recruiting/high school

[softball24_7]

Was talking with a parent this past wkd about school ball. For those that have went, are going through, or if you're a coach... Do you feel that it would hurt the players chance to be recruited if they choose not to play school ball? Personally I think it would raise too many red flags.. do college coaches actually contact high school coaches?

[softballfan2112]

I just went through the process, and I can tell you that no college coach has ever attended a high school game or contacted my daughter's high school coach. All of her recruiting has been the result of travel ball, and attending camps. Getting hooked up with a good travel organization is far more important than high school ball.

[ManitouDan2]

No college coaches don't usually contact HS coaches , but if I were a parent of a recruit I've have my daughter rehearse a solid , believable , coherent answer to the question " why didn't you play school ball" . The # 1 complaint shouldn't be " the coach is an idiot" or it could hurt the girls recruiting . Even if the excuse is true and valid it puts off a vibe of I wont give 100% or play when things don't go my way . My advice would be struggle thru it if at all possible, have the attitude of showing up , giving 110% , and being prepared for things not always making sense or going your way . Expect politics to play a role in who plays and who bats where . Just attempt to manage your expectations . Having said that I did things as a parent with school ball I sure wish I hadn't .

[softballfan2112]

I'm with Dan. Not playing school ball should be a last resort, and if you don't play have a really good answer as to why you are not. Getting recruited is about a lot of things. The ability to play the game is only one of them. The ability to be a good teammate, and a leader are others. If there is a legit reason you feel your daughter cannot play at her current high school, perhaps a change of scenery is in order. With open enrollment, that isn't hard to do. Sit out half a season, and your are ready to go.

[softball24_7]

I do know of one coach that attends HS games I agree with, to an extent that coaches are not going to go to HS games to recruit, however, if they are interested in a local girl, I could see them making the effort to show to 1 or 2, maybe more depending on who's playing who.. As far as travel ball, if your daughter is truly looking at playing at the collegiate level, there's a different level of travel ball that she needs to be committing herself to play. She needs to be with an org that's going to put her in front of those coaches. Not just play in 5-6 local tourneys and 1-2 out of the area.. unless of course your local tourneys are drawing in the coaches. Just don't see it happening in so.ohio, and just a handful of tourneys in mid-northern ohio that regularly draw 10+ coaches.. Completely agree with camps, I think it's one of the best ways to build a relationship with a coach, as well as getting noticed. In their case, I believe they got a bad taste from the coach last year, and are having a hard time moving past it.

[softball19]

I agree with the statements above. A college should contact high school coaches for the fact that they can speak about grades,character, work ethic, and teamwork because that should be a determining factor. However, Through my experience as a college player, coach etc., camps are where it is at. If you want to play at the next level, you have to attend camps and get on a travel team.

[Between the Lines]

No college coaches very seldom make a high school game, for one thing they are playing a season schedule, which starts in Feb. and runs through May. They are also getting ready for their conference tournaments at the very end of the season. If they are a big school, they will send a scout/recruiter/coach to watch certain kids. But a small college will not have that kind of income to have a scout or extra coach on staff. I feel high school ball is a must, along with camps and travel ball. High school ball will keep you sharp with live pitching and have you ready to start the travel season. Also high school stats can come into play when a college coach is decided to make a offer. A high school coach can be a good contact with a college coach. I would suggest , play high school ball, try to get on a travel team that plays in all the showcase tournaments. (Remember its not always about winning hardware, its about making impressions). Try to attend as many camps as possible. Check with these camps to see what college coaches/schools will be attending. A good camp will have a list to give you. One last closing remark: Remember college coaches do not want bad apples on the field or in the stands, so keep a positive good attitude and keep mom & dad under control in the stands..

[osualltheway]

My daughter has played travel ball for 8 years, her last 4 at the highest level at the biggest tournaments/showcases in the eastern half of the U.S. She has been contacted by coaches from D1, D2, D3 and NAIA. She narrowed her choices down to a couple of schools. During the visit of the school that she was most interested in, she asked the coach where they had seen her play and how they knew about her. The answer shocked both my daughter and I.

Yes, coach had seen her at tournaments where they may have been 20 plus coaches watching the two teams playing. Yes, coach had seen her at one camp in particular (when choosing a camp, go to one where there are multiple teams coaches there, if just a one college camp, go to ones that players on your team may be interested in), but the answer coach shocked us with was a list of high school games they had attended. Granted they were in the regionals, but I was surprised. The coach also had a folder on my daughter with newspaper clippings of her high school games. So don't think they don't watch what is going on in high school. College coaches want to know how you handle the adversity of poor play, politics, drama, etc. How does one carry themselves. It's easy to look good when everyone around you is good, but how do you respond when things aren't going the greatest, when you don't play, when mom/dad carry on, you'll be surprised.

If your daughter does decide to not play school ball, I agree with the previous posts. Don't blame it on the coaching, the other players or anything negative. Run track, say your trying to better your speed for summer ball and beyond. Most college coaches would prefer a multi-sport athlete anyways. Enjoy the ride, nothing negative, including social media, which the coach had a history of on my daughter as well. But that's an entire other topic!

[ManitouDan2]

Great post osu -- sounds like you have a lot of experience to draw from , please post more frequently .

[ManitouDan2]

Did your DD attend the school of the coach that had scouted her really thoroughly ? And does she still play somewhere ?

[orangeandblack98]

I do not recall ever seeing a college coach at any of my daughters high school games, but that doesn't mean coaches aren't going to look at what you did in high school. As we already know, the key is the right camps, the right team, and the right tournaments to put yourself in front of these coaches. They might not be present at your high school games but they do care what you have done for your school team after you are noticed.

[osualltheway]

MD, my daughter is entering her senior year of high school ball. She is still up in the air about playing college ball or not. She has a few offers on the table, but 8 years of travel ball, 365 days a year, constant travel, pitching lessons, hitting lessons, etc. have worn her out. I believe that she is going to just concentrate on her education, but we will see. As all dads say, it will be hard to see that bucket sitting unused in the corner of the garage. I hope she pursues one of her offers, but that is her choice!

[ManitouDan2]

I fully understand , mine said " I'm done" in the parking lot of some Iowa ball field parking lot .

[softballfan2112]

Another thing to keep in mind is that you never know when a coach is watching. My daughter was playing in Pennsbury, Pennsylvania and I would have laid you a thousand to one odds that there was not a college coach anywhere watching her game that morning. It was an early game, and the weather wasn't the best. She had been to the tournament camp the day before which had to be moved indoors because of rain. Apparently the coach saw her at the camp, and decided to watch her play the next morning. She was sitting way down the left field line, and was not advertising that she was a college coach. Long story short, when we got home we received a phone call. A few months and a couple of campus visits later she had a very generous offer to consider. Funny thing is that we almost didn't take the initial visit. The school was 11 hours away, and seemed way out of our league financially, but we were encouraged to take the visit, and have an open mind. If nothing else we could use it as leverage when considering another school. I am glad we took the advice. My daughter fell in love with the school, and the offer along with academic aid turned into a full ride.

So on that cold dreary morning when you are absolutely sure that no one is watching, don't be so sure.