Tryout time again. Every year it is filled with excitement, anticipation and disappointment. As teams seasons come to an end new ones are born. As you go into this tryout season keep these things in mind....
Younger players 8u to 13u
Relax. Relax and enjoy it. Approach the season to improve and have fun doing so. Find coaches that placed an emphasis on instruction, fundamentals, and skills development. Winning is a result of these. Parents, encourage, cheer and enjoy it. Kids don't remember the wins and loses - they remember how they felt - the joy, their teammates and the overall experience.
14u into 18u
Players at the 14u level are transitioning from development to playing competitively to win. They are maturing, they should be learning how to handle success, adversity, winning and losing with class. Coaches need to continue skills development - but focus on the mental aspect of the sport - gaining the mental edge to win.
At 16u serious players hoping to play in college should be looking for organizations that have had previous success in getting their players recruited at all levels - D1, D2, DIII and NAIA. Recruiting is all about relationships between the colleges and the travel ball program and coaches. Good questions to ask of an organization are, Can I see a breakdown of the players you have placed in college at each level over the past 4 seasons? Also, tell the coach the colleges that you are considering - see if he knows the coaches there. If not, and they are within 100 miles, you can bet that you will get little to no help being recruited. Ask the coach to show you the college coaches phone numbers he / she has in their phone. A successful coach should have dozens.
Lastly, don't be fooled by hype. Teams and organizations that put Mizuno, Easton, Worth, etc on their name have no better chance of getting you recruited than any other. Any team or org can stick a vendor on their 'name' it means nothing. Ask what vendors the org works with - a good org works with and has relationships with several softball vendors for pricing reasons. Ask how much towards your fee that vendor will contribute - you will enjoy the answer.
College coaches don't care that a team has 'Easton', 'Elite', or 'Premier' next to their name. None of that means anything to them. What they want is an org whose 'brand' is known for producing recruited players each and every season. Whose teams are able to get into the 'super', 'power', and upper pools at the major showcases. And whose players they can count on to deliver for them.
Our organization, in the past 2 years, thru hard work and effort, now gets teams in the Diamond 9 Power Pool on the ESPN complex, the Super Pool at Scenic City, the Power pool at the Triple Crown Sports 'Rising Stars' showcase and multiple teams in the Ohio Stingrays showcase. It did not come overnight, we had to earn it. When looking for a team, ask for their fall and summer schedule. All the 'big' Fall showcases are already full - find out where they are going and what pools they are in.
When you hit the 15u-16u age group, you have an 18 month window to get recruited at the level and scholarship amount you are capable of. The later you get, the lost time can not be made up. Ask the coach to show you their recruiting plan and process. It should be documented and followed by their 16u - 18u coaching staff and introduced to their 14u coaches and teams. If they can't produce one, you will again have your answer. Lastly, ask to meet their organizations recruiting coordinator and talk to players from the previous years 16u/18u teams about recruiting. The answers might surprise you....
We post our recruiting guide here:
http://www.ohiohawks.com/RecruitingGuide/
Feel free to read, print and follow. We will be over the 60 mark in players recruited to college programs this fall. With 15-18 playing or committed to Division 1 programs.
Good luck everyone with tryouts. Do your homework, ask the right questions and you will find a coach, team and organization that will work as hard for your success as you do!
