Request For College Coaches

Been there, done that, was stung pretty good too

Know where you're coming from.

All I can say is "hats off to Coach Palmieri" (used to be at Wake, not sure if he still is). They were recruiting our son pretty seriously, but when it became apparent their needs had been filled, Coach P had the decency to contact our son and let him know why they would not be recruiting him anymore - UNLIKE another cental carolina school, who recruited hot and heavy (unofficial visits, camp attendance requests, had him on the "mail list", etc, etc), then dropped him like the proverbial "hot potato", never to be heard from again. Lost total respect for that OTHER program.

As easy as email and text messages are, it doesn't take 1 minute to send a message of "thanks, we've enjoyed meeting you and your family, but we have filled our roster needs for next year - best of luck to you"

Tell your friends and their son to keep their heads up and not to stop the "dating" game. There will be a place for him if he really wants to play and can keep himself in front of the various schools.

 

Coach P is still there . . .

. . . and we are very glad he is. He and Coach Bauer recruited our son as well and as I told them afterward they were the picture of patience and class and forthrightness. I can't say enough about those guys at Wake and the way they went about recruiting Mac. While we didn't really have any negative experiences during the recruiting process, we did have coaches from one school that were obviously juggling lots of recruits and didn't seem to be totally upfront in how they were dealing with our family - he marked them off the list and concentrated on the places where he felt there was a better fit.

BTW, Coach P has a new addition to his family with the best baseball name ever . . . . Cleat! Gotta love it.

 

that's a great name!

I remember when Jeff Bock (former pitching coach at Campbell) and his wife were expecting with their first son. They made a list of names then went over to the baseball field at Campbell. Jeff got in the announcer's booth and read off the names while his wife sat in the stands and listened. The end result was... Corey Bock. I expect to hear that name in a few more years at a ballfield somewhere!

 

We on the other hand, had excellent communication throughout the process with "that school in watauga co.” Although, my son did experience this situation with another school. I guess any recruit could have this happen with any school, just don't take it personal. I do applaud those coaches who take the time to do things the right way and give equal credit to recruits that call all interested coaches once they have committed to a school.

 

Usually I read these threads and not comment on them like I do other threads. But this one has got me a little rattled. I know the recruiting process can be a fun time as well as a heartbreaking time. But to think that a school should call every single player that they stop recruiting is ridiculous. Do you realize how many players are "recruited" each year? A bunch. They simply don't have the time to call each player and tell them they are full and won't be recruiting them anymore. If a school is truly interested in your son/daughter/self, they will make an offer. Either a scholarship offer or a spot on the team that is guaranteed. Until then, you are not a serious prospect to that school. Even if you visit, talk, etc. And if you were offered a spot on that team, and you delayed committing, then that's the chance you take. It sucks, but that is the way it goes. Should they call you and tell you, the one that has not accepted their offer, that they are not recruiting you anymore?! Obviously not.
What I'm trying to say is any college sports is a business. Plain and simple. Don't take any of it personal. Take it all in stride, move along from the bad experiences and remember the good ones. At least baseball has not gotten as bad as football for taking scholarships from players already on the team to give to the latest 5* prospect. That's when the nastiness of college athletics becomes cut throat, and NCAA BCS football has gotten that way. Hopefully the biggest errors baseball coaches can make are not calling recruits to tell them they won't be recruiting them anymore.
Keep your head up, and if your son recovers well from surgery, more offers will come.

 

Question on top of all of this

My son has also had a good share of misfortune around being told that he was loved and then getting nothing but radio silence. It is certainly frustrating, but we move on. We do so because we have faith that it will all work out in the end.

However, we are new to this so I have a question. Application deadline dates are quickly ending. Everyone says we still have time in the recruiting process etc., but what does that mean in the application process? If school X becomes interested in him during the spring or at anytime but the application deadline is passed what happens? do athletes get the ability to apply to the school late if recruited? answer seems obvious, but I have been down the obvious path before.

thanks

 

Wow…this thread has taught me a valuable lesson---I need to pay attention. Birdhunter brought up an interesting opinion and one some parents may have faced. I even shared one of my own. While reading his post, and I knew he mentioned a county where the school is located, I didn’t pay that much attention to what school he was referring (as well as another school that was mentioned by another member), but to the message he was posting ---and this is where I failed. I apologize to the schools and to the coaches that were inferred in the posts and will make every effort not to let that happen again.

But since a particular school was “called out” and I have intimate knowledge of that school and its coaches, it’s important to me that I post this reply. I acknowledge that I have a particular bond with Wingate University and have a son that attends there, but it is done so with merit. And let me explain: My son went from being ranked the #2 pitcher in the state with Baseball America and at one time having most D1 schools in the Southeast excited; to having arm surgery before his senior year and every school “run” from him. It was mentally tough for a 17 year old boy to deal with that, but he did---and better than his ol’ man did. Although it was understandable that some schools lost interest, it was difficult to see the recruiting coordinators that your family had developed a relationship with---and then seeing them at tournaments and sensing their awkwardness at being around you.

Move forward three years----my son had to go through the recruiting process again. But this time as a man; with a clearer understanding of what he wanted from the coaches and the school. When he made the decision to attend Wingate University, he did so with a purpose. He knew the type coach that he wanted to play for and the personality that would best motivate him. He found them in Coach Osborne, Coach Gregory and Coach Hall. These guys are tough. They have only one goal in mind and that’s to win a National Championship and they are arrogant enough to believe that will happen. Everyday is devoted with that thought in mind. But their arrogance is what allows them to get a Mark Letchworth, a Dusty White, Heath Wetherford, etc. (all high caliber players.) They want serious minded players that live and breathe baseball. They are passionate about that…and demand that. If they have a recruit that expresses that desire and then goes out and proves it on and off the field; those are the players that can play for them. If a recruit tells them he is not sure that he wants to continue to play baseball or seems noncommittal, there is absolutely no chance he will fit into their program. The program will intentionally challenge all the players and their commitment and if that commitment is not strong, they will quit. It’s just the way it is.

It’s not a program for just anybody. The days of surviving on talent alone is over. The days of being a HS stud and believe it will magically transfer to the next level are over. The D2 level of talent has increased exponentially with the rise of interest in college baseball. Players that are transferring from D1 schools are finding that playing time is still difficult for them. In years past, you wouldn’t see signees commit until the winter or spring of their senior year. Now, you will see early commitments. It’s unbelievable how much the landscape has changed in college baseball in the last 5-6 years…and it will continue.

The administration at Wingate shares in the commitment to Coach Osborne’s goals. They have invested a large amount of money towards the program with field upgrades and a new baseball clubhouse complex.

Forgive me for being so long winded with this reply, but I allowed this program to be called out, so I felt it was fair to give a different perspective. No matter the circumstance, obviously the family Birdhunter was referring to is upset. I strongly suggest that they contact Coach Osborne personally. He would be more than happy to discuss this with them or any other recruit that has a question or concern.

 

You can approach it two ways.

One is to get his applications in to the school(s) he would like to attend for his education, not to play baseball. This need to be done asap.

Second, and this is if he has totally decided that he wants to play baseball no matter where he goes to school, just wait. If he signs with a school and he is academically qualified (which he will be... they wouldn't offer if he wasn't) then they'll get his application through the process, sometimes with a waiver of the application fee. Your ultimate fallback, if no offers come about, is to go to the local Community College for a year or two and then transfer to the "U" he wants to graduate from... with a degree... that gets him a good job... that gets him off your payroll!

 

Thanks Gman13'sdad.

That is what I thought, but it is good to confirm. He has done exactly that in terms of applying to the schools he would like to attend outside of baseball. We have also looked at a couple JUCO's without the app deadlines. He has also applied to places for whom he would love to play baseball as well. Appreciate the insight as we continue to work hard and keep our fingers crossed for that right fit.

 

Braves, the fact of the matter is that EVERY school has pissed off recruits at some point in time. The recruiting process is an emotional thing (probably the biggest in their young lives) for the players while on the other hand, for the coaches, it is in a lot of ways a business decision. The two don't often mix well. In the end though, like with your son and my son and all the others, things work out for the best.
To the "Birdhunter's" family member, just keep working and looking forward. Good things are going to happen and your opportunity will come.