Freshman:

Start your high school career by performing well in the classroom. Moving to high school is a big change in your academic career, and taking care of your grades should be a high priority.

Athletically start playing and keep at it. If you play multiple sports, enjoy them and continue to play. Specializing early doesn’t necessarily guarantee you the opportunity to play a college sport, and coaches love to see and recruit competitors and well-rounded athletes. It’s never considered a bad thing to be playing multiple sports. College baseball coaches continually tell us that they love to recruit well-rounded athletes - continue to be one.

Regardless of which team you play on (reserve, junior varsity, or varsity), look for opportunities to help your team and compete whenever you can. If you’re asked to play a different position than you usually do, seize it and make the most out of it. Prove that you are a dynamic and versatile player that takes the team-first mentality. You never know when that versatility will serve you well down the road.

Fill out questionnaires for the colleges that you are interested in attending. This gets your name into their system, lets them know that you are interested in their school. If you are especially interested in a school or coach, email or call them, letting them know of your interest. Understand that Division I coaches cannot email or all you back per NCAA rules, but they can answer your call, and it doesn’t hurt to express your early interest. TIP: College coaches cannot return your calls until July 1st after your Junior year – so if you don’t hear back, they’re not ignoring you, they just can’t contact you directly.)

Summer - Play!

Sophomore:

This is a great opportunity to start looking at what types of schools are potential fits for you to continue your academic and baseball careers. In your initial scan, look at a wide variety of schools and keep an open mind as to what types of schools you are interested in, both academically and athletically. Above all else, work hard in both the classroom and challenge yourself with honors and AP classes, if they are the right fit.

As always, if you play and enjoy multiple sports, continue to do so. Although there may be people in your school verbally committing to a college. This isn’t for everyone but if that is you, congratulations. If this isn’t you, you are not being lost in the process, and aren’t late. The most important step is finding the right fit for you, not being the first person to commit. Many of you will be playing on travel teams - make sure you take care of your body. Know your body and realize that you don’t do anyone any favors by playing through an injury. Continue to fill out questionnaires for colleges so that you are on their radar.

The next step you can take to help get into the recruiting process is to create a video of you training. Post this video to YouTube and send a link to college coaches and programs that interest you. Write a short email introducing yourself and provide the link, and thank them for their time. Coaches watch these videos that come pouring in and many will watch the entire thing if done right. That being said, the video should not be longer than 3-4 minutes.

Things to include in your video:

• Say your name, age and school in front of the camera. Speak clearly, look the camera in the eye and show the viewer that you are comfortable and confident.
• Hitter: 15 swings in the cage (10 from open camera angle, 3 from behind hitter and two from behind the screen).
• Infielder: 12 ground balls – 4 at you, 3 backhand, 3 forehand and 2 slow rollers. Combination of throwing to 1B and “turning two.” For first basemen, combination of throwing to 2B, throwing home and one or two throws across the diamond to 3B.
• Outfielder: 5 fly balls (get behind the ball, throw to 2B and home) and 4 ground balls (2 at you, 1 forehand/spin, 1 backhand) with throws.
• Catcher: Have someone video you from the front while receiving 5 balls from a bullpen session. Make 5 throws to 2B (two with camera right behind catcher, 3 with camera zoomed in on catcher and behind 2B so viewer can time the throw). Block 3 balls in the dirt and make 2 throws to 2B and 1 to 3B. This should all be done on regulation bases.
• Pitchers: Capture 20 pitch bullpen. Throw 5 of each of your pitches, indicating before each one which pitch is coming. Camera should be behind pitcher, offset to arm side for 15. Five should come from behind catcher/backstop.
• Include your email, graduation year and name on-screen at the end of the video.

Summer – Continue to play with your travel ball team, and start thinking about finding showcases where you’ll have access to the schools in which you’re interested. This is an important summer to continue to improve as a player and also start gaining exposure to college coaches.

Junior:

Junior year is often the toughest year of high school in terms of academics, and a time when a lot of things need to be taken care of at one time. Traditionally this is the time when students start taking more advanced classes, more standardized tests, pressure about the looming college process, and less sleep. You may be involved in leadership roles in other extracurricular activities, which take time. Dedicate your time to those leadership positions that you are most passionate about. It’s important to be fully engaged in few activities than have less significant roles and spread yourself too thin. It’s tough to achieve your best, if you’re trying to focus on 100 things, and the benefit of healthy habits can’t be overstated.

Junior year is also about the time you’ll probably start going on college visits, reach out to coaches to let them know that you’ll be on campus and see if they have a window to sit down to talk about the program. This is a chance to get a feel for the program, introduce yourself to the coach, and to demonstrate your strong interest in the program. The importance of making a good first impression cannot be understated. For a lot of people this will be one of the first chances you will get to talk to a prospective college coach, and making a good first impression is very important. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (the sooner in your junior year the better). All potential Division I and Division II athletes must register to determine academic eligibility and qualify to play at these levels. You’ll also need to send SAT/ACT scores to the NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center directly.

Summer - Keep playing! This summer is another important one to develop as a player and continue to gain exposure to college coaches. Your recruiting footprint includes playing, showcasing and also proactive outreach to coaches that are on your narrowing list of schools. Update your video (guidelines above) and send out.

Senior:

Senior year is the time to work through to narrowing your school list for the final time, applying to colleges, and writing college essays. This is also when you will more than likely be taking official visits to schools that are fits on every level, from academics to athletics and campus culture. If you’re receiving athletic aid to play, you’ll be signing your National Letter of Intent in November. By winter your applications are in!

Enjoy your last high school season. It’s important to continue to challenge yourself in the classroom and develop your game on the field. Finish strong - always go hard through the grind.

Summer - This is the time to PLAY and enjoy doing it! This could be your last season of ball with your travel team. Relish the tournaments and overnights. Enjoy the hours at the field. Capitalize on every ground ball rep in the infield. Regardless of the outcome of each game or tournament, enjoy the teammates you’re with, value the opponents you play against. Remember to thank your family, coaches and everyone who helped you along the way.