College baseball recruiting help

I turned down a full ride academic scholarship at a big university to play at a community college, South Mountain in Phoenix, and was recruited by the University of Arizona after a solid freshman year. Then I played professional baseball for seven years. I have also watched a lot of parents spend money on recruiting noise they did not need.

College baseball has NCAA Division I, II and III, the NAIA, and junior college. They differ in how scholarships work, how many players a roster carries and how coaches recruit. Many good players start at a junior college or a smaller program and move up. Ask what each level offers rather than aiming only at the biggest name.

1. Be honest about the level. Ask a coach who has seen your player compete, not a service selling a package, where he fits today and what would move him up.
2. Build a short list. Fifteen to thirty schools across levels, matched on academics, location and baseball. Check each roster for who graduates and where your player fits.
3. Make a clean video. Short, from a normal camera angle, with the best swings or pitches first and name, grad year, position and contact details on screen.
4. Send a real email. Two short paragraphs to the position coach: who you are, your numbers, where you will play this summer, a video link and a schedule. Follow up politely.
5. Play where coaches watch. Ask college coaches which events they actually attend before paying to attend one.
6. Protect the grades. Coaches cannot recruit a player who cannot get in. Academics also open more scholarship money.

Parents who never played take the opinion of whoever seems most credible. Ask these before you pay.

1. What do you actually do that I cannot? Sending an email and posting a video are free. If the answer is access, ask which coaches and for whom.
2. Can I speak to families from the last two years? Ask what they paid and what happened.
3. Do you guarantee a scholarship or a roster spot? Anyone who does is not telling the truth.

Contact rules, recruiting calendars and eligibility requirements change. Read the current ones at ncaa.org, naia.org or your junior college, and have your player register with the NCAA Eligibility Center when it applies. This page does not quote dates because they would go out of date.

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