The image potential recruits portray online

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Ken Krause

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May 7, 2008
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Mundelein, IL
Saw an article today in the Jugs Co. newsletter that I thought was worth sharing. It was written by their regular softball columnist Celeste Knierim, who is also a college coach.

She was talking about the e-mail addresses players often use today -- names like blondebombshell, QTpie, things like that. These names don't make the player sound like a serious person -- not exactly the impression someone looking for a college scholarship wants to give.

Check it out -- it's definitely worth a read.

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May 12, 2008
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This is true. See it all the time. I don't really think much of it but I can see where some college coaches might have second thoughts. I'd suggest establishing a separate email address for recruiting use. I've seen some girls use some derivation of their name along with the year they graduate. Something including softball something or other suggests to a coach the player is passionate about softball.
 
As the lead recruiter for a Div II university for 5 years before I resigned I did not pay any attention to emails addresses. When I did notice one that was really difrerent I would mention it to the head coach to get a laugh. If a college coach puts to much into 16-17 year old email addresses then I only have one thing to say to college coach "get a life".

Let's get real here you are not recruiting the email address you are recruiting the girl. If you are paying more attention to their email address than their atheltics and academics you have an attention problem. Some coaches are just to annal for me. So let's keep in perspective and let these kids be kids because once they are in school they will find out it is a job more than a sport.
 
May 7, 2008
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Morris County, NJ
Coach Stan:
Do you have a list of theings and items you typically looked for in a potential recruit?

Lists may be different for pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, but with all of the recent discussion regarding collegiate recruiting, this could be helpful to the group. This site gererates veru useful and helpful dialog to those of us with a bigger learning curve they many more experienced coaches/parents.

Thanks.
 
This is a great question. First you have to understand each university is different but there are basics that each college recruiter looks for.

Academics: Grades, grades, grades did I mention grades. GPA 3.0 and better make it really easy for college coaches to bring into the college environement. SAT and ACT scores are also just important. But the higher the GPA it takes away from the necessity for a truly high SAT score. But the higher the GPA and SAT lets the college coach know the PSA will have a better chance of making thru and achieving a degree from there university.

Attitude: Many colleges coaches look for hustling hardworking PSA. I know many recruiters who did this and did this myself. When I recruited I came out when the PSA did know when I was there and evaluated how they did. You see some PSA only hustle and work hard when they know the univeristy they want to go is there. Be a team player. We all know that some times we make mistakes or get hit as a pitcher or errors happen behind the pitcher but the coach is looking for is what the PSA does when it happens. If they do not hustle or cop and attitude or give up they will walk away. But if you stick in there and do not give up they will come back because they have seen the PSA perform at their best and their worse.

Skill level: We all look for that top 25 athlete but we all know they go to the top 25 university in the country. So we never lower our standards but look for the PSA who have good skills level but also have good learning ability. I and many other recruiteres watched PSA warm up and see if they take direction well. If they do not listen to direction but have skill level many leave because they want the skill level but a PSA who is willing to adjust to different skill development drills.

My advise is keep it simple. Truly evaluate your daughters skills level. Sit down her freshman season and come up with 30 college she would like to go to. This is where it get sticky many parents want to interject their will on there daughter to pursuade her to go to the college they want them to go too. Have a 3 way conversation and ensure your daughter view point is the main issue. But the reason I say her freshman year is because they change their mind as the get more mature and understand the system. the 3- teams should range from her #1 to her #30. Her Sohpmore year start contacting each college. Send an email with a player profile attached. Along with that send her team's tournament/showcase schedule. Keep in constant contact. As she comes closer to recuiting age college will become more interested and will start to contact her. Also stay out of it let her with your gauidance talk with the college coach. I felt when a parent got involved at an extreme degree then I thought the PSA was not ready for the big step.

So hopefully I answered your question ands if I can offer any other assistance for further guidance let me know. Oh I forgot have a real good video completed and ready and send them out to every college you sent email too.
 

Ken Krause

Administrator
Admin
May 7, 2008
3,911
113
Mundelein, IL
As the lead recruiter for a Div II university for 5 years before I resigned I did not pay any attention to emails addresses. When I did notice one that was really difrerent I would mention it to the head coach to get a laugh. If a college coach puts to much into 16-17 year old email addresses then I only have one thing to say to college coach "get a life".

Let's get real here you are not recruiting the email address you are recruiting the girl. If you are paying more attention to their email address than their atheltics and academics you have an attention problem. Some coaches are just to annal for me. So let's keep in perspective and let these kids be kids because once they are in school they will find out it is a job more than a sport.

That may be true, but it doesn't change the fact that some coaches will see that and question how serious the player is. Remember, teachers have been fired for posting pictures of themselves getting drunk at a party, or otherwise acting like 20-somethings.

If you want to play softball in college, why take the chance? A softball-specific e-mail, as Mark suggested, makes a lot of sense. Same strategy college grads are being told to use for job-hunting, by the way.
 
Been there done that with recruiting. I have sat next to and discussed recruiting and situations like this with some of the top university in the country and I know for a fact they do not pay attention to email addresses. They know they are recruiting 16-18 year olds who try to have lifes outside of softball.

An example of one of the last recruits I recruited who decided to sign with and attend my old university her email was boneheadcatcher13. If I decided to recruit via your description she would have never attended and performed above what we expected her too. This young lady help lead this the team to back to back regional berths. Keep it simple and not complicated let these kids be kids they rarely get to do things most kids thier age gets to do anyway.
 
May 12, 2008
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I don't doubt your experience but I don't see any down side in taking the five minutes to set up a softball specific email address. Can't hurt.
 
Neither do I. What I am addressing is the fact that most college coaches do not recruit PSA's by their email it is their athletic and academic credentials they recruit. Most college coaches are not as annal as what is being depicted on here:eek:.

Since I have addressed this thread I have talked with about 5 college recruiters from some pretty prominent schools and they find it funny that people outside of softball recruiting would think they would actually pay attention to 16-18 year old email addresses. But using a softbal medifore is ok too :).
 
May 12, 2008
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I don't disagree. Cheap insurance though.

I could talk at length though about how quick a coach can get turned off by the way an athlete deals with their coach, their team mates-even their parents.
 

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