Who recruited who?

My sons current school, and a good many others, initiated contact after PG WWBA championships at Jupiter.

We had both coaches initiating and us. No camps or showcases but from travel ball.

We did not contact any schools during the process. The local college programs contacted my son. He had several very good options with other schools after attending WWBA events and the PG National showcase. In fact his first two offers came after he was seen playing at East Cobb. Both were SEC schools. The local college programs saw him play in high school games and later at WWBA events as well.

The school that my son plays for is one that he originally contacted during his sophomore year. The school is 5 hours away and recruits mainly from its own metropolitan area, so my son had to make an effort to get noticed by them. He attended a showcase on their campus in December of his junior year and from there, they took the lead in coming to see him play and calling him.

Several other schools made the initial contacts after having seen him play.

We contacted by letter. Coach then requested info and tape.

In our case, the school son ultimately chose made the first contact via our HS coach.

That being said, we were not waiting around for someone to come get him. At the time we were contacted, we had already identified and paid visits to several schools.

The fact that others were interested led to an early offer, and also gave us some negotiating leverage.

By which I mean to say, I would never encourage anyone to sit around waiting to be noticed.

I realize we got deeply into the process sooner than most, but whether you go earlier or later, I don't think it's wise to leave your future up to fate. Actively seek offers from schools that fit your goals (academic and baseball both). If someone else happens to come looking for you, great. If not, then at least you can hope to generate your own opportunities.

Bear in mind that sometimes when you market yourself, word gets around to others you didn't initially contact, too. Coaches talk to each other, and the best are willing to recommend you to others if they themselves may not have an opening at your position.

Also bear in mind that pitchers have it easier. Everyone wants to sign several in each recruiting class. If you're a position player/hitter, your favorite school might fill your position while you're sitting at home, waiting for your phone to ring.

I just hope people don't take the fact that some were approached by the schools they ultimately chose as some indication that it's OK to be passive or to wait until late in the process. For those who do this, sometimes it all works out somehow. But quite often it doesn't. Why take the chance?

Almost all of the schools contacted son first, except for his dream school which he contacted himself very early on.
This has much to do about participating in events where there are coaches in attendance. If you attend showcases, tournies, and have talent, most will contact you at least for interest.
If you haven't attended high profile events, then you have to make contact and let them know who you are.

Be proactive. Many of those who were contacted by schools first in the recruiting process had been to instructional camps at the school when they were younger.

We made the first contact, but we were out there looking at schools very, very early in the process. Son visited a lot of colleges beginning his freshman year through the fall of his sophomore year in high school because we insisted that he tag along with his older twin brothers who were looking at colleges. At each of the schools, we found time to visit the baseball facilities, sought out players/coaches and he tried to imagine himself playing baseball there. From the beginning Wake Forest was high on his list because of the rigorous academics - and he loved the campus. He attended a number of pitching camps in the fall/winter of his junior year, including one at Wake Forest where he was immediately comfortable with the pitching coach. The coaches showed interest, sought out his parents after the camp and the recruiting process began. Like so many things in life, timing was important. The pitching coach had been on staff only a few months and was looking for pitchers. Over the course of the next 7 months, he was recruited by WF as well as some other great schools, some had much better baseball facilities (though we knew Wake Forest had immediate plans for improvement), some had better recent win/loss records, some were closer to home, some a lot further away, but he always seemed to hold the other schools and their coaches up beside WF for comparison - and none of them had a better reputation for academics. Looking back I think deep down he knew at that pitching camp that he would end up at Wake Forest if we could make the $ work.

Based on our experience, my advice to others who have asked is for the player to decide what is most important to him in a college (baseball? academics? cost to attend? possibility of financial assistance? a specific major? small school? warm weather? close to home or far away?), identify schools that meet the criteria, visit them and then go for it - make the contact. Obviously, because of our experience, I'm a big believer in attending camps at the schools you know you are interested in, but a letter or call to the coach has also been an important first contact for other players that we know. I think coaches really appreciate it when the players take the initiative and express interest in their program and have the confidence to put themselves on the coach's radar. If you are a legitimate prospect in their eyes, you will know it right away.

Hope this helps.

The issue of who contacts who is directly related to your son's skill level and quality of exposure.

good player + good exposure = contact by coach

good player + ? exposure = contact by player

? player + good exposure = problem

Good exposure includes being seen by pro scouts who tell their college coach buddies about players.

2011 Son is attending college showcases this fall - relatively close to home. Aside from signing up for the showcases, do you advise that he send an individual email to the coach directly expressing his anticipation/interest in the program -- or is this overkill for a sophomore?

If you are going to make contact with a letter, when is the best time to do so? Fall of Junior year? Possibly wait until Nov/Dec to see what schools might contact you first during Sep/Oct and if no contact then send them letter?

Gamefan, I think sending an email would be an excellent idea. My son initially contacted the college he's now playing for in the spring of his sophomore year and they began watching him play in the summer after sophomore year. When we took an unofficial visit during the fall of his junior year, the recruiting coordinator told son that he was smart to be starting the recruiting process so early.

Kimosabe, fall of junior year is an excellent time. Another good time to make contact is January of junior year, when many coaches are in their offices more than usual (because of the cold weather) and the season hasn't started yet.

Who recruited who, sometimes I think it is a bit of both.

My son was recruited with the traditional letters, emails and questionnaires from the school he was going to attend however what I think really solidified him on their radar screen (aside from baseball skills) was when he took the time to write the coach a letter letting him know how much he was interested in the school. In essence, he recruited them. The coach said he appreciated the letter and it showed he was serious about their university.

You might be surprised how some of the even better baseball programs don't think they are in the running or don't take a recruit seriously until they hear from the player professing their desire to be part of that program.

One school (his second choice) told him they had been watching him for years but had no idea that he would be interested in them (not sure why). This team went to the CWS last year, how could they think a ballplayer wouldn't be interested in them! As soon as they knew he was interested, their recruitment went to a whole new level.

Let's face it, everyone wants to know that they are desirable. Why not push the recruiting process both ways and let them know you want to be recruited even if they are already talking to you.

That is true. Every college we sent emails to or called we always prefaced it with the fact that we selected that college as a college my son was interested in. We always said that even though it was logical to assume since we contacted them.
We used to get unsolicited fancy BB programs from colleges who saw my son at different tournaments in the USA and I always called them to thank them for their interest. i would occasionally ask them for info but more to be polite.
There are also roving scout recruiters who recruit for more than one college. We got calls from colleges that they represented.