January 2014 What matters Your opinion Academics Behavior Leadership Skills Exposure Opportunity Recruiting Rules Timing Logistics The players opinion matters Do you want to go to college ID: 504871
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Slide1
College Softball Recruiting
January 2014Slide2
What matters?
Your opinion
Academics
Behavior
Leadership
Skills
Exposure
Opportunity
Recruiting Rules
Timing
LogisticsSlide3
The player’s opinion matters
Do you want to go to college?
What degree do you want to obtain?
Does international study or internship experience matter to you? They’re typically not available to college athletes.
Do you want to play softball while you’re in school?
What locale is right for you?
What size school is right for you?
What level of play (
Div
I, II, III,
NAIA, NJCA) is right for you?
Are you willing to commit the time it takes to develop into a college-level player?
BE OPEN & HONEST IN CONVERSATIONS WITHIN THE FAMILY!Slide4
Academics
You have to be academically qualified to be admitted to the school!
GPA (may be no lower than 2.0 for NCAA with stipulations
7
)
ACT or SAT test scores (860 SAT or 18 ACT minimum)
Ranking in high school class
Can you write an essay?
You have to be comfortable that you can balance college academics and athletics
You need to make sure that the school offers the degrees and programs that will allow you to get where you want AFTER collegeSlide5
Behavior
College recruiters watch EVERYTHING!
1
What do you do with your downtime between games?
How do you treat warm-ups?
How do you behave in the on deck circle?
What’s your attitude like after a big play? (good or bad)
Do you help the coach with equipment?
Do you clean the dugout?
Do you get along with the other players?
Do you introduce yourself to the college coach?
Can you look the coach in the eye and shake their hand firmly?
How are the player’s parents behaving?
Important attributes
Athleticism, talent
Attitude to coaches and officials on and off the field
Composure / Bounce back ability
Communication with teammates
Work ethic
HustleSlide6
Leadership
Are you a team leader?
Do you encourage others?
Do you cheer others on?
Are you a field communicator?
Do you make sure other players are aware of the game situation?
Do you step up to reinforce good behaviors from others?
Are you involved with volunteer or community activities?Slide7
Skills
“I’d rather recruit an athlete that can play softball than a softball player”
former Div I asst coach and current
JuCo
coach
Carie
Dever
Boaz
1
Is the player flexible (able to play more than one position)?
How well do you understand the game?
How well do you REALLY understand the skills required for your top 3 playing positions?
How often do you practice/drill to sharpen your abilities regarding those skills?How well have you mastered hitting, bunting, slapping?Be honest in your assessment of your playing level. A 3rd party assessment may be worthwhile as well. Heart can carry you farther than your level would otherwise allow!
85% of winning college coaches surveyed say they look to recruit multi-position athletes, excluding pitchers & catchers.
2Slide8
Research on Keys to Success
Attributes that college coaches say are the keys to success for college athletes
3
Positive attitude
Motivation
Competitiveness
Coachability
W
illingness
to
improve
athletic skills
74% of winning college coaches surveyed say they actively recruit multi-sport athletes.
2Slide9
Skills – Statistics
4
NCAA D1
NCAA D2
NCAA D3
/
NAIA
NJCAA
Pitchers
Height
5’9″
5’7″
5’6″
5’5″
Velocity
60+
58+
55+
54+
Middle Infielders
Height
5’8″
5’4″
5’4″
5’3″
Weight
160 lb.
150 lb.
140 lb.
135 lb.
Pop Time
<1.8
<1.9
<2.0
<2.2
Home to 1B
<3.0
<3.1
<3.2
<3.4
Corner Infielders
Height
5’7″
5’6″
5’5″
5’4″
Weight
145 lb.
140 lb.
135 lb.
130 lb.
Home to 1B
<2.9
<3.0
<3.1
<3.3
Outfielders
Height
5’7″
5’5″
5’4″
5’3″
Weight
135 lb.
130 lb.
130 lb.
125 lb.
Home to 1B
<2.8
<2.9
<3.1
<3.3Slide10
Exposure
NCAA coaches are limited to 50 hours of recruiting evaluations per year
Div I coaches TYPICALLY go to only travel ball exposure or showcase tournaments (more talent in least amount of evaluation hours)
JuCo
, NAIA will attend more high school / local events
Div I, II and III coaches can attend high school events in there local area without it counting against their 50 hour limit (think ETSU, King University, etc.)
If you want to play for a local school, let them know and invite them to your high school or travel ball games
Be aware: High school schedules conflict with college seasons
If you want to play Div I, find where your school of interest is going for showcase tournaments… and make sure they know that you’re playing there!Slide11
Opportunity5
Maximum number of college athletic scholarships available for
college softball
:
Division
Number of teams
Athletic Scholarships
limit
per
school
Maximum Available
Scholarships
NCAA I
288
12
3,456
NCAA II
273
7.2
1,966
NCAA III
390
-
-0-NAIA 198101,980NJCAA I & II292247,008NJCAA III66--0-Other Divisions129n/an/aTotals 1,636 14,410
NOTE: “Scholarships” are defined on an equivalent basis. That is one “scholarship” could be used to give 2 players 50% scholarshipsSlide12
Opportunity – The Facts
Only 7.8% of high school players end up playing at the collegiate level.
5
Very few scholarship opportunities are full ride athletic scholarships. NONE in softball are guaranteed
4-year
full ride scholarships.
Athletic scholarships typically only cover ~25% of tuition & fees.
Average college in-state tuition & fees for public institutions is $10,000; private tuition is $30,000.
Most schools look at need-based and merit-based scholarships first, then use athletic scholarships to fill in the gaps
They do this because of the Equivalency Rule that allows one defined scholarship to be split between multiple players.
7
Div III has no
a
thletic scholarships, but they do have need-based and merit-based opportunitiesYou may not be recruited to play your position of choice. Be flexible!Slide13
Recruiting Rules
Don’t give up if a coach/school doesn’t respond to your e-mail or letters
You can keep them abreast of where you will be playing even if they can’t respond
You can send YouTube links for skills videos or game footage
Even if you don’t hear back from them, they will usually keep a file on your player to track their progress through high schoolSlide14
NCAA Div I Rules
7
– Freshman/Sophomore
As a Freshman/Sophomore in high school:
Recruiting Material
You may receive brochures for camps and questionnaires.
Telephone Calls
You can call the coach at your own expense.
Coach cannot call you.
Off-Campus Contact
Not Permitted
Official Visits
Not PermittedUnofficial VisitsUnlimited Slide15
NCAA Div I Rules – Junior Year
As a Junior in High School:
Recruiting Material
You can begin to receive recruiting material and information from the coach on September 1st.
Telephone Calls
You can call the coach at your own expense.
You can receive one per week starting July 1st after your Junior year.
Telephone calls are unlimited during contact periods.
Off-Campus Contact
Allowed July 1st after your Junior year.
Official Visits
Not Permitted
Unofficial Visits
UnlimitedSlide16
NCAA Div I Rules - Senior Year
As a Senior in high school:
Recruiting Material
You can receive material and information from the coach
Telephone Calls
You can call the coach at your own expense.
Coach can call you once per week starting July 1st.
Telephone calls are unlimited during contact periods.
Off-Campus Contact
Allowed but no more than 3 times.
Official Visits
You can start official visits on the opening day of your classes.
You get one per college and a maximum of 5 visits to D1, and unlimited visits to D2, D3 and NAIA schools.
Unofficial visitsUnlimitedSlide17
NCAA Rules - General
College coaches have 50 days in which to evaluate you. They cannot exceed that number.
College coaches can evaluate and/or contact you no more than 7 times during your senior year.
During your senior year a college coach cannot contact you more than 3 times.
You have to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center prior to official visits with the schoolSlide18
NCAA Div II & III Rule Summary7
DIVISION II
DIVISION III
Recruiting materials
A coach may begin sending you printed
recruiting materials September 1 of your junior year in high school.
You may receive printed materials any time.
Telephone calls
A college coach may call you once per week
beginning June 15 between your junior and senior year.
No limit on number of calls or when
they can be made by the college coach.
You may make calls to the coach at your expense.
You may make calls to the coach at your expense.
Off-campus contact
A college coach can have contact with you or
your parents/legal guardians off the college’s campus beginning June 15 after your junior year.
A college coach may begin to have
contact with you and your parents/legal guardians off the college’s campus after your junior year.
A college coach is limited to three
in-person contacts off campus.
Unofficial visits
You may make an unlimited
number of unofficial visits any time.You may make an unlimited number of unofficial visits any time.Official visitsYou may make official visits starting the opening day of classes your senior year.You may make official visits starting the opening day of classes your senior year.You may make only one official visit per college and up to a maximum of five official visits to Divisions I and II colleges.You may make only one official visit per college.Slide19
NAIA Rules8
Like Division III, most programs have small recruiting budgets.
Unlike Division III, NAIA schools can offer athletic scholarships.
This means that, despite their small size, NAIA schools have very competitive sports – about on the level of NCAA Division II.
There are no restrictions at all on coach communications.
Coaches can call, email, or text potential recruits. They can write on their
Facebook
walls or tweet at them. They can visit their houses or go to their games. There are no time or age restrictions. Slide20
Timing1
The time to start your college recruiting activities is NOW (8
th
grade to 9
th
grade)
Each team is only looking for so many spots each year – you want your name in the pot early as they try to decide who to select for their limited spots
Be persistent in communications – they need to know you’re serious. And yes, the squeaky wheel gets the attention in this case.
By the Junior year in High School, the PLAYER should be doing most of the communicating with the coaches – coaches are leery of helicopter parents.Slide21
Logistics
NCAA Eligibility Center – all prospective students with interest in NCAA play must register and be cleared. Sign up at the beginning of your sophomore year.
7
NAIA Eligibility Center- all prospective students with interest in NAIA play must register and be cleared
8
Verbal Commitments – non-binding on either side
National Letters of Intent – binding once the financial aid package is signed
Juniors, register
to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the NCAA Eligibility
Center
code
“9999”
as a score recipient. Doing this sends your
official score directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center.7Know the rules and processes that your schools of interest must follow, and follow those rules yourself. Parents & athletes are also responsible for knowing the rules and following them.Slide22
FAQs
Do I need a skills video?
A skills video is the easiest way to get a college coach’s eyes on your player. BUT it is a two-edged sword: it can be used to spark interest or eliminate further review. Put your video on YouTube – and e-mail a link to the coach. Don’t bother making and mailing DVD’s.
Should I play High School & Travel Ball?
1
Travel ball showcase tournaments are most important for Div I exposure. High school is fine for local Div I-III and NAIA. Don’t shy away from multi-sport involvement.
Do I need to hire a national recruiting company?
2
NO. College coaches often view them as interference. 85% of surveyed coaches recommend against using them
1
.
When should I start? NOW.How many schools should I contact?6 A LOT. The more coaches that are aware of your player, the more chances you have of finding the right match.Slide23
End of PresentationSlide24
References
Q&A at National Softball Clinic, Charlotte, NC January 24, 2014 (Marge Wright, John
Tschida
,
Carie
Dever
-Boaz)
Paper, “Recruiting in Division I Softball” Amber
Kavehkar
Research by
Giacobbi
, Roper, Whitney,
Butryn, 2002http://www.athleticscholarships.net/softballscholarships.htmhttp://www.scholarshipstats.com/softball.htm
My Softball Scholarship
, Jeff & Emily
Poulton
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/CBSA.pdf See NCAA.org for complete NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules
See NAIA.org for complete NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules