10 College Recruiting Mistakes to Avoid, Part 3

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

As I’ve written in my last two entries, there are plenty of ways for players to limit their college options. I’d like to close out this discussion with four final points:

#7) Not Understanding the Scholarship Process

The first thing to understand is that there are not many college baseball scholarships to go around. For example, a fully funded Division I program has 11.7 scholarships to award players on their team. This doesn’t mean 11.7 scholarships for the incoming recruits, but rather 11.7 scholarships to spread out between a maximum of 27 players on the team, from freshman to seniors. Most schools are not fully funded, so most programs will have less than the maximum amount of scholarships.

Because of these limitations, coaches have to be very efficient with their scholarships. They will spread out scholarships to players in their program such that, for example, one recruit is given a 33% scholarship and another player is given a 67% scholarship. Therefore, don’t expect to receive a scholarship, because they are rare. And if you are offered a scholarship, don’t expect it to be a “full” scholarship!

If you do receive a scholarship, keep in mind the scholarships are year-to-year. They are reviewed annually by the coaching staff and can be adjusted. You may be given a 33% scholarship your freshman year and a 40% scholarship your sophomore year. However, coaches can also reduce a scholarship or remove it completely.

#8) Relying on Your High School or Summer Coach to Find You a College

While there are numerous high school and summer coaches across the country that go the extra mile to help their players compete at the college level, it is important that you do not rely entirely on this source. It is rare that a high school or summer coach can pick up the phone and have direct contact with college programs across the country. In addition, keep in mind that a high school coach’s main job is likely as a full time teacher, and most all summer coaches have a full time job. While they may have good intentions, your college search may not be high on their priority list.

It is important that you take advantage of all of your resources. Use your high school or college coach as a reference throughout the process, but it is best to leave the true college search to the professionals. Also, make sure that you take the initiative throughout the process.

#9) Visiting Colleges That Aren’t a Realistic Athletic and/or Academic Fit

Lots of money and time can be wasted traveling around the country to look at the wrong schools. You need to be honest with yourself from both an academic and athletic standpoint. Concentrate your time, energy and money visiting schools that are academically and athletically realistic based on your ability. Do research to find out more information on each college’s academic requirements, and the level of competition on the baseball team. If you need help finding out schools that would be a good college fit, contact a Player Development Coordinator at Baseball Factory after your tryout is completed and our scouts have evaluated your skills.

#10) Letting Your Parents Do the Talking When a College Coach Asks you’re a Question

College coaches are recruiting YOU, not your parents. Thus, it is important that you are the one communicating with them throughout the college recruiting process. When you meet with coaches, you should be asking and answering questions. It is OK for your parents to participate in the discussion, but you should be taking the lead. It is important that YOU pick up the phone and call coaches- they want to hear from players and professionals in the baseball industry, NOT parents.

So, what to take away from all of this? Players that learn to take the initiative and keep an open mind in the college recruiting process will find themselves with better options, regardless of academic or athletic ability. There are many different ways for you to take your recruitment into your own hands on the field, in the classroom and in front of your computer. Be careful to avoid these common recruiting mistakes, and you will be able to find that perfect fit athletically, academically and socially!

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.

Gaining Perspective on What Really is Important

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

A colleague of mine at Baseball Factory, Ryan Smith, and his wife Katrina are in the midst of a struggle that can rock you to your core. Ryan is a part time scout for Baseball Factory and helps to run/operate/scout numerous events for us across the country. He does a fantastic job and is a huge asset to our organization. Ryan and Katrina had been expecting twins (their first two children) towards the end of July. As a parent myself of two girls, I understand completely the joy these two must have been feeling. What started out as the happiest time in their lives slowly has turned into a scary nightmare.

At only 27 weeks, the twins were birthed through an emergency C-section due to problems in utero. On July 23, Ryan and Katrina gave birth to Gianna and Graden (boy/girl fraternal twins). Based upon the complications, after delivery, Ryan and Katrina knew that Gianna and Graden would be in a fight for their lives in the intensive care unit. Both babies were born quite pre-mature and weighed only 2 to 2.5 lbs.

The next few days were overwhelming for the Smith’s and turned into every parent’s worst fear. Three days after birth, Graden passed away due to severe lung deficiencies. He was only on earth for a few days but will be remembered for a lifetime. Gianna is presently still in a struggle for her life as she has been rushed to a specialist unit in Pittsburgh for a collapsed lung. She is currently on steroid treatments and appears to be making good progress. The situation is still quite fragile.

For all you parents out there reading this, I hope this unfortunate situation helps you to gain perspective on what is really important in life. As parents we run so hard every day and place an excessive amount of importance on things that really are quite trivial. How many at-bats did my son get at the last tournament, why didn’t he get a chance to play more innings at Short Stop, why aren’t more schools recruiting my son? The list can go on and on. The truth is that your child’s well being and health are the most important things in the world, and the gift of raising a healthy child should be celebrated every day. We shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy to recognize this miracle.

I continue to pray every day for Gianna (and Ryan and Katrina). I hope you will join me in my positive thoughts and prayers for this family. This family needs our support!

If anyone is interested in contributing to a cause to support the Smith family and to honor Graden Smith, we will be releasing information on how you can contribute in the near future.

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.

Wrigley Field Here We Come!

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

On Sunday August 17th, The Baseball Factory is powering the Under Armour All America Game at Wrigley Field. It is the first time that a high school game has been played at Wrigley Field. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with the honorary first pitch coming from Mr. Cub (Ernie Banks) at 1:20 PM CST.

The game features the 36 best high school players in the nation. The players in attendance were either seen at a Baseball Factory or Team One Event, or were highly recommended by our network of professional scouts. These players should all go on to have fine college or professional careers.

As a parent, I can’t imagine the joy and pride I would feel if my child was selected for such a prestigious honor. To be recognized as one of the best 36 players in the nation is truly remarkable. With 450,000 kids playing high school baseball in the United States, these 36 players represent the top .01% of our nation’s high school crop of baseball players.

Good luck to all the players in attendance. I would be lying to you if I said that I wasn’t very excited for the festivities and to see the players perform. I also want to thank Under Armour and the Chicago Cubs for their support of the event. It has been a great collaborative effort between our three organizations to put on this program.

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 Two or Three Sport Athlete Dilemma

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

I am currently on an airplane flying back to Baltimore from Baseball Factory’s Under Armour Southwest Tournament in Peoria, Arizona. As a sidebar, wow is it hot in Arizona at this time of the year (our in-car thermometer read 133 degrees at one point during the week)! I decided to write this blog while still on the plane because the topic of playing multiple sports was brought up during this trip and I wanted to comment on what transpired during the discussion while it was still fresh in my mind.

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. In Arizona, the seminar was run by me and our Senior Vice President of College Recruiting, Kelly Kulina. A lot of good questions were raised by the parents in attendance, but one that came up in particular sparked a lot of discussion. The question was how Kelly and 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.

Listen Closely

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Are you a good listener? Are you distracted when you are talking to your children? Are you thinking about something else, or are you living in the present moment?

Being a good listener is a wonderful character trait to possess. I work very hard each day on trying to be a respectful listener. A close friend of mine says that she tries to listen to her colleagues “with her entire body,” which I think is an accurate way to describe a good listener. I constantly have to fight the urge to cut someone off mid sentence and interject my viewpoint during a discussion. In the end, this type of behavior is disrespectful and the person on the other end feels not validated.

Do you really listen to your kids? Do you try and help them understand their feelings or do you constantly put your feelings and thoughts on them? I think so many arguments and inter-family conflicts could be avoided if people really listened to one another and respected the other person’s position.

Being a good listener will come into play many times in the college recruiting process and the baseball development timeline. Make sure you show your child some respect and really hear what he has to say when he expresses his opinion. You many not always agree, but it will go a long way to creating a healthy relationship with your son.


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.

Are you giving back?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

As a parent, I think one of the most valuable gifts you can teach your children is to give back to your community at large. In my opinion, community service (and or donating to a cause) should be a part of every family in some capacity. It is important for young people to participate so they can gain perspective and appreciate all that they have. Here are some tips to start giving back if you are not currently making it a priority:

1. Find a cause that appeals to your family. Baseball would be a natural fit. You can find a local or national organization and donate old baseball equipment and uniforms that your child no longer uses. There are many groups that would be happy to take it off your hands and it is much better than throwing it away and having it sit in a garbage landfill.

2. On your child’s birthday, encourage folks that normally give gifts to make a donation to a charity instead. Have your child research the charity with you. My family does this each year for our daughter’s birthdays. We have collected books, pajamas, toys, and clothes and made multiple donations to local organizations like Bright Beginnings. The organizations are so grateful and it teaches our kids the importance of helping others.

3. As parents, instead of throwing away your old clothes, books, and house wear items that you no longer need, find a local shelter to give the items to. Bring your child with you when you drop off the items.

Giving back to the community has always been something that is paramount to my family and to our Company. Back in 1994, when the Baseball Factory was incorporated, we also started a non-profit organization called The B.A.S.E.-H.I.T. Foundation, which stands for Baseball & Academic Student Enhancement – Helping Inner City Teams. We run a six team middle school academic and baseball program for at-risk children in Baltimore City. We provide coaches, tutors, equipment, uniforms, bus transportation and training for the participants. It has been a great way for our Company and staff to give back to our community and provide an organized, safe, and motivational program for children to achieve success in the classroom and on the field. It has been one of the most gratifying parts of our work!

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 Incredible (and Potentially Scary) World of Social Networks

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

After much prodding from my brother and friends, I decided to get with the times and join a social network. For me, the network of choice was Facebook. Instantly upon joining, I was connected to hundreds of people from my past. My old next door neighbor, middle school classmates that I have not seen or heard from in 25 years, friends from high school, teammates and fraternity brothers from college, and tons of family. It is an incredibly powerful tool and one that allows me to communicate in a centralized location with many people that I have wondered and thought about for years.

For parents, your children are probably social network obsessed. Whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, or TAKKLE (Baseball Factory’s social network partner for High School athletes) chances are that your son has a page created with at least one social network. It probably is one of their main sources of communication with their friends.

It is important for parents to know that college coaches have started to use these social networks as a way to check in on their current players and their targeted high school recruits. College coaches are really big on “make-up” and character. How a player spends his time off the field is a very good indicator for what type of person he will be on the field. As such, many college recruiters are combing these social networks to see what kids are like. What are they posting? Who are their friends? What are they talking or bragging about on their pages? How do they spend their time? What are their interests? Coaches can learn a lot from what they can find on-line. Employers are also frequently using these web sites to do reference checks on aspiring high school summer job candidates as well.

As a parent, make sure you are familiar with these social networks and speak to your children about how college coaches are “checking up” on players. Social networks are here to stay and they are quite powerful tools, but just make sure your son is using them responsibly!

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.

Position Changes…How to Deal With Them as a Parent

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

I think the idea of a player being asked to change positions and play somewhere new on the field can be more traumatizing for the parent of the player then the player himself. I just got back from the Baseball Factory’s Omaha Training and Tournament and met with a number of parents where the topic of position changes came up. When a particular player was asked to play a different position on the field (versus his normal primary or secondary position), I heard the following comments:

Parent 1: Why would he be asked to play anywhere other than shortstop? He is the best shortstop on the team.
Parent 2: He has never played the other positions, so it is really unfair to ask him to play somewhere he is not comfortable.
Parent 3: Why would you put a player in a brand new position and one that he is not used to?

One of our philosophies at Baseball Factory is to try and use our events to help prepare players for their college experience. College programs very often recruit center fielders and shortstops and then place them all around the field in certain spots depending upon how their tools play. For the recruited high school shortstops, the best hands and feet usually go to Short and Second (with the better arm playing short). The guy with the most power and limited defensive skills goes to first and the one with less range and strong hitting skills may go to third.

This happened to me in college when I played at the University of Pennsylvania. As a freshman, I started mostly every game at shortstop after having played SS my entire career. As a sophomore, I got moved to third base because we had a transfer student come in with exceptional defensive skills that played short. After a First Team All-Ivy season as a Sophomore at 3B, for my junior year, I was used primarily as a designated hitter, because we had a pretty good freshman infielder come in that year. You may recognize his name since he is the current second baseman for the Chicago Cubs (Mark Derosa). As a Senior, I split time between 3B and DH because we had another exceptional middle infielder added to our club as a freshman that made first team All-Ivy that year. I still wound up earning 2nd Team All Ivy Honors as a Senior.
Players need to be prepared to be moved around the field for a variety of reasons. Maybe your son is a primary pitcher that also plays shortstop in high school. In college, you will never see a RHP/SS. All two-way players that pitch wind up playing another secondary position like OF, 1B, or DH to help save their arm. Maybe his baseball tools have him better served to be a corner infielder than a middle infielder. Maybe someone on his team got injured and in order to get his bat in the lineup, the manager needs to use him in a different spot on the field. Be flexible and he will have a chance to gain more playing time.

For parents, as your son advances up the ranks past high school baseball and into college, start to understand that things may change, including his postion. Try not to get all bent out of shape and understand that as the game speeds up, his tools may play better at another spot on the field. From my personal experience, keeping an open mind and living up to the challenge of playing a new spot on the field was a great learning exercise for me. I enjoyed playing 3B and DH-ing much more than I would have enjoyed sitting on the bench and watching someone else play shortstop!


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.

Control...Are you in or out of control?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Controlling your surroundings, relationships, and even your children is a tough challenge for all parents. Even with my little ones, I hear all the time, “I want to do it myself daddy,” when I overstep my bounds and try to do small things for my girls. As they get older and I want to insert myself into their college or job search, I am sure it will be even more of a challenge to strike the necessary balance.

What I am starting to learn is that every day, and every situation is an opportunity to empower my children to handle themselves with self esteem and pride, versus stepping in and doing everything for them. In the end, it may make it easier for me to just handle it, but what am I teaching them in the long run?

Parents of young men that are going through the college search process have a great opportunity to help educate, guide, and empower their children to make good decisions. Don’t do all the research yourself. Resist the temptation to write his cover letters and resumes for him. Ask your son good questions. Get his mind thinking. Try as hard as you can to get him to speak about what he is interested in. Help him understand how courses of study in college translate into real jobs. Educate him on the power of networking and how attending college gives you a network and resources you can tap into for a lifetime. My partner at Baseball Factory is Steve Sclafani, my former teammate at the University of Pennsylvania. I probably continue to tap into my large Penn network at least once a week. It is a powerful tool.

Keep encouraging your child even when he is struggling to find the answers to his future. Hold back on your urge to control the situation for him and help him to seek out what is in his heart and his dreams. Take him to college campuses, watch college baseball games with him on ESPNU or CSTV, go on the Internet with him to research classroom sizes and academic disciplines. Encourage him to follow his intuition and give him the space to explore different options. Balance out what you think is best versus what truly makes him happy. That trust will go a long way towards his self confidence.

When you start to get the urge to take over and control his future, step back and ask yourself these questions, “Who am I satisfying here? Who’s best interest am I serving? Is this more about me then my child?” If your ego is in control, check it at the door and allow your child to stand on his own. It is one of the best gifts you can give as a parent.


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.

Bring Your Own Bottle...(Of POWERade or Water)

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

This is a big one for parents (especially moms). With two young children of my own (see picture on the right), I know keeping your children hydrated is a major concern for parents. My wife is constantly reminding me to bring sippy cups wherever I go so that our little girls are never thirsty. But at some point, as your children get older, the responsibility of bringing your own liquids needs to shift from mom (or dad) to the kid.

A major no-no for college coaches or pro scouts is to be at a game watching high school prospects and see a mom walk over to the dugout, open the door, and throw bottles of liquid to their sons. At our Baseball Factory Player Development Events, I have seen moms perform acrobatic stunts in an effort to reach their arms over chain linked fences to ensure that their son is properly hydrated. For a funny video, click below to watch Rick Sofield, Baseball Factory Special Advisor, and current head coach of University South Carolina-Beaufort speak about this exact topic.

Moms and Dads, this is a major red flag for on watching baseball professionals. What is going to happen when the player gets to college? Is he going to remember to bring his own liquids, uniform, or equipment when mom and dad are not around? It creates question marks in a coach’s mind as it relates to the player’s responsibility and maturity level.

Here are a few suggestions for how to eliminate this issue in the future:

1. Go to Target and buy a small cooler
2. Prior to the game, load the cooler with ice
3. Put bottles of POWERade or water in the cooler
4. Have the player carry the cooler with his baseball equipment into the dugout

There we go! That wasn’t that hard now was it? The player is sure to not dehydrate on the field and he looks responsible in the eyes of the coach. This also eliminates the need for moms and dads to run around like lunatics at the field looking for the nearest convenience store and missing out on the chance to watch the game.

As a parting comment, if you are a Yankee fan like me, you will see Derek Jeter’s mom and dad in attendance at almost every home game. Just like you, they are loyal parents who are dedicated to their son’s baseball endeavors. I am certain that Derek’s mom has never reached over the Home Dugout at Yankee Stadium to flip him a bottle of liquid. Start taking the same approach with your own son and it will only help him in the long run.

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.

Who Makes The Call?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

“The Call” in the title refers to calling college coaches. The “Who” refers to mom, dad, or the player. I have spoken to many moms, dads, and players over the years and I have gotten many different responses to this question. Here is a sample conversation I have had with our families on this topic:

(I am sitting at a Baseball Factory Player Development Event at Dodgertown with a mom, dad, and player. For the sake of this exercise, we will call the player Johnny):

Me: So Johnny, which schools have you contacted for your college search?
Mom: (Doesn’t allow Johnny to answer)… I have sent Johnny’s resume to 15 schools and then I made follow up calls to each of the schools reviewing Johnny’s statistics.
Me: Johnny, have you sent any follow up emails to these schools?
Dad: (Doesn’t allow Johnny to answer)… Actually, I sent the follow up emails from my work account to make sure the coaches received the information.

This discussion is the classic quintessential example (unfortunately) of how you should not approach the communication process with college coaches. Unfortunately, I have had this type of discussion about 150 times over the past 10+ years.

I know this is a really tough one for parents. Parents are used to jumping in and “taking control” for their kids. However, you have to take a step back from the situation and realize that the coaches are recruiting the player, and not the parent. They want to see how a player handles himself on the phone and via email. By doing so, it helps to gauge the player’s genuine interest in the college program, and the coach gets to learn a little bit about the player’s make up. A coach will not learn anything about a player’s makeup from speaking to their parent. Coaches usually have their own children and know that a mom or dad can never be 100% objective about their son. It also throws up a red flag for a coach when they see this type of dynamic, because they start to question how the player will handle the responsibility of college academics and balancing their social life when mom and dad are not around.

So, the answer to the question of “Who Makes the Call” in the title of this blog...the player. There may be specific times when a coach needs to speak to mom or dad (ie; scholarship talk or setting details for a college visit), but the primary point of contact needs to be the player. Mom and dad, I know it is tough to sit on the sidelines here and allow your son (who may not be 100% comfortable representing himself on the phone) to be pushed to the forefront. Parents should view themselves as the “coaching staff” in this exercise. Your role is to help your son research the college programs, read his cover letter before he emails it to a college coach, help to organize him with folders and phone logs for correspondence from each school, and to do mock phone calls with the coach to help get him prepared.

Letting the player make the call will go a long way towards establishing the player as a responsible adult in the eyes of a college coach. It also helps to build his self esteem and self confidence. In the end, this approach will help give him a leg up in the recruiting process!

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.

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.

Balanced Attack - Part 2

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Last week I wrote about the importance of a “Balanced Attack” to the college recruiting process for high school players. Parents need to avoid the “showcase and college camp itch” when it comes to every invite received in the mail. Try not to allocate your family’s entire budget to these two categories. As I mentioned last week, showcases and college camps are important, but they need to be a part of an overall strategy that makes sense for your family’s goals and objectives.

At Baseball Factory, our staff constantly stresses to families that they need to look at four different areas of focus EACH year when determining their plan of attack to prepare for college baseball. Leaving out any of these four areas can create an unbalanced approach and leave you behind the curve.

For those parents that are scratching their head and are looking for some guidance, here are the first two areas to focus on when creating a game plan for the college recruiting process:

Academic Performance – This is #1 on the list by a long shot. An honest assessment of the student’s academic achievement needs to be performed. Make sure to get a copy of your son’s official transcript from the guidance office and calculate his core course GPA. Remember only the core courses (ie: Math, Science, English, History, etc) will count towards your son’s eligibility for NCAA programs. Check out NCAA.org for more information on this topic. Those lovely elective classes like baseball and weight lifting will not contribute one bit to his academic eligibility. Have him take sample PSAT, SAT, or ACT tests depending upon his year in school to see how he measures up. If the academics need improvement beyond what the student is capable of doing on his own through hard work, seek academic tutoring or standardized test prep courses. The reality is that the admissions process is wickedly competitive and the better STUDENT-athletes (notice STUDENT and not athlete is capitalized) have an admissions advantage every time.

Skill Development – As Steve Bernhardt wrote in his Building the Better Ballplayer Blog, parents need to seek professional instruction assistance for the areas of their son’s game that need improvement. It is easy to practice the areas of the game where the players are excelling. It is much tougher to work on your weaknesses and try to elevate them to a player’s strengths. Just think: instead of running off to another showcase and “exposing” a weakness for everyone in attendance to see, what if you used those same budget dollars to get professional instruction and improve your game? Doesn’t that make more sense? Well rounded players at the high school level usually make better players in college. Whether it is running speed, overall body strength, throwing mechanics, hitting mechanics, defensive ability, etc. get yourself some professional help and attack your weaknesses.

Next week, I will touch on the final two areas of focus for your balanced attack. If anyone can guess what the last two categories are, feel free to post them as a comment to get some discussion going!

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.

Balanced Attack - Part 1

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

A hot topic for high school baseball families that comes up every year is how to approach the summer, fall, and winter schedule to maximize your baseball opportunities. Springtime always has the HS season as the focus, so that one is usually not debated much. However, how families choose to spend their time (and their money) in the other three seasons is one that is filled with a lot of different opinions and viewpoints.

One of the biggest mistakes I have seen parents make over the years as it relates to the college recruiting process is to fill their time (and budget) during these seasons by relying exclusively on college camps and showcases. Many parents get enamored with telling their friends and people in the community that we are off to “xyz school” this weekend for a big showcase, or “Johnny” got invited to “abc college” camp this weekend so we are flying out tomorrow, etc. In the end, this type of shotgun approach can turn out to be a frustrating experience for a number of reasons.

Parents need to understand that a balanced attack to the college recruiting process is required. It doesn’t pay to run off to every showcase or college camp invite, especially if the schools in attendance are not good fits for your son’s profile. These trips can be fun, and in certain specific instances are extremely valuable, but they can not be the only factor to consider when trying to determine how to best maximize your “baseball budget.”

At Baseball Factory, our staff constantly stresses to families that they need to look at four different areas of focus EACH year when determining their plan of attack to prepare for college baseball. Leaving out any of these four areas can create an unbalanced approach and leave you behind the curve.

As a parent, if this topic leaves you scratching your head and confused, check back next week when I go through the first two areas of focus.

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.

Where Do You Want to Go to School?

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

The above question is one that I, or our Exclusive Program Senior Vice President Kelly Kulina, often pose whenever we get a chance to sit down with a Baseball Factory player at one of our Player Development events. By far the most popular answer that we have received over the past 13 years is, “Anywhere I can play baseball.”

That answer sounds good on paper, but usually it is far from the truth. My response when I hear this answer from a player is usually something like this:

Me: OK, let’s say that the head coach from Minot State in South Dakota really wants you to play for him, are you ready to go to South Dakota for your college experience?

When posed with that circumstance, most of our players say something like this:

Player 1: No way, I would never want to go to a school that small. Or…
Player 2: I want to go play down South where it’s warm. Or…
Player 3: I don’t want to have to get on a plane to go to school. I want to be a car ride away from home. Or even…
Player 4: South Dakota is not far away enough for me. I want to get as far away from my parents as possible. (This one tends to sting a bit for mom and dad who are usually sitting next to their son)

I use these examples to illustrate that there are a lot of factors to consider when making a college decision and very rarely does the decision only come down to, “where I can play baseball.”

As a parent, the key is to try and get your son thinking and see what it is that he likes or doesn’t like about a particular college. I understand that when you are dealing with 16-18 year old young men, it can be difficult to muster up more than a one word answer or a grunt when asked about their future. I have had the following conversation many times as well with our players:

Me: “So, do you want to go to a school in a city?”

Player: “I don’t know.” (As player looks down at the ground and bites his nails).

Me: “Do you like a big campus, or a small campus?”

Player: “Uh, whatever.” (As player shifts in his seat and glances at his cell phone for a text message)

Me: “How far away from home do you want to be?”

Player: “Doesn’t matter.”

I have seen on-looking parents cringe when their sons give responses like the ones I outlined above. Most parents feel the urge to want to jump in and start answering the questions to prove that they are good parents and have not raised a Neanderthal.

Parents need to try and fight this urge and instead, use these examples as an opportunity to get proactive in the college search process. Sometimes the best way to find out what a player likes about a college is to first find out what he doesn’t like. The key is to see as many schools as possible and to start to form opinions. Even if your son is convinced that he wants to go as far away from home as possible (as an aside…usually, our kids talk a good game, but when it comes down to making this decision, they prefer to be closer than further to home), you should still start with the schools that are within a two to three hour radius from your house. Chances are there are many NCAA DI, DII, DIII, Junior Colleges or NAIA programs in that geographic area, so you will see a good cross-section of options. This will help him form opinions on schools with 25,000 people vs. 2,500 people; schools in an urban setting vs. a rural setting; schools with on-campus housing vs. off-campus housing, etc.

Moms and Dads should throw as many questions as possible to their sons when they are on these visits. What do you think of this campus? How do you think you would do with these classroom sizes? One parent can ask the questions, and the other can write down the answers so that nobody forgets the first impression, which is usually the strongest and most accurate. As a family, you can then apply what your son does like about a school that is close to home and compare it to schools outside your geographic area. For instance, if you live in Maryland and your son thinks University of MD, College Park is too big; he probably will feel the same way about UCLA, University of Texas, and the University of Michigan. Even though those schools have great baseball programs, they may not be the right fit for him.

And remember, players at any age are allowed to take as many unofficial visits to colleges as they like. An unofficial visit is when the college program covers no player expenses for travel. The sophomore year in high school is a very good time to start taking these unofficial visits.

So get out there, see some schools, and help your son form some real opinions on what is important to his future. It is hard for them to know what they like until they can see it with their own eyes.

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.

Introduction To Baseball Parenthood

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Over 13 years ago, I started building Baseball Factory with my former University of Pennsylvania baseball teammate, Steve Sclafani. We were both fresh off the baseball playing field with a lot of ideas and dreams for how we could help high school players through the college search process. For me personally, I wound up at Penn not because I had an organization like the Baseball Factory behind me helping to find the right fit academically, athletically, and socially, but my brother was a current student at the school and got to know the baseball coach who began recruiting me. My college search happened almost completely by chance.

In the early years of Baseball Factory, I looked at everything through the eyes of a high school baseball player aspiring to play in college. I tried to think of all the opportunities that I did not have as a player in order to figure out how Baseball Factory could connect more talented HS players to the correct college programs.

Over the more recent years, I have been blessed to become a parent to my own children. I currently have two young girls. Now that I am a parent myself, I tend to think about the world at Baseball Factory more through the eyes of our parents than our players. I have been better able to understand why parents act a certain way and why most of the time they want to take charge and do what is “right” for their children, no matter what the consequences.

I love my children more than anything in the world and I know as they continue to grow I will do everything in my power to support every endeavor they take part in. They may choose to pursue athletics, or it may be the arts, music, etc. that peeks their passion and interest. Even at a young age, I find myself having to fight the urge to do everything for my girls. My first reaction is to always want to jump in and fix a problem or help them through a challenge faster. I can only imagine how much more challenging it will become as they grow up and mature into young women.

Over my 13 years at Baseball Factory, I have seen many different dynamics with the interactions between our baseball players and their parents. I have seen players that have been outright disrespectful to their parents right in front of me and have seen parents that don’t allow their sons to get a word in edge wise when I ask them a question about their future.

My mission within this blog is to try and help parents understand what I feel is the appropriate balance between when to step in and help your son with the college search process, and when to push him out to the front to do it on his own. It is a delicate balance to try and reach to help them swim and not sink, not to be too overbearing, not to be too passive, etc. I will try to give you examples from clients we have worked with, what to avoid, and how to best approach the process. I look forward to writing over the upcoming weeks and hope this blog becomes a valuable tool for baseball mom’s and dad’s around the world.

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 did Parents think of the Dodgertown Christmas Camp?

My nephew took part in the Dodgertown Christmas Camp last week and I felt I had to let you know how I feel about your program. This program is by far the most amazing program for young boys that I have ever seen. I am so impressed by what you all do, your values and your staff! All you see on the news are the dregs of teenage boys. No one ever shows programs such as yours. I love the fact that you stress three areas: the first-education; the second-education; the third-education. It is imperative, in my mind, that these young boys have a Plan B should their dreams of playing ball professionally not come to fruition. I was also impressed by the how the participants behaved, their 'clean cut' appearance and their sportsmanship and that you will not tolerate anything less. People rise to expectations so if