D3 and NAIA Recruiting

[TNSoftballDad]

There seems to be a relatively common belief that NAIA is below D3 in terms of playing level.

Not true. At all.

NAIA would be more comparable to D2 and in some cases D1 depending on the school. The NAIA doesn't have the same funding/scholarship limits as the NCAA does. In the NCAA, scholarships cannot be "stacked". IOW, if a kid receives academic money it counts as an athletic scholarship. In the NAIA, you can "stack" scholarships. So if an incoming player has an academic or other scholarship that covers 50%, the softball program would be able to get her a full scholarship but only use half a scholarship from their allotted total. 10 scholarships in the NAIA go a lot longer than they do in the NCAA.

I work in the athletic department at an NAIA school and went to the softball national tournament in Decatur this year. I guarantee you there were teams there who could be very competitive on the D2 level as well as in lower-tier D1 conferences.

 

[calgofo]

There seems to be a relatively common belief that NAIA is below D3 in terms of playing level.

Not true. At all.

NAIA would be more comparable to D2 and in some cases D1 depending on the school. The NAIA doesn't have the same funding/scholarship limits as the NCAA does. In the NCAA, scholarships cannot be "stacked". IOW, if a kid receives academic money it counts as an athletic scholarship. In the NAIA, you can "stack" scholarships. So if an incoming player has an academic or other scholarship that covers 50%, the softball program would be able to get her a full scholarship but only use half a scholarship from their allotted total. 10 scholarships in the NAIA go a lot longer than they do in the NCAA.

I work in the athletic department at an NAIA school and went to the softball national tournament in Decatur this year. I guarantee you there were teams there who could be very competitive on the D2 level as well as in lower-tier D1 conferences.

I suggest you look at the HBU huskies who were in the past an NAIA power house. They moved up to D1 this year and the only teams they could beat were very low ranked d1's.

 

[JoeA1010]

I just saw this thread. As a D3 head coach, I think almost all of the information here is good. The one thing that I think is somewhat of a misperception is that a D3 coach can make sure a girl gets a certain amount of help financially. First, if a school is doing that it is blatantly breaking NCAA rules. Second, many girls or parents will claim they got a bunch of help when in reality it was just the normal aid that any student would get. And third, if any of this is taking place, it's likely to be very much on the sly, with coaches not having direct conversations with financial aid departments. I would guess that if a parent or girl is approaching about any D3 coach with the thought of negotiating in mind, that isn't going to go far at all.

As far as getting on a D3 roster, it really depends on the school. Some schools recruit and winning is the goal. Others don't even recruit and just take whoever comes. The first thing to do is contact the coach and let him/her know of your interest. See if the coach will be attending any tournaments you are playing. Send a skills video, fill out the online questionnaire, etc. The type of programs at D3 can vary widely. Some have full-time coaches while others have part-time coaches who have a full-time job doing something else.

Academically, I tell our recruits that they will have a bit more free time at our school than a D1, but not much. The D1 might spend X amount of time on softball and Y amount on studies, while we do just the opposite. Either way, you're busy. We had one girl in pre-med and she had to drop off after her freshman year, as she was just too busy. Of course she was one of the last girls on the roster, so playing time was not in the cards, which affected her decision.

When you talk to a coach, find out the roster situation. If the coach has seen the player, is a roster spot guaranteed or will a tryout be necessary? A roster spot is about the only thing a D3 coach can offer to a recruit. Also keep in mind that D3 coaches don't have much incentive to turn down any decent player. We don't have scholarships, so it's not costing us anything. When I took my job 18 months ago, I was told by many D3 coaches in various sports to get as many good players as I can and figure it out from there. So, try to determine just how serious a D3 coach is about your daughter.

Finally, I strongly recommend doing a visit just like a player would at a D1. A recruit should also do an overnight with one of the players and ask questions of several players. Find out from the players exactly what it will be like academically and athletically for the next four years.

 

[Coach Rocco]

D3 And Financial Aid

My daughter plays softball for a D3 school. Although they cannot directly offer scholarship $$$ she was given as part of her package..an RA position in one of the dorms. This meant that along with her other aid she went to school for free. WOW! Not so fast. This summer she got a letter that stated since she did not have the season expected of her, they were not going to offer her the RA position...a loss of approx 6K in funding....Now we have to find the extra money to make up the difference.

 

[sluggers]

I work in the athletic department at an NAIA school and went to the softball national tournament in Decatur this year. I guarantee you there were teams there who could be very competitive on the D2 level as well as in lower-tier D1 conferences

I agree. The teams at the top of the NAIA are good. Oklahoma City University, e.g., has in the past had some great teams that probably could compete in the mid-level D1.

There is a big difference between top NAIA and bottom NAIA teams, just as there is between top D3 teams and bottom D3 teams. Some of the NAIA and D3 teams are terrible, and couldn't beat a good high school team.

 

[tmolina]

My daughter intends to continue her softball into college. However, her bigger goal is to get a great college education leading to a degree in the medical field. It appears that D3 and NAIA programs allow students to place a greater emphasis on education while fielding very competitive teams during the season. How do D3 and NAIA softball coaches usually go about recruiting? Do players really need to be on a 18u gold team at a national to get noticed by these coaches at these programs? Are there some typical performance benchmarks of HS pitching prospects for good programs at the D3/NAIA level?

Can you give us an update on what your daughter ultimately decided on for her college education and softball?
Thanks
TM