Recruiting process

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May 7, 2008
6
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Besides being good enough, My question is what are the steps to make my daughter eligible to be recruited. Is there paperwork to fill out? Does the process change for D1, to D2, D3 to whatever level?

I have done some research but would like to hear from someone who has already done it, or knows about it.

Thanks

Randall Softball
 
May 8, 2008
10
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I can give you a little information. I coached Division 1 softball for years and was very active in the recruiting process. To be eligible to play college softball, there are a couple of different things to consider.
First, there's the NCAA requirements. You can find that on their website, or hopefully, your high school conselor will have the info.
Second, there are university requirements. You would be suprised if you knew how much this varies. You may meet NCAA requirements but not the school requirements. The best thing to do is take 4 years English, 4 years math, all your sciences and history classes, etc. Girls who take it easy their senior year with a bunch of electives, usually end up partial qualifiers or non-qualifiers out of high school.
Hope this info helps. -Heather www.2MinuteRecruit.com
 
May 5, 2008
358
16
DI and DII also need clearance from the clearinghouse.

It's definitely important to take an active role in the recruiting process. Do not sit and wait for schools to come to you. Contact coaches and find out what the requirements are. Sometimes requirements for athletes are different (not as demanding) than requirements for regular admissions. Many schools admissions departments require more that what the NCAA requires, so definitely shoot for the best GPA and the best SAT/ACT scores possible. Also, GPA is core GPA (not GPA with all the electives included). NCAA website has all the information as far as what they require for the different levels of play.

Best wishes to you and your daughter. Encourage her to get her work done in the classroom as well as on the field. It opens up so many more doors when you have grades to go along with softball skill. Attitude is also important. But definitely be PROACTIVE. It's NOT too early to start visiting schools on your own to let your daughter get a feel for what she's comfortable with and it's not too early to start talking to her about where she wants to go (get her away from basing this solely on name, colors, or mascots ;)).
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
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Aradi's book is good for giving you an overview. Some of the things I tell parents are, pay no attention to sticker price. The more expensive schools have more academic and need based aid. Of course if you get the big percentage athletic scholly you don't care but many or most pay for a significant portion themselves. Don't save money in your kid's name. It counts against you more in terms of need based eligibility. Get the FAFSA done early and all paperwork in early to your top choice school. At the end of four, or more, years, it's all about the education. Pick the academic situation first. If DD says she wants to go, and play for, school A, ask her, if she fell down the steps the first day of class and could never play again, would she still want to stay at that school.

More later as I think of it and have time.

OK thought of something else. Stacie is right. Don't be shy. Be proactive. Coaches like kids who REALLY want to play for them. Email regularly whenever you have something new. Even if it's just a game report. If the coach wants you, they will be happy to see another email. If the coach doesn't want you, what do you care if they think you email too often? Good chance they will recommend you to someone else if they think you can play but they just don't have a spot for you.
 
Aug 6, 2008
43
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Never forget that universities are businesses. The recruiting process and getting a scholarship, whether athletic or academic, is a business deal.

It sounds cold, but like buying a new car, each coach develops a "penciled list" of prospective candidates. This list changes a lot during the recruiting season, because candidates commit to other schools, are ineligible, get injured, etc. A typical scenario: Let's say you write a coach a letter expressing your desire to play at their school. You attend their winter camp, and stay in contact. The coach then comes to watch you at a few summer tournaments. All is well, and you even get that "magic" phone call on that special Monday! This coach calls you without fail for a couple weeks. Then, all of a sudden - the calls stop. What happened? Well, you may have been number 2 or 3 on that penciled list, but when number 1 committed to the coach, you got crossed off.

I can't stress enough how important it is to "widen your circle" of prospective universities. You need to contact every single one that you are even remotely interested in. Otherwise, if and when you get "crossed off", you've possibly got another option. Case in point: My DD was getting actively recruited by two schools. Then, out of nowhere, a third one started calling, and the other two stopped calling. She wound up accepting a full athletic scholarship to the third DI school. Turns out that she had sent a recruiting packet and video to #3 also. When my DD's name hit the top of the list, she got "the phone call". She's in her junior year having the time of her life, and will graduate with almost no debt. That puts a smile on our faces!
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
"I believe a student athlete should be proud of things on which their name lies; whether it is the back of a uniform or the top of a research paper"

For most coaches, that means as long as the time required for writing the research paper doesn't conflict with a mandatory practice or those "non-mandatory mandatory" practices, or weight lifting, community social projects, "team bonding", retreats, etc.

I had two kids play college sports at a very high level. Both were very successful in their sports. One majored in chemistry. The amount of crap she took from her coach because she had to study rather than do "team bonding" (i.e., boozing with the rest of the team) still amazes me.
 
Dec 3, 2008
161
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"For most coaches"

I am sorry your daughter played for a coach who put the athlete in front of the student. There are coaches like that out there.

And, there are many, many college softball coaches who are not like that. Please, do not lump us all together.

I have seen several postings on multiple web boards claiming that "most coaches" lie to recruits. That "most coaches" run players into the ground. That "most coaches" care less about academics than team functions.

I know there are student athletes and parents who have had less than desirable experiences, and who have the right to be vocal about their displeasure.

I hope that you (collectively) will understand that there are good-hearted, even-minded, college coaches out there, too.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
Please don't misunderstand. My DDs loved playing in college--which is the whole problem. It really isn't particularly difficult to convince a 19 year old kid that it is more important to practice a sport that she loves than to study--even though in 3 or 4 years the softball skills won't even get her a cup of coffee. Some coaches exploit the immaturity of these kids to get what they want--wins and the bonuses that come with winning.

Out of the three coaches my DDs (DD-1 and DD-2) played for, one put the "student" part at the same level as the "athletic" part. She really stressed academics, She had study sessions and really made sure her kids were on track to graduate. She was a very successful as a coach--something like 100-10 in the two years my DD-1 played for her. The players (including my DD-1) weren't happy about her stressing academics, because it cut into their free time. (I thought she was great.) She moved on after two years to a better coaching job.

The next coach was a mediocre coach. She basically did not care at all about academics other than if there was eligibility problem. Academics and school simply didn't matter. This is going to sound like bragging, and maybe it is, but my DD-1 carried the team for two years, so they actually had a decent record (60-30). She was a mediocre coach and only lasted for two years after my DD graduated.

DD-2's coach was a tremendous coach--an NCAA "coach of the year". As far as academics, he also didn't care. He had no problem if a kid spent 5 years or 6 years in college, or even dropped out, as long as the kid played for him. (He was shameless. It was a private school, so you can imagine what another year or two of college was going to cost.) It didn't matter to me or my DD-2 because I learned from previous experience not to count on the coach, so from day one we were on top of the situation academically. As parents, we focused almost exclusively on making sure my DD-2 kept her priorities straight. There were run-ins with the coach, but not over playing time. It was over stuff like, "her lab is on Wednesdays. It is only offered at this time. If she doesn't take it she won't graduate on time. Therefore, she will be at practice 30 minutes late." The great irony about that coach was that he thought of himself as a "father figure"--even though he apparently didn't have a clue what being a father actually meant.
 
Dec 8, 2008
1
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playing softball in usa

HI i'm elisa from Saronno..Italy..i would like to come in usa to play and study if it's possible...i'm 23yo..i'm catcher, shortstop, and first base..these are my best places..i can play everywhere not pitcher..where can i go to play softball in 2009??can y help me??byebye


I leave here my email address: elisa.vanzulli@yahoo.it

please anyone can help me send me an email!!
 

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