Transcript College Softball Recruiting

College Softball Recruiting
January 2014
What matters?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Your opinion
Academics
Behavior
Leadership
Skills
Exposure
Opportunity
Recruiting Rules
Timing
Logistics
The player’s opinion matters
• Do you want to go to college?
• What degree do you want to obtain?
• Does international study or internship experience matter to
you? They’re typically not available to college athletes.
• Do you want to play softball while you’re in school?
• What locale is right for you?
• What size school is right for you?
• What level of play (Div I, II, III, NAIA, NJCA) is right for you?
• Are you willing to commit the time it takes to develop into
a college-level player?
BE OPEN & HONEST IN CONVERSATIONS WITHIN THE FAMILY!
Academics
• You have to be academically qualified to be admitted
to the school!
– GPA (may be no lower than 2.0 for NCAA with
stipulations7)
– ACT or SAT test scores (860 SAT or 18 ACT minimum)
– Ranking in high school class
– Can you write an essay?
• You have to be comfortable that you can balance
college academics and athletics
• You need to make sure that the school offers the
degrees and programs that will allow you to get where
you want AFTER college
Behavior
• College recruiters watch EVERYTHING!1
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
What do you do with your downtime between games?
How do you treat warm-ups?
How do you behave in the on deck circle?
What’s your attitude like after a big play? (good or bad)
Do you help the coach with equipment?
Do you clean the dugout?
Do you get along with the other players?
Do you introduce yourself to the college coach?
Can you look the coach in the eye and shake their hand firmly?
How are the player’s parents behaving?
• Important attributes
–
–
–
–
–
–
Athleticism, talent
Attitude to coaches and officials on and off the field
Composure / Bounce back ability
Communication with teammates
Work ethic
Hustle
Leadership
•
•
•
•
•
Are you a team leader?
Do you encourage others?
Do you cheer others on?
Are you a field communicator?
Do you make sure other players are aware of the
game situation?
• Do you step up to reinforce good behaviors from
others?
• Are you involved with volunteer or community
activities?
Skills
• “I’d rather recruit an athlete that can play softball than a softball player”
former Div I asst coach and current JuCo coach Carie Dever Boaz1
• Is the player flexible (able to play more than one position)?
• How well do you understand the game?
• How well do you REALLY understand the skills required for your top 3
playing positions?
• How often do you practice/drill to sharpen your abilities regarding those
skills?
• How well have you mastered hitting, bunting, slapping?
• Be honest in your assessment of your playing level. A 3rd party assessment
may be worthwhile as well.
• Heart can carry you farther than your level would otherwise allow!
85% of winning college coaches surveyed say they look to recruit
multi-position athletes, excluding pitchers & catchers.2
Research on Keys to Success
Attributes that college coaches say are the keys
to success for college athletes3
• Positive attitude
74% of winning college coaches
surveyed say they actively
• Motivation
recruit multi-sport athletes.
• Competitiveness
• Coachability
• Willingness to improve athletic skills
2
Skills – Statistics4
NCAA NCAA D2 NCAA D3/ NJCAA
D1
NAIA
Pitchers
Height
Velocity
5’9″
60+
5’7″
58+
5’6″
55+
5’5″
54+
5’8″
160 lb.
<1.8
<3.0
5’4″
150 lb.
<1.9
<3.1
5’4″
140 lb.
<2.0
<3.2
5’3″
135 lb.
<2.2
<3.4
5’7″
145 lb.
<2.9
5’6″
140 lb.
<3.0
5’5″
135 lb.
<3.1
5’4″
130 lb.
<3.3
5’7″
135 lb.
<2.8
5’5″
130 lb.
<2.9
5’4″
130 lb.
<3.1
5’3″
125 lb.
<3.3
Middle
Infielders
Height
Weight
Pop Time
Home to 1B
Corner
Infielders
Height
Weight
Home to 1B
Outfielders
Height
Weight
Home to 1B
Exposure
• NCAA coaches are limited to 50 hours of recruiting evaluations per
year
• Div I coaches TYPICALLY go to only travel ball exposure or showcase
tournaments (more talent in least amount of evaluation hours)
• JuCo, NAIA will attend more high school / local events
• Div I, II and III coaches can attend high school events in there local
area without it counting against their 50 hour limit (think ETSU, King
University, etc.)
• If you want to play for a local school, let them know and invite them
to your high school or travel ball games
• Be aware: High school schedules conflict with college seasons
• If you want to play Div I, find where your school of interest is going
for showcase tournaments… and make sure they know that you’re
playing there!
Opportunity5
Maximum number of college athletic
scholarships available for college
softball:
Division
Number of
teams
Athletic
Scholarships
limit per school
Maximum
Available
Scholarships
NCAA I
288
12
3,456
NCAA II
273
7.2
1,966
NCAA III
390
-
-0-
NAIA
198
10
1,980
NJCAA I & II
292
24
7,008
NJCAA III
Other
Divisions
66
-
-0-
129
n/a
n/a
Totals
1,636
14,410
NOTE: “Scholarships” are defined on an equivalent basis. That is one
“scholarship” could be used to give 2 players 50% scholarships
Opportunity – The Facts
• Only 7.8% of high school players end up playing at the collegiate level.5
• Very few scholarship opportunities are full ride athletic scholarships.
NONE in softball are guaranteed 4-year full ride scholarships.
• Athletic scholarships typically only cover ~25% of tuition & fees.
• Average college in-state tuition & fees for public institutions is $10,000;
private tuition is $30,000.
• Most schools look at need-based and merit-based scholarships first, then
use athletic scholarships to fill in the gaps
• They do this because of the Equivalency Rule that allows one defined
scholarship to be split between multiple players.7
• Div III has no athletic scholarships, but they do have need-based and
merit-based opportunities
• You may not be recruited to play your position of choice. Be flexible!
Recruiting Rules
• Don’t give up if a coach/school doesn’t
respond to your e-mail or letters
• You can keep them abreast of where you will
be playing even if they can’t respond
• You can send YouTube links for skills videos or
game footage
• Even if you don’t hear back from them, they
will usually keep a file on your player to track
their progress through high school
NCAA Div I Rules7 –
Freshman/Sophomore
As a Freshman/Sophomore in high school:
• Recruiting Material
– You may receive brochures for camps and questionnaires.
• Telephone Calls
– You can call the coach at your own expense.
– Coach cannot call you.
• Off-Campus Contact
– Not Permitted
• Official Visits
– Not Permitted
• Unofficial Visits
– Unlimited
NCAA Div I Rules – Junior Year
As a Junior in High School:
• Recruiting Material
– You can begin to receive recruiting material and information from the
coach on September 1st.
• Telephone Calls
– You can call the coach at your own expense.
– You can receive one per week starting July 1st after your Junior year.
– Telephone calls are unlimited during contact periods.
• Off-Campus Contact
– Allowed July 1st after your Junior year.
• Official Visits
– Not Permitted
• Unofficial Visits
– Unlimited
NCAA Div I Rules - Senior Year
As a Senior in high school:
• Recruiting Material
– You can receive material and information from the coach
• Telephone Calls
– You can call the coach at your own expense.
– Coach can call you once per week starting July 1st.
– Telephone calls are unlimited during contact periods.
• Off-Campus Contact
– Allowed but no more than 3 times.
• Official Visits
– You can start official visits on the opening day of your classes.
– You get one per college and a maximum of 5 visits to D1, and unlimited visits
to D2, D3 and NAIA schools.
• Unofficial visits
– Unlimited
NCAA Rules - General
• College coaches have 50 days in which to
evaluate you. They cannot exceed that number.
• College coaches can evaluate and/or contact you
no more than 7 times during your senior year.
• During your senior year a college coach cannot
contact you more than 3 times.
• You have to register with the NCAA Eligibility
Center prior to official visits with the school
NCAA Div II & III Rule Summary7
DIVISION II
DIVISION III
Recruiting materials
A coach may begin sending you printed
recruiting materials September 1 of your
junior year in high school.
You may receive printed materials any time.
A college coach may call you once per week
beginning June 15 between your junior and
senior year.
You may make calls to the coach at your
expense.
No limit on number of calls or when they can
be made by the college coach.
You may make calls to the coach at your
expense.
Telephone calls
Off-campus contact
A college coach can have contact with you or A college coach may begin to have contact
your parents/legal guardians off the college’s with you and your parents/legal guardians off
campus beginning June 15 after your junior the college’s campus after your junior year.
year.
A college coach is limited to three in-person
contacts off campus.
Unofficial visits
You may make an unlimited number of
unofficial visits any time.
You may make an unlimited number of
unofficial visits any time.
You may make official visits starting the
opening day of classes your senior year.
You may make only one official visit per
college and up to a maximum of five official
visits to Divisions I and II colleges.
You may make official visits starting the
opening day of classes your senior year.
Official visits
You may make only one official visit per
college.
NAIA Rules8
• Like Division III, most programs have small recruiting
budgets.
• Unlike Division III, NAIA schools can offer athletic
scholarships.
• This means that, despite their small size, NAIA schools have
very competitive sports – about on the level of NCAA
Division II.
• There are no restrictions at all on coach communications.
Coaches can call, email, or text potential recruits. They can
write on their Facebook walls or tweet at them. They can
visit their houses or go to their games. There are no time or
age restrictions.
Timing1
• The time to start your college recruiting activities is
NOW (8th grade to 9th grade)
• Each team is only looking for so many spots each year –
you want your name in the pot early as they try to
decide who to select for their limited spots
• Be persistent in communications – they need to know
you’re serious. And yes, the squeaky wheel gets the
attention in this case.
• By the Junior year in High School, the PLAYER should be
doing most of the communicating with the coaches –
coaches are leery of helicopter parents.
Logistics
• NCAA Eligibility Center – all prospective students with interest in
NCAA play must register and be cleared. Sign up at the beginning
of your sophomore year.7
• NAIA Eligibility Center- all prospective students with interest in
NAIA play must register and be cleared8
• Verbal Commitments – non-binding on either side
• National Letters of Intent – binding once the financial aid package is
signed
• Juniors, register to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the NCAA
Eligibility Center code “9999” as a score recipient. Doing this sends
your official score directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center.7
• Know the rules and processes that your schools of interest must
follow, and follow those rules yourself. Parents & athletes are also
responsible for knowing the rules and following them.
FAQs
• Do I need a skills video? A skills video is the easiest way to get a college
coach’s eyes on your player. BUT it is a two-edged sword: it can be used to
spark interest or eliminate further review. Put your video on YouTube – and email a link to the coach. Don’t bother making and mailing DVD’s.
• Should I play High School & Travel Ball?1
Travel ball showcase
tournaments are most important for Div I exposure. High school is fine for
local Div I-III and NAIA. Don’t shy away from multi-sport involvement.
• Do I need to hire a national recruiting company?2 NO.
College
coaches often view them as interference. 85% of surveyed coaches
recommend against using them1.
• When should I start? NOW.
• How many schools should I contact?6 A LOT. The more coaches
that are aware of your player, the more chances you have of finding the right
match.
END OF PRESENTATION
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Q&A at National Softball Clinic, Charlotte, NC January 24, 2014
(Marge Wright, John Tschida, Carie Dever-Boaz)
Paper, “Recruiting in Division I Softball” Amber Kavehkar
Research by Giacobbi, Roper, Whitney, Butryn, 2002
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/softballscholarships.htm
http://www.scholarshipstats.com/softball.htm
My Softball Scholarship, Jeff & Emily Poulton
http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/CBSA.pdf
See NCAA.org for complete NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules
See NAIA.org for complete NCAA eligibility and recruiting rules