Playing Up -- Getting Recruited
by
Rob Gensch

In order to properly discuss "Playing Up", girls and parents should know sample experiences parallel to the choices at hand. Speaking as a parent of a daughter who just recently finished her 18U eligibility, I will equate what I saw on both the 16 and 18 circuit. This is meant as a factual account to help other parents and players. For the sake of this thread. I will assume that the litmus test will be college recruiting and a desire to be noticed.

At 16's, my daughter played for the Eastview Lightning team for two years, and with the Minnesota Irish 18's for two years. Because she has a December birthday, she was in summer before 10th and 11th grade years at 16's and summer before 12th and College at 18's. This is an important factor.

Her teams went to Nationals somewhere each of these four years. At 16's, a scant few D-3 coaches came out to watch any teams I saw at State, and a few from all levels at U-16 Nationals. The only time I ever saw D1 coaches at U-16's was in Illinois 3 years ago. There were several Chicago area D1's present at many games. That year, coaches had the luxury of watching U-16 AFA Nationals and U-18 ASA Nationals in Rockford, IL. back to back.

As a coach of that U-16 team, I recall a couple conversations with coaches at several levels. They took a few rosters and made notes, and were always there to watch somebody who had contacted them or that they knew of that was a "stud" (60+ mph pitcher, known power hitter, or old U-16 Senior to be eligible for early signing the following fall). One coach said that she used some of the U-16 National games to find the Seniors to be that didn't play at 18's. To find a "diamond in the rough". There is no doubt in my mind that if my daughter had been an old U-16, it would have been far better for her exposure to "play up" in her last year of eligibility.

At 18's, especially at the caliber that her team played at, there were college coaches present at most every tournament that was played. This was probably the case for most all of the top 3-4 teams in Minnesota at U-18. And if a team wasn't a high level U-18, EVERYONE KNEW the best players on those other teams, where they were from, etc. It would have been difficult for any decent prospect on any somewhat good U-18 team's player to not have been known.

Her team went to Hall of Fame in Oklahoma each of her two U-18 years and there were VERY FEW coaches present at this tournament. This was surprising. I have heard there is far more exposure at the Colorado tournaments. Yet most of the coaches there are from long way from Minnesota and were watching kids from their areas. At State and Nationals, several D2's and D3's were there watching every game. And at Nationals, the number of coaches at times could reach 5 or more at any one game. At 18's, the U of M (MN's only D1 school) came to some games to watch both in state and out of state. They recruited and have now signed (or have had verbal commitment) from 3 players on the Irish team from this past year. Two other players signed or committed to Creighton, one at DePaul, two at NDSU, one at Wisconsin, two at St. Cloud State, and one at Moorhead.

My daughter did recruiting camps (at least five, some out of state in some in state), many college clinics, and one unbelievable National Recruiting Tournament.

The recruiting camps, although never highly attended by college coaches, and arguably pricey money makers, at least showed her the type of players she would be up against...and challenged her competitiveness. The clinics showed her the different types of things that college coaches look for and helped her understand the differences in coaching styles that exist. No regrets. All good learning experiences if they can be afforded. College coach clinics sponsored by the HS booster club, and the U of M camps at their campus were especially helpful and rewarding in the long run.

The Plantation Tournament in Florida was the ultimate recruiting opportunity for any Minnesota player that I have ever seen. Tim Johnson (Rosemount Irish) deserves much credit here by getting his team in the tourney and negotiating them into a bracket where they played competitively with the best 18 Gold Level teams in the country.

The highlight was unbelievable: Seven Big 10 coaches at a single game!

Conclusions from this parent.

1. Girls who want to play college softball that are still eligible for U-16's the summer before their senior year should play up to 18's. This will maximize exposure and competitiveness. If college ball is not desired or reasonable, go where the fit is best to the goals desired (friends, community, fun, etc)
2. Girls should attend at least one recruiting camp for the experience, and to help both parent and player get a fair peek at where darling daughter stands in comparision with others. Managing expectations is important.
3. A girl should strive to find the best U-18 team, coach and fit possible for her position and ability.
4. Travel a bit to help determine whether going away to school, what type of school (and how far away) is a good fit. As a parent, don't underestimate this factor!
5. None of the above events or decisions will matter unless you do the basics of getting noticed. It is imperative th make and send out skills videos, visit campuses, and contact coaches of programs that fit your daughter's academic and realistic athletic skills and goals. There are no promises based on "playing up". No number given will help make the decision that best fits any one player or one situation.

Here is some additional information I would recommend to parents and athletes just getting involved with the recruiting process.

Many people can be helpful to athletes. High School coaches, pitching coaches, recruiting services, summer coaches, parents, and friends. But the best person to help the athlete is the athlete herself and her parents.

Researching and developing the collateral materials is the first step.

1. Write up a resume of accomplishments to format a player profile. Experiment with several formats and show them to college and summer coaches who may have seen several of them before. Update profiles as accomplishments are added. It is best to have times of throwing/pitching/running speeds, etc from an accredited tryout camp.
2. Do a skills video, 7-8 minutes in length before your Junior year starts at school. This is basicly a workout video that showcases your strengths. There are people out there to help people with this.
3. Attend camps, clinics and recruiting camps or tournaments where college coaches are present.
4. Identify some preliminary prospective schools and send them a profile, video, and cover letter. Follow up with an email to the head coach of the team. Select schools that are parallel to your daughter's abilities, goals, and REALISTIC expectations. Likely the coach will give you a reply that will help you understand what they are looking for at your daughter's entrance year and if the school may or may not be a good fit.
5. Watch some college games at various levels to get a feel for the ability level required.
6. Notify your mentors (coaches at all levels) of your goals and aspirations and ask them for guidance and help with the process.
7. Select college teams to pursue that parallel your abilities and goals.
8. Notify your prospective school coaches of major tournament dates and locations. (Like Vicky said, understand that even if the coach wanted to come all the time that there are restrictions on number of dates, days, etc.) Don't pester that coach with too much communication. You will get a pretty good idea of the interest level relatively early on. If they don't appear interested, they probably aren't!
9. Don't give up. Things change and players that may be ahead of you on a particular school's list may select another school. For players not recruited early, be patient as many colleges sign players even in the late Spring or early summer before college when they know what players from their team will return the next year. If you want to play softball, some opportunities come up late in the process.
10. As the song goes, "Money isn't everything"! Available money varies between schools even at the same division. And some schools will increase schloarship money as the player's contribution grows within the program. Very few players get full rides anywhere. Manage your expectations!