Ever since I could remember, my dream has been to play baseball at the highest level. As a young kid, I never imagined how hard it would be to play at a Division 1 (D1) collegiate level. From going through the process myself, I have realized that many people still do not understand how hard it is.
I got my first interest from colleges at 15-years-old, the summer after my freshman year. I was called by an Southeastern Conference (SEC) program as a result of a great tournament the weekend before and some help from my recruiting coordinator. I had developed a false belief at this point in my career. I thought this was when the process got real; this was when the offers were going to start pouring in and this was when I would start going on visits. But boy was I wrong.
After a few more schools reached out and we began consistent contact, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) created a rule that said no sophomores could be in any contact with schools until August 1 of their junior year. I went from making connections with multiple programs to not knowing if any program was interested in me at all. This made my sophomore baseball season difficult, as I had lots of people with high expectations around me, all expecting me to be incredible while I could not promise anything about my future. I felt like if I played bad, my whole future would be ruined. My sophomore spring, although successful, was when I experienced some of the most stress of my life.
In response to this stress, I traveled all over the country the summer after my sophomore year trying to show as many schools as possible that I was a player they should have on their roster. I was lucky enough to be invited to an event in Atlanta, Georgia where every D1 school was in attendance to watch other uncommitted players show off their skills days before August 1. I found myself stressed the day before August 1, unsure if the colleges I knew before even remembered me now. Thankfully, I woke up the next morning to a few texts, and more were received as the day went on; in total, nine schools reached out to me between August 1 and 2.
This was when I started to get comfortable. I thought things had worked out for me, and I would find a home before long. All schools are different; there are schools that will be in consistent contact with you and give great explanations on how they see you fit in their program, but, after you hear from a school once, it is often hard to hear from them a second time. Some schools will even keep in contact with you for months, and then all of a sudden have no interest anymore. Out of the first nine schools that reached out to me, I am still in contact with four of them.
I have learned that the coaches who communicate with you the most and treat you the best in the recruiting process will be the coaches that treat you the best when you get to campus. It has remained important to me throughout my process to never rush anything. I never want to sprint into an opportunity I am not ready for or set my heart on one school. Letting things come to me has been a way to not only let life play out the correct way, but also take stress off me as I still play uncommitted.
Staying patient has been hard, but it is definitely the key to this process. It is crucial to have an open mind, find who wants you, have great people in your corner and most importantly, do not let the process change the way you play your sport. Things will get stressful, but remember to have fun and let your natural play showcase its talents.
Do you know anyone whos gone through the recruitment process? Let us know in the comments below.
