What Worked/What Didn’t

Julie Thompson – A Baseball Factory Parent’s Perspective

Introduction

Our son, Kyle, joined Baseball Factory’s Exclusive Program three years ago, when he was a junior in high school. We were beginning the college search and Kyle wanted to look at schools outside of the area, particularly ones in the south. Playing baseball at a competitive level was extremely important to him. Realizing a lot of other northern players were thinking the same thing – and suspecting an equal number of southern players weren’t anxious to swap places with boys from the north – we happily accepted Baseball Factory’s invitation to join the Exclusive Program. I’m here to share some of the experiences we had, hoping they might put your search further up the learning curve.

What Worked/What Didn’t

People sometimes roll their eyes when I tell them we actually enjoyed the college search process. Applications, stress…what’s not to love? Admittedly, a few parts of the hunt aged all of us. For the most part, though, it was an opportunity for our son to build a plan balancing both dreams and reality for the next chapter of his life. The plan was complicated by Kyle’s desire to head south. A life-long resident of the north, Kyle sought to trade cold, numb fingers and snow on early spring fields, for warm sunny skies and a long baseball season. We laid out our plan, taking counsel from Baseball Factory – and caught the first plane out of Dodge to get exposure to southern schools.

What We Did Right

(1) We pretty much followed Baseball Factory’s plan. Kyle’s resume and introductory letter helped us focus on who he was and what he’d done, both in academics and baseball. Having those documents also gave coaches a good starting point for conversations – Kyle then could elaborate on his background.

(2) We stayed organized. We put together an alphabetized notebook with tabs separating each school that showed interest. We highlighted the name of each coach, and kept notes of each conversation, so we could find information easily.

(3) Kyle followed Baseball Factory’s workout suggestions. His Personal Recruiting Director provided him with a pretty rigorous strength and conditioning regimen, as well as a set of drills that he worked on without any prodding from us. It was a lot of work. He started out in pretty solid shape, but improved even more – and it told us a lot about his discipline and determination.

(4) Kyle did most of the talking during our school visits. Okay, that one wasn’t easy for me…. Coaches really do want to talk to your son, though, and (sadly!) not us parents. We watched our ‘man of few words’ become downright well-spoken and engaging. You may be surprised at how relaxed, conversant, and intelligent your son turns out to be when he’s talking about his favorite topics!

(5) We chose a school that fit in ways other than baseball. Baseball may be the love of your son’s life – but there may be times when college baseball gets frustrating. He’ll weather those times better if he enjoys other aspects of the school’s college life, and is not there “just for baseball.”

What We Could Have Done Better

(1) If possible, meet with as many members of the coaching staff as you can – that includes the JV coach, if your son is going to be on a school’s JV team. The head coach is not the only person your son will interact with as he participates in the program, and you and your son will see how he fits with other members of the staff.

(2) Do a fairly thorough exploration of several schools that fit your criteria. Kyle’s first choice came through fairly early senior year, so we cut a couple of other situations short. Anything can happen – changes in the program, changes in the coaching staff that can impact how your son fits in the program as the year progresses. In retrospect, if it hadn’t worked out, we would have had limited our future options.

My parting thought – Communicate your goals and thoughts to your representatives at Baseball Factory. Trust them. They know what they’re talking about, and care about what you think and want. Together, you can make your son’s college baseball experience a happy and successful one.

What’s working and what’s not on your search?



Julie Thompson is a parent of a former Baseball Factory Exclusive Program player. She has volunteered to share her opinions, observations and general thoughts regarding the college recruiting and player development process. She will share what worked and what didn’t for her son, in the hope that other parents and players may benefit from her experience.