Keeping in contact with a college coach 500 miles away.

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

May 22, 2019
170
28
Rural northeast
DD was at a small showcase camp last month when a coach from a school 500 miles away seemed to show interest in her. DD just finished her freshmen year. This coach has returned to this showcase for the past three years, and DD is assuming/hoping the coach will return again next summer. We won't be able to attend a camp at the school this year, nor make any visit to the school.

She knows about sending emails to the coach during this school year, with videos of her skills attached to the emails. DD wants to know what else she should do during the school year to keep her in the mind of the coach.
 

TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
43
Beyond periodic emails with updates/videos, there probably isn't too much more she can do. If this is a D1 school, the coach can't have any recruiting-related conversations until your daughter is junior, so for the next year it will only be 1 way. That said, even the continued 1-way contact is important in that it shows interest, initiative, etc.
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
DD was at a small showcase camp last month when a coach from a school 500 miles away seemed to show interest in her. DD just finished her freshmen year. This coach has returned to this showcase for the past three years, and DD is assuming/hoping the coach will return again next summer. We won't be able to attend a camp at the school this year, nor make any visit to the school.

She knows about sending emails to the coach during this school year, with videos of her skills attached to the emails. DD wants to know what else she should do during the school year to keep her in the mind of the coach.

Show love both ways. Recruiting is like dating - it can't be a one way thing. Show love for the school/caoch/team/program as well. It isn't just about softball. It really is looking for (several) "I like you/you like me" fits and hoping your DD finds the right one for her.

Follow the team and when things are happening at the school and program include that in emails.

'Saw you had a great weekend against Garbage U with a couple of wins."
"I know your camp was this weekend and I wish I was there. Hope it goes well.'
'I saw on Instagram your team bonding exercise. That was cool".
'Love your dog'

My DD follows the team social media - coach, coaches dog, team members, team, school, etc, etc.

Any livestreams help as well - I am at XXX and some of the games are livestreamed on XXX service or we are livestreaming via <<link>>

.. Lastly - ACADEMICS - when you have SAT/ACT scores, when you get GPA/report cards. Mention you looked at the major programs and that it is a good fit, etc, etc.

At one point my DD had about 10-12 college programs she was doing this for.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Show love both ways. Recruiting is like dating - it can't be a one way thing. Show love for the school/caoch/team/program as well. It isn't just about softball. It really is looking for (several) "I like you/you like me" fits and hoping your DD finds the right one for her.

Follow the team and when things are happening at the school and program include that in emails.

'Saw you had a great weekend against Garbage U with a couple of wins."
"I know your camp was this weekend and I wish I was there. Hope it goes well.'
'I saw on Instagram your team bonding exercise. That was cool".
'Love your dog'

My DD follows the team social media - coach, coaches dog, team members, team, school, etc, etc.

Any livestreams help as well - I am at XXX and some of the games are livestreamed on XXX service or we are livestreaming via <<link>>

.. Lastly - ACADEMICS - when you have SAT/ACT scores, when you get GPA/report cards. Mention you looked at the major programs and that it is a good fit, etc, etc.

At one point my DD had about 10-12 college programs she was doing this for.
Just make sure you pay attention when you are e-mailing such that you don't send out e-mails like I get from potential graduate students:

Dr. Attar,
I recently read your paper on XYZ and was intrigued. Blah, blah,blah"

Signed,
Potential Graduate Student

Now this is nice, unfortunately the paper on XYZ was written by some other professor at a different school that the student was interested in... This has happened more times than I can count the last 13 years :LOL:
 
May 22, 2019
170
28
Rural northeast
Show love both ways. Recruiting is like dating - it can't be a one way thing. Show love for the school/caoch/team/program as well. It isn't just about softball. It really is looking for (several) "I like you/you like me" fits and hoping your DD finds the right one for her.

Follow the team and when things are happening at the school and program include that in emails.

'Saw you had a great weekend against Garbage U with a couple of wins."
"I know your camp was this weekend and I wish I was there. Hope it goes well.'
'I saw on Instagram your team bonding exercise. That was cool".
'Love your dog'

This is excellent. What would you say is the sweat spot between not sending enough emails, and sending too many?
 

marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
This is excellent. What would you say is the sweat spot between not sending enough emails, and sending too many?
One way conversation - around tournaments is a good guide. DD normally sent an email once she had a schedule for the upcoming weekend's tournament and then one more detailed the day after the tournament about how it went. If there was a few weeks off then she would find a reason to communicate.

Once the coaches are allowed to reply, then it is becomes a conversation and it becomes somewhat a continuing communication.
 
May 30, 2013
1,442
83
Binghamton, NY
This is excellent. What would you say is the sweat spot between not sending enough emails, and sending too many?

My DD was a sophomore this summer.

Sent emails to schools in June (for the first time...) at the beginning of the travel season,
with expression of interest, physical stats, HS GPA, PSAT score, HS team stats, etc.
Then again, in July, about 1/2 way through her summer schedule, with some travel season cumulative stats.
Before sept. 01 of junior, I'm not convinced TOO many emails is a good idea. There is a fine line between interest, and pestering, IMO.
That formula worked well for her - garnered the interest of a few DIII's that she was targeting.
Her recruiting goals are high-academic engineering programs, and these schools tend to recruit later than others,
mostly because they hold-back until a "real" PSAT or ACT score can be reported.

Once Sept. 01 rolls around, she will likely send out a round of emails, with new team info and fall schedule,
and hopefully get a few responses from DI's...

Your goals, and experiences may vary.
 
Last edited:

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top