College Softball Recruiting: Run at Your Own Pace
It can be easy to get wrapped up in the college recruiting process. Every year college softball teams will filter out another class of seniors and there will be room on the team roster to add a few more. Early recruiting is becoming more and more common in the softball world and it is not uncommon for athletes in middle school to give a verbal to a University. There are many risks associated with an early verbal, and keep in mind, a verbal does not always make it official. If you are a high school softball player who hasn’t found the right college fit quite yet, you still have time. Everyone moves through the college recruiting process at their own pace.
It’s important for softball players not to get caught up in what they think everyone else is doing. “An 8th grader verballed to (blank) this week.” As a parent and player, it’s easy to hear something like this and wonder why your daughter hasn’t been given the opportunity yet. Below is a recommended checklist to follow through the college recruiting process. Keep in mind while going through it that there is no rush and everyone runs at their own pace.
Do They Want to Play? First and foremost, softball players must decide for themselves whether they want to continue playing at the college level. Parents, I encourage you to take a step back and let your athlete make this decision for herself. All too often, parents jump the gun and put pressure on their daughter to pursue the college recruiting process when in reality, she may not even want to. Where to attend college and play softball if you are lucky enough, is a big decision and it needs to be one made by the player.
Research: Once your athlete decides for herself that she wants to continue her softball career and play at the college level, it’s time to do some research. It’s in this step that the player and her parents think about the big picture and set some after college goals. Keep in mind; softball is only part of the college experience. The academics are what will set your athlete up for success and a career path after she graduates. Encourage your athlete to make a list of things she is interested in pursuing as a potential career. Then once you have an idea, make a list of colleges she would be interested in playing softball at. Once the two lists are made, research the school to determine whether or not it offers the appropriate areas of study. This is a great way to narrow down the schools and softball teams of choice on your list.
Reach Out: Once you have your list of colleges narrowed down based on an area of study and the softball program, it’s then time to reach out to the coach. Reaching out to an adult who you admire and look up to can be intimidating for teenagers. Sending an email is a very common reach out method for the first initial contact. However, be warned, college softball coaches probably receive hundreds of emails a day from hopeful recruits. After you send your first email, get some courage and pick up the phone for any future contact.
Get Out There: Once you have let a college coach know you are interested in attending their school and are hoping to be a part of their team, it’s time to get you in front of them. Attending the camps college teams put on during the year is the easiest and most effective way to be seen. Most camps will be held at the college and this gives prospects a chance also to see and explore the campus. As you attend the camps and colleges on your list, look for signs of the right fit. Some campuses will seem more at home and the right fit as opposed to others. It’s important that the athletes are present in the moment and take advantage of every sight they see while visiting. It is also encouraged to ask questions while you are there!
Make the Choice BEST for YOU: After your athlete attends the college softball camps and tours the campuses of the schools listed on her list, she may be able to rank her top 3. It’s also very common that after visiting the schools and meeting the coach, your athlete will have her mind made up. Parents are encouraged to give their opinions during this part of the process, but at the end of the day, the ultimate decision needs to be made by the athlete. This will be the most significant decision your athlete has made in her life up to this point. I encourage you to show her love and support throughout the entire process and reassurance after making her choice.
The college softball recruiting process is going to be different for everyone. The process itself is a journey, not a race. Everyone will go through the process at a different pace. It’s easy to get caught up in what you think everyone else is doing. If this happens, take a step back and refocus your attention and energy back on your daughter and her own journey. Revisit the checklist from above, and keep in mind there is no time frame to complete each step. Trust the process, stay the course, enjoy the journey, and you will be satisfied with the reward.
