Change Happens…The Decision to Transfer

Julie Thompson – A Baseball Factory Parent’s Perspective

Sometimes Plan A doesn’t work out. When that happens, your son may want to get a fresh start by transferring to a new school. The work begins again, but rest assured, the world doesn’t end when the original plan doesn’t go as expected.

The first thing to do is determine why things didn’t work, and give your son some reassurance about himself and his ability. What can you take from this experience so history doesn’t repeat itself? Maybe the size of the school wasn’t right; maybe the location was wrong.

Baseball can be a little harder to clarify, though. Your son may personalize the difficulties with the program or the coach. Now more than ever, your son needs to know he’s talented and able. Let him know there are many factors that comprise a program’s fit. The program itself may have turned out to be less competitive than he originally thought. Perhaps the work-outs were more rigorous than he expected, or the schedule too demanding for him to succeed academically. The coach that he thought would be a great fit may have over-recruited, or preferred a style of skills that upon closer examination, didn’t match your son’s. Whatever the case, the fact that it didn’t work doesn’t mean your son failed—it means the program wasn’t a fit. And that’s all it means.

Brian, a friend of Kyle’s, recently found himself interested in transferring. Brian loved the school he attended, but didn’t find the opportunity he believed he would have in baseball. He began a new college search in the fall, hoping to transfer for second semester. Brian hoped to find a school that met all his expectations. First and foremost, though, he wanted the opportunity for a successful baseball experience.

Brian began his research in October, but didn’t really get started sending out letters until around Thanksgiving. He sent out 15-20 emails to coaches, basing his selections on his own research and Baseball Factory’s recommendations. He received about 12 responses back. Those who wrote back did so promptly—some took a couple of days, but several came, literally, in minutes. Brian’s letter said that he was writing to introduce himself, explaining that baseball at his current school had not worked out and he was exploring new situations. It was short, sweet and to the point. Brian provided a link to his Baseball Factory player page, and attached both his resume and a waiver from his current college.

The calls began and the next steps happened fast. Brian quickly learned that despite disappointment at his original college choice, a lot of other doors were open to him. The trick would be to find the best fit—and the eternal question, ‘What trade-offs am I willing to make to play baseball?’ once again lurked silently in every conversation and decision. Some fits were better than others. Brian can play several positions, and a few coaches were interested in him for what Brian considers his secondary position. Others had interest in Brian for the following fall, rather than the upcoming spring. As always, trying to evaluate the amount of quality playing time he might get was paramount.

College visits tended to differ from those that took place in Brian’s senior year of high school. For Brian, there was less time for visits. His college academic schedule was demanding and he couldn’t take time away from school. There also seemed to be less firsthand information. Several visits took place on long week-ends, or even after school had closed for breaks. As a result, Brian had less of a chance to meet other players or other students—or sometimes even to check out classrooms and dorms. Much of his decision became based on his belief in the coach and program, the connection he felt with the coach, Baseball Factory’s input and the academic reputation of the school. He traded off many factors that had drawn him to his original college choice – such as location and campus atmosphere – weighting the transfer decision more heavily on potential baseball opportunity.

Transferring mid-year also prompted a few unique questions because the school year was well underway. Brian encountered two distinct situations. The admissions office of one school contacted him before he had made a decision, letting him know they had academic counselors available to help him select classes. They even had scheduled a date for him to meet with the counselors. The other school waited for him to make a decision, leaving scheduling for orientation. As you might guess, housing and classes were pretty well spoken for by current students by the time orientation rolled around. Brian received no assistance from the school once he was in-the-door. In fact, he had a hard time finding classes that were open that coordinated with his baseball schedule. As a transfer, you might want to ensure you won’t get the ‘bottom-of-the-barrel’ in housing and classes, because that’s often all that’s left.

The decision to transfer can be one filled with new beginnings. It’s not without unknowns, however, or the likelihood that your son will be leaving at least a few things he likes about his old school. Guide him and help him adopt a forward focus. His ability to be flexible, confident and realistic, combined with your ability to support his new choice, are key factors for his success. Finally, as always, let the decision be his. He is the one who will be living with the decision each day. Make peace with the past and then, let the new journey begin.

This blog is dedicated to Kelly Kulina. Kelly – we are so grateful for all the support, guidance and friendship you gave us. What a blessing to have known you! We miss you and will remember you always.

You are indeed, Heaven’s Prize Recruit.


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.

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.

Kelly Kulina: Eulogy

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

While today is certainly a very sad day as we mourn the loss of a family member, dear friend, and trusted colleague I am here this morning to speak about the wonderful man that Kelly Kulina was and to celebrate everything he stood for. As the President of Baseball Factory and someone that helped to bring Kelly into our Company, it was an honor to have been able to work with a man day in and day out that exemplified so many wonderful qualities. Kelly was loyal, honorable, incredibly hard working, dedicated, sympathetic, and had such integrity. He will be dearly missed by everyone that was blessed to know him.

Back in 2001, when Kelly decided to work full time with us, it was such a tremendous turning point in our history. He was so well respected and connected in the college baseball community and his addition to our team really helped to put us on the map. To use a sports analogy, it was like a middle market MLB franchise that landed a big time free agent in the offseason. It totally changed the face of our Company and Kelly’s impact and legacy continues to live on today and will be indelible into the future. I knew he would do a remarkable job when he told me during his interview that he always wanted to help players that tried out for the Univ. of MD baseball team while he was the coach, that weren’t quite ACC caliber players, but had a chance to play somewhere in college if they had more direction and knowledge of the college recruiting process. With that conversation as a backdrop, Steve Sclafani and I knew we had found the right man for the job.

If we fast forward to today… through his work at our Company, Kelly has made the dream of playing college baseball a reality for thousands of players across the nation. What a tremendous gift he was able to provide for these families that will last for a lifetime.

I will miss Kelly dearly. More than a co-worker he was a true friend and confidant. Over the 8+ years we worked together, I think we traveled almost 40 times on various business trips, many of which we flew, roomed, ate, and drove around together in our rental car. Our routine on these trips was to get up early and workout. Kelly would always scout out a gym that was close to a smoothie place. We would grab a smoothie and head out. Kelly and I were a dangerous combination in a rental car because neither one of us were blessed with a strong sense of direction. Almost every trip we took we were bound to get lost at least once as we were trying to find a baseball field. Thankfully GPS came out a few years ago to give us a better chance of finding our way. We would always laugh about how before GPS we had to use “the force” to find out where we were going.

He was such an incredible communicator, but he was an even better listener. For all the years I knew him, I don’t think he ever interrupted someone even once. He always gave you his full attention, and made you feel special. We all can learn a valuable lesson from Kelly. He was a great example of living in the present moment. On our trips, we often spoke to large groups of Baseball Factory players and their parents about the college recruiting process and I always enjoyed having to keep Kelly on track because everyone that knew him knew that he loved to talk, and if you weren’t careful we could have been there all night. We had a system where I would give him a sign and he would quickly wrap up from telling one of his “quick” stories that we all enjoyed listening to so much.

I think many people dream of having a fulfilling career where they can honestly look themselves in the mirror each day and say they went to work at a place they loved, for a mission they were passionate about, and doing work that truly made a difference in the lives of the people they touched. We all can have some peace knowing that this was the case for Kelly. Coupled with the loving support of his wonderful family (Le Ann, Kell, Lavin, and Josh) he truly lived a remarkable life.

From spending time with him and Le Ann, it was evident to all that they had a special marriage built on mutual respect, love, and affection. We would talk frequently in the office about how excited he was for their date nights and their quality time spent together. He was a committed father and loved his three children dearly.

It is amazing and inspiring to see the number of quality friendships that Kelly had in his life. Looking around this room today, and reading the numerous emotional and touching memorial blog posts that have poured in, his relationships were everlasting from his childhood, baseball playing career, his coaching years, and time spent providing professional service to families across the country. What a great legacy he has left during his gracious lifetime.

I know I speak for everyone at Baseball Factory when I say…Kelly, you will never be replaced, and you were truly one of a kind. Rest in peace my friend, and may God bless you and your family.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 14 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

The Ultimate Recruit

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

A Tribute to Coach Kulina

“Only the good die young”. This is an expression I unfortunately have heard a number of times recently. As we at the Baseball Factory try to grasp for reasons that our good friend Kelly Kulina was taken from us in the prime of his life, this expression keeps going through my head. As I lay in bed last night thinking of all the time I spent with Kell, all the things I learned from him on both the professional and personal level, I thought of his wonderful family. You could not speak to him about them without seeing his face light up like a Christmas tree. As I thought about all of these things, my mind kept coming back to that expression, “Only the good die young.” Why? Why does that always seem to be the case?

Then it hit me. As I was thinking through different conversations that we had had about college recruiting it dawned on me. The best teams do the best job of recruiting. God has simply recruited Kell to be on his team in heaven. As a college baseball coach Kell always wanted to get the best players and the best PEOPLE to be around him. Why would it be any different with God’s team? Only this time God got himself a blue chip recruit, a sure fire All-American and Hall of Famer. I can’t really blame God for wanting a guy like Kell on his team?

Can you imagine the press release that will go out when God announces this signing? I imagine it would read something like this:

PRIZE RECRUIT COMING THROUGH HEAVENS GATE

God announced today the signing of high profile recruit Kelly Kulina. In life “Coach K” was a FORCE...a man of tremendous character and class who was the epitome of what a “man” should be. A man who always thought of others first, a man who always had time for those around him and genuinely gave of himself. As a husband it was clear he was madly in love with his wife, and as a father there was NOTHING he would not do for his three beautiful children. When asked about this new recruit God simply had this to say, “If Kelly Kulina makes half the impact on us here in heaven as he did to those on earth, he will be my finest recruit ever.”

Now as I think of that expression, “Only the good die young,” I fully understand it. God simply wants the best to be on his team, he just cannot wait to surround himself with the finest people. When it comes to Kelly Kulina…God has landed himself, “The Ultimate Recruit.”

Kell, we love you and miss you. Your body may be gone but your spirit and impact will live with all that you have touched forever.



Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

In Memory of Kelly Kulina...

An important message from our President and CEO about Kelly Kulina…

It is with great sadness that we have to announce the tragic and sudden passing of Kelly Kulina, Senior Vice President of the Exclusive Program. Kelly has been a member of the Baseball Factory team since 2001. He was incredibly dedicated to providing only the best customer service and advice to each and every player he worked with in the Exclusive Program. He helped hundreds of players reach their dreams of playing college or professional baseball. He was an outstanding leader and somebody that will be forever missed. He was a huge part of what made the Baseball Factory the Company it has become today.


Right now our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Eulogy by Rob Naddelman [read]

Photo Album of Kelly [view]

Watch the Tribute Video:

Kelly Kulina touched the lives of thousands of people through his community, coaching career, and with the Baseball Factory. He was instrumental to help a multitude of aspiring baseball players achieve their dream of playing college baseball. Many people have expressed a desire to help his family during this difficult time, and as a result, a college fund has been set up for his children. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, please make any donations payable to the “Kulina Children's Educational Fund” and mailed to:

“Kulina Children's Educational Fund"
SunTrust Bank
8200 Snowden River Parkway
Columbia, MD 21045

OR

Taken to any SunTrust Bank

This is our chance to give back and reciprocate for all the college success stories that Kelly helped to make come true. Please help to give his own children that very same gift and opportunity.

Sincerely,

Rob Naddelman and Steve Sclafani

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When to Attend a College Camp

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

When is it a good time to go to a college camp or showcase? More importantly, which ones do you attend? These are the types of questions the Exclusive Program staff answers everyday, and I wanted to give you the Reader’s Digest version of what we cover with our players.

High school baseball players will often mistake camp invites and questionnaires to mean that they are a recruited athlete at that institution. If you check page 77 and 78 of the NCAA’s Division I manual, you’ll read that the following make you a “recruited athlete”:

• Providing the prospective student-athlete with an official visit
• Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s parent(s), relatives or legal guardian(s)
• Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospective student-athlete, the prospective student athlete’s relatives or legal guardian(s) on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment
• Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution’s written offer of athletically related financial aid to the prospective student-athlete. Issuing a written offer of athletically related financial aid to a prospective student-athlete to attend a summer session prior to full-time enrollment does not cause the prospective student-athlete to become recruited

Notice how there’s no mention of attending a camp or talking to someone after a showcase. Don't get me wrong, camps and showcases are a vital part of the recruiting process for both players and coaches. They give college coaches the important opportunity to watch prospective student-athletes on the field, and players the opportunity to showcase their skills beyond video. However, to get the most out of this part of the process, there needs to be a method to the madness.

When considering a camp or showcase, there are several things that you need to ask yourself:

• Is this a school I’m interested in?
• Is the host school or some of the schools in attendance a good fit for me athletically and academically? If you can’t answer this question, you should consider getting a third party evaluation of your skills, which doesn’t include your parents and high school or travel coaches.
• Have I had contact with someone on the baseball staff? Would they know who I am when I arrive? Have they seen me play before or on video?
• What are their recruiting needs for the upcoming year?
  

The questions in the third bullet point have to do with going to a camp/showcase as a “camper” or as a “prospect.” A camper is someone that simply got the invite, signed up and showed up. A prospect is someone that has already been in touch with a college coach, has been seen in person or on video, and just needs to get in front of the rest of the staff. Naturally, the prospects in attendance will draw much more attention from the coaches than the campers.

So, when you received the camp invite, you should have already responded. If you haven’t previously written to the staff, now would be a good time to introduce yourself and explain why you’re interested in the program (and that you’re considering the camp). Further, if the staff hasn’t seen you play before, this is the time to forward any video you have. Only when you have individual contact (not mass-mailed e-mails) with a college coach should you consider the camp or showcase.

As a wrap-up, here are a few assumptions you CANNOT make when considering a camp or showcase:

• I am automatically a prospect.
• If I don’t attend, they won’t be interested in me.
• I am attending this camp to earn a scholarship or roster spot.
• This is the only opportunity for this school to see me play.
• The more I attend, the better off I’ll be.
• Camps and showcases are one in the same.
• Every coach is going to be able to see me and I’ll get a fair share of exposure.
  

For most prospective college baseball players, camps and showcases are a must; however, taking the shotgun approach will cost a great deal of time and money for your parents, with a smaller chance of return on the investment. Do yourself a favor and take the time to lay the groundwork before jumping in the car or on a plane.


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

What Can a Parent Do?

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

The college recruiting and search process is an emotional roller coaster ride for every family. Up until this point in their careers, very few young men will have faced so many high’s and low’s over a stretch of time. As the school routine sets in, players start to feel increased pressure, real or imagined, to find a place to play in college. It’s over the course of these next few months that the role of parents becomes so important. There are certainly different approaches for mom and dad to take. Some just happen to work better than others.

I mention “high’s” and “low’s” in the recruiting process to illustrate how 17 and 18-year-olds react to different feedback, or lack thereof, they receive from college coaches. Most prospective student-athletes come into this process with goals they’ve set for themselves: what level they think they can play, majors they want to pursue, parts of the country to move to, etc. Not all of the schools that contact your son will fit into these categories. Parents need to be the mature ones and remind him how important it is to respond to everything he receives from every single college coach. Following this golden rule will ensure that when it comes time to commit, your son will have several options to choose from and will benefit from making an informed decision.

Now let’s cover the reactions. It’s so easy for parents to jump into the natural role of protector. After all, who wants to see their son upset? However, these natural reactions can lead to some bad habits that, unless tempered, can cause even more panic for your son or cause him to lose interest in the process.

Again, we’re dealing with 17 and 18-year olds and emotions are already running high. Regardless of how much interest your son is getting, it’s important for you to keep him grounded. Don’t let him pull the trigger on the first school that shows interest in him. Remind him of the goals that he set for himself, and help him to figure out where this school fits. More importantly, don’t let your son beat himself up over the low’s, when there aren’t schools banging down the front door. It’s never as bad as he thinks, and you need to be the voice of reason that reminds him of that.

Showing the appropriate type of support can also make a difference. Obviously, your son needs to know that you’re behind him during the process. This also means that he needs to know that you think he’s doing the right thing. If he’s not hearing back from a particular school, don’t let him (or yourself) assume that the coach isn’t interested (and is therefore an idiot). What does that teach him about perseverance? More importantly, you may be pushing your son towards a feeling of helplessness and fatalism that he may not recover from. Instead, show your son how to take a wide variety of avenues in approaching college coaches. Gently remind him that if he sticks to his gameplan, things will happen for him.

Finally, the most involved role a parent can take is in the management department. Notice how I say “management,” and not “labor.” It’s very easy for parents to take the reigns themselves, especially when they see that things aren’t going well. Even before this point, many find it difficult to avoid writing e-mails for their son or disguised as their son. Trust me when I tell you that this is a big mistake. College coaches want to hear from your son. Not from you. Not from his high school coach. From him. At the end of the day, he can be the most potent force in this process if he chooses to be, and parents make poor substitutes. After all, he’s going to be the one to have to walk into his coach’s office when a problem arises, so the sooner he gets use of taking responsibility, the better.

So, from a management perspective, here’s where all of those years of “chore charts,” managing multiple activities on your family’s calendar, and even doing your taxes can come in handy. Sit down with your son and help him create a system to organize and track all of the schools he’s heard from, as well as all of the coaches he’s contacted. For example, our staff recommends a simple spreadsheet that can go on the fridge. Be persistent, but not overbearing, in reminding him of when he needs to respond to coaches and when he should follow up with them. Organization and preparation will be a difference-maker for your son, and will save you many hours spent writing e-mails on his Gmail account.

Active parents alone cannot get a player recruited to play college baseball. They can, however, provide motivation and perspective for their son and help into the driver’s seat. Empower him to set a goal and attain it. With a little faith, it will all work out, and it’s guaranteed to pay dividends for many years.

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

The Two or Three Sport Athlete Dilemma

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

As a part of our Player Development events at Baseball Factory we usually try to include a parent/player seminar on the college recruiting process. During the seminar we cover key topics to be mindful of as the recruiting process begins to unfold, and we open up the forum for parents and players to ask questions. A lot of good questions are raised by the parents in attendance, but one that came up in particular sparked a lot of discussion. The question was how I felt about players competing in multiple sports, and what the general consensus was from college baseball coaches on the topic.

This topic is a highly debated one in our field. I could easily defend both sides of the argument on whether it is more beneficial for an aspiring college baseball player to strictly focus on baseball or to play other high school sports. To be completely honest with you, there is no right answer to this question, and there is not an overwhelming consensus on it from college coaches. However, I can give you some good guidelines to consider as it relates to your son and what he should think about before making a decision.

1. Does he really love playing the other sports? It seems like a simple question, but not all families look at it from this point of view. If your son really doesn’t enjoy the other sports that much and is just playing them because “that is what he has always done since he has been little,” then I think it could be time to give them up and focus on baseball.

2. Who is he satisfying by playing the other sports? If as a parent you played football/basketball/soccer, etc. and your influences are getting in the way of this decision, take a step back and let your son speak on the matter and what he wants to do. Also, is he playing football because the football coach is “pressuring” him to do so? Or does he feel like he doesn’t want to let the team down if he doesn’t come back for his senior year? In my opinion, these are not good reasons to continue playing a sport if his dream is to play college baseball.

3. Is he a contributing member of the other sports teams to the same degree he contributes to the baseball team? If your son excels in baseball, but is just a secondary player in the other sports, it may not be in his best interest to keep up with the other sports.

4. Are you overwhelmingly concerned about injuries? This is a really good one to consider, especially for pitchers. Are you willing to take the risk of playing football, even if it means hurting your pitching arm? Pitchers in particular really have to think hard about playing football where their shoulder can be exposed to serious injury.

My personal opinion is that baseball players do learn a lot from playing other sports as it relates to the mental side of the game and developing key athletic skill sets as well. Football players learn a “never say die attitude” and they usually are mentally tough baseball players. Basketball players are well conditioned athletes and that usually bodes well on the baseball field. Soccer players usually show good lateral mobility and agility which also is a big part of baseball. So the benefits can be quite substantial, not to mention that it also helps to prevent burnout from focusing only on baseball.

As a high school athlete, I played baseball, basketball, and ran cross country so I saw first-hand some of the benefits from playing more than one sport. There are a good percentage of college coaches that like to recruit multiple sport baseball players because they think it creates well-rounded athletes with a variety of skill sets and competitive instincts. Try using the four questions above as a guideline and attempt to make the best decision for the player when considering these options. If you decide to stick with more than one sport, just don’t abandon baseball completely during the fall or winter seasons so you are not starting from square one once the baseball season kicks off again in the spring.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

How to Have a Productive Summer

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Are you having a productive summer? The months of June, July and August provide players with an abundance of time to work on many aspects of their game. Unfortunately, very few players take advantage of this extra free time and let their game suffer in different areas. If you have a game plan and set some goals for yourself, you can give yourself a lot of separation from other players.

So, what can you be doing today that will get you ahead of the pack tomorrow? Before I run down a possible “to do” list, I think it’s important to emphasize, above all else, balance in the summer schedule. Too much focus on one area can cause just as many problems as not putting in any effort at all.

The majority of the summer should be spent on, of course, improving your game. You should always strive to play at the highest level possible, while at the same time ensuring that you’ll get the necessary reps and exposure. On top of that, summer ball is a good time to try different things and get reps at new positions.

A lot of players make the mistake of concentrating too much on tournaments, camps and showcases, and forget about the endless process of conditioning and training. Getting plenty of reps on the field will allow you to stay fresh with your bat and glove, but unless you continue to put in time in the gym, you can easily get out of shape and suffer a setback or injury.

One of the most overlooked areas that recruits can work on is their academics. After all, who wants to think about books in the summer? While you don’t have to work through a summer school course, you can really help yourself by putting some time aside each week in preparation for the SATs or ACTs. Even if you’ve already taken the test once, you can put yourself in a better position by working to improve your scores by 100 points. The summer is also an excellent opportunity to work on upcoming admissions essays. Ideally, you should brainstorm for a creative essay, a “why you want to attend” essay and a “tell us about yourself” essay.

Finally, rising seniors should try to create a mock “college” schedule that they can follow to prepare for the life of a college student-athlete. Many players struggle at the college level not so much by the competition they face, but by the rigors of early classes and training in the morning. Time management can really make the difference between a starter, a bench player or a spectator, and the more practice you have at this, the more success you’ll have at the next level. While you know your schedule best, don’t be afraid to work with your parents and friends currently in college to develop an efficient schedule.

The key to having a productive summer and reaching any goals we set for ourselves is to have a game plan. By making yourself aware of what needs to be accomplished over, you can set reasonable benchmarks and improve your chances of getting the most out of your free time. If anything, game plans will ensure that, among the travel, tournaments and practices, you may be able to have some fun this summer!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Why Does RPI Matter?

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Why does the RPI matter? To get into the NCAA postseason, teams will either need to win their conference championship or earn an “at-large” bid. These at-large bids are awarded by an NCAA committee to teams that win a convincing number of games during the regular season. In the case of team sports, RPI is used to determine whether or not a “bubble” team should be given or denied an at-large bid to the tournament. Teams with wins over tough competition typically get the nod over teams with the same number of wins over easier competition.

For those of you who aren’t college basketball fans, Relative Power Index (RPI) is a measure of a team’s strength of schedule. So, teams are credited for playing a tougher schedule and penalized for playing a softer schedule.

To calculate a team’s RPI, the NCAA uses the following formula:

(0.25 * team winning percentage) + (0.50 * opponents’ winning percentage) + (0.25 * opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage)

As you can see, winning is only 25% of the total index, with much more emphasis being placed on teams’ opponents.

As with anything involved with the postseason, the RPI and its role in postseason selection does not come without controversy. Critics of the RPI point out that it compounds the disadvantage cold weather teams face against warm weather teams. Since they must spend the first three weeks of the season on the road, many cold weather teams will start with a losing record and play against other teams in their conference with losing records. This creates the compounding effect causing the RPI disadvantage. In fact, many lower tier teams in warm weather conferences will get an at-large nod over upper tier teams from cold weather conferences. If you take a look at the past few years’ College World Series participants and winners, you’ll see a major disparity between cold weather teams and warm weather teams.

This past November, Greg Van Zant, Head Coach at West Virginia University, proposed a change in the calculation of RPI. Rather than counting all wins equal, he suggested using an “adjusted winning percentage,” which awards 1.0 wins on a neutral site, 1.25 wins on the road and 0.833 wins at home. College basketball is currently using something similar, although they award 1.4 wins on the road and 0.6 wins at home. While this is still a while away from being presented formally to the Division I baseball committee, I’m looking forward to seeing how it is received by other coaches and the NCAA.

There’s no doubt in my mind that northern teams could use a helping hand when it comes to staying competitive nationally. At the same time, one thing won’t change: you still need to win the majority of your games!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

The Dangers of the Internet in College Recruiting

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Familiarity breeds comfort. As humans, we’re more likely to prefer something that we’ve been exposed to the most. In the marketing world, we call this “brand power.” Brand power gives the prospective computer, car or cell phone buyer a short list of products to choose from. Regrettably, many prospective baseball players will treat the college search process in a similar fashion.

In their defense, however, recruits are overloaded with information. Don’t get me wrong, the Internet revolution has been a huge boon for college recruiting, but when players are receiving 50+ daily e-mails about baseball-related events, something has to give. When bombarded with information, we revert to our natural instincts, which is to choose the “State-U” school or camp that we’re most familiar with. If you’ve been following this blog, then you’ll understand that most players won’t be able to play at the bigger Division I state schools.

So, how do you avoid following this path of least resistance? You need to be the proactive one. Don’t wait for schools to come to you (another common theme in this blog); get online and start researching schools. What’s getting lost in the dust cloud of camp e-mails are websites like collegeboard.com, d3baseball.com and meritaid.com, which offer remarkable amounts of information on very obscure areas of the college search process. Fight the temptation to only look into schools you’ve heard of or have seen on TV (or even worse, have sent camp e-mails). These websites can give you access to schools you’ve never even heard of, so that’s the place you need to start!

More important than the research you’ll do in front of the computer, it is essential that you visit schools on your college list. In the Exclusive Program, we stress to our underclassmen the need to visit at least three schools prior to the summer before their senior year: a large state school (10,000 or more undergrads), a medium-size school (5,000 undergrads) and a small school (2,000 undergrads or fewer). Your gut reaction to stepping on campus may be worth more than your countless hours of Internet research!

As I’ve written in previous entries, there are several things you should try to cover when you visit a campus. In addition to going on the campus tour, meeting with coaches and even seeing a practice, here are a few more things to do while on campus:

• Talk to students on campus. Ask them for their impression of the school and the surrounding area. You’d be surprised how honest they’ll be.
• Look around during a class change. Are people running to class?
• Sit in on a class. Are you in a large lecture hall or smaller discussion? Are you comfortable with this setting?
• Eat the cafeteria food and visit the dorms. Be honest with yourself- this will be your home for the next four years!
  

To have the most success with this process, you will have to do things differently than 95% of people trying to find a place to play in college. The Internet is a fantastic tool for those taking part in the recruiting process, but it’s so easy to fall into those old habits. Do yourself a favor and break that habit.

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Balancing the College Baseball Budget

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Prior to the beginning of this season, the athletic departments at Northern Iowa and the University of Vermont announced that this would be the final season for their baseball programs. While the last thing any athletic director wants to do is cut programs and staff, priorities have to be made even at the largest state schools. Even worse, the economic recession has exacerbated the funding deficit between revenue and non-revenue sports. Unfortunately for coaches and recruits alike, “America’s Favorite Past Time” is on the wrong end of this deficit.

While colleges and universities across the country have spent the past year making tough financial decisions, their athletic departments have come to grips with the fact that they’re not immune to what is going on with our economy. Even as the NCAA reports an average annual increase of 5% in student-athletes at member institutions, all sports at all levels have been tightening their belts. Sadly, as low as funding for college baseball has been, being a non-revenue sport puts it at the top of the list to come under the “budget microscope.”

The biggest reality I had to face when I was coaching was to understand exactly what it meant to be a “non-revenue” sport. With smaller audiences and a TV deal worth a fraction of the ones that basketball and football have, there are only a handful of Division I baseball programs that actually “make money” for their school. In most cases, baseball programs rely on the success of football, basketball and fundraising to finance their programs. On top of that, 35-man rosters and a 56-game schedule make baseball very expensive relative to other non-revenue sports, such as golf and tennis. So, when it comes budget time, baseball has lots of lines on its budget for an AD to adjust or eliminate altogether.

Even fully-funded programs find that in order to make a push for additional amenities, coaches need to fundraise and bring additional money into their program. Adding advertisements to the outfield wall, baseball programs and booster clubs were all ways I helped ease the budget crunch for the University of Maryland program. Yet, even with additional fundraising efforts, the most successful coaches are also going to be the thriftiest.

If you can assume that uniforms and equipment, travel and field operations are all fixed costs, the first cutback will always be recruiting. Coaches cannot afford to go to as many events, and if anything, have to budget for the events they do go to very carefully. When I was on the road, I would often share rooms with other coaches or stay with friends and family just to help my bottom line! One of the first things we share with players in our Exclusive College Recruiting Program is that the college baseball recruit has to be prepared to recruit coaches before they come see you play.

Writing and calling coaches, making unofficial visits and having a video all dramatically increase your chances of being seen by coaches this summer and fall. When I went to games, tournaments or showcases, I already knew ahead of time who I was going to see. I couldn’t afford not to do my homework on players beforehand! Players, too, cannot afford to take the “shotgun approach” to their summer schedule. Pick your spots carefully. Who is going to be at a showcase? Who do you have consistent contact with? That’s how coaches with short budgets look at their summer.

There’s no doubt in my mind that college baseball’s popularity is on the rise even with casual fans. The College World Series has really taken off the last few years and the game is reaching more viewers through increased TV coverage. Let’s hope that we’re seeing the end of “making do,” and instead push to make college baseball successful at every institution!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Should I Walk-On?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

I can’t tell you how many of our Baseball Factory parents and players have asked this question over the past 15 years. For anyone not familiar with the term “Walk On,” it is in reference to a player that decides to attend a college and earn a spot on the baseball roster without having a scholarship commitment, and in some instances, without even being recruited. It certainly is a very tough decision and there is no blanket answer to the above question. Each family and each baseball program is a unique circumstance.

The New York Times had a great article recently entitled, “For College Walk-Ons, a Road Less Traveled Makes All the Difference.” It detailed the stories of Brett Gardner (current CF for the NY Yankees), Ryan Howard (former MVP for the Philadelphia Phillies), and Eric Karros (former 1B for the LA Dodgers). All three of these players walked on to their college baseball programs and then turned into Major Leaguers. While these stories are very inspirational and are a testament to their hard work, it doesn’t mean that “walking on” is the right decision for each family. For every Brett Gardner success story, there are hundreds of players that get cut from their college program and never have a chance to pursue college baseball.

Kelly Kulina, our Senior Vice President of the Exclusive Program, has told me time and time again that when he was the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Maryland, they had 75-100 players each year that would try to walk on. The program might keep one or two of the players and the rest never had a chance to play college baseball. Kelly believes that the majority of these players could have been college baseball players, just not players at the University of Maryland. They were a better fit for smaller programs and not the right match for the rigors of playing Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) baseball. Most of these players probably didn’t market themselves to a variety of college programs or did not have any other college baseball coaches showing interest. With no other baseball options to consider, they most likely chose University of Maryland for academic or social reasons.

My advice to Baseball Factory families on this topic has always been consistent. Have as many options as possible before making a decision to walk-on. Your son may decide that he wants to try and walk-on, because in the end, there are just too many things about that particular school that he loves and can’t pass up. However, I would want that player to have to say “no thank you” to a number of other schools that have shown interest in him for baseball.

In my mind, if you explore all your options, and can make an informed decision one way or another, you can’t go wrong. It is only when you make a desperate move, or when you haven’t given the process 100% effort that regrets seem to set in.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

The Consequences of Cheating

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Everyone has an opinion on steroids and the most famous users (just Google Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez). But, as Rob Naddelman pointed out in one of his previous posts, the focus should be on education and prevention in our college, high school and youth ranks. There are many illegal performance-enhancing substances out there, with wide-ranging long-term consequences. It’s important for players to know what steroid use can do not only to their career, but to their body and state of mind.

Since September 1986, the NCAA has had a mandatory drug testing program in place for all sports and has maintained testing throughout the academic year. Players sign a consent form at the first team meeting and are pulled from practice and competition without notice and administered tests throughout the fall, regular season and even the postseason. In fact, players on my teams were sometimes pulled right out of the dugout by an envelope-carrying compliance officer.

Over the years, punishments for positive results have increased in severity. When I was coaching, the penalty for “street drugs” (marijuana, cocaine) or any other NCAA banned substance ranged from counseling to being banned from competition. Today, a lot of college athletic departments have a “zero-tolerance” stance towards steroids, and the penalty is severe: immediate suspension for one year, with a second offense resulting in a permanent loss of eligibility. In addition, if a student-athlete transfers to another NCAA institution while disqualified due to a positive test, their ineligibility will follow them to the new school.

Far and above a player’s eligibility is his health, and unfortunately, many young athletes are putting supplements into their bodies without knowing the short and long-term effects of this use. On one end of the “performance-enhancing spectrum,” you have protein shakes, power bars or even Red Bull. On the other, you have your more common steroids, such as HGH and testosterone. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of gray area to cover between these two extremes. Some of these supplements are under the NCAA’s list of banned substances and you wouldn’t even know it! Players simply must know what they’re putting into their bodies, and what the side effects can be, even if bought over-the-counter.

When we go to the pharmacy to get a prescription drug, we are given information such as what the medication is for and what side effects it may cause. In addition, we are advised to call the doctor if we encounter any side effects while taking this prescribed medicine. Athletes who take performance-enhancing drugs usually have NO idea what they’re taking, let alone the side effects or problems that can occur. On top of that, they’re not going to be comfortable talking to anyone about the side effects or problems they’re having because of the obvious repercussions it will have on their reputations. If you haven’t already heard of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, I’d suggest taking some time to read up on the sobering story of this young man. Deciding to take anabolic steroids in order to compete at the high school level, Taylor was eventually caught and consequently removed from his drug regiment. Sadly, a side effect of his use was a withdrawal-related depression, and on July 15, 2003, Taylor took his own life.

The bottom line is that you can be successful by taking care of yourself, working hard and making good decisions. As you continue to move up the ladder in athletics and life, there are always going to be people who are bigger, stronger, faster and smarter. However, there is something to be said for doing things the right way and there is NO substitute for hard work and dedication. After all, when it’s all said and done, it’s not our trophies, accomplishments or money we earned that matter most, but our integrity and satisfaction in knowing that we played the game the right way.


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Don't Catch DI-itis!

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

DI-itis is a term that many of the staff at Baseball Factory coined since we started working with parents and players 14 years ago. Parents with DI-itis are obsessed with their son's playing NCAA Division I baseball. Don’t get me wrong, playing DI baseball is a very admirable goal and something that all serious high school baseball players should strive for. However, in college baseball, it is not a given that a NCAA Division I program is stronger than a NCAA Division II program or NCAA Division III program. In fact, may top DII and DIII programs would consistently beat the pants off of some DI programs.

This type of parody amongst the divisions caused Baseball Factory to create its Class System when evaluating high school seniors and determining what level of college baseball we feel would be their best fit. The Class System breaks college baseball down into 10 Classes instead of calling players exclusively DI, DII, or DIII prospects. That is just not accurate for college baseball. The Class System takes a blended approach, knowing that there are many different types of DI, DII, or DIII schools when it comes to college baseball.

The point is for parents to be realistic when it comes to your son’s baseball potential. Playing for a DII, DIII, NAIA, or Junior College program may be the best fit for him in the long run. Getting hung up on all DI schools may just cause a lot of headache and misaligned expectations. Even if your son does get recruited by a DI school he may in fact play a lot less, and in the end have a worse college baseball experience. Parents who are interested in this topic should take a look at Kelly Kulina’s blog entitled Getting it Right the First Time (Parts 1-4).

Let’s use a hard example of a Baseball Factory family that benefited from kicking the DI-itis disease.

Brice Cutspec was a standout high school Catching/1B prospect from Westminster, CA. Brice was very active with Baseball Factory while in high school. He participated in our Pre Season All America Tournaments, our Team One Showcases, Dodgertown World Series, and Exclusive Program. After a great high school career, he signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Arizona, a tremendous DI program. After getting redshirted his first year, Brice decided to kick the DI-itis infection and transfer to Azusa Pacific University. Some thought he was crazy to give up on Arizona, but in truth, he wanted the chance to play and contribute. Azusa is a top NAIA program that routinely goes to the NAIA World Series.

Did it work out for Brice? Let’s look at his numbers since attending Azusa Pacific:

2007 - .363 batting average, 42 runs, 78 hits, 14 2B, 19 HR, 64 RBI, .693 slugging %. Earned All Conference honors while helping to lead Azusa to a 51-10 record, GSAC Championship, and NAIA World Series appearance.

2008 – Through 5/6/08 - .409 batting average, 27 runs, 72 hits, 11 2B, 11 HR, 58 RBI, .659 slugging % and the GSAC Championship.

I think Brice made the right move and has a better chance to be drafted based upon his standout performance at Azusa Pacific than he did as a redshirt at the University of Arizona.

Patrick Wuebben, our Player Development Coordinator for California, was sharing his thoughts on DI-itis with me a few days ago. He had a good way of summarizing the way parents and players need to look at the situation. He said parents need to be “self aware of their son’s baseball ability.” I think he hit the nail on the head.

So here are the doctor’s orders…Stay realistic, keep an open mind, make a college decision that is the best fit for your son, and cure your DI-itis if you are currently infected!

Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

What College Coaches Look For Pt. 2

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Last week, I started a list of "what coaches look for." This week's entry is the final set of factors that coaches look into when they recruit players.

Technical:

The technical side of what coaches look for is the ability of a player to translate fundamentals to performance at the next level. As they move up the ladder of competition, some players have trouble making adjustments and keeping up with the speed of the game. They may have the ability to play at a certain level, but the pace of the game can make it hard for them to adjust in the field or at the plate. When recruits would visit Maryland and watch us play, they would often size up their competition on the field. I always got a kick out of a player referring to a play they felt they could have performed better. That's the right attitude to have, but the reality is, they have no idea how much faster the game is at the college level!

Coaches know that there are some players that showcase well, and some that play beyond their tools during games. Obviously, coaches want players that look good and play well, but it’s not necessarily joint prerequisites. Those raw athletic prospects that need a lot of refinement will get looks because of their projectability. However, they still have to prove themselves on the field during a game to coaches in order to have a shot at playing at the next level. Prospects that may not have the arm strength of the foot speed to play at a certain level may get an extra look because they do other things to compensate for that lack of athleticism (see David Eckstein).

Tactical:

The “tactical” factor that coaches look for is a player’s mental approach to a game. Understanding your athletic tools and position as it pertains to game situations can have a major effect on how you execute a play. Having the ability to slow the game down is important when you play at a higher level. Are you at the right place at the right time? How adept are you at reading bat angles and the ball off the bat? Instincts are tough to teach, and knowing "what to do and when" is a special talent that coaches look for in players.

You’re never too good or too old to stop learning! Be a student of the game and take every opportunity you can to learn the fine points of the game. It’s the difference between “talented” players and truly “great” players.

Variables:

Finally, other “variables” can push you ahead of other prospects. These characteristics should be considered last, but certainly not least! Whether you wear khakis, a collared shirt, or remember to take you hat off in front of coaches does make a difference, even the smallest of ones. However, it’s the smallest of differences that will differentiate you from other prospective student-athletes. After all, if a coach has to choose between players of the same academic standing and athletic stature, what else does he have to choose between?

Remember, coaches are looking for much more than how hard you throw the baseball or how fast you run. Keep these factors in mind when you take the field, visit a coach or sit down to do your homework, because they all add up!


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

What College Coaches Look For Pt. 1

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Every day, we get closer to the high school and summer baseball seasons. There's plenty to be done before then, but I thought now was a good time to go over some of the characteristics that all college coaches look for in prospective players.

Academics:

One of the more consistent themes my blog entries have had is that academics can be more of a difference maker than players initially think. When I was recruiting for the University of Maryland, one of the first separators for my recruiting classes was whether or not they had the grades to get into the school. I attended many camps and showcases and immediately eliminated many players before they even picked up a baseball--nearly half my recruiting pool! With the addition of the Academic Progress Report (APR), coaches are more accountable for their team’s grades, retention and graduation rates. The NCAA has reported an improvement in team academics after enacting this policy, but one of the hidden consequences of the APR is that 1) coaches will no longer take a chance on a player with academic liabilities and 2) players with an excellent academic record will be more valuable to a team.

Physical

As I discussed in my last entry, different positions require different physical characteristics. On top of that, many college coaches' philosophies will differ, affecting the makeup of their team and, in turn, their recruiting needs. Some guys like size or speed, others go for hitting and some will just focus on pitching and defense. Your body type, weight, height and overall athleticism are all important to coaches and will be one of the first things that a coach will look at. On the technical side, your hitting ability, raw power, foot speed, arm strength and overall fielding ability make up who you are as a player. One or more of these are going to be a strength for you as a player--these are what coaches are recruiting. Your ability to showcase these skills, especially at the right position, will play a lot into your success in the recruiting process.

Psychological/Intangibles:

The first entry I wrote for the Baseball Factory Blog was about the mental tools that college coaches look for. How a player handles himself on and off the field is very important. Coaches don't want players who will create problems, regardless of ability! On the field, your attitude in dealing with failure and success mean a lot to coaches--they’re going to be with you when you face both, and they want to make sure that how you handle them will be in the best interest of the team. In addition, leadership skills, chemistry with other members of the team and overall comfort with the rest of the student body will play a part in the recruiting process. Finally, your “coachability” is an important aspect of the recruiting/evaluation process. When I ranked players on my recruiting depth chart, I took into account how easily the player could make adjustments, whether or not he believed that I could help him become better and whether or not he was willing to put the time in to improve.

Check back next week when I cover the second group of what college coaches look for!


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Why Change Positions?

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

At some point during their careers, players are asked by coaches to play a different position, or positions that they’ve never played before. Players and parents sometimes take offense to this, but it may be in their best interest in the long run. There are many reasons why your position may change at the next level, whether you’re looking up at the high school level, varsity or college. College coaches like to recruit players and athletes that are versatile, and players need to be prepared for adjustments like this. This could be the difference between making a high school or travel team, and ultimately affecting their marketability as a college player.

A lot of people make the mistake of discounting certain programs because they look at the roster and see that their position is stacked by several players. What prospective players need to understand is that in the college search process, the position they play and the position they’re most marketable at are two different things. We’ve had several players in our Exclusive Program that find themselves with better options at the college level when they agree to begin working at another position.

Most coaches will recruit up the middle, because they value that athleticism. They build their teams around those positions because they know if a player can’t cut it there, they can move him to a less demanding position, like the corners (if his bat plays there). This is true at any level of baseball--as you move up the ladder of competition, more is required to stay in the middle of the field. For example, during my playing days, I was a shortstop at the high school level, but then made the move to third base and eventually the outfield in college. So, if you’re a corner infielder or outfielder in high school, your competition is not only against other players at your position, but against players at those premium positions, as well!

When I was coaching at the University of Maryland, I recruited a player that I had never seen before. He was a rare right-handed batter, left-handed throwing first baseman from Pennsylvania. What caught my attention was not his bat, however; watching him during infield practice, I really liked this kid’s size, arm strength and how the ball came out of his hand. When I approached him after the game, I was surprised to hear how little pitching experience he had. I recruited and signed this young man as a pitcher without seeing him throw one pitch! Eventually, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of the University of Maryland as a pitcher. This is a perfect example of a mismatch between your position and your tools.

One of my favorite stories from my coaching days has to be the story of Steve Schmoll. Coming to a fall tryout for the baseball team as a catcher, he was the last player released in the fall because we didn’t have room for him on the roster. I really liked this kid, not as a catcher, but as a pitcher because of his size, arm action and potential on the mound. Instead of giving up on baseball, he took our suggestion to put work in as a pitcher and come back next year. Not only did he make the club as a pitcher, he started several ACC games when I was at Maryland, and eventually took over the role of closer during his senior year. Throwing from a variety of arm slots and armed with a low 90s fastball, he was a prime candidate for professional baseball and eventually made his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers!

The bottom line is that you haven’t failed if you’re no longer playing your “original” position. You only fail if you’re not willing to make an adjustment. Being flexible and open-minded, along with showing a desire to play wherever you can help the team, are very underrated, but recruitable tools. In fact, they may make the difference between playing at one level and not playing at all. After all, you can only prove yourself if you’re on the field. So the next time a coach wants you to try another position, take it as a compliment and an opportunity to get ahead!


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Agent vs. Advisor

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

During the summer, I wrote an entry about the NCAA Clearinghouse. Since that post focused on the academic side of the Clearinghouse, I’d like to take this entry to discuss amateurism and your NCAA eligibility. Unlike the other major sports, basketball and football, amateur baseball players can choose between attending college or playing professionally out of high school. This makes for some very competitive tension between college recruiters and professional baseball personnel, with the prospect stuck in the middle. If you’re fortunate enough to have this type of ability in high school or college, you have to do your research to get the most out of it. By walking blindly through the process, you run the risk of making a decision you’re not prepared for or may later regret.

College coaches know that there are some players that are "too good" and, dollar for dollar, they can’t compete with professional baseball for those players. That being said, if a player is involved in the draft process, he has to be very diligent in separating the college search process from his professional prospects. Regardless of talent, nothing will deter a college coach more than listening to one of his top recruits talk about which scouting directors he has heard from. In fact, I was once told by a college coach that he wasn’t going to pursue a prospect anymore because every time that he spoke with the player, all he talked about was "pro this and pro that." College coaches don’t want to hear all this- it makes them think that you’ll sign if you get drafted. Yes, they want players who can play at the professional level, but they want the player to play for them first!

The draft can have consequences not only on a player’s recruitment, but can also affect his eligibility. Grey areas like "Agent vs. Advisor," gifts and missed class can permanently affect a player’s eligibility, so they have to have a full understanding of the decisions they make. About 15 months ago, the NCAA released a memorandum to collegiate baseball players to explain how their decisions regarding the draft can affect their eligibility. From the memorandum, here are five ways collegiate players can lose their eligibility:

1. You agree orally or in writing to be represented by an agent or any individual acting on behalf of the agent [e.g., runner].
2. You accept any benefits from an agent, a prospective agent or any individual acting on behalf of the agent [e.g., runner].
3. If an advisor markets your athletic ability or reputation to a professional team on your behalf.
4. If you participate in a tryout with an MLB team that lasts longer than 48 hours, which you have not personally financed.
5. If you tryout with a professional team during the academic year and miss class.
   

Meetings with agents can also haunt a high school player, too. If you’ve been watching the Andy Oliver case, you’ll see that this is a prime example of "Agent vs. Advisor." More so, it shows that unless a player has a degree in contract law and NCAA bylaws, they should probably have an adult (parent and/or coach) with them for any meeting with an agent.

More importantly, players should know that being drafted DOES NOT mean they can’t play college baseball. Eligibility only becomes an issue when players do more than "test the waters." Division II even allows players to spend a year in professional baseball and, should they decide that it’s not for them, return to their original college team. As for Division III, since players don’t fall under the Clearinghouse, these eligibility issues don’t apply.

Professional baseball is a fantastic opportunity for any player anyone who’s played the game. What needs to be understood are the consequences of decisions that a 17-year-old can make regarding his future collegiate or professional career. If you’re being pursued from the professional side of baseball, you need to do your homework now and get informed. It’s the only way to avoid making a decision that you may later regret.

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.