College Recruiting

[quincy]

DD is too young to worry about but was curious how players get noticed by colleges and at what age.

It seems like players start making their list when they are 13, it also seems they go to some of the big tournaments to watch players they already have on their list, not to look for Players. Would guess this is all a little different college to college.

Say DD wanted to play for U of Iowa on a Scholarship what would she do to get on their list of potential players?

Say DD wanted to play for U of Iowa but did not need a Scholarship what would she do to get on their list of potential players? If she was not on a Scholarship would she be easier to cut from Team?

I picked Iowa as an example because it is only 4 hours or so away. Would you go to all their “open” clinics you could? Northwestern is the closest big school to us, would going to NW clinics help her get her into Iowa?

 

[quincy]

Looking at some of the camps, you are paying for the privilege of having some colleges see you strut your stuff? Cost seems reasonable if that is the Players goal.

 

[starsnuffer]

College coaches attend tournaments (showcases really) only after they're invited to see a particular kid and they have reason to have interest in that particular kid. The better way to stand out is to attend the schools clinics, like Screwball mentioned.

You still need to play travel ball at the highest level, so you'll be playing showcases and it can't hurt to sent out your video profile and invite coaches to your tournaments.

-W

 

[Amy in AZ.]

You need the book by Cathy Aradi.

 

[cwestwjg]

My DD hits alot of camps, going to LSU in 2 weeks 400+ kids will be there not going to stand out no matter how good you are unless you have one of two things or both. You can break 65 on the gun or you run well under 2.8 seconds at 20 yards. We let ours go for the fun of it not to get noticed. Now my DD is 12 and can already break 3 seconds at 20 and around 5.7 at 40 so she enjoys running against the big girls.

One thing I can say, due to her speed at 12, she does get alot of attention at D2 camps and honestly they are alot more fun and you can learn some skills. Typical D2 camp maybe 40-60 kids with the entire college team and usually 5 or 6 coaches there; lots of one on one and they remember returning campers.

A scholarship and four more years of ball is great no matter what number is after the D.

 

[sluggers]

Say DD wanted to play for U of Iowa on a Scholarship what would she do to get on their list of potential players

By being "good" AND:

(1) By attending the Hawkeye summer camp being "great" compared to the other players. OR
(2) By playing for a top coach who has connections with the Hawkeye coaching staff. OR
(3) By sending the coach an email saying that she is interested in playing for Iowa.

Say DD wanted to play for U of Iowa but did not need a Scholarship what would she do to get on their list of potential players?

Same answer as above.

If she was not on a Scholarship would she be easier to cut from Team?

No, the scholarship doesn't have anything to do with it, although you will hear Daddies saying something like, "My DD was better than all the other players on the team, but just because she didn't have a scholarship, she was cut."

The best players on a D1 team either have scholarships or are promised a scholarship next year. If your DD doesn't have a scholarship then she is not one of the best players on the team. E.g., something like 10 kids on a team have partial or full scholarships. So, if your DD does not have a scholarship, then she is in the bottom half of the team.

Would you go to all their “open” clinics you could?

Yes, but there are diminishing returns. Going to 2 is better than going to 1. Going to 5 isn't that much better than going to 2.

Northwestern is the closest big school to us, would going to NW clinics help her get her into Iowa?

Probably not. If she is good enough to play at Iowa, she is good enough to play at NW. Iowa and NW compete against each other every year, so I doubt that NW coach would be helping Iowa. The NW coach might send her to a friend of hers in another conference. My DD got her D1 scholarship because a coach in one conference referred her to a coach in a different conference.

Generally, the "good" softball players in college love softball. If she wants to *PLAY* (as opposed to picking up the balls after practice) then she needs to go where the coach wants her.

 

[Sparky Guy]

You need the book by Cathy Aradi.

But up the timeline to start the summer after 8th grade graduation. If you wait any longer there's a good chance there's no scholarship money left. The coaches are looking very hard at the 16U level.

 

[Steve Huff]

My DD hits alot of camps, going to LSU in 2 weeks 400+ kids will be there not going to stand out no matter how good you are unless you have one of two things or both. You can break 65 on the gun or you run well under 2.8 seconds at 20 yards. We let ours go for the fun of it not to get noticed. Now my DD is 12 and can already break 3 seconds at 20 and around 5.7 at 40 so she enjoys running against the big girls.

One thing I can say, due to her speed at 12, she does get alot of attention at D2 camps and honestly they are alot more fun and you can learn some skills. Typical D2 camp maybe 40-60 kids with the entire college team and usually 5 or 6 coaches there; lots of one on one and they remember returning campers.

A scholarship and four more years of ball is great no matter what number is after the D.

Very interesting post. And I hope it is typical. If so, they might be a better investment for a kid learning her craft. I have never seen a DII clinic. I have no kids, and I coached DI. So I can say that numbers were overwhelming at times.

 

[Steve Huff]

But up the timeline to start the summer after 8th grade graduation. If you wait any longer there's a good chance there's no scholarship money left. The coaches are looking very hard at the 16U level.

I like this post! I noticed this trend some years ago. I don't coach much in the US any more as I am too busy in Europe. But I did see this happening. I think there are two facts for it. First, the competition for the top 10% is fierce. Some schools with high academic standards such as Northwestern or Virginia get pinched out of the recruiting process simply by having limited qualified recruits. Others don't have the "name"! So they look younger to get a head-start!

Secondly, many coaches prefer a player that demonstrates a high skill level rather than recruiting the "diamonds in the rough". There are many college coaches even at DI who are not skills teachers but practice organizers. Even National team directors in Europe have talked to me about this concerning visiting coaches coming for clinics. So the competition for the "obvious" talent forces the coaches to look at 16U more. Now don't get me wrong, there are many great DI "teachers" also who really understand their craft.

 

[SBFAMILY]

I will address camps. I have attended over 20 different college camps with my dd , since she was in the 6th grade. Many are just like you posted above , or cattle farms I call them to make money. If they have more than 4 to a station, then your kid spends most of the camp standing around. If you are going there to learn hitting, spend it on a lesson. Steve is correct, about skill teachers. Going to camps, lets you and the dd meet players coaches and see if this is a place she would like to play softball Plus what Amy posted, understand the rules. If they can get you to a camp they can talk to you, if you are not a Jr in high school and if you are then it is not an official contact. Now there are exceptions. Larabee at University of Ark. knows his stuff when it comes to hitting.