Why I Used a College Baseball Recruiter
I post a lot on social media about college baseball recruiting. The do’s and don’ts. Text and email etiquette. How to focus your efforts and how to connect with coaches. What’s worth it and what’s not (in my opinion). And that’s because I lived it and I learned from it.
My son was a 2021 HS grad, which means his junior year baseball season in 2020 was non existent because of Covid. Junior year is THE year for recruiting. As a result, he had only played JV when we embarked on our college baseball recruiting journey and his club season that year was delayed by months due to pandemic restrictions. On top of that, he was not necessarily a stand out player. He was a very good player. Consistent. Reliable. Great baseball IQ. But all the feedback from showcases he attended up to that point was that he was “average”.
However… here’s the thing about college baseball.
If you want to play and you have some level of talent, there’s almost always a school out there somewhere that’s a match for you.
With that mindset in hand, we decided to use the help of a college baseball recruiter to help us find that match.
We were cognizant of our son’s skill level, his academics, and his probable role on a college team. We didn’t waste time asking for help getting him seen by Power 5 or D1 schools. We simply needed someone to open doors and to vouch for him at schools that would be a good fit.
Our son’s secret weapon was a filthy changeup. He was fast, consistently put the ball in play, and had very few errors in the field, but his accuracy on the mound and his ridiculous off-speed is what made him unique. So that’s what our recruiter focused on.
The university he committed to, like almost every university in the country at that time, didn’t need a lot of new recruits because Covid seniors were returning in mass numbers to complete masters degrees and get one more year of eligibility, therefore decimating the need for new blood. But this school needed someone like my son. The coach told him point blank, “Ryan, you’re the guy I’m going to call on when I need to mix things up. You won’t get a lot of time, if any, in the field, but what I need here is your changeup. I need someone I can call on to come in and mess things up mid-game.” And my son replied, “Coach, I’m your guy.”
Without the help of our recruiter, we would have never even heard of this school, let alone had it on our list. They needed a player like Ryan, and Ryan was available. Match made. And my “average” son got to have the experience of being a collegiate athlete.
If your child wants to play in college, there are options. Don’t get discouraged or think that if you’re not on PG’s top 100 to watch list you aren’t worthy. Think of it as a puzzle. There’s a perfect fit out there. You just need to find it.