High School Press

Question: How Much Does High School Press Help With Recruiting?
If your daughter is a premier pitcher and is in the newspapers all the time--League MVP, Scholastic All Star, etc.--should we assume that colleges are looking at her or should we be contacting colleges about her? She is a junior this year, and I'm not sure what to expect. Everyone thinks she will get a scholarship, but I'm a little bit concerned whether it's all hype.

Answer: How Much Does High School Press Help With Recruiting?

Coaches are always looking for top pitching prospects, but they also tend to focus more closely on players' experience at the competitive travel ball level. High school ball isn't quite as important, so while honors achieved there are terrific, they don't guarantee recruitment. It's usually unwise to assume coaches "know" about any athlete (no matter how good she is) and to believe that they will automatically recruit her when it's time.

There are just too many really good players out there, and even good players get overlooked. My advice...read my book and follow the guidelines for conducting a thorough and aggressive college search. By covering every base, no matter what happens, you will always know you did the best you could for her. When she makes a college choice, it will be based on her having looked at a lot of different options in order to find the school as well as the team that's right for her. Good luck!