off to some school and gets hurt or whatever, we'll take care of that when it comes around.

Yeah, it's a tough call. I think it depends upon the player and the family's financial situation. Is the school or baseball the bigger priority? If he transfers, can the family afford to pay for the likely extra year or more that transferring often adds to his time before graduation? As well as, whether or not your son will want graduate if he transfers and has to go an extra 1-4 semesters. Of course, if they transfer from in-state to another in-state, then usually this is a moot point as there are no extra classes!

This is a soup to nuts list partially from this site and others added.

Questions for coaches

What kind of academic support does the college provide? (tutors, etc)

What is the team grade point average?

What is the team graduation rate?

What are some of the majors of team players?

What happens if I have a class and practice conflict?

What are your red-shirt procedures? Will I be red-shirted in my freshman year?

Does the scholarship cover summer school?

Will the scholarship cover a fifth year if necessary?

At my position, what does the depth chart look like?

Where do I stand on the recruiting list?

Have you seen me play? Where/when? How do I compare with others you have recruited in my position?

What are my scholarship opportunities?

How many assistant coaches are there?

How many freshman do you typically bring in, either as signees or as invited walk-ons, on average how many of them are still at your school 4 years later, and what are the normal reasons for leaving?

Are you happy with the University/administration? Are they supportive of the program and you?

Is the program fully funded? How many scholarships does the program have?

Ask specific questions regarding how much does scholarships change over the 4 years. What does a typical mid week starter get? A starting position player? A weekend pitcher?


Questions for Team Members

Does the coach teach at the school?

What is the morale of the team?

Does the team like the staff?

Is the coach interested in academics?

Do the athletes really have to go to all classes?

How long is practice?

Would you go to this school if you had to choose again?

What is the average class size?

What are the dorms like?

Are the professors accessible?

Do the athletic dept. tutors do a good job?

Pitching / Playing questions

Who is the pitching coach?

What is his pitching philosophy?

What is he looking for when recruiting a pitcher for the program?

What are the off season work outs?

How much rest does he want his pitchers to have in the off season?

Does he limit pitchers with pitch counts?

How many Freshmen pitchers pitch?

Are there any Freshmen starters?

How many Freshmen are redshirted?

Does the program recruit 2 way players?

Can a pitcher DH and pitch?

Are there any 2 way players on the roster?


Questions for Admissions

What is the average class size and ratio per professor?

Who teaches classes? (Professors, teacher assistants)

What is enrollment of college?

How is my major regarded?

What percent of graduates from my major receive jobs within three months of graduation?

How many fraternities and sororities are available?

What are the housing policies?

May I sit in on a class in my major? (as a guest)

How accessible are counselors to me?

Summary Question for Yourself

Did I have a good overall feeling about the school?

Would I go to school here if I wasn't going to play sports?

Will I fit into the athletic program?

Am I satisfied with the living arrangements?

Am I satisfied with the academic opportunities?

Many additional questions will, and should, come up throughout your recruiting process. The
bottom line in choosing a college is simple.... Choose a school that you would go to if you were not going to play sports!

Your chances of playing professional sports is very slim. Go to college to get an education, meet lifetime friends, play some sports & have fun! When the final whistle blows and you're 21 years old and out of college, what you will have is experience, memories and a college degree. Don't make the mistake of selecting a college only because they are the only school that offered you a scholarship.

Pick a college because that's where you would want to spend the next four to five years of your
life.

BOF - Awesome! Exactly the jump start I was looking for! Thanks!

I don't know that your son really needs a check list of questions etc. to ask the coach. However I do think its important to make a good first impression so I would not ask negative questions unless the coach brings it up issues (i.e. about JC transfers, how many players didn't make it to MLB, seriousiness of degrees earned by players --- you can look that up yourself on their website)

The first call is about figuring out if your son has any type of "connection" with the coach/s and how interested they/he is in him as a player and person. The coach asked him to call and the coach has talked to dozens/hundreds of kids so he will keeping the conversation going with info important to your son..... as long as your son avoids simple yes and no answers and lets the coach know a little bit about himself. The only prep I would recomend is your son doing internet research on the coach and his program.

Agreed! Excellent point about making that connection. The depth of questions will progress I'm sure as the process advances.

Recently I sat in a car during a rainstorm talking with a fellow HSBBWeb Old Timer as we waited for a summer college baseball game to start. His son is transferring from a D1 to another D1. He brought up one of the most important points I've ever heard about what to ask a coach. His son is very knowledgeable about specific workout routines that can best help him be the best pitcher he can be. His previous pitching coach had a set way of doing things that did not compliment his way of doing things, and did not get results for him. The new pitching coach has a much more familiar & similiar off-season and in-season workout regime than the previous program that he believes will help him much more.

So, as you are narrowing down your choices (not the initial call) I would want to know more about the pitching coaches philosphy about off-season and in-season workouts. Remember, if you are a pitcher you will be spending most of your time with the pitching coach and the pitching staff. You need to feel most comfortable with you position coach, and his way of doing things.

Good luck!

Many of the questions in this thread are great questions - for parents to ask imho.

I would never give my son a list of questions and would never advise him this way. I would tell him the same thing I tell him now. Be yourself. You don't want to be recruited for the wrong reasons. You want a coach who likes you the way you are.

A kid reading a list of questions comes across as a potential problem in my mind and it may seem a tad rehearsed/disingenuous. I suppose there might be some coaches who say I like the fact the kid is thorough. Who is being thorough here - the kid or the parent however?

Let the kid talk to the coach and let him talk about the things he is interested in. I don't see the benefit in the parents trying to orchestrate things. If some of these questions are burning on your mind then ask them yourselves.

There seems to be some code here at the hsbbweb that the parents ought not speak to the coaches. I think that is a big mistake to hold that philosophy. I am not talking about hyping your kid with the coaches as that would be a mistake as well but if some of the rehearsed questions in this thread are that important then ask them yourselves. I would rather my son came across as genuine and his own man rather than some rehearsed/awkward version of myself.

Good points CD. If a kid asked all those questions at once the coach would think he had a high maintenance kid in his hands. But, eventually those are all great things to know before committing to a program.

Couple more points:


There are many questions that can be answered by looking in the archives in the teams website. Print up at least 4 years of rosters and track the players to see if they mostly return year after year. Check the roster for majors listed for each player. That gives you an idea of the academic side of the team.

You can never do too much research before comitting and then the really hard work begins....... Your son earning a starting spot on his college team!

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:

There seems to be some code here at the hsbbweb that the parents ought not speak to the coaches. I think that is a big mistake to hold that philosophy. I am not talking about hyping your kid with the coaches as that would be a mistake as well but if some of the rehearsed questions in this thread are that important then ask them yourselves. I would rather my son came across as genuine and his own man rather than some rehearsed/awkward version of myself.

CD did you ever hit the nail on the head on this statement. I wished I would have attempted to make contact with son's last Head coach after son was offered by recruiting coach. I have a strong feeling his vibes would have come through, IF he would have even returned any inquiries. CH10Dad doesn't mention if the coach his son is talking to is the Head coach, or the recruiting coach. It is fine to keep a dialog going with an assistant coach, but when comes to the nuts and bolts of where I stand, where I would be used and how much, you really need to hear it from the boss. Our son at his JC talked directly with Head coach, the D1 was a soon to depart recruiting coach. Needless to say, guess which program met his expectations and followed through.