Were these D1 schools in your state? If you're in Florida and you want to go to UCLA, I can't image they'd come to any travel games.
A question for parents of D1 Pitchers
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Were these D1 schools in your state? If you're in Florida and you want to go to UCLA, I can't image they'd come to any travel games.
- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
They would go to the major tournaments to see her (Colorado,PGF Nationals, etc)
Agreed. But if you play in Florida and want to go to FSU, they probably could (and do) come to more than just those tourneys. Just so much easier for them if they need another look.
I could be wrong.
- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
True. They would likely not want to see you play against The Hittin Kittens though, at least not very often. UCLA is going to want to see you face the competition you would face if you play for them.
Is your DD already emailing these coaches? If this school would be a good fit, then you should make every effort to go to the camp. Better yet, have your team recruiter talk to the coaches to get feedback. Another note: those coaches are casting wide nets too. They need players to fill out their camps in order to make money.
2 were in-state 3 were not..2 in the southeast and one in the Midwest
- Apr 23, 2023
- 34
- 18
She was not emailing them. We have seen a pattern of a coach watching a game, then following her on Twitter and sending a camp email.
A few parents mentioned coaches watched their daughters games but they didn’t attend camp and got offers. So trying to figure out the degree of importance of the camp part given limited time, etc.
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Depends on how good she is. That's the reality
If she's a stud throwing 68 they will take her even if she doesn't know their name much less have attended their camp. If she is a "maybe" recruit for them then you have to work to get their attention. You have to figure out where you are in the pecking order and go from there.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,386
- 113
So, from my experience(s) this is how things work, for the most part... Sorry for the length.
I often get a good chuckle out of hearing someone say their daughter was invited to a camp at XYZ university. I feel like saying "Yea, 500 other kids got the same invite!" But, it's important to know there's multiple kinds of camps, and attending them does help your odds of the coaches coming to your games. First thing's first:
1. Every college softball office has a huge white board with several columns: 2024, 2025, 2026, etc. with names written down. These are players they are interested in. When a player commits to another school, her name is simply erased from the white board and the focus then goes on to the next person listed.
2. There's multiple kinds of college camps.
A. There's the open ones that are sometimes just money grabs the coaches are getting.
B. Camps that are open but, they are genuinely being used to evaluate a player. Keep in mind, camps are the only time a coach is allowed to work with a particular player. Even when a player goes on an official visit to the school, there is no softball on that trip for the recruit. They are there to just hang out, meet the team, see the town, etc. They are not allowed to do workouts. So, camps are the loophole in the system. It allows the coaches to work with the player and see how they are to work with. It also gives the recruit a chance to see the coach in action, to see if they click together, etc. I used to believe camps were all like type A (money grabs) but not all of them are. That loophole where camps are where players can interact with the coach can be very insightful for both parties.
C. "secret camps". There are rules and regulations to camps such as, they have to be advertised somewhere for a particular amount of time. But, if you're Oklahoma and you have 6 recruits you're after in a big time way.... then that camp is advertised somewhere that nobody will see it or find it. It might be buried somewhere for the minimum amount of time and only those 6 recruits will be told how to find it and where to look. These camps happen ALL THE TIME. Obviously it's done in a very shady way, yet all the rules are followed. So, there's a lot of sneaky things like that, backroom dealings for recruits (and transfers). It's so sneaky and shady that you'd almost think Hunter Biden designed it. LOLOLOLOL Sorry, couldn't resist.
If you're a recruit that the school is interested in, and especially if you've been to the school's camp(s), then the coaches usually make a big effort to send someone to your games. It might not be the head coach but, someone will be there. Also, if you go to the 18u PGF Nationals, you will see most of the coaches there watching the players who've already committed to them. They go to show support. But, much of it starts with attending a camp. When a kid goes to the camp, the coaches evaluate and try to use a crystal ball to see how good that player will be by the time she gets to them. Then they try to figure out if they will make her even better when she's at the school. But at that initial camp, the player can work with the coach, ask questions, etc. The coach will also be doing the same thing. Once you've impressed them at the camp, they will probably ask for your schedule so they can be at some of your events.
Also, it's worth noting... I've known coaches who will scratch a kid off their list if they see them disrespectful to their parents. There's a popular story of a well known D1 coach who wasn't wearing her college gear, was incognito in a way, and noticed the kid didn't say thank you or seem grateful when her parents bought her drinks at the concession stand. Also, I know coaches that will cross names off when they see Daddy carrying her bag out to the car. You may think that seems petty, but many of these coaches want their athletes to be respectful and responsible for their own stuff. Many times these little things add up to a bigger picture with these coaches.
This is what I tell my students to do: Figure out what they wanna do for work. Then figure out how far from home you're willing to go. There's no point in sending your schedule and such to U of Hawaii if you don't wanna be that far from home!! So, once you figure out what you wanna do and how far you wanna be, you figure out which schools offer that program that is inside your travel radius. Making sure those schools have a softball program, then you target those schools for camps and info. I really don't know of a better system than that. Jordy Bahl knew she didn't want to be longer than a day's drive home when she picked Oklahoma. And now she's 35 miles from home. So, that's how I recommend things to my students. Good luck.
I often get a good chuckle out of hearing someone say their daughter was invited to a camp at XYZ university. I feel like saying "Yea, 500 other kids got the same invite!" But, it's important to know there's multiple kinds of camps, and attending them does help your odds of the coaches coming to your games. First thing's first:
1. Every college softball office has a huge white board with several columns: 2024, 2025, 2026, etc. with names written down. These are players they are interested in. When a player commits to another school, her name is simply erased from the white board and the focus then goes on to the next person listed.
2. There's multiple kinds of college camps.
A. There's the open ones that are sometimes just money grabs the coaches are getting.
B. Camps that are open but, they are genuinely being used to evaluate a player. Keep in mind, camps are the only time a coach is allowed to work with a particular player. Even when a player goes on an official visit to the school, there is no softball on that trip for the recruit. They are there to just hang out, meet the team, see the town, etc. They are not allowed to do workouts. So, camps are the loophole in the system. It allows the coaches to work with the player and see how they are to work with. It also gives the recruit a chance to see the coach in action, to see if they click together, etc. I used to believe camps were all like type A (money grabs) but not all of them are. That loophole where camps are where players can interact with the coach can be very insightful for both parties.
C. "secret camps". There are rules and regulations to camps such as, they have to be advertised somewhere for a particular amount of time. But, if you're Oklahoma and you have 6 recruits you're after in a big time way.... then that camp is advertised somewhere that nobody will see it or find it. It might be buried somewhere for the minimum amount of time and only those 6 recruits will be told how to find it and where to look. These camps happen ALL THE TIME. Obviously it's done in a very shady way, yet all the rules are followed. So, there's a lot of sneaky things like that, backroom dealings for recruits (and transfers). It's so sneaky and shady that you'd almost think Hunter Biden designed it. LOLOLOLOL Sorry, couldn't resist.
If you're a recruit that the school is interested in, and especially if you've been to the school's camp(s), then the coaches usually make a big effort to send someone to your games. It might not be the head coach but, someone will be there. Also, if you go to the 18u PGF Nationals, you will see most of the coaches there watching the players who've already committed to them. They go to show support. But, much of it starts with attending a camp. When a kid goes to the camp, the coaches evaluate and try to use a crystal ball to see how good that player will be by the time she gets to them. Then they try to figure out if they will make her even better when she's at the school. But at that initial camp, the player can work with the coach, ask questions, etc. The coach will also be doing the same thing. Once you've impressed them at the camp, they will probably ask for your schedule so they can be at some of your events.
Also, it's worth noting... I've known coaches who will scratch a kid off their list if they see them disrespectful to their parents. There's a popular story of a well known D1 coach who wasn't wearing her college gear, was incognito in a way, and noticed the kid didn't say thank you or seem grateful when her parents bought her drinks at the concession stand. Also, I know coaches that will cross names off when they see Daddy carrying her bag out to the car. You may think that seems petty, but many of these coaches want their athletes to be respectful and responsible for their own stuff. Many times these little things add up to a bigger picture with these coaches.
This is what I tell my students to do: Figure out what they wanna do for work. Then figure out how far from home you're willing to go. There's no point in sending your schedule and such to U of Hawaii if you don't wanna be that far from home!! So, once you figure out what you wanna do and how far you wanna be, you figure out which schools offer that program that is inside your travel radius. Making sure those schools have a softball program, then you target those schools for camps and info. I really don't know of a better system than that. Jordy Bahl knew she didn't want to be longer than a day's drive home when she picked Oklahoma. And now she's 35 miles from home. So, that's how I recommend things to my students. Good luck.
excellent post, thank you. Also girls should consider the cost of the university. Or chat with parents about that.
