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Recruiting and Acquiring a Scholarship

With proper preparation, most CHS varsity graduates can play college ball somewhere.

Understand the divisions: # of sports, # of fans, # games, travel, etc

• NCAA DI: 14 sports (7+7 or 8+6)  12 scholarships for softball ~200 teams

• NCAA DII: 8 sports (4+4) 7.2 scholarships for softball ~200 teams

• NCAA DIII 10 sports (5+5) (regional participation) limited scholarships ~300 teams

• NAIA 300 teams (14 regions) advantages (size, transfers, recruiting) scholarships

• NJCAA open 24 scholarships for softball (can be limited by institution) ~500 teams

Understand the contact rules and signing periods:

• NCAA limits the total number of contacts by a school (phone, personnel, and visits); controls activities during visits, and establishes periods for contact and visits, blackout periods for no contact or visits, and signing periods

  • First official contact after July 1 as a senior

  • Early signing 1 week in mid-November; Late signing late April to August 1

• NJCAA & NAIA have fewer rules for contact, and signing dates are different

• See the web sites for NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA, and NLI (National Letter of Intent)

Expectations

• Costs of recruiting - $500-$2000; printing, mailing, videos, tournaments, travel, etc.

• Personal communication & marketing sales by the player/parents not coaches/recruiters

• Exposure improves chances. Grades improve chances

• Players- coaches want to hear from the player not parent

• Choice of schools depend on several factors

  • Capability & notoriety of athlete

  • Early versus late contact and commitment/signing

• Rejection - cordial but inevitable - work for a response; make them answer: yes/no

Freshman and Sophomore years:

• MOST IMPORTANT Keep your grades up (especially in core subjects) RESUME; Core GPA vs. Total GPA (Math, English, Sciences, History/Government, & foreign language)

• Developing material for your resume. I kept resume to one page- some things deleted

• Begin study & research of colleges and universities- talk to Juniors & Seniors

• Visit with schools, coaches, teams - develop ideas, plans, identify your top 40 wish lists

• Practice PSAT, SAT, & ACT  - especially if you need to improve the result

• Play U18 ball  - get to nationals - enter showcase tournaments - go to summer camps play with pressure and learn to deal with it

During Junior Year:

• During the school year, get the SAT and/or ACT score you want

  • Expect to take more than one test; Allow for a 2-3 month Test Preparation class

• Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (required for official contact with NCAA)

• Refining your college list; make unofficial visits to colleges and coaches

• Participate in showcase tournaments -  Showcase clinics are of minimum value

Summer of Junior/Senior year -

 Extends to Fall/Spring of Senior year (until committed)

• Study college rosters - find out what they need - IN STATE versus OUT of STATE

• By mid June create your video - if you plan to have a video

• In June, finalize your resume -  include everything possible, but make the top honors stand out; update regularly through nationals and fall showcase tournaments

• In June, start mailing, phoning, and email to coaches and assistants - include resumes, game/tournament schedules, news releases, desires - get to know the coaches

• Begin unofficial visits and official visits 

• Blue chips commit early; rosters fill; scholarships get expended

• Play U18 ball - get to nationals and showcases - Gold versus A - deal with the pressure