Marketing Yourself
The Information/Profile Cards
Selecting the Right School

Each school is allowed to award a certain number of scholarships each year, but it is the student's responsibility to market his talent and to be recognized. In order to do this, the player should follow these guidelines:

Talent alone is not a guarantee of success in obtaining a scholarship or financial aid. As in baseball, your own hard work and determination will be significant factors.

You will need to market yourself to college coaches. Fortunately Team Ontario players' get a tremendous amount of exposure to college coaches at the Sunbelt Classic in Oklahoma, Chicago Area Codes, The HS World Series, Perfect Game and other events. However coaches will also want to know your academic and personal achievements; essentially, you are interviewing for a job.

The recruiting form (job application) provided for you asks you to complete it as best you can. The more information a coach has about you, the more informed the coach is about your talents and background. Also, when completing the recruiting form, be honest and don't be afraid to "toot your own horn." This is not a time for modesty; you can be sure the US athletes you are competing with for a scholarship will not be shy. In fact, when you complete this part, you may want to do it as your parents would. List all of your academic achievements and all of your athletic achievements no matter how insignificant they may seem

If you are asked to list hobbies and other personal interests, expand a little on yourself here. College coaches are interested in your academic and athletic successes, yet they also want to know how well rounded you are as a person. Help them get to know you on a more personal level when offered the option. This could also be achieved by sending a separate, personal email to the coach, indicating your interest in the program. Likewise, this can serve as a follow-up email to the recruiting form you send to that coach.

Produce a good video and have copies readily available

College coaches will want to see you play if they were unable to see our team at a tournament and in many cases, they will not be able to attend your local games. Even for coaches who have seen you a video is an important tool. They will rely on your providing them with a video of your talents.

Coaches want form, not fluff. They are interested in you, not the family dog or your neighborhood, stick to the skills and some coaches' if asked, will tell you what they are looking for. They may list specific skills, camera angles and situations in which they'd like to see you performing. Coaches appreciate you saving them time in this way.

A majority of the coaches will want at least 5-10 minutes of game footage of you playing your best against a good opponent. They will want to know what number you are wearing, and any other personal descriptors you can provide. Running times and form are helpful for position players. For pitchers, seeing your mechanics will help tremendously.

It's also a good idea to make a couple extra copies of the video so that if another coach asks you for it, you don 't have to duplicate your efforts in producing another video.

While we don't believe it is necessary to go to the expense of a professionally shot video, your videographer must know a bit about what they are doing. At the very least they should be able to hold the camera steady while following your movements. This takes some practice, just like baseball.

Often the first expression of interest you will receive is in the form of a letter, card or profile from a school, that you are asked to complete. This gives the school basic data and contact information for you and your coaches. Fill these cards and profiles out promptly and get them back to the school. Not responding in a timely fashion is a major turn-off for recruiters. You want to create as much interest by as many schools as you can to provide yourself with choice. Don't pre-judge or ignore any opportunity, the more interest in you, the more likely you will end up with a good fit.

Doing your homework is an important task. Use the Internet to your advantage.

You can learn:

It is a good idea to find out if your courses would be credited if you decide to return to Canada to complete your education. Is the degree recognized in Canada?

Armed with this knowledge, you will know if this program looks like a fit for you and what that school is looking for in a recruit.

Make sure your athletic goals are realistic. Many of you will compete at a high level through your college career, then will move on to a professional career perhaps in some other field.

You want playing time in order to develop and enjoy your college experience. Besides Division I, there is Division II, III or community college. These schools can offer you an exceptional education in addition to a quality athletic program where you'll get lots of playing time and can enjoy your college career on and off the field.

Keep in mind that community colleges are a very viable option for any student athlete. Community colleges are 2-year colleges that are much less expensive to attend. The potential for playing time is greater at this level and can allow you to develop and improve your athletic skills even more when you transfer to the 4-year level.

Some 4-year coaches are interested in recruits who have been in school for 2 years, and have proven they can be serious, quality students and athletes at the collegiate level.

You should also research the number of players that have transferred out of this coach's program; the reasons may be very informative.

How long is remaining on the coach's current contract? Many students have chosen a school solely because of the coach and this could backfire if the coach leaves for another job. You want to be really sure about the school and its programs as well. You are buying into much more than a coach.

Find out what players are returning at the position you play and whether they are freshmen, sophomores or upper classmen. This could give you some insight to the playing time available. There is only so much you can learn sitting on the bench until you're a junior. You need to play to improve. What good is a scholarship if you end up sitting?

You will hear repeated mentions of the proverbial "full ride". You would be wise to take those statements with a grain of salt. Usually the only people you will not hear speaking in these terms are the only people who have the decision making authority to actually determine what assistance is offered to a student-the coaches.

It is important to realize that the total number of scholarships each school has to offer is quite limited in baseball. There are very few "full rides". There are simply not enough 100% offers to go around. These are typically reserved for a very select few. Typically they go to very high draft choices and impact position players. Pitchers receive full scholarships less frequently.

If you are a good student there may be a possibility of receiving academic financial assistance. You may be required to show need.

Finally, send the coach an email if you have questions about anything. Coaches spend most of their time looking for you. Your coming to them is a dream come true in their world of recruiting. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance. It's your future --go get it.

MORE INFORMATION CAN BE READILY FOUND ON THE INTERNET
An excellent source is High School Baseball Website www.hsbaseballweb.com, which can also be accessed off the Perfect Game website - www.perfectgame.org

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