The College Baseball Recruiting Process: Getting Your Name Out There

If you are a high school student who is passionate about playing baseball, I am sure you have dreams about taking your skills to the next level. Being able to play college baseball is no easy task, especially if you aren't a "stud" in high school. For your everyday, average to above average player, getting your name out there to attract the attention of college coaches can become quite a difficult task. However, it can be done, with me being one of those players that put in the effort to get my name out there. It ended up working out for me in the end, and I am going to share some of the things I did in order to do so.

1.) Send out contact letters to coaches

Let's first face the facts. Coaches aren't going to know you even exist if you don't make the effort to get onto their radar. One of the easiest ways to do so is by sending them what is called a contact letter. Simply put, it is a very brief letter, describing a little about yourself (ex. Name, school, position), as well as the fact that you would like to play baseball for that specific school. Keep in mind, the shorter the better, since writing a novel isn't a good way to introduce yourself. If you desire to, you can attach a stat sheet from your most recent or current season, just so the coach can have some hard evidence to look at determining your level of play.

Remember, YOU are initiating the contact here, so be sure you use proper grammar and have no spelling mistakes, since it won't bode well for you if you spell baseball wrong without realizing it. Proofreading your letter is a must, so it is a good idea to let a parent look it over before you send it off. Finally, a hand-written letter or one that starts off with "Dear Coach ----", will look as if you took the time to perfect it, rather than just sending a mass-produced letter you created on your computer.

Note: Don't lie on your stat sheet if you include one. Don't say you throw 86 when you can't touch 77. If a coach wants to see you throw in person, which many of them will want to, they will expect you to throw 86. It is better to just be upfront with what you can do, and not try to make yourself look like something you aren't.

2.) Attend showcases

Showcases are a fantastic way to show college coaches what you can do, since they take place in a hands-on environment. Many coaches attend various showcases across the country, so this gives them the opportunity to get a first-hand look at you. Now there are an endless amount of showcases, ranging from ones that are position specific, to ones that any player who plays any position to attend, all of which are centered around the goal of letting you perform in front of different coaches. The most popular and most widely attended showcases are run by Perfect Game. I personally never got a chance to attend any of these showcases, but I have never heard any negative things about them, and I know for a fact that there are always plenty of coaches in attendance.

I found myself attending a TPX Top 96 showcase, and in my opinion, it was definitely worth the money and time. Schools ranging from Division I, to Division III, to even junior colleges were in attendance, and the coaches actually served as instructors and evaluators during the two-day event. On the first day, we were broken up into groups based on position, and we attended different instructional seminars, all of which were run by the coaches themselves. This was a great opportunity to chat and introduce myself to the coaches of some schools I was looking at. Now the second day was game day. We were assigned to a specific team and time for when to arrive at the field that day. Throughout the game, all of the coaches were seated behind home plate, armed with radar guns and note pads. They also established a set of rules, such as every hitter starts with a 1-1 count, so that it would encourage action both from the hitter and pitcher. With me being a pitcher, I found it best to simply attack the hitter, since command of the zone is what the coaches were looking for. I ended up retiring all six batters I faced, and received nothing but positive feedback from some of the coaches in attendance. A week or two after attending the showcase, I received some recruitment letters stating that the coaches like what they saw, and that I had what it took to play baseball at those schools. My hard work paid off.

3.) Take part in a College Recruitment Service

A recruitment service is a great option for you to take part in, since most of the behind-the-scenes work is done for you by the service. Based upon the one I took part in, a recruitment service involves you being videotaped pitching, hitting, and/or fielding your position, while also being very thoroughly evaluated by the service's host. Every evaluation usually includes things such as speed, velocity, pitching assessment, hitting assessment, projection and development, and how you rank in comparison to others your age. A few weeks later, not only will you receive a copy of both the tape and evaluation, but so will hundreds of college coaches who have signed up to receive information gathered by the service you chose. Depending on where you are located, your service will most likely send it to most of the schools around your region, since sending a tape to the University of Alabama while you live in Maine, just isn't realistic. However, you can specifically request it to be done though if you are interested in attending that school. I found that using a recruiting service is the best way to reach a large amount of coaches at one time, and I received between 35 and 50 letters from the one I attended. It was definitely worth while, and I would highly advise you looking into using a recruiting service to promote yourself.

4.) Attend camps being hosted by the specific colleges you are interested in playing for

Attending camps hosted by individual schools are not only a great way to meet and potentially impress the coach, but it also gives you a chance to take a look at the campus and see the baseball facilities. In many cases, if a coach has expressed interest in you, they might ask you to attend a camp at their school, since it is a good way for them to get another look at you. They are also relatively inexpensive when compared to showcases and recruitment services, mainly because only a single school is involved with it, rather than a vast amount.

With the use of these four tactics, I am sure you will attract the attention of some college coaches who are interested in having you become a part of their baseball program. I can't guarantee it will happen though, because every coach has different things they are looking for, and you just might not be that. You can't be discouraged if a coach doesn't contact you, or if you send out a letter and never hear back, since this isn't uncommon at all. Just keep plugging away and never give up, and you might achieve your dream just as I did.