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College Coaches Provide Insight into Recruiting Process and What They Expect

During a National Fastpitch Convention seminar/clinic several college coaches were asked to provide their insight in a Q&A about different aspects of recruiting and how players/parents should handle the process. Here is what they said:

5 things I wish I could communicate directly to every travel ball PLAYER…

Tim Walton (Florida)

  • Your freshman year of HS matters – take care of your grades
  • Social Media Matters – be careful

Jen McIntyre (UConn)

  • DI Schools have 12 scholarships – not everyone is on a full ride
  • There are lots of other places to get aid – look for it
  • Study hard – good grades optimizes your options for athletic scholarships

Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)

  • Go see, watch college games – All levels
  • Find a good fit – intersection of your needs, abilities and program fit
  • Avoid the generic email

Randy Simkins (Dixie State)

  • It’s the kids job to communicate, not the parent
  • Teach the kids how to play the game

Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)

  • Find a good fit
  • Visit lots of schools

Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)

  • Don’t Forget the non DI Schools – there are lots of levels out there
  • Look for an academic fit first

Darci Brownell (Sierra College)

  • Respect the game

Joe Yegge (Kirkwood CC)

  • Good Students can play JUCO too
  • Be an athlete – play other sports

 5 things I wish I could communicate directly to every travel ball PARENT…

Tim Walton (Florida)

  • Parents, we are watching you
  • Let the kids play – take the pressure off them
  • Roll players are a priority
  • Understand what you can afford – there are not a lot of full scholarships
  • Understand what an offer means
  • What are kids goals
  • Can your athlete handle the school work
  • Understand how a scholarship works – semester to semester, year to year

Jen McIntyre (UConn)

  • Education kids on how to make a call to a college coach – have a plan. One word answers are not optimal

Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)

  • The way your athlete communicates to You matters – we are watching

Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)

  • Schools are in the process of eliminating – don’t give us a reason to eliminate you
  • We want to see athletes fail – and how they react after they fail

Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)

  • NAIA has no recruiting rules so the coaches can talk to athletes and parents at any time
  • We’ll go anywhere we need to in order to see recruit athletes.

Athletes are arriving in college unprepared. How are they unprepared?

Tim Walton (Florida)

  • Need to understand Arm Care
  • Life skills are lacking
  • Poor base runners and bunters
  • Mental training is crucial

Jen McIntyre (UConn)

  • Athletes don’t know what it means to work hard or practice
  • They struggle to coach themselves

Larissa Anderson (Hofstra)

  • Instincts are lacking
  • Don’t understand game management
  • Club coaches need to do a better job teaching the game

Randy Simkins (Dixie State)

  • Teach them how to fail and how to recover
  • Teach them how to be a role player

Keith Parr (Christopher Newport)

  • Not ready for academic load
  • Be ready to seek help with studies

Pat Reardon (Central Methodist)

  • Time management

Darci Brownell (Sierra College)

  • Understand the pace of practice
  • Time management is a challenge
  • Arm Care

Joe Yegge (Kirkwood CC)

  • Not ready for practice
  • Like skills
  • Courtesy & manners