NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

I speak to student-athletes on a daily basis who are serious students and are unclear on what demands are placed on athletes when they arrive on campus.  Even in each division of the NCAA, demands vary greatly from one institution to the next.  So it’s important that the student-athlete is empowered with the skill set to determine what school will be best for them.  After all, a student-athlete’s college decision will impact them for the next 50-60 years!

With that in mind, here’s a blog post from an NCSA student-athlete who found the perfect fit.  How many NCAA D1 athletic teams would allow a student-athlete to study abroad during their senior year?  Read her blog and let me know if her college choice was the best for her:

She writes:  

Hi all! My name is Melissa and I am a senior in London on Colgate’s Economics Study Group. I am not the blogging type, but I am super excited to be able to take you all on my journey with me. I hope I do not bore you and, in advance, please forgive my many typos. I hope you can make it until December because I promise it will be worth it!

I arrived at my flat in central London about 10 days ago. It was an interesting adventure getting here (about 7 hours on a plane, an hour on a train, half an hour on a bus and half an hour walking aimlessly) but I made it and I love it! London is absolutely beautiful! Words cannot explain it.

I am already into my second week of classes. For the Economics Program, we are required to take The British Economy, The EU, International Economics, and a theatre course. I know the course titles are not creative or intriguing, but I assure you the classes have already far exceeded my expectations. To give you an example, yesterday all of the Colgate London groups attended “As You Like It” in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, which is an exact replica of the original minus, of course, the electrics. I had no idea how I was going to enjoy a play standing for three hours and exposed to the elements (it was supposed to rain, thankfully it didn’t). Turns out I ended up dancing, laughing, and meeting new people. I have been to plays before, but never have I enjoyed myself so much. It was a great experience. If you are ever in London go the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

By the way, this SA was a captain and hit .418 for her softball team last season.   She found the right fit, athletically, academically, the right balance between those 2 and an affordable financial aid package for her parents.  Find out how you can do the same here.

Before I delivered “College Recruiting Simplified” at a recent Club Softball event, I had a chance to talk with a NAIA Softball Coach, Anna Welsh of Bethel College (IN). I asked Anna to share some recruiting insights into her program:

“Charlie, we look for versatile softball players. We really don’t recruit one position. I encourage young players that if you don’t play outfield, learn it. That’s three positions right there. Speed and versatility are important. Lefty slappers are in demand. Even right handers should learn to bunt well. I encourage players to be proactive in the recruiting process. You have to find ways to seek me. As far as packages, grades are HUGE. We go after kids with test scores. When I watch players before games, seeing them carry their own bag is important. I know some coaches will say it doesn’t matter if they carry their own gear as long as they can hit. Well, it matters to me. As far as video, the number one thing is I don’t want game footage. I want skills footage. I want to see five reps of every skill you do. Five cuts off the tee. Five bunts. Taking five grounders. Things like that. Running to first. I can sit there with my stopwatch and time you. As far as taking grounders and such, take your time. I see some skills tapes produced where the girl is doing one thing right after another and is out of breath. In a game, you are not going to have five grounders hit at you in rapid fire fashion. Also, your tape does not have to be fancy.”

I wrote recently that Coach Welsh is one of the many coaches that constantly go to NCSA looking for qualified softball players. For those of you working on video, “Get ‘er done,” as Coach says she will not look at any kind of recruiting profile unless there is skills video. She goes right onto the player that has video.

If you love the game of fastpitch softball, then keep reading.  This Thursday, August 13th, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) will make a very important recommendation.  If you are a softball player, a softball fan, or both, you should be paying attention.  If you are a softball player looking to further your career in college, you should really be paying attention. If you are a college recruit who someday aspires to play the game of softball at the highest level, then you should already know what’s going on.

After the completion of the 2008 Summer games in Beijing, softball is no longer considered an Olympic sport. According to the IOC, the sport is not globally competitive enough to continue competing in the Olympic games. Although it is too late to be reinstated for the London Summer Games in 2012, the ISF (International Softball Federation) has been campaigning vigorously with an initiative called Back Softball, in hopes that the sport can return to the Olympics in 2016.

On August 13th, the IOC Executive Board will announce which two (of the seven candidate sports for the 2016 Olympics) they are recommending for the vote in October by/at the full IOC Session in Denmark. 

Some of softball’s greatest players are working tirelessly to make sure softball continues to compete at the most elite level.  I can’t think of anyone else more active in this effort, than 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Michelle Smith.

Check out her website and look at all she is doing as an ambassador for softball.  She loves the game and is passionate, not only about seeing softball return to the Olympics, but also seeing it grow as an international powerhouse.  She is a strong advocate for girls and women in sports all over the world.  

Softball is an amazing game!  It belongs in the Olympics.  If you agree, don’t just sit there.  Stand up and Back Softball.

I speak with 30-40 families weekly about college recruiting and I’m amazed at the lack of knowledge of the APR – Academic Progress Rate. Here is a very long article that is a must read for any parent of a 9th grader, or older, who has aspirations to play in college. It details the 4 stages of penalties for athletic programs that the NCAA imposes should their athletes not make progress toward graduation. If you have questions, go here.

Softball bats continue to be a issue with the colleges. There have been numerous attempts to hold bats to certain standards. One of the challenges has been on how the bats are tested to see if they uphold the standards and what levels the standars should be set at.There is concern in the danger that bats can pose with their exit speed -how fast the ball comes off the bat.  What speed is it safe for an athlete to be able to react to the ball?

The softball committee is now looking to do some on-site tests during the college championships.

It’s always great to hear from a student-athlete and gain some insight on their perspective during the recruiting process. The NCSA caught up with a softball player from Massachusetts who has recently committed to a top academic NCAA Division III school.This young lady began her recruiting process in January of 2008 and just signed this past May. We asked her what kind of work she had to put into the process in order to be successful. She answered, “The work I put in mostly to respond to inquiries from coaches and providing details on my summer schedule.”

When asked what the most challenging part of the recruiting process was, she mentioned two of her biggest challenges. First, “Time Management in your senior year was much more challenging than I anticipated. I was a starting player in three varsity sports (Soccer, Basketball and Softball). We made the State Tournament in all three and were rated 7th in Eastern Massachusetts in Basketball (highest ever for our school) and 5th in Softball. We were eliminated by the EMASS finalist in hoop by 3 points and The State Champions in Softball (2-1 in extra innings). Going deep into the State playoffs and dealing with local media both newspapers and television required unexpected preparation on top of schoolwork, the powder-puff bowl, the prom, senior night, awards and recognition nights, community service and finally graduation in addition to the recruiting process.” And secondly, “Prioritizing which school among the choices had the best balance of “level of play”, playing time and the best educational opportunity.”
The best part of the recruiting process, according to this softball player was, “The availability and persistence of the NCSA coach helped me stay focused on the goal. The website was an easy reference tool for coaches.”

When asked how the NCSA impacted her recruiting process, she answered, “I think the best part of the NCSA coaching was the reminders both by phone and through email. It forced me to think about what I wanted not just what the school’s assistant coaches wanted.”

Lastly, we asked her to offer some advice to student-athletes who are still in the midst of the recruiting process. She had a lot of great thoughts to share. “Start early. Do as much “prep” work as possible in your “off-season” or in the summer. Do NOT get hung up on DI, DII or DII – that is secondary to your education. Do not procrastinate like I did and then get swamped with multiple schools and coaches all calling at the same time. If the “log” is too cumbersome make a simpler “excel” spreadsheet and then update the “log” after you edit and prioritize your school choices. Visit schools you are interested in while you are in the area playing in “Exposure” Tournaments. Pick the best fit academically and do not be afraid of a “stretch” school. You’ll be surprised the doors that are opened for athletes – especially female athletes strong in math and science.”

Summer is officially upon us!  And for college softball coaches, that means the busiest and most important recruiting time.  They are in the midst of their most active evaluation time and a majority of them will spend this time at college exposure tournaments throughout the country.  Coaches can see a huge number of athletes in one quick weekend, at one major tournament.  For NCAA Division I coaches, rules and regulations limit them to a certain number of dates they can go out and recruit.  

So, what does this all mean for you?  The greatest advantage you can give yourself at this time of year is letting these coaches know who you are BEFORE they leave for tournaments.  Their time is limited and they can only see so many games and so many players in one tournament.  If you desire to be one of those players, then give the coaches a reason to find you and watch you play!  

Have a complete resume of who you are as a student-athlete and get that into the hands of the coaches you would like to play for.  This resume should include your summer tournament schedule, statistics and contact information for you and for your current coaches.  You should also have a sample of skills available in a video format (DVD).  Your academic information should also be included.  Once you have all of that ready to distribute, you need to identify what schools you are most interested in and familiarize yourself with their softball programs.  Look at their roster and see if you would be a good fit.  Check out the background info on current players.  This will help you get a good idea as to whether or not you have the skills and resume to compete in their program.  It’s great to aim high, but being realistic is important so you will have options of schools where you can be a contributing player.

It is vital for you as a student-athlete, to be realistic about your skill level and to seek out schools and coaches you can truly play for.  Keep in mind that by this time, approximately half of NCAA Division I softball coaches/colleges have identified their top recruits of to-be seniors.  If you are a top softball player, the summer going into your junior and even sophomore years of high school are when coaches will be evaluating you.  During those summers, it would be most beneficial to you to be playing on up level teams such as U16 and U18.  If you are a higher level player and can compete at the Division I level, be sure and include all of your awards and accolades in your resume (being one of the top players in your area and state, playing at the varsity level, etc.).   

Have a game plan this summer!  Get your resume set up and be sure to include all of the info listed above.  Identify colleges you can play for.  Let those coaches know of your interest in their programs and be prepared to have a skills DVD for them to view.  Lastly, let them know where and when you are playing so they can get out to see you.  Be proactive.  Out of all of the athletes that coaches will see and hear about, be the one they are going to recognize and remember!

If you’re a student-athlete who wants to play your sport in college you will have to work very hard to become the best student and the best athlete you can be.  It’s too competitive for you not to give 100% effort in both of those areas you have total control over.  If you give any less, there are plenty of others who are out-working you today.  Now that is a very challenging proposition in which you expect to be rewarded for that hard work.  Unfortunately, after all of that hard work, you DO NOT get to choose your school.  The school chooses you. 

Now there are exceptions to this reality.  One percent of student-athletes are “blue-chippers” who are recruited by the top-tier, name-brand schools.  However, the vast majority will not be able to choose their number one choice school.  This harsh reality is more harsh for those of you living west of the Mississippi River.  The vast majority of athletic programs at 4-year colleges and universities are located east of the Mississippi River.  As an example, there are only 28 four-year colleges who play football in California.  Whereas, in Pennsylvania, a state with less than half of California’s population, there are 82 four-year colleges who play football.  There are a lot of talented football players in Arizona.  However, that state only has 3 four-year colleges who play football.  

A student-athlete can find a GREAT school that is the perfect fit.  But they have to be willing to play anywhere that has their required academics.  If you are not willing to play at any school that matches your academic needs, you’re really not serious about playing in college.  You should quit spending your parents money on travel ball, camps, lessons, equipment, etc.  The flip side, if you’re serious, you need to be involved with hundreds of schools – just so you’ll have a chance.  Are you serious about playing in college?  Are you sure?

I’m always amazed at what people’s definition of recruiting is.  Some think they are getting lots of interest when in fact they are among thousands on a college coach’s mailing list.   Below is a list of check points to see where you are.  If you’re a 2010 student-athlete and you’re not at a 4, 3, 2, or 1, you’re behind your peers.  If you’re a 2011 graduate and you’re not at a 7, you’re behind your peers.  If you’re a 2012 grad and you are not at a 10, you’re behind your peers.  If you wish to catch up, click here.

YOU means the student-athlete, not the HS coach or club coach.

1. Have YOU received a full or partial scholarship or grant & aid offer in writing from your dream school?
2.  Have YOU received a full or partial scholarship or grant & aid offer in writing from any school?
3. Have YOU received a full or partial scholarship or grant & aid offer made verbally from any school?
4. Have YOU been offered or taken an official visit?
5. Have YOU received a video and/or transcript request from a college coach?
6. Have YOU received phone calls from college coaches?
7. Have YOU been offered or taken un-official visits? 
8. Do YOU receive personal, handwritten letters from college head coaches on a regular basis?
9. Do YOU receive emails from college coaches on a regular basis?
10. Have YOU received questionnaires or camp information from college coaches?

The College World Series of softball is underway at Oklahoma City where the top eight teams are playing for the championship over the weekend.  If you have it in your dreams to be playing softball at the college level – are you following the games?  There are some great individual stories of the players how they had to overcome odds to make the teams as well as how teams progressed through the season.  There is Georgia who is making their first appearance in the world series with the youngest NCAA D1 team with 10 freshmen players and only two upperclassmen.

There is a great story about the University of Florida, catcher Kristina Hilberth took to get where she is today. She began as a freshman walk-on to now a school record holder in career fielding percentage (.995).  Learn about how she ‘earned and worked’ her way to the starting catcher role.

Don’t miss on supporting and watching the Women’s College World Series games over the weekend and championship early next week.

Be sure to check out what softball teams won the other division championships – NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NAIA, NJCAA’s. (D1), (DII),  (DIII).