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From Denny Tincher:
A college coach watched one of my students pitch to one batter and immediately said, ?I like her and want to see more of her.? Was it her speed, moving pitches, or her size? None of the above.
The kid came into a game in muddy conditions with a little rain falling. The ball was slippery, but she did not complain. Her focus was intense. You could see that it was just her and the batter, and she was determined to win. The umpire?s zone was tight, but she simply adjusted. She wanted the ball and she owned the mound.
In the past 14 months, 60 of my personal students accepted offers to pitch at D-1 schools and plenty more were recruited to smaller college programs. A couple of them surprised me. They were not that big or fast, but they were competitors on the mound and the college coaches picked up on that immediately.
Coaches notice the small things. One of our kids had a bad inning. Between innings she grabbed a catcher, went to the bullpen, and fixed her problem. The college coach later told her that was a defining moment in their offering her a scholarship.
College coaches know they won?t always see your best performance. They are looking at other factors. Are you a team player, do you stay strong when facing adversity, how do you relate to coaches, and how does pressure affect you? Do you blame the umpire for your failure or get upset when an infielder makes a silly error? Are you yelling at mommy, demanding another sport drink? How do your parents act at games? That can be a huge factor. Are you pouting in the dugout, communicating with the team, aware of every situation, focused on every pitch or every play? What does your travel ball coach say about you?
These are only the beginning. How are your grades? Colleges have precious few scholarships and are not going to waste them on someone who may become academically ineligible.
Finally, character is huge. Where do coaches go to learn about that? Social media. You are recording your thoughts, your issues, and your behavior for everyone to see. College coaches know their way around the internet or they don?t keep their jobs long.
Once you have passed these tests, a college may develop serious interest in you. They must be comfortable with your attitude, background, behavior, and ability to adjust to their systems first, and then they will seriously look at your ability to perform.
A college coach watched one of my students pitch to one batter and immediately said, ?I like her and want to see more of her.? Was it her speed, moving pitches, or her size? None of the above.
The kid came into a game in muddy conditions with a little rain falling. The ball was slippery, but she did not complain. Her focus was intense. You could see that it was just her and the batter, and she was determined to win. The umpire?s zone was tight, but she simply adjusted. She wanted the ball and she owned the mound.
In the past 14 months, 60 of my personal students accepted offers to pitch at D-1 schools and plenty more were recruited to smaller college programs. A couple of them surprised me. They were not that big or fast, but they were competitors on the mound and the college coaches picked up on that immediately.
Coaches notice the small things. One of our kids had a bad inning. Between innings she grabbed a catcher, went to the bullpen, and fixed her problem. The college coach later told her that was a defining moment in their offering her a scholarship.
College coaches know they won?t always see your best performance. They are looking at other factors. Are you a team player, do you stay strong when facing adversity, how do you relate to coaches, and how does pressure affect you? Do you blame the umpire for your failure or get upset when an infielder makes a silly error? Are you yelling at mommy, demanding another sport drink? How do your parents act at games? That can be a huge factor. Are you pouting in the dugout, communicating with the team, aware of every situation, focused on every pitch or every play? What does your travel ball coach say about you?
These are only the beginning. How are your grades? Colleges have precious few scholarships and are not going to waste them on someone who may become academically ineligible.
Finally, character is huge. Where do coaches go to learn about that? Social media. You are recording your thoughts, your issues, and your behavior for everyone to see. College coaches know their way around the internet or they don?t keep their jobs long.
Once you have passed these tests, a college may develop serious interest in you. They must be comfortable with your attitude, background, behavior, and ability to adjust to their systems first, and then they will seriously look at your ability to perform.
