“How do I get college coaches to notice me?”
When speaking with high school players, this is a common question presented to me.
“What are you doing to put your information in front of college coaches?”
This is the question that I then pose to them.

The majority of high school baseball players have never had the recruiting process properly explained to them, and the result is a failure in their recruiting efforts. There are many misconceptions in the recruiting process. One that comes to mind is “good players get seen.”  When a player is told this, he completely abandons his recruiting efforts and waits for a college coach to “discover” him. College coaches will see players over the course of the baseball season, but not all of them. During your high school season, college coaches are too busy with their college season to see high school games. During the summer, coaches need to pick and choose which events and showcases to attend since they have a limited recruiting budget. To assume that you will be one of those players seen is unwise. When college coaches attend showcases it is because they have already heard of or made contact with many of the players in attendance. So what did these players do to gain the coaches’ attentions?  They did what the majority of future college baseball players do to catch the attention of college coaches’. They properly marketed themselves.

There are over 1,600 college baseball programs in the country, and less then 300 are Division 1. In result, many baseball programs don’t have the recruiting budget to scour the country searching for players. College coaches want to recruit players that show interest in their university and their baseball program. If a high school player makes the first contact expressing his interest in the university and baseball program, the coach can feel confident in recruiting that player because the player shows an obvious desire to play at his university. Here are the steps every high school player should take to ensure credibility and professionalism when contacting college coaches.

-Determine what is most important to you when looking into colleges
No matter how strong a player’s desire is to play college baseball, they need to understand that baseball is secondary when choosing a college. A player should list qualities they are looking for in a school. How close or far away from home do you want the college to be?  What size school do you want to attend?  What do you want to study?  Do you want to go to a private or public school?  You need to understand that whatever school you attend, you will be there for four years. When the games are over, will you still be happy with your choice? After determining what type of school you would fit into try and select 30 to 60 schools that have baseball programs that you would like to be apart of. This will give you a starting point for contacting college coaches.

-Determine your baseball ability level
Any player who is serious about college baseball should receive a professional scouting evaluation. You need to understand where your ability translates to all divisions of baseball, whether it JUCO, NAIA, Division I, II, or III. There is a lot of gray area between divisions in today’s game. The only difference between divisions is the amount of scholarships offered. By understanding your baseball ability, you will feel confident contacting colleges you know you can play at. If you never understand your ability you will most likely end up lost in the process.

-Determine your academic ability level
When determining which colleges to contact, you need to look at your grades as much as you do your baseball ability. Your GPA and your SAT/ACT scores determine your academic status. The better you perform in the classroom, the more schools you will be accepted to, and the more opportunities you will have for college baseball. For players with poor academics, a Junior College may be the best fit. It allows a player to get their grades up and complete their core classes while playing at a competitive level. Identifying players with academic excellence is just as crucial as identifying baseball ability for coaches at academically acclaimed universities.

-Prepare a professional introduction letter and baseball resum?.
You should create a template introduction letter that you will send to each college coach. In this letter you should introduce yourself, explain why you are contacting the coach, why you are interested in the university and baseball program. A baseball resume should resemble the format of a business resume. You will want to include your personal info, academic info, baseball awards and accolades, and any baseball references (coaches, scouts, instructors) that can be a judge of character and talent. You should send your introduction letter and baseball resum? hard copy through the mail and also through email. If you’re using email, make sure your email address is professional and appropriate.

-Provide a college coach with credibility with a pro scout evaluation and professional video 
College coaches want to put the best team they can on the field. If you are going to contact a coach, you need to prove that you can be an asset to his team. If a coach hasn’t had a chance to see you play, you need to prove your ability to him. The best way to do this is with professional film and a professional scouting evaluation. A coach can break down your mechanics, measure your tools, and scout you from the comfort of his office. If you tandem the video with a professional scouting report it enhances the effects of the video. When discussing a player’s ability, the source must be unbiased and reliable for a college coach to take it seriously. Your parents’ and your coach’s opinions do not mean much to a college coach since it will be looked at as biased. A professional scout’s opinion holds the most credibility. It paints a realistic picture for a coach and will give him the best idea of whether you can be an asset to his team. This will result in college coaches giving you honest answers of whether you can play for them or not.

-Be punctual, organized, and proactive
The recruiting process isn’t going to unfold by itself. You, the player, are responsible for your own destiny. Start the recruiting process early and educate yourself on how it works. Make professional first contacts with college coaches. Stay organized. Proofread your letters. Be punctual in your responses with coaches. Be prepared as to what you will say to coaches. Continue to do all the little things that build a coach’s opinion of you.
If you put absolutely no effort into the recruiting process, then you will most likely see no effort from coaches to recruit you. If you work hard and are very proactive, the results will be rewarding.

For more information on how Baseball Factory can help you effectively market yourself to college coaches please visit http://www.baseballfactory.com/ourprograms/scr.asp