I am a true believer that if you want to play college baseball and have at least some ability to play baseball (or really any sport) then you can play at some level in college. With that being said here are Ivy League to MLB's 5 tips to for getting recruited to play college baseball.
- Make a list of what is important to you in a school. When I was making my list at the very top was that I wanted to have the opportunity to play right away. I didn't want to go somewhere that was going to have me redshirt and then steadily work to play by my junior year. Other people don't mind putting in a couple years on the bench so that they can star at the end of their career, I just knew that wasn't me. Once you have the list of things that are important to you, continuously refer to it throughout the recruiting process because often times coaches will convince you that what you really want is what the coach wants. Its important to stay true to yourself throughout the entire process.
- Send out hundreds of letters. When I was going through the recruiting process I probably sent out 300 letters to colleges ranging across the country, from D1 all the way to junior college. The fact of the matter is there are too many players for college coaches to legitimately recruit. You need to put yourselves on their radar because unless you are among the top 100 high school baseball players in the country college coaches aren't going to know about you unless you tell them. While it is important to target the schools you realistically can play at, there is no reason not to send letters to the top schools in the country. Worst case scenario they don't write anything back, best case scenario they remember your name and see you somewhere down the road.
- Get your grades and boards as high a possible. College coaches won't tell you this but the better your grades and SATs are the less talent you need to have. This is especially true in the Ivy League and schools like Amherst, Middlebury and Williams. These schools have a number called the academic index that there recruiting class needs to average every year. It is extremely hard to find good baseball players that are at this number or above so often times the coaches will bring in a guy who is well above the average number but has a little less talent so they can bring in a more talented player who is below the academic index. Having good grades and boards can open doors for you to get into some pretty special schools.
- Go to showcases in your sophomore and junior years. Another easy way to get onto coaches radars is to attend showcases. At the best showcases there will be over one hundred coaches as well as some professional scouts. It is important to go in your sophomore year because it will allow you to get an understanding of what is going to happen at the showcase so that you are prepared for junior year when it really matters. The best showcases are Perfect Game (I went to Perfect Game Northeast but they have one for every region), Team One, the Stanford Baseball Camp and the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Championship. I attended Best in Virginia and Top 96. Best in Virginia was awesome because it was a full week of working with coaches, however they have since changed the format.
- Attend camps of the schools you think you can play at and be accepted to. This might be the most important tip for two reasons. First, it allows you to see close up how the college coach is on while he is on the field. Do you like his practices? his passion on the field? Can you handle his demeanor etc? Second, it allows the coaches of the school see your work habits and get to know you better as a ball player and a person. The important thing about these camps is that you want to attend the camps of the schools that have shown interest in you that you would consider attending. I am not saying attend 10 camps if your list is that long pick your top 2 or 3 but it is important to go to more than one (I attended the Harvard Baseball Camp and that weekend was what clinched it for me that I really wanted to attend Harvard).
