Recruiting question

Let me second the thanks but also say that if anyone else has anything to add it would be much appreciated.

 

Braves and my son are both pitchers and over the years I have talked to him as well as TJ (his son) about this same issue! With that being said, IMO there is no one more qualified to give you great answers than him. As a parent, you should never call or contact a school yourself. Hopefully you will have a sound relationship with your HS Coach and he should (HOPEFULLY) be talking to schools not only about your son but others as well. Your Travel League Coach will and should be a big help over the summer months and fall. Stay in touch with them as well as the people that actually run or own (Jeff Schaeffer) the facility. They will really be the ones that will get you an opportunity. IMO you won't get much help out of your Legion Coach. (Just saying from experience) When you got a letter from a school that you were not aware that they were interested, chances are that is just a cattle call for a camp. Have someone, not you, give the school a call and find out what is going on. Always make your athletic aware that you are always being watched, so be ready. Example: during my sons Junior year, a Coach from Methodist College came to our game to look at another payer. My son came into the game early and pitched four innings that got their attention. While he didn't go to the school, they made him a offer to play there. This is a great time of your sons life, so be happy for him and enjoy the ride!

 

BINGO! every email asking you to fill out a questionnaire or invite to a camp is not indicating interest. Math equation for you---A very high percentage of players on the roster probably attended a camp at the school at which they play(if 80% of the 32 players went to camps then 26 players attended). However, a higher percentage of actual campers don't play there-- 75-100 players per camp, multiple camps per year---you get the idea.

See above on how to select a camp. But, as PhillyDave points out, have someone call and see if they really want to see you or if you were just on the mailing list. Then you can either go or not go with your expectations set.

 

Obviously, there's a lot of terrific advice on this thread. In hopes of supplementing what's already here, I wanted to add a few thoughts.

Braves couldn't be more correct about the value of good grades to the recruiting process. College baseball coaches tend to have little, if any, pull in the Admissions Office. What "chits" they might have to call in are going to be used only for exceptional players who fill a specific need.

Also, college coaches want to know that the player they recruit has the capacity to do the work required, once there. If they consistently go to bat for players who can't hack it academically, their standing with Admissions will fall.

Meanwhile, my "spin" on college choice would be to try to determine early on the characteristics that are most important to a player in a college. This evaluation needs to consider not only the sort of baseball program offered, but many other non-baseball factors, as well.

What sort of academic setting is most important/appropriate ? Does the curriculum fit the player's strengths as a student? Does distance from home make a difference? Small school or large school setting? Urban or rural? School's social environment? The factors to be considered are many and varied.

The point of all of this ought to be to try as best one can to figure out what sort of overall college environment makes the most sense for the player; giving him as high a probability as possible of choosing a college that, if baseball suddenly left the picture, he'd be happy attending.

After going through this process, the task then becomes one of determining how best to become visible to the coaches at the targeted schools. Becoming "visible" involves playing as regularly as possible at venues where it's known that the target schools' coaches evaluate players. It also means letting them know through whatever means are appropriate of their specific interest in the various schools.

Finally, as has been mentioned earlier, the lion's share of everything recruiting related should be done by the player; not his parents. Coaches recruit players, and they value highly the recruiting effort managed and carried out by the player. It's one of a number of important indicators that the player brings sufficient desire and effort to achieving their goal (as does above average performance in the classroom). It also suggests that they're mature enough to tackle the huge challenge that college baseball and everything it involves require.

Apologies to everyone for the length here, and for addressing some aspects not mentioned in the original post. Above all else, best of luck to the players who shoulder the goal and responsibility of finding a place in college baseball.

 

No apologies needed as IMO this is info that is quite valuable to all concerned. Just to add to what you said about the grades, my son was asked about his grades on each and every trip he went on. The one thing a Coach doesn't want is to lose a stud that can't make the grades. The process becomes a waste of time for all parties.

 

Clarification

Is the "someone" referenced above the athlete, parent or someone totally different?

 

The HS Coach or the Coach of the Travel team. They should all be aware of what camps are cattle calls and which ones are not.