Early Softball Recruiting: Approach with Caution
There is no better feeling in the world than to receive your first college softball recruiting letter in the mail. The dream to play softball in college one day is shared by many who participate in our sport. It’s something that up to this point, you have worked your whole career towards. The game has evolved immensely over the years. Not even ten years ago, college coaches had their focus on the athletes at the 16U level. Then the shift went down to 14U, and today, some have their sights on the 12U group, which some people consider ludicrous and entirely baffling. Players and parents should approach early softball recruiting with caution.
Now you’re probably thinking, “how could a college coach be interested in a 12-year-old?” College coaches are considered to be experts in recruiting. They know exactly what and who they are looking for to fill their roster spots in years to come. But can a college coach really take a look at a 12-year-old and be able to predict what they will look like in six years when it’s time to report to their first day of fall practice? Recruiting is becoming a competitive field now that the shift has been altered towards the younger recruiting classes.
Early recruiting should be approached with caution. If you’re a former player reading this, think back to when you were 12. Was playing college softball even on your mind? Or were you focused on playing the sport you loved with some of your close community friends? The answer for many is probably number two. It’s hard to speak for my 12-year-old self, now that I’m 25, but back then the game I knew was focused on having fun and playing to win the big trophies.
There are many obvious risks that come with early recruiting that college coaches are more than aware of: what happens if the player doesn’t develop into what they thought, what if they verbal too early and lose the work ethic and drive, what if they over-do it and become burnt out, the list could go on and on.
Aside from the risks the college coaches take, there are also several risks that face the young athletes. The added pressure to meet expectations several years from now, the sacrifices that will need to be made to make softball the number one priority, the pressure to get good grades, the amount of work that is going to need to be put in to get to where the college coach expects, just to name a few.
The Early Recruiting column produced by Fastpitch News will explore more of these risks over the next few months. It should also be understood that with risks come rewards, and many reward stories will be explored as well. Early recruiting will be explored from many perspectives, from college coaches to the young players, as well as the parents, through interviews, written opinion pieces, and we will also be taking a look at how the whole recruiting process has evolved over the years and the direction it is headed.
