High School Baseball Recruiting

High school baseball is not subject to but can be considered a science. The player uses himself/herself as a marketing instrument. What are they marketing? Themselves. Gaining a college scholarship to play a sport takes the ability to do one thing. Sell yourself. One must be able to convince a college coach they can play a respective sport at the coaches desired level.

What are college coaches looking for in a collegiate athlete?

College coaches are no different than anyone else. They often fall victim to choosing the "familiar" player, their "favorite" player, and often the most talented in the group. These are some of the first things we can look at when attempting to be recruited in any sport but especially in baseball. Get your name out by attending showcases. Attend showcases as often as possible. Get familiar with every college baseball coach you can. When you are at a showcase and when you are not, never get out worked. Be willing to work harder than anyone else. About being the most talented. Hard work doesn't hurt. Not ever person can be the best player, but one thing each player can control is how hard they play. Coaches often "favorite" the player who plays the hardest and who is willing to work the hardest. (These will be in the "Top Recruiting Tips Section" as well.)

Also, I have found that one of the best ways to sell yourself as a person and as a student athlete is with one's body language. College coaches and especially Professional Scouts are in the business of evaluating people and their potential as an athlete. Coaches will evaluate an athlete's body language. Positive body language can go a long way. Coaches want to see players who live, eat, sleep and breathe the game of baseball.

One more thing to mention. There is a lot of discussion about recruiting services. I would encourage any player who is considering this, but I also urge players to be cautious. Many recruiting services are very expensive and only send letters to college coaches. I would avoid these types of services because I know firsthand that coaches trash these letters. Coaches want to see what a player can do, not hear about it. I have researched many of these services and looked through quite a few of these recruiting websites. I personally recommend www.ballparkpreps.com. Ballpark Preps is only $19.99 for one year and it has unlimited storage. You can put as many videos, photos and playing stats as you would like. This website can be viewed by any coach in the country. The best thing about the recruiting website is that it takes the player to the coaches. It makes the recruiting process simple and effective for players and for coaches.