Approaching the Recruiting Process Like a Marathon

Woody Wingfield: Your Link to the Colleges

This past weekend, fellow Baseball Factory staff member Dave Lax and I completed the Celebration Sprint Triathlon here in Columbia, MD. Thinking back to the race and the 5 months of training reminded me that going through the college recruiting process is a pretty similar feat. It’s not an easy thing to do, and for most people, it takes a great deal of hard work and time. It truly takes a certain mindset to get the most out of this process, and there are some very important points for parents and players to remind themselves of daily while trying to find the best fit athletically, academically and socially:

To get the best results, you must be consistent throughout the entire process. 5 months sounds like a lot of time to train, but believe me, it took DAY-TO-DAY preparation to get from the water to the finish line. There were days when I had a lot going on, but I still had to find time to train.

Between schoolwork, practice, games, showcases and camps, there is a lot to juggle for the average high school baseball player. In order to tackle the recruiting process, you have to think of it as adding an extra high school course to your already hectic schedule. This means checking your e-mail DAILY, minding the Golden Rule of recruiting -- answering EVERYTHING you get from EVERY school -- and keeping college coaches updated on your fall, spring and summer seasons. I advise high school seniors in our E BATS Program to be in contact with coaches on their college list about once every two to three weeks.

You have to be persistent. Over the course of training, there were good days and there are bad days. I had to press extra hard on those bad days, even when it felt like I wasn’t improving.

You may hear some no’s for the first time, and there will be a lot of e-mails not returned. Hopefully, you’ll hear just as many yes’s, as well. Either way, you cannot allow the work you put into the recruiting process to ebb and flow with the response you’re getting, or lack thereof.

I especially mean to relate this to the lack of responses. When you’re sixteen, seventeen or even eighteen years old, it can feel pretty awkward to have to repeat yourself or re-send things to a college coach. DO IT. Even if it’s the third or fourth time that you’ve sent a coach your video, it could be the first time he gets a chance to see it. Remember, college coaches have to wear a lot of different hats, and sometimes they can’t get to their e-mail consistently. Do them (and yourself) a favor by following up if you don’t hear back on videos or questions that you send. By being persistent, you won’t assume anything during the process like “I guess he just doesn’t like me” and will be able to make a more informed decision.

This isn’t a race, and the finish line does not have to be in November. I don’t know about Lax, but I didn’t wake up on Sunday trying to win the race. If I had come out of the starting block in a sprint, I never would have made it out of the water. The only way I was able finish the triathlon was to go at MY PACE and ignore the participants that passed me or the others that I managed to pass (there were a few of them out there!).

Now that we’ve hit July 1st, this is where our staff gets a lot of calls about what OTHER players are hearing, or more accurately, what families think other players are hearing. Believe me when I tell you that there is no cookie cutter method or schedule in the college recruiting process. This is YOUR process and YOUR future, and you will only add frustration if you begin comparing what you are hearing with what others are telling you.

As we’ve mentioned before in other entries, only around 20% of all baseball players end up signing by November. To not be finished with the process at this point is not a failure, and for most people, it is a blessing in disguise. Fewer mistakes are made on the part of those that sign in April or later than those that sign in November because they have more time to fully explore their options and connect with all interested programs.

Just like any endurance contest, you are your worst enemy! The E BATS staff believes that there is a spot out there for everyone that has the desire to play at the next level, but it takes hard work regardless of what level you are shooting for. As long as you are consistent, persistent and stay within yourself, you can find a place to play in college.

Woody serves as the Director of College Recruiting Operations, working with players and parents in the ACR, Exclusive and Exclusive BATS Programs. His role is to assist all families with questions they may have throughout the recruiting process. Woody is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he worked as an intern with the Cavalier Baseball Team.