1 Recruiting 101 Acers Fastpitch - PowerPoint Presentation

1 Recruiting 101 Acers Fastpitch

2 Acers Fastpitch Recruiting Process Realities Full Ride scholarships are very limited (< 1%) Schools & Coaches get literally 100 emails a day The Head Coach rarely looks at the emails themselves Recruiting Service communications are almost always ignored and often trashed immediately 2015, 2016, & 2017 players … Now is your time to get on the Radar for the college coaches

3 Acers Fastpitch Finding the Right Fit College Research, Research, Research Academics Financials School Size Coach Location (Far away / Close by, Cold / Hot) Softball time commitments Unofficial Visits The higher the level of softball The earlier you should start The farther away from home The earlier you should start

4 Acers Fastpitch Have a Recruiting Plan Be Proactive & Market / Sell yourselves Don’t wait to be discovered Create a Profile of your type of college Create a list of schools that fit your college profile Start getting correspondence out to them Make a Skills Video to send to these colleges Participate in recruiting camps & college camps Play games at strong showcase tournaments where college coaches like to go

5 Acers Fastpitch The NCAA Options NCAA D-1 Can offer up to 12 Full Scholarships NCAA D-2 Can offer up to 7.5 Full Scholarships NCAA D-3 No Athletic Scholarships NAIA Mostly offer Academic $$ but some have Athletic $$ NJCAA Can offer unlimited Athletic Scholarships

6 Acers Fastpitch NCAA Recruiting Rules NCAA D1 and D2 Cannot talk to players during a tournament Cannot call a player until July 1 st prior to their Senior year Cannot email a player until after Sept 1 st of their Junior year Limited to the number of off campus contacts that they can have with a player and/or family member at tournaments NCAA D3 No restrictions on phone calls Can have contact with you after your Junior year Acceptance by the admissions dept must happen prior to anything happening with the softball coach NAIA & NJCAA Can talk to you anytime but they always wait to see if you are interested in a D-1, D-2, or D-3 school first

7 Acers Fastpitch NCAA Eligibility Info Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than the start of your Junior year (Clearinghouse #) Graduate High School Attain the minimum GPA for the college of interest Attain the minimum SAT / ACT scores Take these tests early (no later than Fall of Junior year) Recommend that you get the “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Athlete” that’s available at www.ncaa.org

8 Acers Fastpitch Tournament Etiquette Do not approach college coaches at a tournament They are there to evaluate your skills If a coach wants to talk to you then they will initiate or arrange contact with you Email and/or Call a coach before a tournament to let them know of your interest & your game schedule Follow up Emails after a tournament within 2 days after the end of the tournament is a must Thank them for coming out to watch us play

9 Acers Fastpitch Email Correspondence Do not mass email coaches Email once a week during our summer tournaments (Tues) Sell yourself & tell them what makes you special & standout Big hitter, fast, strikeout totals, pitching speed, etc Avoid false statements or stretching the truth Send skills video & player profile links in all of your emails Subject line of your emails should always include Name / Team Name / Jersey # Live game video links are great options too

10 Acers Fastpitch Recruiting Timelines Freshman Year Prepare your list of schools Visit local schools Watch college games at the various levels Sophomore Year Let the marketing campaign begin Refine your list of schools (research / gather more info) Unofficial Visits are very important & start now 20 schools is a manageable list to keep up with If you can manage more then that would be even better

11 Acers Fastpitch Recruiting Timelines Junior Year Sept 1 st is the key date that you can start to receive direct correspondence via email and regular mail You should significantly intensify your marketing efforts Your video link distributions, emails, phone calls, & campus visits should be a high level commitment Senior Year Fall of your Senior year is a very important time to play in front of your interested colleges It is still possible to be recruited in the Spring / Summer of your Senior Year but the chances are diminished Many D-3, NAIA, & JUCO don’t start looking at you until your Senior year You should consider looking more at your Plan “B” too

12 Acers Fastpitch Good Advice Have a Plan & don’t wait for coaches to come to you Showing up at a tournament having never contacted a coach or very many coaches is a poor approach Don’t expect to just show up at a tournament and expect to have a coach see you and say “Wow… That girl is exactly what I need & everything that we have been looking for” because that hardly ever happens Don’t get hung up on the “Full Ride” mentality Plan to see some athletic scholarship $$ supplemented by academic $$, financial aid, and student loans

13 Acers Fastpitch Key Notes You never know who is watching Your Level of Hustle can work for you or against you Reactions to success & failure are very important Recruiting is not fair & never will be Coaching your daughter through the fences is not an acceptable practice or habit Approaching coaches unless designated as the team’s recruiting focal is not permitted

14 Acers Fastpitch Recruiting Clinic / Guide Vegas Clinic Hosted by Cathy Aradi www.fastpitchrecruiting.com $ 15 per person (in advance) or $20 at the door $ 25 per family (in advance) or $30 at the door Recruiting Guide Written by Cathy Aradi Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level