college recruitment

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anybody have a dd or know another player that got recruited into a college to play softball as a direct result of attending showcase tournaments? ?I had a discussion with about this with someone and my dd is only 13 so I have no personal knowledge in this area. ?I guess a better idea is to ask:

What are the most common and successful ways to get "seen" and recruited? ? showcase tourneys, play for a big organization, hustle and get your dd's info to as many as possible on your own, etc, etc? ?I'm looking for opinions from people who have gone thru this, successfully or not. ?

At what age does this need to start to happen if your dd's goals are to play in college? Thanks.

 

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sent you PM...

 

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I have a 15 y/o and this info would be of interest...!

 

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I have never heard from a college coach or know any players who got noticed at a showcase tournament except for queen of diamonds at Kent State. If you want to play college softball, you need to be proactive and start contacting coaches and send them a DVD of what you can do. Then if they like what they see, they'll come watch you. The coaches I've talked to go to a tournament to see a player that they have already have communicated with, not to look at random players.

 

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krm,
Been through it,dd got good exposure by going to showcases,but as your dd gets older,she needs to pick a few colleges and invite coaches to her tournaments,that way they are there to see HER.Fortunately my dd plays for a very good H.S. program and has gotten equal exposure from that via news media,internet and playing fairly deep in state H.S. tournament each year.
Hope this helps.

 

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First of all, I chuckle when I see a posting asking which colleges will be attending a tournament. My reply would be: "Hopefully the coaches that your DD sent emails to."

Some parents think that a showcase is similar to a college fair at the high school. The coaches are sitting at a table just waiting for someone to come along and sing praise about their DD and then get an offer.

Well, it ain't so. DD need to start communicating with colleges that she is interested in. There are seminars and literature out there on how to go about this. But hurry, Div 1 schools are presently looking at the 2011 class.

 

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My daughter has received contact from coaches from showcase appearances (both the tournament kind and the pre-tournament camp kind). You do need to do your homework to maximize your opportunities, but some contacts can come without your initial contact. And the age to start it all is getting younger and younger - my own little opinion is that they should start emailing coaches, attending showcases & clinics, etc. at least in summer after their sophomore year.

The best advice I can give is to make sure your daughter knows that she may be watched at any moment during a tournament or a clinic. We've had coaches specifically say that they look for hustle, attention toward other players from the dugout, coming back from a mistake, handling coach's criticism and umpire calls. They even notice how they act when they warm up. There are a lot of good players out there - if a girl looks like she isn't giving 100% or if a bad attitude is detected, she may be moved to the bottom of the list. I've also had coaches tell us that they notice the parents' behavior as well and it can reflect on the attention a girl gets.

 

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My DD will be starting her junior year of college ball this fall. She got the attention of her college coach at the Compuware tournament in Michigan. But, her coach might not have watched her had my DD not sent her a contact letter and a skills DVD. Her coach watched her pitch 5 straight games in 90+ degree heat, digging out of the loser's bracket to the championship game. Coach also saw her at Stingrays, Best of the Best and Sluggerfest. It wasn't so much the name of the tournament, but rather the quality of the opponents. You won't impress a college coach with a no-hitter against obvious weak competition.

Cathi Aradi publishes a book "Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level" which she updates every year. It is the defacto Bible of college softball recruiting. It contains EVERYTHING you would want to know - timelines, coaches names, addresses, emails - you name it. I would suggest you get a copy and follow the guidelines in it. Most of all, and regardless of what your DD decides to do, enjoy the ride - it goes faster than you can imagine!

 

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You must initiate the contact. ASA Nationals, Compuware , Kent State and Queen of Dimaonds were great but we also found that attending the camps at a school of interest was a great way to get seen.

 

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My DD was getting letters from D-1 coaches when she was 12. They started following her around like puppy dogs when she was 15.

Mr. Finch

P.S.

If she's really good, they'll find her. If she's pretty good, she'll have to find them.

 

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Cathi Aradi,

Link to her book. www.fastpitchrecruiting.com

I would recommend it as well.

 

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Also look to play for teams THAT GO to Compuware, Stingrays and GAPSS not just say they are going to go. ASK HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? Some of these are tough to get in and just saying We are going to look at going to them doesn't cut it for an answer...

There are other important Major National Tournaments, but I am just talking about our local BI State area

 

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I had a girl on my team 2 years ago that was offered a full ride on the spot at the Fall showcase at Bowling Green that Martin Drain puts on. After our team was eliminated I had a coach approach me and want to talk to my pitcher. So YES, it CAN happen! In the 9-10 years I've been doing this that has been the only time one of my kids was offered right then and there on the spot!

Like most of the post above....There is a lot of work that must be done by the player, parents and summer coach to get their kids seen! YOU, as a parent and player must send emails, call coaches and ask them to come watch.

Another poster above hit it on the head about playing for a team that plays at tournaments where the college coaches attend.

Here's a short list of top notch tournaments where you are assured that coaches will be hanging out:

THIS YEARS OHIO SCHEDULE
1. June 6,7,8 = NOT SURE
2. June 12,13,14,15 = Compuware, MI (I think this was the same weekend as the Tenn showcase)
3. June 20,21,22 = ASA States 16U & 18U
4. June 27,28,29 = ASA National Qualifiers 16U & 18U
5. July 4,5,6 = Colorado Tournaments, Best of the Best Showcase and maybe some at GAPSS
6. July 11,12,13 = Stingrays and at Kidron Classic
7. July 18,19, 20 = 18U Loundonville
8. July 20 -26 = NSA NATIONALS = I think coaches take the week off...Just my opinion Have never seen many coaches at any NSA events! There are always a few!
9. July 27 - Aug 2 = ASA Nationals 16U they are ALL OVER THE PLACE and 18U and 18U GOLD they are in abundance!


Your best bet is email and send them your schedule and tell them your team name 7 color of uniforms, field # and time you play and also send what number you are so they can find you.

BEST of LUCK!!! The book mentioned below is a MUST!! Great info inside!

Jamie Wolff
Ohio Wolfpack

 

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you and your coach should be contacting the schools/coaches of the colleges they hope to attend to get your DD looked at....I can tell you that if your 16u coach doesn't have a showcase schedule, or doesn't request coaches come and see their team play, you'll be doing all the leg-work...

but coaches DO attend these tourneys but they wont just fall on a players lap...good luck!

 

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Anyway to sticky this thread? I can imagine people year after year being interested in this topic. My DD is onloy 10 so I have a few years at least

 

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Maybe.

I have a 10yo student that is throwing in the 80's now. ;D :

Elliott.

 

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well, our organization, ?Furies/Predators, ?is relatively small compared to say Pittsburgh Power, Pittsburgh Spirit, and most of the Ohio based teams like Stingrays, Lady Lasers, and Valley Extreme, etc ,etc. ? Does being on a team from one of those "major" organizations benefit a player alot when it comes to being "seen"? ? I can see it maybe benefitting them a little in the sense that some of the main showcase tourneys are invitationals and those organizations have a better shot of getting their team(s) into them. ? For example, we applied for Stingrays this year (12u) and were not accepted. ?But Pittsburgh Power had been accepted many years in a row. ? ?Though they didn't apply this year since their tourney is the same weekend.

This post was a result of a parent from our team thinking that maybe they need to get their dd into one of these larger organizations sometime between now and her 1st year of HS. ?I don't think its that big of a deal, but wanted to get some info so when I talk with that parent again, I have something to go on. ?I was/am under the impression that, when it comes time for a player to start thinking about college ball, ?most of the legwork has to come from the parents, HS, and travel coaches, and of course the player staying good enough to even warrant consideration at all. ?I am also under the impression that if you have a good team, that can go deep in these showcase tournaments, that it would benefit the players in the sense that there is more chance of being seen the more games your team can play. ?In other words, if you play for one of the "major" orgs, but the team gets eliminated early consitently, then that limits the players chances of getting "seen". ?

The real issue here I guess is.... is it greatly beneficial for a player to play for a team from a "major" organization versus one from a smaller organization? ? I'm sure it may help some, but does it really make that much of a difference? ?If so, then why? ? Thanks.

And thanks to all who have provided info so far.

 

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If your team is playing against the top competition, it shouldn't matter who you are playing for. But coaches are not going to come watch you play lesser competition. It is usually the bigger, more established organizations that have a better following, because they are constantly playing against the best. Run with the big dogs or stay on the porch, and never get better, or noticed.

 

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I wonder how many girls/boys who have accepted scholarships for colleges and regretted afterward due to the fact that they are bound by that contract that sports com first? am I way off on this?

 

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As far as I know, they're only bound for one year (at a time), and I'd be surprised too many are really that surprised. If they are, they haven't done their homework to find out what will be required of them (and not all coaches live by the "sports come first" credo - the player has to stay in school with grades in good standing. In many cases, they have many more opportunities for academic help than non-athletic students).