Recruiting 101

1. Recruiting 101 Acers Fastpitch

2. Recruiting Process Realities • Full Ride scholarships are very limited (< 1%) • Schools & Coaches get literally 100 emails a day • The Head Coach rarely looks at the emails themselves • Recruiting Service communications are almost always ignored and often trashed immediately • 2015, 2016, & 2017 players… Now is your time to get on the Radar for the college coaches Acers Fastpitch

3. Finding the Right Fit College • Research, Research, Research • Academics • Financials • School Size • Coach • Location (Far away / Close by, Cold / Hot) • Softball time commitments • Unofficial Visits • The higher the level of softball • The earlier you should start • The farther away from home • The earlier you should start Acers Fastpitch

4. Have a Recruiting Plan • Be Proactive & Market / Sell yourselves • Don’t wait to be discovered • Create a Profile of your type of college • Create a list of schools that fit your college profile • Start getting correspondence out to them • Make a Skills Video to send to these colleges • Participate in recruiting camps & college camps • Play games at strong showcase tournaments where college coaches like to go Acers Fastpitch

5. The NCAA Options • NCAA D-1 • Can offer up to 12 Full Scholarships • NCAA D-2 • Can offer up to 7.5 Full Scholarships • NCAA D-3 • No Athletic Scholarships • NAIA • Mostly offer Academic $$ but some have Athletic $$ • NJCAA • Can offer unlimited Athletic Scholarships Acers Fastpitch

6. NCAA Recruiting Rules • NCAA D1 and D2 • Cannot talk to players during a tournament • Cannot call a player until July 1st prior to their Senior year • Cannot email a player until after Sept 1st of their Junior year • Limited to the number of off campus contacts that they can have with a player and/or family member at tournaments • NCAA D3 • No restrictions on phone calls • Can have contact with you after your Junior year • Acceptance by the admissions dept must happen prior to anything happening with the softball coach • NAIA & NJCAA • Can talk to you anytime but they always wait to see if you are interested in a D-1, D-2, or D-3 school first Acers Fastpitch

7. NCAA Eligibility Info • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no later than the start of your Junior year (Clearinghouse #) • Graduate High School • Attain the minimum GPA for the college of interest • Attain the minimum SAT / ACT scores • Take these tests early (no later than Fall of Junior year) • Recommend that you get the “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Athlete” that’s available at www.ncaa.org Acers Fastpitch

8. Tournament Etiquette • Do not approach college coaches at a tournament • They are there to evaluate your skills • If a coach wants to talk to you then they will initiate or arrange contact with you • Email and/or Call a coach before a tournament to let them know of your interest & your game schedule • Follow up Emails after a tournament within 2 days after the end of the tournament is a must • Thank them for coming out to watch us play Acers Fastpitch

9. Email Correspondence • Do not mass email coaches • Email once a week during our summer tournaments (Tues) • Sell yourself & tell them what makes you special & standout • Big hitter, fast, strikeout totals, pitching speed, etc • Avoid false statements or stretching the truth • Send skills video & player profile links in all of your emails • Subject line of your emails should always include • Name / Team Name / Jersey # • Live game video links are great options too Acers Fastpitch

10. Recruiting Timelines • Freshman Year • Prepare your list of schools • Visit local schools • Watch college games at the various levels • Sophomore Year • Let the marketing campaign begin • Refine your list of schools (research / gather more info) • Unofficial Visits are very important & start now • 20 schools is a manageable list to keep up with • If you can manage more then that would be even better Acers Fastpitch

11. Recruiting Timelines • Junior Year • Sept 1st is the key date that you can start to receive direct correspondence via email and regular mail • You should significantly intensify your marketing efforts • Your video link distributions, emails, phone calls, & campus visits should be a high level commitment • Senior Year • Fall of your Senior year is a very important time to play in front of your interested colleges • It is still possible to be recruited in the Spring / Summer of your Senior Year but the chances are diminished • Many D-3, NAIA, & JUCO don’t start looking at you until your Senior year • You should consider looking more at your Plan “B” too Acers Fastpitch

12. Good Advice • Have a Plan & don’t wait for coaches to come to you • Showing up at a tournament having never contacted a coach or very many coaches is a poor approach • Don’t expect to just show up at a tournament and expect to have a coach see you and say “Wow… That girl is exactly what I need & everything that we have been looking for” because that hardly ever happens • Don’t get hung up on the “Full Ride” mentality • Plan to see some athletic scholarship $$ supplemented by academic $$, financial aid, and student loans Acers Fastpitch

13. Key Notes • You never know who is watching • Your Level of Hustle can work for you or against you • Reactions to success & failure are very important • Recruiting is not fair & never will be • Coaching your daughter through the fences is not an acceptable practice or habit • Approaching coaches unless designated as the team’s recruiting focal is not permitted Acers Fastpitch

14. Recruiting Clinic / Guide • Vegas Clinic • Hosted by Cathy Aradi • www.fastpitchrecruiting.com • $ 15 per person (in advance) or $20 at the door • $ 25 per family (in advance) or $30 at the door • Recruiting Guide • Written by Cathy Aradi • Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level Acers Fastpitch