Recruiting process

[Softballmom919]

So I have a daughter who has been playing travel ball since she was 9yrs old. She’s currently a raising Sophomore. She’s had a great year so far. She was a floater between JV and Varsity. She batted .347 in Varsity. 28 at bats with only 2 SO. She’s a really good third baseman but can also catch some and play OF.

I have a big dilemma, she has been playing for the same team since she was 12yrs old. She has made really good friends and we all love the coaches, they’re really good people however they are a new organization that don’t know what the process is for kids to get recruited. We’re all kind of trying to figure out the process as we go…

My daughter definitely wants to play in College, she’s pretty set in that. She works hard, goes to the gym and has private lessons as well.

I guess my question is, is it possible for my daughter to stay with the same team and still have the chance to get recruited or should we look into other teams that have more experience with the process?

They will be playing in about 5 showcase tournaments this year which is really all the exposure she’ll have but is that enough?

All feedback and guidance is appreciated!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[murphdog]

If they are playing in showcases that’s a good start. She should also be looking to see if schools she’s considering are having camps.
She should be emailing coaches with her game schedule to try and get them to come watch her at the showcases.

 

[BRsoftballDad]

Most teams have contacts with various coaches but there is a lot your DD can do in order to get recruited. There's lots of good info on here but start with sending emails to coaches at the schools that interest her. First with an introductory email and then follow up with schedules and updated highlight videos and such. Start a Twitter and tag coaches. Go to vistaprint and have postcards made up with her schedules of them. Attend camps. Start a youtube with highlights and skills videos. It can be a lot but again, there is a lot of good info on here. Ask plenty of questions.

 

[nikkilugi]

If you are a member of Facebook then join this page: Educating Parents of HS Athletes On The College Recruiting Process - it has so much good information and she also sells a book that really walks you through the process. Overall though she will tell you - your daughter owns this process. Not her coaches, her team or her organization. She does the research of where she wants to go. Video everything. Send emails. Use Twitter. Good things will happen.

 

[Orange Socks]

Make a list of 10 schools that are a good fit, academically, softball skill set, $$$$, distance from home, etc. Find a reason as fast as possible to mark a school off the list, so you don't waste your time.

Camps, Camps, Camps. Email, snail mail, email. Visit the campuses. Email coaches summer schedule then email as soon as the game schedule comes out. In all reality, your DD should have been contacting these coaches during the HS season. Coaches make a list of who they are going to go watch before the step out of their vehicle at the field. If your DD is not on that list, it's highly unlikely they will come to watch.

Be VERY realistic in the skill set vs the school's typical player. This will save you lots of time as you will be focused on the schools that are in your wheelhouse. D1, D2, D3, Naia, Juco. There are D3 schools that would never recruit your kid, unless she is a stud and others that would fall over themselves to have her....even in the same conference.

Scan the threads in this forum. There is tons of information on the site that will give you the information you are looking. Lots of parents share their experiences here too. Scan, read and repeat.

 

[softball dad 6]

It is mostly you and your dd's job to get get through the recruiting process. A good organization can make it easier but it is still your job. Talk with your DD. What size school do you want to go to? What do you want to do for a career? What location do you want to go to school? Do you want to be in a city or a town? Give your DD some homework. Ask your DD to make a list of 10 schools she would like to attend. 2 of these schools should be reach schools that are possibly above her talent level. 5-6 schools that are at her talent level and a couple of safety schools. After she makes the list go through the schools with her and help her cross some out and potentially add some. DD's first list at 14 years old was LSU, Alabama and a couple other top 25 schools. DD is a pretty good softball player but that is whole other kind of good. Our priority list was:

1. Cost
1a Education
3. Softball

Lastly the school has to be somewhere that your dd would want to be in school if softball is removed from the equation. DD's incoming class had 14 girls in it. Only 7 are still with the team after 2 years. DD has suffered 3 significant injuries that have caused her to miss playing time in 2 years. She has a teammate that has had 2 ACL tears.

After this follow the other posters advice on sending emails etc. Good luck and keep asking questions. I got a lot of good advice from this website. There is a place for every girl that wants to play softball to get that opportunity.

 

[Dabears17]

Highly recommend that group. Bought her book a year ago and bought her 51 things to include in recruiting profile PDF. I have had brief conversations with Coach Renee and also Cathi Aradi off www.fastpitchrecruiting.com and they are very helpful. Bought Cathi's book as well. Just bought the list of 1200 colleges with softball list with contact info for the coaches. Going to try to convince the AD to have Renee talk to the Freshman and Sophomore parents next year at DD's HS.

Renee Lopez is hosting a free webinar Thursday night:

 

[Orange Socks]

Highly recommend that group. Bought her book a year ago and bought her 51 things to include in recruiting profile PDF. I have had brief conversations with Coach Renee and also Cathi Aradi off www.fastpitchrecruiting.com and they are very helpful. Bought Cathi's book as well. Just bought the list of 1200 colleges with softball list with contact info for the coaches. Going to try to convince the AD to have Renee talk to the Freshman and Sophomore parents next year at DD's HS.

Renee Lopez is hosting a free webinar Thursday night:

I purchased Aradi's book back in 2015. Lots of great info including the list of schools.

This is a very handy link that shows all of the conferences within the divisions.
https://nfca.org/pages/fastpitch-community

 

[mmeece]

So I have a daughter who has been playing travel ball since she was 9yrs old. She’s currently a raising Sophomore. She’s had a great year so far. She was a floater between JV and Varsity. She batted .347 in Varsity. 28 at bats with only 2 SO. She’s a really good third baseman but can also catch some and play OF.

I have a big dilemma, she has been playing for the same team since she was 12yrs old. She has made really good friends and we all love the coaches, they’re really good people however they are a new organization that don’t know what the process is for kids to get recruited. We’re all kind of trying to figure out the process as we go…

My daughter definitely wants to play in College, she’s pretty set in that. She works hard, goes to the gym and has private lessons as well.

I guess my question is, is it possible for my daughter to stay with the same team and still have the chance to get recruited or should we look into other teams that have more experience with the process?

They will be playing in about 5 showcase tournaments this year which is really all the exposure she’ll have but is that enough?

All feedback and guidance is appreciated!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The right team can help, but very few teams will "get" you recruited. Most of the effort will/should be from you and your dd. Others have given great advice and there are so many resources mentioned that you should be studying. The one thing I would evaluate regarding the team is how much they win and how many players are talented enough to play college ball. The team doesn't need to be winning every tournament or be full of D1 prospects, but they need to be competitive against good teams and the majority of the players need to be skilled enough to play college ball in order to attract and keep the attention of college coaches at tournaments.

 

[Orange Socks]

The right team can help, but very few teams will "get" you recruited. Most of the effort will/should be from you and your dd. Others have given great advice and there are so many resources mentioned that you should be studying. The one thing I would evaluate regarding the team is how much they win and how many players are talented enough to play college ball. The team doesn't need to be winning every tournament or be full of D1 prospects, but they need to be competitive against good teams and the majority of the players need to be skilled enough to play college ball in order to attract and keep the attention of college coaches at tournaments.

The pitcher for Christopher Newport that just won the D3 Championship played for a program that I have never heard of. They list only 6 players in the past 4 years that have committed to play college. College coaches will recruit from programs that prepare the player to play at the next level and also play against other teams that have future collegiate players. Friends are friends, but we talkin' business.