When to Apply: A Crash Course

Woody Wingfield: Your Link to the Colleges

Dan Mooney and I enjoyed working with and learning from Kelly over the past few years, and I certainly enjoyed helping him to produce “Your Link to the Colleges.” So, when we were approached about carrying on his blog, we jumped at the opportunity to continue the tradition of helping young players achieve their dreams of playing college baseball. In honor of Coach Kulina, here are the first of many new installments to the “Your Link to the Colleges” blog.

When to Apply: A Crash Course

One question that the Exclusive Program staff has been receiving this fall is when to apply to schools, and more importantly, which ones? While it’s a good idea to apply to a few schools before January, there should be a rhyme and a reason to which ones you start with, and when to send in the application.

If you’re looking at selective academic schools, then the admissions process is pretty straight-forward. These institutions have tough admissions standards and low acceptance rates, and in order to have a better shot of getting in, you’ll need to apply early decision. Applying early decision is similar to committing to a college coach, in that it is a binding agreement that tells an admissions committee that if you are admitted, you are definitely enrolling. Most early decision deadlines are in November and December.

Typically, coaches from these selective schools base their recruiting on who can get in, but you should get an idea of where you stand with a program’s needs before you apply. Most times, coaches that want you in their program will encourage you to apply early. I would suggest that if you do have a #1 school in mind that likes you as a recruit, you should apply early decision there. Many schools will feature TWO early decision deadlines, so if you are denied or deferred at your #1 school, you still have time to apply elsewhere.

For all other players, this process will be more drawn out. Many times, the recruiting process will not line up with admissions deadlines, so don’t panic just yet. It’s helpful being a recruited student-athlete, and having a coach in your corner can get you through those application deadlines.

So, if you’re going to apply to schools before January, which ones do you start with? Take a look at your college list and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Which schools could I be happy at, even if I’m not playing varsity baseball? Which of those schools is my dream school?
2. Which schools can I definitely get into?
3. Which schools have I heard from the most for baseball?

While not everyone can play at the State-U they grew up watching and loving, it doesn’t hurt to get an application in, as long as you’d be happy there regardless of what happens with recruiting. The next school(s) should be under the “academic safety” category, to ensure that no matter what, you will have a home next year. A great way to take care of a safety school application it to apply to an institution that features rolling admission. For those that are hearing this term for the first time, rolling admission is an open-ended deadline for prospective students to apply to the school. There is no set time to get the application in, and no set date for an admissions decision. Rather, the sooner you get your application in, the sooner you hear back. So, if you apply early, say in September, you will hear back faster than if you applied in December, when the volume of applications is higher.

Finally, look at the schools you’re being recruited to play baseball at- these applications will depend entirely on where you’re at in the process. Many times, college coaches will simply tell you when you need to apply. If you’re hearing good things and you’re not sure, then it’s OK to ask. If you’re having conversations with college coaches that haven’t seen you play yet, then you should apply to a few of these schools to move the process along. Being accepted at a school DOES help you with the recruiting process, and when coaches come out to high school games in the spring, accepted players will be the first that they will scout.

Remember, the recruiting process is very much a marathon, and it takes many, many steps to find the perfect fit. If anything, your first applications should concentrate on the “sure thing” as well as your “reach” schools. Just stay patient and proactive with the process, and you will find that “fit!”

Woody serves as the Director of Exclusive Program Operations, working with players and parents in the Exclusive Program. His role is to assist all families with questions they may have throughout the recruiting process. Woody is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he worked as an intern with the Cavalier Baseball Team.

Let the Results Speak for Themselves

Julie Thompson – A Baseball Factory Parent’s Perspective

College acceptances have started to roll in—an exciting time, as our sons look forward to playing at the next level. As parents, we see the effort, the hope, the joy, and the disappointment that accompanies the quest to play baseball in college. We delight in our sons’ good news, and try to remain stoic when the results aren’t what they wanted. It’s a time for both celebration and perspective.

Inevitably, we begin to hear comments from friends and family. Most of them carry heartfelt congratulations or at least, good intentions. Sometimes, though, one player’s good news triggers insecurities in others. Comments and speculation arise as to why a player made a particular choice, and what that choice implied about his other options. The comments can be surprising and hurtful; transforming the perception of these boys as individuals we know and care about into faceless beings, evaluated as impersonal competitors. Most of us teach our children to rise above negative remarks. Some comments are easier to pass off than others, though, and sometimes both parents and players stoop to a perpetrator’s level. I’m not talking about the crazed parents who start physical fights on the field. I’m talking about the quick and snippy leading comments that can come from someone who until that moment, you’d stood with on the field for hours and thought you’d shared a reasonably good relationship.

I try not to get outclassed by my children too often. Sometimes it happens, though. Like most parents, I get riled-up if I think my child has been overlooked or short-changed. Kyle always seemed to be able to take a higher road. He was particularly good at ‘taking things from the source.’ While he might have gotten annoyed, he always held his tongue. ‘How do you do it?’ I asked. His reply was simple. ‘I let the results speak for themselves,’ he said. I think of those words and the dignity my son maintains as a result, when I’m ready to counter a comment with something I might regret later.

Results ‘speaking for themselves’ is a fluid process. There’s always another result after a result that’s already taken place, and you never know what’s coming next. The acceptance doesn’t reflect a deadline for success, but instead an accomplishment for all who achieve it. For those parents whose sons got into their top college/baseball choice, savor it. For those who had hoped for different results, it isn’t the end of the line; it’s a step in their life (and often ours, as well). Hopefully, your son thrives where he has decided to go. Life is dynamic, though. Coaches change, injuries happen, and sometimes actually being at a school makes your son realize it wasn’t what he thought it would be. He may start out in one program and finish in another. And fortunes can turn quickly. I’m always taken by the way the world can fall out from under you when you think you’re about to soar—and fortunately, also by the way life can improve when it looked so dark just a short time earlier.

So, as the acceptances roll in and the conversations commence, remember the effort our sons have put into playing the sport they love, and the hope each one has for playing baseball at the next level. The results will speak for themselves. With their effort and a bit of luck, hopefully, they will speak well.


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.