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Monday, October 11, 2010

Baseball College Recruiting: 10 Facts Baseball Players, Coaches, and Parents Need to Know

Baseball College Recruiting: 10 Facts Baseball Players, Coaches, and Parents Need to Know
By guest author: Kenny Buford

Although many of the colleges want you to believe you have to be the top of the top for baseball college recruiting, that isn't always so. In fact, many times colleges are assuming that they are not looking at the top 5% because those student athletes may already be spoken for.

Some things to remember:

1. Grades count. Sure, athletic ability is important, but do you have the grades to get into the college admissions office and catch their eye even without your sports ability? You should have grades that support you as a well-rounded student, not just an image of a ball player alone.

2. Do you know what a college coach values in a player? Is it the same as a high school coach or a teen-level coach? What do you bring to the coach that is different from the myriad of other players your age and ability that makes you a step above? Can you bring the values to the team that your coach is looking for?

3. What is your motivation? Not just "are you motivated" but what motivates you? Is it fame, money or a passion for the game? Do you work at your game based upon only your motivation? Do you have many motivators for your game? This is important; because parents, students and coaches will need to understand the motivators.

4. Are you motivated? As a verb, do you have it? Do you have what it takes to look into adversity and tough times and still shine? This is going to be important to be able to display to prospective colleges and future coaches as this may be a tie breaker trait.

5. Don't wait until the last minute. Some students start as early as their freshman year in marketing themselves to colleges. If you are a senior and haven't started, don't let that discourage you, but do get moving on that! Market yourself as early as you can as a true athlete, because every moment you are no exposing your abilities, your peers are.

6. Do you, or do you plan to, meet the core requirements of entering college? If you are a great player, it's important to have pretty good grades and decent SAT scores. There are a myriad of Internet sites that can help you make sure you are not lagging, and your guidance office should be able to help you. Again, it's never too early to start working on your sports collegiate career.

7. Know the reality. According to statistics, less than 15% of high school baseball players will play college baseball. Just know your realities so if you don't make the team, you are not devastated. It's as important to know the realities of the situations as well as how to best get into a situation. Never enter any situation blind to both sides.

8. Look at the bigger picture. You may want to play ball but you may also want to have a certain climate, social life and academic schedule that fits your desires. Look at more than just the team; because you are more than just a ball player.

9. Do you have what it takes? It's more than just the above. There is also something called "Luck and Timing". Absolutely realize that you have to have both in addition to all the things you can control. Realize that a little of this is going to be out of your control.

10. Finances: not everyone is going to be playing ball on scholarship, or at least on full scholarship. Decide if the cost is worth the sport participation. If you are reading this, the answer probably is "yes, of course it is" but realize an injury or a sudden lack of passion means you still have the finances to deal with but none of the glory of the sport. Really weigh your financial realities.

All of this is meant to get you thinking - be it a parent or a player. Even a coach reading this needs to understand that you are going to be looking at some kids who have the research down pat and can impress you, but some other youth will be just as impressive deep down, but you may have to scratch the surface a bit. Not everyone knows the ins and outs of impressing a coach and a college but may be an exceptional player, student and person under it all. It's everyone's responsibility to learn as much as possible and do what they can to ensure the best options for all involved.

Kenny Buford spent years playing baseball at the college level. Today, he coaches 3 youth development teams and shares his extensive coaching knowledge on his blog, you can visit him here: http://www.baseball-tutorials.com/

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1 comment:

  1. Coach,
    The California Glory have begun recruiting for the 2011 summer season. Entering into our 22nd season we have quickly become one of the top teams in California and play the top competition. We are a 100% collegiate team with 3 great coaches, we are looking for top level players that would like to play baseball in California next summer. We are a wood bat League and play between 45-50 games over the course of the summer. We have built a great reputation and the players get the work they require. Host Families are available and we are currently on track to provide jobs for those interested. We have had players from all over the country. We look forward to hearing from you soon as spots will fill up fast. We attract talent from Division one schools all over the country ( USC, UPENN, New Mexico State, University of Washington, CSU Fullerton, Gonzaga & Fresno State) We play some of the best teams in California and will not abuse the pitchers. If you have any questions or concerns about our program please feel free to contact me anytime. We have won in the past 10 Div championships in a Row(Inland Baseball League). We have had nothing but great feed back from the Players and Parents.

    We have joined the Far West League which includes the below listed teams
    Humboldt Crabs
    California Seals
    California Glory
    Nevada Bighorns
    Nor-Cal Pirates
    Neptune Beach Pearl
    Fresno Cardinals
    Redding Colt .45's
    Southern Oregon Riverdawgs
    Fontanetti's Athletics
    Atwater Aviators


    glorybaseball@aol.com



    Thank You
    Ron Bindell
    Owner/GM
    909-781-0729
    www.glorybaseball.com
    www.farwestleague.com
    www.pacificwestbaseball.com

    ReplyDelete

Hello Baseball Friend,
I welcome any comments or suggestions. If you have a question or a topic that you would like to read about, please leave a comment and I will try to address that topic as soon as I can. Good luck in the coming season!
Have a great day, Nick