So, it's Sep 1 of your Junior year, what kind of letters do you usually get? How personal are they? How serious are they? What's your experience?

And on July 1, What do coaches have to say? I've read the recruiting timeline and what you should do, but what should the good coaches be doing? The rule is one phone call per week, does leaving a message on the machine count as a call?

Then senior year hits, you can go on your official visits and if you get offered an NLI, its over in November. Do you really have enough time to go on official visits before November?

You ask several questions, which I'll try to shed light to. First of all you should become very familiar with the "recruiting Tips" section of this website. It is invaluable to a student athlete looking to continue beyond high school.

The letter players receive vary from mail-merged mass mailings to hundreds of players from top 30-40 type teams to personal handwritten notes and cards from coaches at all levels. Some schools send out very little mail at all. Some are sending sophmores Christmas cards signed by all the coaches.

What do coaches have to say on July 1. If they don't already know they want to find out if you are interested in them. They may ask you straight up or wait for you to express interest.

If you are fortunate enough to get visit offers early and you have interest, take the visit as soon as possible to leave time for additional visits. You can start visiting when classes start and they like kids to visit during football weekends. Visit the schools highest on your list the earliest. Often times, the first player to commit on the coaches list is who gets the spot. It may not be the most scientific recruiting process, but thats how it works.

You are allowed 5 visits to different schools. Getting 5 visits in if they are offered is difficult at best. Most kids are lucky to get 2 or 3 visit offers, let alone 3 at schools they could or would attend. Most times you will be offered on the visit. Getting Visit #1 school to wait 5-10 weeks for you to visit 4 more schools is sometimes not practical for you or them.

Its all about getting you ducks lined up then.......keeping them lined up. Good luck!

I wanted to pass on some information that I learned today.
If your son is very interested in attending a school that has been sending letters all year or has called beginning July 1, I would strongly suggest that you visit the school on an unofficial visit(if not already). If you are waiting for that official visit it may never come. Unless your son is one of the elite in his class, coaches are not waiting anymore, offers are out there and already accepted.
Due to competition, many recruits attend camps and games before the summer and may already have been given an offer. If accepted by someone else who plays the same position as your son there is no need to ask him to come play at that school. Dad04 is correct, it is not scientific, just a matter of who says yes first.
I thought that I had done my homework but I realized today that coaches are trying to get their recritning classes to commit earlier and earlier.
Food for thought.

I agree with TigerPawMom in that the recruiting process has become very competitive. The earlier you can "do ALL your homework" the less hectic it will seem come recruiting time.

The best tip we received was to start early (freshman year) by visiting a variety of campuses. During our vacations and baseball travels, if there was a college campus near by we always took a look. How will your player compare schools they have never seen? Visually touring schools gives your player a sense of how different colleges environments can be. Do they want to spend 4-5 years in an urban setting or a rural setting, a small walking campus or something larger; warm weather country or high mountain; and the list goes on. Couple this with researching which schools carry their major and area of interest; the different entrance requirements; AND their baseball programs...... well, that's a lot to expect a player and family to do if you wait until the start your senior year!

I am confused, my son is an 06-should he be attending showcases,this summer or next summer, is area code games for, 06, or 05s, if my son is good enough will he get letters next summer , or should he be getting them this summer???If anyone knows please respond

wavehog - These are my thoughts based only on our experience...there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I don't think its necessary for an 06 to go to showcases, other than for the experience and to get used to them. Being from California there should be plenty of visibility for your son playing on a good summer/travel team.

Area Codes are for the best HS players that are "pro" prospects, no matter what class. They will favor the older players in their selections.

If your son has been/will be noticed by a college coach, the coach can mail him a personal letter beginning this September 1. Coaches can make phone calls to your son beginning next July 1. In the meantime, YOU/YOUR SON can mail, email, call coaches all you want. And if you make the phone call, they can spend time in a conversation with you. They just cannot return a phone call...in other words, you'll have to catch them "live." You can also talk to coaches all you/they want while you are on their campus.

Thanks,Justbaseball- is your son at stanford?If so did they recruit him or did he pursue them? Did he go to StanfordCamp? Sorry for so many questions.Thanx Again

wavehog - He's an incoming freshman pitcher. He was recruited by them, but he also made sure they knew of his interest in them. He did attend the camp last summer.

Just,
Like the avatar! Maybe someday our kids will meet up in competition (though they might next week in GA)???!!!!!
Wave,
We found the PG wood bat tournament to have the most exposure for college. He attended one woodbat early in Junior year, from which came many letters from colleges that were interested. Then in January of his junior year he attended one showcase and PG national. The most exposure came while traveling last summer (senior summer) and signed last november. He chose not to attend area code.
During senior spring came all the invitations for the scouts to see him through organized team showcases. Camps have a purpose and more and more coaches are following up if they like what they see.
Start planning now.

quote:

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Coaches can make phone calls to your son beginning next July 1.

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Make note of a change in the recruiting calendar effective August 1,2004.
Div. 1 coaches can now make one phone call to a prospect during March of a prospects junior year. They can also have contact with a recruit at the high school during the month of April.

Yeah, I've been reading about this. To be honest, I don't think I like it. Just throws a monkey wrench into the middle of your Junior season. If you get a call or two or three, you get all excited and maybe lose a little focus.

If you don't get a call, you get all depressed and maybe lose your focus.

I just like the way it is now where the calls start coming AFTER the HS season and AFTER school ends for the summer.

justbaseball....agree with your comments...could be detrimental to teammates as well....those not getting letters or a call...while one teammate does.....junior year..still young....impressionalble and not as apt to look at the total picture.....best of luck to your son....Stanford.....awesome!

I really like this new rule.
I have always thought the process
started too late as far as allowed contact was concerned.....

To make sure websters see what rbinaz informed us about:

>>>Make note of a change in the recruiting calendar effective August 1,2004.<<<


***Div. 1 coaches can now make one phone call to a prospect during March of a prospects junior year.

***They can also have contact with a recruit at the high school during the month of April.

On the flip side, coach gets a chance to talk to a lot more kids over a lomger period of time and might determine from early conversation if he is interested in pursuing that recruit. Gives more opportunities, JMO.
Coaches are smart they know they are talking to kids that need a lot more growing up. My son is a man now compared to a year ago, it's called projection.
I am with Chill, having just gone through the process, I like the early jumpstart. Gives a lot of families time to plan ahead which should be done regardless. If you are hoping for an early signing, and no phone calls or visits come by that time one knows to start applying to colleges as baseball may not be in the future.
College baseball recruiting has changed. Coaches are getting commitments when plyers are sophomores, juniors. They like to follow their development.

For the parents that are new to this process just remember that the "verbal" committment means nothing until the signature is on the NLI.

Ok, What is the correct date for contact by a D.1 Coach on an "06" grad. The replys above mention several dates, March & September are mentioned. Which is correct for the for an upcoming Junior?