Your Fall & Winter Recruiting Checklist

October 16, 2024

With the busy summer season in the rearview, and with fall ball wrapping up, it’s time to put the finishing touches on your in-season work and look towards tackling recruiting proactively heading into next summer – and you can start by crossing off a few items in the college search process. From visiting campuses, to contacting college coaches and preparing for standardized tests, check out a few items that you can check off this fall and winter to get ahead in your recruiting process.

One key question for players of all grad years:

When was the last time I followed up with the coaches at my target schools? 

Proactive communication will help you stay on a school’s radar throughout the school year and into next summer. Keep track of when you are reaching out to your target schools and keep them updated on relevant information. If you have a new highlight video or have received updated test scores, send the coaches a note with this new information. Keeping them in the loop and continuing to express interest will help them decide if you are the right fit for their program, and give them the information they need to move forward with your recruiting.

Key #1: mix in some social media, as well! Many programs and coaches are active on Twitter/X, so if you have an account, post your video highlights there, as well.

Key #2: It’s important to be proactive in your communication with college coaches – but also important to avoid pestering them. This can be a fine line, and differs with each school. Be cognizant of how often you’re emailing a particular coach and make sure you have a concrete reason (update, new video, new standardized test score) that you’re reaching out.

Note: Remember that Division 1 coaches will be limited in how they can reply to you, depending on your grad year, but you can still keep them updated with important information proactively.

 

CLASS OF 2026: 

Prepare for your standardized tests to help you balance your classwork and baseball schedule once the season begins. 

• Most students will take their standardized tests for the first time in the spring of their junior year. Unfortunately for baseball players, this is right when your season is getting underway. Being proactive with your preparation now will help you this spring when you are in-season. You will still need to balance your time between the field and the classroom – getting ahead now will make this a much easier task this spring.

Reach out to college coaches before their season begins.

• Once their spring pre-season and season arrive, college coaches start to turn their attention towards managing their program – and away from dedicated recruiting time. Expressing interest to a college coach is a great way to get on their radar, and it’s important to reach out to them while they still have the time and resources to focus on recruits. Remember to make this message personal and genuine – coaches can tell when you send a generic email to multiple programs, and they want to hear about what interests you in their program specifically.

Schedule a few campus visits for this fall and winter.

• Between your high school season and preparing for your standardized test, you will have limited opportunities to visit schools in the spring and summer – but it’s important to capitalize on the opportunities that you do have. Spending time on campus is an essential part in deciding if a school is the right fit for you, so scheduling a few visits while you still have flexibility in your schedule will help you when it’s time to narrow down your list. If you have already visited a variety of campuses, start to focus on the schools that check off the most qualities. If this is your first time visiting, cast a wide net so that you are exposed to a variety of settings and gain a better understanding of what qualities you are looking for in your ideal college fit.

 

CLASS OF 2027 

Create a list of qualities that you’re looking for in your dream school.

• When developing your list of schools, it’s easy to get caught up in the name-recognition and division labels – and students hear the words “college list”, their first instinct is to start by naming schools. We strongly recommend that student-athletes begin by listing the different qualities they are looking for in their college experience, instead of just the names of schools. Once you’ve narrowed down a key list of characteristics and prioritized them, you can start to compare specific programs to these criteria. Narrowing down your school list can be a daunting task – having a strong set of qualities to fall back on will help simplify the process as you move along in your recruiting, and as you eye targeted, efficient recruiting exposure over the summer. As you move through the process, some of these qualities and your prioritization can and will change – so also be ready to keep an open mind!

Develop a baseline for your standardized test scores.

• The class of 2027 is still a year away from when most student-athletes take their standardized tests, but it’s never too early to find out how you stack up compared to your own goals and the admissions standards of high-academic schools. Developing a baseline for your standardized test scores during your sophomore year can help shape your study plan leading into your junior year and set you up for success on test day. Investing now in some kind of standardized test prep curriculum – both to get a baseline and to start your test-specific development – can pay dividends later.

Similarly, develop a baseline for some objective measurements – 60-yard dash, exit velocity, overhand velocity, broad jump, etc.

• Objective measurements are an integral part of performing in a showcase setting and provides insight to college coaches on your athletic ability/potential. There’s plenty of time to develop as you approach your showcase opportunities, so use these results as a baseline to measure your growth over the next few years. We also recommend including these metrics in your communication with college coaches. They’ll be impressed that you are working hard to improve your physical skills and appreciate the opportunity to follow your development throughout high school.

 

CLASS OF 2028 AND YOUNGER 

Visit a variety of college campuses to help you get a better idea of what type of school you are targeting.

• We highly recommend that student-athletes start their college search by coming up with a list of qualities that they are looking for in their ideal school, rather than focusing on the name and division label – and the earlier you start to think about these qualities, the better (as always though – with an open mind!). For freshmen, visiting college campuses of different sizes in different settings can help jump-start this process and narrow down this list of qualities. Cast a wide net when beginning this search, and challenge yourself to visit a few campuses that you might not expect to enjoy. You might be surprised by what stands out to you and what you find desirable about each college.
  After each campus visit, make a quick written list of the qualities that you liked and did not like about the school – having these written notes will prove useful later!

Fill out the questionnaires for colleges that are on your target list.

• Filling out recruiting questionnaires on a program’s website is an easy way to get on their radar early – and to indicate your potential interest. You will need to take follow-up steps in the future to demonstrate genuine interest in their program – sending personalized emails, visiting the campus, meeting the coaching staff in-person, attending a game – but filling out this form puts you in their system and gives you something to reference in your initial outreach to the coaching staff.

Prioritize your on-field (and academic!) development.

• This is the most important piece of the puzzle: focus on your growth and development within the game! As you embark on your first season of high school baseball, you will experience plenty of growth and development – as well as some ups and downs – over the next four years. While it’s natural to focus on the results of each game and each at-bat, try to place more emphasis on your improvement and some of the smaller details. If you’re working each and every day to improve your game, then the results will follow.

 

Check back for more recruiting advice and updates on our partner programs in the coming months, including interviews with college coaches and tips-and-tricks to help you manage your recruiting process and get the right exposure in 2025 and beyond!