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8 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SOFTBALL RECRUITING
1. #1 Mistake is starting too late
7. Know your options!
1. #1 Mistake is starting too late
- The softball recruiting timeline is getting pushed up sooner and sooner. Top programs are starting to find and then offer players in their freshman and sophomore years.
- College coaches are sending out these questionnaires and camp brochures by the thousands. First, make sure you to respond to EVERY questionnaire. Also, for camps, you will want to make sure you are having contact with these coaches beforehand so they know who you are when you get to their camp.
- High school softball is great, but it is only 2 months out of the year. If you are only playing high school ball, you are limiting the time a college coach can come watch you play.
- Coaches do a lot of their recruiting in the summer and fall to do their final evaluations. This is when they are identifying their top recruits, so it is more important to be playing travel ball than high school.
- A skills video will provide the college coach with a basic idea of what the student-athlete can bring to their team. .
- It will let coaches evaluate your baseline fundamentals and get a better feel for where you are mechanically as a player.
- This skills video will include the athlete playing their position and making game-like plays. It will also include base running from home to first, as well as hitting.
- College coaches get hundreds of letters, emails, and videos. Make yourself stand out so coaches remember you. When writing the introductory letter to the college coach, make sure you list reasons why that school is a good fit for you.
- Academics are going to play a large role in the softball recruiting process. When college coaches are recruiting, they aren?t just looking for 1 or 2 short stops, they can be looking at several short stops at a time. College coaches are going to choose the student-athlete with the better academics
7. Know your options!
- There are over 1,600 College Softball programs, and over 80% of these are outside of Division I.
- Don?t Limit yourself to only wanting to play Division I, there are more opportunities outside of the Division I level
- Softball is an equivalency sport which means all scholarships are NOT full scholarships. For example, a Division I program has 12 scholarships, but this can be handed out to MORE than 12 people.
- Scholarships are available at every level except NJCAA DIII. This includes Division I,II,III (Academic only), NAIA, NJCAA, and NJCAA DI, and NJCAA DII.
