Baseball Recruiting Timeline

[Pages:4]Baseball Recruiting Timeline

(Some information taken from High School Baseball Web, NCSA, GoBig Recruiting)

7th/8th Grade

? Begin and continue strength and speed programs ? Begin and continue nutrition program ? Participate in winter workouts (through school or summer program) ? Keep up your grades: it's never too early to develop good habits ? Play the best competition you can ? Continually work to improve your skills ? Participate on modified school teams ? If you are a pitcher, take two to three months off from throwing in the offseason (can be

doing dry mechanics, light throwing, and strength workouts).

9th Grade

? Continue strength and speed programs (the summer before your freshman year is an important offseason for your development)

? Continue nutrition program: you should be gaining weight and muscle ? Participate in winter workouts through school program ? Keep up your grades: these grades will be on your transcript, starting this year (unless

you took 9th grade level courses in 8th grade, which will also be on your transcript) ? Do a skills video and have it ready to share with schools (are you a position player? a

pitcher? a two-way player? Focus on your strengths.) This is mostly useful for the highlevel, Division I type player. Be realistic: for some, it's a little too early for this. ? If you are a high-level recruit, think about joining a showcase summer team (tryouts usually in late summer/fall before school year). ? Begin researching schools and develop lists ? Begin visiting schools (in summer after 9th grade) ? Begin attending select showcases (PBR, etc.) during the year or in the summer ? Participate on school team: high level recruits are, many times, on varsity and starting; or, in a high level program, at least starting on JV ? In the winter or the summer, attend some college camps ? Play summer ball ? If you are a pitcher, take two to three months off from throwing in the offseason (can be doing dry mechanics, light throwing, and strength workouts). ? Verbal commitments to an offer made by a school can be made, but they are not binding to either the school or the player (not until National Letter of Intent is signed in your senior year).

10th Grade

? Continue strength and speed programs: at this point, you should be making good progress

? Continue nutrition program ? Participate in winter workouts through school program ? Keep up your grades: most players don't realize how important their grades are until it's

too late; take AP/honors courses when you can; meet with your guidance counselor and tell him/her you are thinking of playing sports to make sure you are on track with core course requirements. ? If you are in accelerated math/science, take the PSAT in October ? Update your skills video and begin sending to schools; if schools are contacting you, they may ask for video; Division III ? not a bad idea to begin contact with coaches and send out video (letters, e-mails). ? If you are a high-level recruit, you should be on a showcase summer team by now (tryouts usually in late summer/fall before school year). Division III type recruit ? high level showcase teams are expensive and possibly not beneficial. ? Continue researching schools and narrow down your lists: become more realistic in terms of what your possibilities are (talk to your high school and summer coaches for their perspective) and adjust your lists ? Continue visiting schools, especially ones that might be recruiting you ? Attend showcases during the year or in the summer (PBR, etc.); attend select college camps and showcases ? Participate on school team: high level recruits are, by this time, starting on varsity at a high level ? Play summer ball and work on your skills ? If you are a pitcher, take two to three months off from throwing in the offseason (can be doing dry mechanics, light throwing, and strength workouts). ? Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse (Eligibility Center): only needed for Division I and II ? Fill out online recruiting questionnaires for schools ? Verbal commitments to an offer made by a school can be made, but they are not binding to either the school or the player (not until National Letter of Intent is signed in your senior year).

11th Grade

? Continue strength and speed programs ? Continue nutrition program ? Participate in winter workouts through school program ? Keep up your grades: this is perhaps the most important year on your transcript (are you

going up, going down, etc.?) ? Look at taking the PSAT in October and SATs at least twice in junior year; if you are being

recruited by school, you will want an official SAT score by December (so they can see how you "fit" and whether academic money might be an option) ? Prepare for the SATs/ACTs ? on your own, hire tutor, participate in program ? Update your skills video, add highlights, and send to schools ? If you are looking at Division III schools, this is a prime time to contact coaches and note your interest; share your school and summer tournament baseball schedules. ? If you are a high-level recruit, you should probably have offers by now or at least high interest from Division I or II schools; adjust your sights if there is no action/interest. ? Showcase summer teams can still help for exposure, if you are a Division I or II recruit. ? Narrow down your lists to realistic possibilities ? Continue visiting schools, especially ones that might be recruiting you ? Attend showcases during the year or in the summer; attend select college camps and showcases; this summer after your junior year is the most critical if any offers are coming ? Participate on school team ? Play summer ball and work on your skills ? If you are a pitcher, take two to three months off from throwing in the offseason (can be doing dry mechanics, light throwing, and strength workouts). ? If looking to play Division I or II, register for the NCAA Clearinghouse (Eligibility Center) ? Fill out online recruiting questionnaires for schools ? When schools contact you, respond to every coach and keep your options open. Don't dismiss Division III schools, if you are looking at Division I or II--if an offer never comes and you have to adjust your expectations, you will not want to have burned bridges! ? Division I and II schools will likely have made offers by the end of the summer before your senior year, although some might have some last-minute offers (they will probably "keep you on the line") ? Verbal commitments to an offer made by a school can be made, but they are not binding to either the school or the player (not until National Letter of Intent is signed in your senior year).

12th Grade

? Continue strength and speed programs ? Continue nutrition program ? Participate in winter workouts through school program ? Keep up your grades all the way through: schools have been known to pull admission if

you bomb the school year (it happens, although not often) ? If you need to improve your SAT or ACT scores, you can typically take them again in

August and October (sometimes November) and still meet admission guidelines ? If you are not committed, look at doing showcases and playing in the fall (find a

showcase team) to get more exposure ? Division I and II schools have likely filled their classes by this time, although stay in

touch--sometimes players who opt for the MLB draft create openings that need to be quickly filled ? If you are looking at Division III schools, continue contact; Division III schools continue to recruit during senior year. Keep in mind you will need to know to which schools you want to apply by the fall/winter, before admission application deadlines. ? Take official visits, if offered ? Apply to schools in the fall of your senior year ? Participate on school team; coaches will sometimes want to come see you ? Play summer ball after the school season and work on your skills, in preparation for college season; remember, practices start in the fall and you want to hit the ground running. ? National Letter of Intent can be signed during your senior year

o Early date: November o Regular date: April (until usually August 1) o Only offers that have athletic aid (scholarships) attached to them will require a

NLI; you cannot sign a NLI for non-athletic-scholarship offers

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