College Recruiting- A West Coast Perspective

I was surfing the net and came across this very interesting article on college recruiting that has a west coast perspective. It is as we thought, the softball talent in other parts of the country (southeast!) has caught up to or is gaining quickly on the west coast high school seniors.

Please share your thoughts. Enjoy.


GOOD ADVICE ON RECRUITING

West Coast Players...Beware of Complacency!

By Cathi Aradi
​

Ten or fifteen years ago, if you were a West Coast ball player who had good competitive experience, you could probably expect to beat out players from almost any other part of the country when it came to recruiting. Most of the "big name" programs east of Colorado eagerly scouted West Coast players in general and Southern California athletes in particular.

West region kids from strong ASA teams who were willing to look outside the state could almost write their own tickets. I even saw college coaches recruit players who weren't necessarily top athletes just because they were from California.

But the times they are a-changin'! The National Fastpitch Coaches Association's newspaper, Fastpitch Delivery, publishes signings/commitments several times during the year, and what has been interesting to watch in recent years is the constantly growing number of signed players who are not from the West. In the January 2005 issue of the newspaper, the vast majority of players who signed (except, of course, those committing to Western schools) were from the region or state in which the school was located and not from the West Coast. (And interestingly enough, the unsigned 2005 players list published on Spy Softball has more California players--some from well-known, established travel teams--than from any other state!)

But what exactly does this mean to you if you're a California or Oregon, Arizona or Washington recruit? Well, for one thing it means you'd better not take anything for granted when it comes to your college search. Sure, if you're the starting shortstop on a California team that finishes in the top ten at Gold Nationals every year, you're probably still going to have a lot of good Div. I colleges interested in you--assuming grades, attitude, etc., are on par with your athletic ability and experience.

But what I see happening more often now is players who are from good--but not necessarily the top--West Coast teams finding themselves late in their senior year with no college to call home. In late fall and winter I often get panicked calls or emails from West Coast parents of seniors asking me for advice on what to do now. Sometimes they have done virtually nothing--no letters to colleges, no video, etc.--because their travel coach told them he would take care of it. Sometimes they've sent out letters, even videos, and they've gotten lots of "interest," but no one has actually said, "We're recruiting you; let's set up a visit." So they've just waited, and waited, and waited....then waited some more for active recruiting to start.

Players from the West are often stunned when I tell them that 90% of all college teams (and therefore 90% of all college players) are at schools that are east of Colorado. And when you combine that statistic with the fact that 75% of all colleges are Div. II, Div. III or NAIA schools, you find there just aren't very many options on the West Coast. And when you consider that many of the Div. I teams in the West are powerhouse programs, suddenly getting recruited or getting a scholarship becomes a whole lot tougher.

You've got tons of excellent softball players from Washington to Arizona. But there just aren't that many colleges--even for the smart kids who will consider different types of programs. And we now see schools like Berkeley, Stanford and Arizona signing recruits from states that are not even in the West! Yowza!

Whereas six or seven years ago a big program like Michigan or Florida State might have signed half their recruits from the West, they're now looking at kids from Texas and Florida and Missouri. So it's not just that competition for spots on West Coast teams is getting tougher. Competition for spots everywhere is getting tougher. And this "trickles down" to smaller schools as well (though usually with positive results for them.)

West Coast players who would not have even considered a D-II or NAIA school in Kansas or South Carolina five or six years ago are now having to eagerly purse these programs, particularly if they're hoping to get some scholarship money. West region D-II, NAIA and D-III teams are benefiting as well from the abundance of local talent. It's no surprise that schools like Humboldt State at the D-II level, Chapman or Linfield at the D-III level and Azusa Pacific or Pt. Loma Nazarene at the NAIA level have become perennial powerhouses.

One great example I've seen of the "trickle down" effect is San Francisco State University. Five or six years ago, their program was not super strong, and recruiting was difficult. But last year the team went to regionals, had an All-American, and was ranked in the 2005 pre-season poll. Granted, their coach has worked very hard to build her program. But she's been helped by the fact that West region kids who want to play ball and want to be close to home have to look seriously at all programs that might offer them a chance to compete. And good talent combined with good coaching should make every program improve.

My advice to West region ball players who are determined to have a collegiate career is this:

• Be as open as you can be. That includes looking at different regions of the country, different types of colleges, and different ways to pay for your college.
• Don't assume anything. If your coach says he or she will "take care of it for you," you'd better say, "Thanks--any help you can give will be awesome, but I'm in charge of my college search." (Then be sure you take charge!)
• Be prepared to adjust your expectations to fit your reality. Staying on the West Coast may mean not getting scholarship money or playing at an NAIA program rather than at a Div. I school.
• When you start your college search, do not just write the top 20 Div. I programs in the country. Write smaller D-I's, D-II's, NAIA's and some D-III's as well. Don't wait for the big schools to say, "No Thanks!" before contacting other programs. If you do, you may find those schools have already identified their prospects, and you're just plain out of luck.
• Be proactive. Until a coach calls you and asks you to come for a visit--giving you specific dates--you should not take her interest for granted. Make your follow-up phone calls, and show coaches how interested you really are. Whether they're in Kentucky, Kansas or California, you need to let them know you're serious about their programs. And if they're not responding....move on.

If you have excellent West Coast competitive experience, that's a real plus. But for most athletes, this alone is not going to get you recruited. If you're not willing to put yourself out there, market your skills, and prove to coaches you really want to play in college, just remember, there are kids in Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas who are more than willing to take your spot on the collegiate field!

 

West Coast

Mac, this is a good article. I am working with two California travel coaches to get some of their kids to NC schools. Two pitchers that are 2005 are already in contact with a couple NC schools and who knows we may benefit our Carolina programs. In Fla. this past fall, we saw several west coast coaches watching our games, which is a big change from the past. The Carolina girls are coming to the top of their game and we need to continue to provide them the tools to advance. :bananalam

 

Blues, I agree 100% and also thank you, Ray, Tony, Ed and countless others who have helped to bring the talent level to where it is today. NC is quickly becoming more a recruiting destination for colleges from around the country because of you efforts and the hardwork of the players. But with the girls from out west looking to come east, that just means the NC girls will need to continue to work hard to improve as they have in the past.

From your experience, you know that teams like the Blues and Cardinals and a few others in NC can play with most anybody in the counrty. We just need more teams of that caliber before NC can be considered as talented as the west coast teams.

From what I saw last August in watching the Cardinals and Blues play in the ASA Nationals in CA, the talent in NC is beginning to gain a lot of attention. I am really looking forward to watching the Cardinals compete against some of the best in the Independence Day tournament in CO this summer. Last year they finished tied for 17th out there, which in my opinion is excellent. I know Ray is looking to do better this year (as I'm sure you are.)

Most of the teams out west are able to practice, play and train all year long. However, I know of more and more girls from NC who are doing just the same. That type of dedication is allowing NC to continually gain on the teams from the west coast. :229031_ha

 

thanks BMac for the kind words and the work contiunes................

YOU KNOW!!

BMac is abit modest but most know, he too, brings alot to the softball table


are you guys going to Lexington this weekend, BMac??

 

Nope, the high school team is leaving Monday for Charleston, SC for a 3 days. Playing Hannahan HS, Bishop england HS and others. Do you know anything about these two schools?

 

Alezla tourney?? cool, if so as we did that tournament when my two DD played HS Ball!

sorry, nothing on those two teams! curverise or slingit may be able to help though!!

enjoy your trip!!

 

I don't know about these two teams this year, but Hannahan has not been a powerhouse in the past. On the other hand, BE is strong every year.

 

Bmac1, Ray was not able to attend the Independence Day tournament last year and that really hurt the teams chemistry. However, the year before last they finished 9th. I am sure they will do better this year with Ray back.