Transcript Recruiting 101
Acers Fastpitch
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Recruiting Process Realities
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Full Ride scholarships are very limited (< 1%)
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Schools & Coaches get literally 100 emails a day
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The Head Coach rarely looks at the emails themselves
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Recruiting Service communications are almost always ignored and often trashed immediately
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2015, 2016, & 2017 players… Now is your time to get on the Radar for the college coaches Acers Fastpitch
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Finding the Right Fit College
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Research, Research, Research
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Academics
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Financials
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School Size Coach
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Location (Far away / Close by, Cold / Hot) Softball time commitments Unofficial Visits
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The higher the level of softball
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The earlier you should start
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The farther away from home
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The earlier you should start Acers Fastpitch
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Have a Recruiting Plan
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Be Proactive & Market / Sell yourselves
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Don’t wait to be discovered
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Create a Profile of your type of college
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Create a list of schools that fit your college profile
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Start getting correspondence out to them
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Make a Skills Video to send to these colleges
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Participate in recruiting camps & college camps
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Play games at strong showcase tournaments where college coaches like to go Acers Fastpitch
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The NCAA Options
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NCAA D-1
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Can offer up to 12 Full Scholarships
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NCAA D-2
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Can offer up to 7.5 Full Scholarships
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NCAA D-3
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No Athletic Scholarships
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NAIA
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Mostly offer Academic $$ but some have Athletic $$
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NJCAA
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Can offer unlimited Athletic Scholarships Acers Fastpitch
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NCAA Recruiting Rules
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NCAA D1 and D2
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Cannot talk to players during a tournament
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Cannot call a player until July 1 st prior to their Senior year
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Cannot email a player until after Sept 1 st of their Junior year Limited to the number of off campus contacts that they can have with a player and/or family member at tournaments
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NCAA D3
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No restrictions on phone calls
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Can have contact with you after your Junior year Acceptance by the admissions dept must happen prior to anything happening with the softball coach
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NAIA & NJCAA
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Can talk to you anytime but they always wait to see if you are interested in a D-1, D-2, or D-3 school first Acers Fastpitch
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NCAA Eligibility Info
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Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than the start of your Junior year (Clearinghouse #)
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Graduate High School
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Attain the minimum GPA for the college of interest
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Attain the minimum SAT / ACT scores
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Take these tests early (no later than Fall of Junior year)
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Recommend that you get the “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Athlete” that’s available at www.ncaa.org
Acers Fastpitch
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Tournament Etiquette
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Do not approach college coaches at a tournament
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They are there to evaluate your skills
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If a coach wants to talk to you then they will initiate or arrange contact with you
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Email and/or Call a coach before a tournament to let them know of your interest & your game schedule
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Follow up Emails after a tournament within 2 days after the end of the tournament is a must
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Thank them for coming out to watch us play Acers Fastpitch
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Email Correspondence
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Do not mass email coaches
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Email once a week during our summer tournaments (Tues)
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Sell yourself & tell them what makes you special & standout
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Big hitter, fast, strikeout totals, pitching speed, etc
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Avoid false statements or stretching the truth
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Send skills video & player profile links in all of your emails
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Subject line of your emails should always include
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Name / Team Name / Jersey #
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Live game video links are great options too Acers Fastpitch
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Recruiting Timelines
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Freshman Year
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Prepare your list of schools
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Visit local schools
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Watch college games at the various levels
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Sophomore Year
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Let the marketing campaign begin
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Refine your list of schools (research / gather more info)
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Unofficial Visits are very important & start now 20 schools is a manageable list to keep up with If you can manage more then that would be even better Acers Fastpitch
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Recruiting Timelines
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Junior Year
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Sept 1 st is the key date that you can start to receive direct correspondence via email and regular mail
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You should significantly intensify your marketing efforts
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Your video link distributions, emails, phone calls, & campus visits should be a high level commitment
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Senior Year
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Fall of your Senior year is a very important time to play in front of your interested colleges
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It is still possible to be recruited in the Spring / Summer of your Senior Year but the chances are diminished
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Many D-3, NAIA, & JUCO don’t start looking at you until your Senior year You should consider looking more at your Plan “B” too Acers Fastpitch
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Good Advice
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Have a Plan & don’t wait for coaches to come to you
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Showing up at a tournament having never contacted a coach or very many coaches is a poor approach
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Don’t expect to just show up at a tournament and expect to have a coach see you and say “Wow… That girl is exactly what I need & everything that we have been looking for” because that hardly ever happens
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Don’t get hung up on the “Full Ride” mentality
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Plan to see some athletic scholarship $$ supplemented by academic $$, financial aid, and student loans Acers Fastpitch
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Key Notes
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You never know who is watching
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Your Level of Hustle can work for you or against you
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Reactions to success & failure are very important
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Recruiting is not fair & never will be
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Coaching your daughter through the fences is not an acceptable practice or habit
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Approaching coaches unless designated as the team’s recruiting focal is not permitted Acers Fastpitch
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Recruiting Clinic / Guide
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Vegas Clinic
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Hosted by Cathy Aradi
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www.fastpitchrecruiting.com
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$ 15 per person (in advance) or $20 at the door $ 25 per family (in advance) or $30 at the door
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Recruiting Guide
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Written by Cathy Aradi
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Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level Acers Fastpitch
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