what to do first?

First of all, while the coach could have returned your emails, he is not allowed to return any phone calls until July 1 following your son's junior year. Our family has found that D2 and D3 schools oftentimes don't seriously consider prospects until their senior year, waiting to see what is left after the D1 programs make their selections. As one D3 coach told us, "We know where we are in the pecking order." Here are a few ideas to help get your son on their radar screen: (1) Send a personalized letter indicating your interest, along with an information sheet listing his baseball stats, general info, names of high school and select teams, coaches' names and numbers, etc. (2) See if one of your son's coaches can make a call on your behalf to the college coach (an asst. coach at the college may be preferable if he is acting as the recruiting coordinator) (3) As strange as this may sound, look at the school's roster, search for unique last names, and find out those players' hometowns. Then call directory information and hope that there is only 1 listing for that last name in that specific town. Call the parents, explain who you are, and ask questions about the program in a respectful manner. We did this last year, built a relationship with the parents on the phone and later via email, and were eventually introduced to their son. If he is so inclined, he might be able to make introductions to his coaches when you visit the school to watch a game. Good luck in your quest!

Be persistent!

When we went through the process, we let the entire coaching staff know that we were coming 3-4 weeks in advance. Then we would follow it up 10 days +/- with a second e-mail saying we were coming. Then about a week in advance, I would have my son start calling every day until he spoke with someone from the baseball program. His mission was to get 20 minutes for us to introduce him to their program (get him on the radar screen).

Once my son made contact, then I (Dad) took over to make sure that the scheduling was complete. Once we were on their schedule my son would hand write a note thanking them in advance and telling them how much he looked forward meeting them. With the note he would send a short bio (personal background, baseball experience and academic info).

With the exception of one school, he generally met with the head coach and the recruiting director.

What you indicated was not far off of our experiences. In most cases we visited schools that which were half way across the country. At first many of the coaches were at best indifferent. However, with persistence we were able to make contact and ultimatly the impression needed so that my son had several opportunities to play college baseball.

BE PERSISTENT!!!