How do we know?

[jonriv]

What type of schools is she looking at?

Do you have a combination of Reach/comfort/safety

Combo of Div I, II, III, JUCO & NAIA?

[Trophy Hunter]

Important that you supply the coach with specific information;


Dear Coach- I will be play at the ***** showcase with my team ********. Are game schedule is as follows:

game 1 9:00 at field 1
game 2 11:00 at field 2

Some colleges have rigorous admission requirements, so it helps if you use the right words.

[Trophy Hunter]

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. There are kids that are rushed out in front of college coaches when they are not ready. That doesn't help them. The coaches aren't necessarily going to look at a player and say " Oh, she is young" and cut her some slack. If they are looking at you they expect you to compete.
Timing can be everything.

Great advise which I think many parents and coaches dont even think about, especially at 14s.

It's safe to say that most 14s aren't ready (physically, and skills-wise) for the full-on recruiting blitzkrieg. You will see coaches at 14u because they are quickly exhausting the 16s they want, and because certain coaches might be pushing certain players.

But make sure your daughter is ready. Discuss it with her coach, and with the Gold coach, since they tend to have a good idea of who is in their pipeline, and a better feel for what's happening in the market.

Don't get anxiety attacks because other players she knows are verballed.

Be patient.

Curious though, if you are writing 30 letters a week, are there that many schools she is interested in?

[balou]

Make a skills video and post it to Utube and send the video to each school you are writing with a link to the video. Call the coaches and leave them messages on their phone and ask them to call your travel ball coach (make sure you leave his name and number). Send constant updates to the coaches. But the best thing you can do above all else is to play for a Great program that plays in the best tournaments on the best fields and play well while you are on those fields. If you can somehow get on OnDeck's radar and get invited to their camps you will really accelerate the attention, but you have to play well while at those camps.

We were surprised when my daughter finally talked to the coach at the school she verballed to. The coach said "who is this? I don't know who you are......oh now I remember..." The coach was at the next big tournament and the rest is history.

There is no one way to do it. You have to work a lot of different fronts. Good luck, you will get out of it what you put into it.

[CheckWriter]

Does she have any inkling where she WANTS to go?

If you can afford it, I would suggest going to a 2 day (or longer) camp, IF AND ONLY IF, it is one of her top three (if you are $h1tt1ng money go to as many as you want) schools and she would seriously consider going there.

She needs to let the coach know (call them until she gets them live) she is coming and she is seriously interested in attending. The coach, if interested at all, will make time to get her one on one on a T, watch her cuts, find out if / how well she can make adjustments. The coach will see hundreds of cuts and ground balls or fly balls, not just 3 or 4 at bats and a grounder fielded. If the coach is interested at all he/she can get a lot out of the interaction as can your DD.

One DD pretty much made herself a fixture at every frickin' camp at the school she is now attending. The other never attended a camp at the school she is attending.

JMO

[CheckWriter]

Also, just ask the coach where she stands when you have the chance.

Younger DD on an unofficial. Coach says she is following about 18 girls for 4 - 6 incoming DD's year. She said there were 3 categories, we really want, we kinda' want, we're watching just in case she is a late bloomer or some we want don't come.

DW asked point blank, which category is DD in?

DD stopped corresponding after that visit!

PS DD should do the VAST majority of the talking. But if there is that key question (see above) that is not being asked, by all means, step in.

[DonnieS]

Also, just ask the coach where she stands when you have the chance.

Younger DD on an unofficial. Coach says she is following about 18 girls for 4 - 6 incoming DD's year. She said there were 3 categories, we really want, we kinda' want, we're watching just in case she is a late bloomer or some we want don't come.

DW asked point blank, which category is DD in?

DD stopped corresponding after that visit!

PS DD should do the VAST majority of the talking. But if there is that key question (see above) that is not being asked, by all means, step in.

D2 was in that same category with the school that we had understood was following her. Wrong. But things work out.

[jonriv]

It's good when a prospective coach let's you know early on that they are not interested- gives you a chance to scratch them off the list and move on

always remember to- that there might be a school currently not on the list that might be where she ends up. keep your options open.