RECRUITING REALITY CHECK

[klinder]

Did you know that on average only 50 to 70 softball athletes will get any type of softball scholarship at the Division I level in Ohio in any given year? Do the math. There are 11 DI programs in Ohio. DI has 12 scholarships available which can be divided up into equivalencies. There are 4 classes so on average they may have plus or minus 3 scholarships to work with for a specific class of kids.

Let's say CHAMPIONSHIP U has 3 scholarships to work with to get their 2022 class because 4 or 5 kids are graduating or leaving the program. If the coach wants a top quality pitcher, she will probably offer 75% to 100% of a softball scholarship to get that pitcher. That leaves 2.25 to 2 scholarships left to fill the rest of her needs. If she wants 4 more players she will have to figure out how to divide the 2 remaining scholarships.

At this point the coach has several options depending on what is a priority. It could be defense or it could be offense or a little of both. Lets say she needs a power hitter, a slapper who can steal bases, a starting short stop, and a back up catcher who can develop into a starter. Ideally she would like to find a defensive player who can meet her offensive needs or an offensive player who can play the position she needs. Every coach is different in what is priority based on their philosophy. Athletes who get the most money are usually ones who are excellent at both offense and defense and who can hit for power and steal bases.

The coach then identifies kids that can meet her needs and has to decide who is worth what to get the athletes to commit to her program. She has various options. She could give various combinations:

4 kids 50%
2 kids 60%, and 2 kids 40%
1 kid 75%, 1 kid 50% ,1 kid 40%, and 1 kid 35%
3 kids 60% and 1 kid 20%
3 kids 60% ,save 20% for returning players, and get 1 walk on

There are several different scenarios that could happen. Plus the coach may not want to spend all of the available money on an incoming 2022 class. She may want to reward and increase kids who are already in her program who have become impact players. In that scenario she may choose to only give 1.75 scholarships to her 2022 class.

Guess where the coach from Championship U is recruiting from, all over the country! So the reality is if you are a softball player who lives in Ohio and you want to play DI softball in Ohio you better stick out on the softball field better than any of your competitors or teammates. YOU HAVE TO BE MORE CONFIDENT, STRONGER, FASTER, AND BE ABLE TO PERFORM UNDER PRESSURE BETTER THAN 98% of the kids who play the game if you want to get a softball scholarship to a DI program.

The good news is Ohio has 11 Division I, 22 Division III, 5 NAIA, and 5 Juco programs. All of these schools bring in an average of 5 to 8 kids every year. DII and NAIA offer scholarships as well. They just don't have as many to work with so they mostly give partial softball scholarships.

The point is if you are a HS athlete who wants to play in college you should be keeping your options open in looking at various division schools. It is about finding a good fit for you academically, athletically, financially, and socially.

Aspire Higher Softball's focus is on education about the recruiting process and on helping athletes develop the mental and physical skills needed to reach their goals.

All of the Aspire Higher Showcase Camps and Clinics have coaches from various levels giving instruction and feedback.

Our next Showcase Clinic is December 16th in Willoughby, Ohio. This Clinic will have 11 coaches from DII, III, NAIA, and JUCO. This is a great way to get exposure, to learn more about the recruiting process, and get individual attention. It is being sponsored by North Coast Express and Mannino's Grand Slam.

To sign up or get more information go to:
www.aspirehighersports.com

Karen Linder is also available for team and organization recruiting seminars and individual consultation to help you navigate the recruiting process.

Karen Linder
klinder@aspirehighesports.com
330-221-5197

Facebook follow Karen Linder or Aspire Higher Sports for more upcoming programs
Instagram follow aspirehighersoftball

 

[City Slicker]

Karen, Thank you!

 

[coachjwb]

Great info, Karen, for players and families. And some JUCO's (all of the ones in Ohio?) can offer moneys as well.

 

[1stbasecoach]

One organization my DD played for would host a college night each year. They would have 3 or 4 college coaches come in, one of from each level D-1 through 3, community college, etc. The coaches would talk about where they recruit, how they recruit, what they are looking for, and of course, how much schollie $ they give out. The CC coaches always said "I can give out full rides". Community college only costs about 5K per year so they can offer a bigger % for that.

 

[JoeA1010]

It's great advice as usual from Coach Linder. Having coached at pretty much every level, I would advise people to not just chase the money. Make money one important factor, but if money is the only factor, my experience is that the student-athlete will likely be unhappy with her decision during her time in college.

As Coach Linder says, make it about fit. I have seen no correlation between division level and happiness, but I have seen a huge correlation between the right fit and happiness.

 

[Pacerdad57]

I feel the major portion of fit is what academic programs are offered.
If they don’t have what your passion for a career is, look elsewhere.
Your degree in a viable field is , or should be, your number one priority.
I saw my DD walk away from a great program that she would’ve seen playing time in, in all likelihood, for a degree offered elsewhere that she was passionate about, but wouldn’t play ball. I’ve never seen her happier in my life. Proud of her decision to pursue life and go after what she most desired.

 

[Xrayaries]

Here is something my kids and I have assembled. It works well and will weed out the majority of schools on your list.

We created a point system. This is an example you make your own with your daughter step by step.

Must Haves (worth 3 points each)

1. Biology/Pre Vet
2. Softball or Volleyball
3. Less than 2000 students
4. 15-1 student to faculty or lower
5. Singing Club
6. Intramural sports
7. Less than 36,000 Annually

Wants (worth 2 points)

1. Equestrian Club
2. Big Cafeteria lots of options
3. Air conditioning in dorms
4. Wal-Mart near by
5. No quads single and doubles
6. Access to American fast food
7. Required athlete study groups

Bonus (worth 1 point)

1. Chinese Restaurant
2. Acapella group
3. Football team
4. Internships for major
5. In Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming
6. In the south
7. No community shower.

Some of these sound petty, but when you are weighing 200 schools you need all the help you can get to find the best fit.

We took the list I have published here and started grading the schools.

Example.

West Virginia Wesleyan 37 total points
Bethany College 34 total points.

We took the highest 5-8 schools from each state and have started focusing our emails and visits on only those schools. We don't have to waste our time on the Meat camps. We can go to campus specific camps and take visits. Saturday visits with your little girl is a wonderful experience.

Make the research fun. Find funny facts and information about the schools. The first big snow at Wooster every year the students try to fill the breezeway with snow. They succefully completed the task last year. This will also help when assembling emails to coaches.

This is not a one day thing. Research takes time. It does not matter what method you use to eliminate schools you are going to have to research. After the first couple it will get faster each time after.

Plenty of data can be found at www.collegedata.com . The schools website second. NCSA has also assembled a decent amount of college information for you to review.

Good luck to everyone. Just have fun making memories with your girls.

 

[klinder]

Totally agree that you need to identify the top factors for you and that will help you narrow your search. Making a list is a great way to get started. In the beginning the process is about identifying schools you would like to visit and then go talk to coaches, athletes, professors, and get a feel for the campus. After you have made several visits it becomes about narrowing it down. Coaches go through the same process. At first they add names to the list, investigate those athletes and then start narrowing down to who will best meet their needs. Having a plan is a smart way to save time and money in finding a school that meets your needs.

Going to camps that have coaches from several schools is a good way to meet coaches to see if you like their coaching personality and style. Going to camps at a specific college is a good way to get a feel for that specific school if you take time to tour the campus and talk to coaches, students, and athletes.

By starting the process as a freshman or sophomore you can take your time and identify what you like and what feels right. That should help reduce the pressure of trying to fit all your visits in a short period of time as a junior or senior. Go watch teams play in the fall and spring. Go watch practices when you have a day off from school. The more visits and contacts you make will help identify what you do and don't want.

The goal should be to make an informed educated decision not a quick pressured one. Enjoy the process.