Softball Recruiting Winter Checklist

February 1, 2022

With the spring fast approaching, it’s time for student-athletes to put the finishing touches on their hard work this off-season and cross off a few items in their college search process. From visiting campuses and building out targeted school lists to contacting college coaches and preparing for standardized tests, check out a few items that each grad year can complete in the coming weeks to get ahead in their recruiting process.

Click on your grad year to skip to your section: 2023 / 2024 / 2025 & Younger

CLASS OF 2023:

  • Prepare for your standardized tests to help you balance your classwork and softball 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 softball 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.
    • In the past two years, a lot of schools have gone test optional. While this means that having an SAT or ACT might not be necessary at all of your target schools, it still might be at some – and even at test optional schools, having a baseline standardized test score can help give coaches an immediate indication of where you may fall relative to their academic thresholds. So – if you’re a good test taker and have access to both standardized test prep and formal test dates for this spring, you should strongly consider preparing and registering, even if some of your target schools have gone test optional.
      To learn more about how the last couple of years have impacted standardized testing in admissions, we encourage you to check out our friends at Compass Education Group, who frequently update their blog with the developments in standardized testing, and host webinars to help students and families navigate updated policies in admissions.
  • Schedule a few (virtual or in-person) campus visits prior to the spring season.
    • This time of year is great for student-athletes to take advantage of their spring break windows to visit college campuses. Depending on your spring season, and also the status and policies at each of your target schools, this shouldn’t stop you. You can expand your reach and search by taking your college tours online! Eventually, it will be important to get on campus in-person – but for now, don’t be afraid to really expand the number and type of schools that you can visit online. Getting to those schools on the other side of the country in-person is expensive, but if you’re able to get an initial sense of the campus with an online tour and info session, you can start to narrow your focus and search.
    • Usually, spring can be a tough time for student-athletes to visit campuses. Between your high school season, travel ball season and preparing for your standardized tests, you would have limited opportunities to visit schools in the months ahead. Experiencing campus and learning as much as possible about a school is an essential part in deciding if a school is the right fit for you.
      With the changes of the last two years, the virtual/digital tour options that most colleges are offering can be a positive for student-athletes: the virtualization of campus tours and information sessions can actually increase your access to schools across the country, and can help you increase the number of schools that you’re able to “visit”. Sure – it’s not the same as being on campus, but it’s still a great way to get to know more about a school, and can help you narrow down, edit and prioritize/re-prioritize your target list. Take advantage of these virtual tours and info sessions as much as possible this spring, so that you can be even more targeted in your recruiting exposure and college-tour travel schedule this coming summer and fall.

 

CLASS OF 2024:

  • 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. We strongly recommend that student-athletes begin by listing the different qualities they are looking for in their dream school, instead of just the names. 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.
  • Develop a baseline for your standardized test scores.
    • The class of 2024 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.
    • In the past two years, a lot of schools have gone test optional – and some have extended these test optional admissions policies through multiple years of admissions. While this means that having an SAT or ACT might not be necessary at all of your target schools, it still might be at some – and even at test optional schools, having a baseline standardized test score can help give coaches an immediate indication of where you may fall relative to their academic thresholds. So – if you’re a good test taker and have access to standardized test prep this spring, you should consider starting your test prep regimen, even if some of your target schools have gone test optional.
      To learn more about how the last two years have impacted standardized testing in admissions, we encourage you to check out our friends at Compass Education Group, who frequently update their blog with the developments in standardized testing, and host webinars to help students and families navigate updated policies in admissions.
  • Similarly, develop a baseline for some objective measurements – 20-yard dash, home-to-first, exit velocity, overhand velocity, etc.
    • Objective measurements are an integral part of performing in a showcase setting and provide 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 2025 and younger:

  • Start to 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. 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 do virtual tours and info sessions for 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 “visit”, make a quick written list of the qualities that you liked and did not like about each school. You will start to notice some similarities between visits and realize what’s important to you.
    • Usually, spring can be a tough time for student-athletes to visit campuses. Between your high school season, travel ball season and academic commitments, you would have limited opportunities to visit schools in the months ahead.
      With the changes of the last two years, the virtual/digital tour options that most colleges are offering can be a positive for student-athletes: the virtualization of campus tours and information sessions can actually increase your access to schools across the country, and can help you increase the number of schools that you’re able to “visit” without the same travel costs. Sure – it’s not the same as being on campus, but it’s still a great way to get to know more about a school, and to build out the list of qualities that you’re looking for in a college. Take advantage of these virtual tours and info sessions as much as possible this spring, so that you can be even more targeted in your recruiting exposure and college-tour travel schedule this coming summer and fall
  • 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.
  • Continue to focus on your on-field development and upcoming tryouts.
    • As you embark on your first season of high school softball, 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. The best thing that you can do to impact your recruiting process will always be to maximize your on-field projectability, and keep getting after it in the classroom. Maxing out your softball and academics will keep doors open and draw desirable recruiting attention in the recruiting process. In the race to get great exposure to your target programs, don’t forget that on-field and academic development is the foundation to recruiting outcomes.

 

Check back for more recruiting advice and updates on our partner programs in the coming months, including, more recruiting checklists, webinars and information on how to best prepare for your summer exposure!