College Recruiting

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College Recruitment

This page is devoted to collegiate baseball and serves as a resource for Texas Cannons’ high school players interested in continuing to play baseball in college. It contains a great deal of information regarding scholarships and the various levels of NCAA and other collegiate athletic organizations. In addition, at very the bottom of the page will be found a number of "Useful Links" to other relevant websites.

Mission
To provide prospective collegiate student athletes and parents with information necessary to help guide them through the collegiate search process.

For Consideration
Student athletes and parents, as you use this guide as a reference here is an interesting fact to consider: the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) estimates that over 6.5 million high school athletes are engaged in NFHS-sponsored sports programs annually. This equates to roughly 1.2 million high school seniors each year. Conversely, there are roughly 30,000 Division I grant-in-aid scholarships available, many of which are not full scholarships. Remember you are a student first and your goal is first to earn a degree, not just play baseball.

Credits
Much of the information on this Web Page is compiled from many sources and by no means is meant to be the only source of information you should use. The sources used for the creation of this site can be found at the bottom of the page.

Levels of Collegiate Baseball
There are presently five competitive levels of collegiate baseball sponsored by three collegiate organizations. A description of each organization and levels they sponsor is outlined below.

NCAA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), is a non-profit association comprised of more than 1260 schools and conferences. The NCAA membership is divided into three legislative and competitive Divisions (I, II, and III). Colleges select, and apply for a classification level that best meets their institutions educational and athletic mission. There are currently 1006 active member schools, 344 in Division I, 308 in Division II, and 438 in Division III. The most notable difference between the divisions is that Division I and II institutions may offer athletic scholarships while Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships.

Division I: NCAA Division I institutions are comprised primarily of large schools with enrollments that range from 3,500-50,000+ students. College institutions in this classification can, if they choose to, offer athletic scholarships for student athletes. The NCAA sets the number of full athletic scholarships a school can fund. Presently the limits for Division I baseball scholarships is as follows:

Scholarships: 9.9
Number of Division I Baseball Programs: 299

Athletic scholarships are limited to one year and can be renewed annually for up to five years out of a six-year period. "There is no such award as a four year scholarship." Athletic aid can be increased, reduced or even canceled annually. Programs may offer full scholarships (includes tuition, room, board, fees and books) or any type of partial aid such as tuition-only or money for books. The total financial aid package (athletic scholarships, grants, student loans, booster club or civic scholarships) an athlete can receive cannot exceed the total cost for attending an institution for one year.

Ivy League Conference: Ivy League member institutions include the following: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale. These Division I programs do not offer athletic scholarships and acceptance to any of these institutions is based upon a rigid academic standard. All Ivy League student athletes are rated upon an Academic Index rating scale that each member institution must follow. Students are rated based upon their G.P.A., Class Rank, College Board SAT and ACT Scores, high school course load, and community service involvement. Financial aid awards are offered after a student athlete has been accepted on a need-based assessment that has no bearing whether a student will be accepted or not.

Division II: NCAA Division II institutions are comprised primarily of small to medium-sized schools with enrollments that range from 1,500-15,000 students. College institutions in this classification can, if they choose to, offer athletic scholarships for student athletes. The NCAA sets the number of full athletic scholarships a school can fund. Presently the limits for Division II baseball scholarships is as follows:

Scholarships: 9
Number of Division II Baseball Programs: 274

Division III: NCAA Division III institutions are comprised primarily of small colleges and universities with enrollments that range from 600-5,000 students. Division III institutions cannot offer athletic scholarships for student athletes. Financial Aid can be offered on a need-based assessment only and primarily is in the form of academic scholarships, grants, and student loans.

Number of Division III Baseball Programs: 389

NJCCA

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of intercollegiate athletics for two-year colleges. As such, its programs are designed to meet the unique needs of a diverse group of student-athletes who come from both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds and whose purpose in selecting a junior college may be as varied as their experiences before attending college. NJCAA may offer athletic scholarships for student athletes but are not required to do so.

Scholarships: 24
Number of NJCAA Baseball Programs: 189

NJCAA Student Athlete Information Guide

NAIA

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, NAIA, is comprised of over 300 member institutions ranging in size from around 400-2500 students. Roughly 90% of all NAIA schools offer athletic scholarships.

Any financial aid or assistance to prospective students, in money or in kind, except from members of the student's immediate family or from those upon whom the student is legally dependent, shall be administered by the institution under the policies and procedures established by the institution through the regularly constituted committee on student loans and scholarships.

A member institution of the NAIA shall award no more institutionally-controlled financial aid to a student-athlete than the actual cost of: 1) tuition; 2) mandatory fees, books and supplies required for courses in which the student-athlete is enrolled; 3) board and room for the student-athlete only, based on the official board and room allowance listed in the institution's catalog. Further financial assistance to a student-athlete, other than listed above, by a member institution shall be prohibited.

Scholarships: 12

Number of NAIA Baseball Programs: Men’s: 212

Finding a College

There is a college baseball opportunity available for most players who wishes to compete in college regardless of ability.

One of the most important things a student-athlete should consider when looking at a college is not how good the baseball t team is. However, a student-athlete should ask "Does the collegiate institution provide me with the best education to meet my career interests as well as provide an environment that will foster my academic, emotional, athletic, and spiritual growth? When I graduate from a collegiate institution, will I have the skills necessary for success in our society today?"

Top-Ten things that parents and student-athletes should consider when conducting a college search:

1. The institution academic rating: The US News and World Report publishes annual rankings of the best colleges across the United States based upon institution size, class sizes, degree programs offered, graduation rates, professors with Ph.D.'s, alumni support, rate of acceptance into post graduate schools, percentage of incoming freshmen who graduate, percentage of students receiving financial assistance, and average SAT and ACT test scores of accepted students. Parents are highly encouraged to review the ranking of any institution their student athlete attends.

2. Student Academics: Does the student-athlete have the grades, course work, test scores, and skills necessary to be accepted into the institution as a non-student athlete? This is important to understand: if you are offered a college athletic scholarship, will the student-athlete be able to handle the college course work of the major chosen and still be able to participate as a collegiate swimmer? A very large number of student-athletes have to drop out of college or lose their athletic scholarships because they failed to satisfactorily complete their required course-work.

3. Size of the institution: For many student athletes to find success in college they must consider the size of the school. "Size Does Matter." Are students going to be in large classes of 100 or more students where the professor will never know their name? Will they feel more comfortable in school where the class sizes are at a very low ratio?

4. Location: Where is the institution located? Is the college in a small town, large city, suburb, close to an airport, or close to home? What is the climate during the school year? Is the student athlete from San Antonio going to be able to adjust to life living in Fairbanks, Alaska?

5. Degree programs: Does the college provide a degree and major in a field of study that meets the student's interest? Does the college offer many majors? The vast majority of students' change their major at least once while in college.

6. Social Life: What kind of social life is available for students? Every college has some form of residential life office that offers students a wide variety of social and entertainment opportunities.

7. Values: Does the institution create an environment that meets your values? Does the institution meet your worship needs such as churches, synagogues, mosques etc? How well is the student-athlete prepared to handle people from different cultures, values, races, and sexual orientation?

8. Baseball Program: Does the College Baseball Program meet the needs as a student athlete? Are you going to be the best on the team? If so how do you feel about that kind of pressure? Does your ability fall in the middle of the pack on the team? What are the coaches' relationships with the middle of the pack players in the program? At what level does the program compete and will the athlete have an opportunity to be successful at that level?

9. Team History: What is the past history of the program? Is the team rebuilding or solid? How long have the coaches been at the school? How stable is the coaching staff in terms of change? At what level does the program aspire to be? How many incoming first-year students play baseball all four years of college and how many actually graduate?

10. Team Climate: What has been the relationship between the baseball program and college? Is it possible the program may be cut in the near future? Have members of the program had trouble with police or the college administration for failing to follow school policy? How is the team's overall G.P.A.?

Recruiting

Some student athletes will be actively recruited be collegiate institutions. However, the vast majority of student athletes need to be prepared to sell themselves as a potentially valuable member of a baseball team and student body of a collegiate institution. Don't worry if you are not actively recruited to play baseball. There are plenty of opportunities to compete and get a great education at the same time.

Here are some important things to do:

1. In order for an NCAA Division I or II program to actively recruit an athlete, the athlete must have been cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Clearinghouse. The NCAA requires that all prospective student-athletes meet a baseline educational requirement to be recruited. In a nutshell, your grades in your core classes and performance on national standardized tests do matter. The NCAA has developed a guide to help parents, student athletes and school administrators with the collegiate recruiting process including information on how to apply to the clearinghouse.

2. Beginning the fall of 2006 the NCAA will require all prospective student athletes to also be cleared by the NCAA Amateurism Certification Clearinghouse. "Beginning fall 2006, the NCAA Amateurism Certification Clearinghouse will be the processing center for determining the amateurism eligibility of domestic and international freshman and transfer prospective student-athletes for initial athletics participation at NCAA Divisions I and II member institutions. [Note: In NCAA Division III, certification of an individual's amateurism status is completed by each institution, not the amateurism certification clearinghouse.]"

3. Create a resume which includes your best accomplishments in baseball, academic awards, community service projects, clubs, and hobbies. You should also include a bio of your competitive history in terms of your baseball background. How long have you been playing baseball? Are you a year-round player? Best positions?

4. During the spring of your junior year of high school you should meet with your HS Guidance Counselor to make sure you have completed the appropriate coursework to graduate on time and have taken the correct number of classes to be cleared through the NCAA Clearinghouse.

5. A player should begin making a list of schools that best fits the players needs. Often this list can include dozens of schools. The hard part is narrowing your choice to between 5-10 schools to visit and apply to.

Scholarships

There is often a misconception in the college search process that if you are not recruited or have not been offered a scholarship you must not be very good. That view is completely false. The fact is that most colleges just do not have the finances available to offer every good player a scholarship. Another fact is that most colleges do not find out a student-athlete is interested in their program until that student has made "First Contact". Many families assume that colleges are going to call them first. The reality is that most collegiate baseball programs do not have the manpower to search for student-athletes. Most coaches rely on information from large tournaments such as Five Tool or Perfect Game, prospective student questionnaires, and through professional recruiters (not sports agents) whom student-athletes pay a fee to have them send information to schools about them.

With the scholarship limits that are imposed by the NCAA, most college coaches are going to be looking at a student’s academic ability. The vast majority of baseball student-athletes receive financial aid through academic-related scholarships, grants and student loans, not through athletic scholarships.

An athletic scholarship is a one-year contract between you and a Division I or Division II institution. A school can reduce or cancel a scholarship if you become ineligible for competition, fraudulently misrepresent yourself, quit the team or engage in serious misconduct. During the contract year, a coach cannot reduce or cancel your scholarship on the basis of your athletic ability, performance, or injury. An institution may choose to not renew a scholarship at the end of the academic term provided they notify you in writing and provide you an opportunity for a hearing.

Remember a coach cannot offer you a "four year full-ride scholarship". They do not exist! Each student athlete award is reviewed annually. It is important to ask current collegiate baseball players if they are still on scholarship. Parents, it is not uncommon for a college program to offer and renew an athletic scholarship for the first 2-3 years of college and then ask the student to pay full tuition for the remainder of their college career.

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association (not the NCAA). When you sign the National Letter of Intent you agree to attend the institution with which you signed for one academic year in exchange for the institution awarding financial aid, including athletics aid, for one academic year.

Making Contact

Once a student athlete has narrowed down the number of schools they are interested in they may decide to contact a baseball coach. One of the best ways to express your interest in a college program is to complete an athletic questionnaire. Most colleges have either downloadable or online request for information forms on their athletic websites. Most athletes begin completing athletic questionnaires during their sophomore and junior years in high school. Please be aware that college coaches have limitations as to how they may contact you.

Phone Calls

During a prospective student-athletes sophomore year in high school, they may call a college coach at their own expense, but Division I and II coaches cannot call the student-athlete. After July 1 following the student-athlete’s junior year, Division I coaches may call them once per week. After June 15, Division II coaches may call them once per week. The student-athlete is still able to call the Division I and II coaches at any time at their own expense. Division III coaches do not have a limit on when they may call a student-athlete, and the student-athlete may call a Division III coach at any time.

Emails

Before Sept. 1 of a prospective student-athlete’s junior year in high school, Division I and Division II college coaches may only send questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic recruiting publications and NCAA educational information to a prospective student-athlete. While student-athletes may email coaches during this time, the coaches can only respond with the items listed above. After the student-athlete reaches Sept. 1 of their junior year of high school, Division I and Division II coaches may begin emailing other recruiting materials, such as personalized letters, media guides, schedules and official academic and admissions publications. The coaches may continue to email questionnaires, camp information and NCAA educational information as well. Division III college coaches may send prospective student-athletes recruiting materials at any time.

Text Messages

Text messages are treated in the same way as emails. Before Sept. 1 of a student-athlete’s junior year of high school, Division I and Division II college coaches are not permitted to send text messages to prospective student-athletes. After Sept. 1 of a student-athlete’s junior year of high school, the coaches may send text messages, but all conversations must be private until a National Letter of Intent is signed. Division III college coaches may send text messages to prospective student-athletes at any time.

Social Media Interactions

College coaches may initiate or accept a “friend” or a “follow” request from prospective student-athletes on social media at any time. However, social media falls under the same rules as email, in that a direct or private message via social media are only allowed after the prospective student-athlete has passed Sept. 1 of their junior year in high school. This rule includes all social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Snapchat. College coaches may publicly communicate with a student-athlete via social media walls after the student-athlete has signed a valid National Letter of Intent to attend the coach’s school.

Campus Visits

One of the most important things a student should do is visit a college before deciding to attend. Their are two general ways most students visit a college campus: Official Visits and Unofficial Visits.

Official Visits - You are limited to five official visits. On an official visit a school CAN pay for your transportation, lodging, and meals. The school can also pay for your parent's meals, and lodging. The school may also pay for their transportation provided you traveled by automobile. Institutions may also provide a student host with $30 for entertainment ($20 in Division III) within a 30 mile radius of campus and may also provide you with and your parents with complimentary admissions to a campus athletics event. Additional tickets may be reserved and purchased at face value by other family members accompanying you on a visit. They cannot provide you with gifts of any kind including photos, t-shirts, etc.

Unofficial Visits - A school may provide you with three complimentary admissions to a campus athletics event on an unofficial visit. A school cannot pay for your meals, lodging, or entertainment on an unofficial visit, although you are permitted to stay in student housing with a student-athlete by paying the regular institutional rate (which is frequently nothing for short-term guests).

Preparing for College Timetable:

Junior Year

September: Register for the PSAT/NMSQT

About PSAT/NMSQ
The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

critical reading skills
math problem-solving skills
writing skills

You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes.
The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:

to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
to see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).
to help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
to receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.
Sept-Oct Test date: Review

Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT (Links go directly to College Board PSAT Practice Exam)
If you plan to take the PSAT/NMSQT in the fall, pick up the Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT from your guidance office in September.
The Student Guide has three main sections:
1.    Test taking help
2.    Information about National Merit Scholarship Corporation scholarship competitions
3.    A full-length practice test
Use the Student Guide to Do Your Best

Review the section about scholarships with your parents.
Practice now with sample critical reading, math, and writing skills questions.
Get familiar with the instructions for each type of test question.
Take the practice test like it's the real thing!

PSAT Prep

Spending your school years taking challenging academic courses and reading widely is the best way to get ready for the PSAT/NMSQT.
The PSAT/NMSQT includes the same types of critical reading, math, and writing skills multiple choice questions as the SAT® Reasoning Test.
Ready to give the questions a test run? Pick a section below, and you'll find tips and practice questions with answers and explanations for each type of question.

Critical Reading

Sentence Completion questions measure your knowledge of the meanings of words and ability to understand how the different parts of a sentence logically fit together. Practice now
Passage-Based Reading questions measure your ability to read and think carefully about a single reading passage or a pair of related passages. Practice now

Math

The math section of the PSAT/NMSQT requires a basic knowledge of number and operation; algebra and functions (though not content covered in third-year math classes--content that will appear on the new SAT); geometry and measurement; and data analysis, statistics, and probability. You can use a calculator to answer math questions, but no question on the test requires a calculator.
Multiple Choice questions ask you to decide which the best of the five choices given is. Practice now
Grid-ins, or student-produced response questions, requires you to solve a problem and enter your answer. Practice now

Writing Skills

The multiple-choice questions on writing skills measure your ability to express ideas effectively in standard-written English, to recognize faults in usage and structure, and to use language with sensitivity to meaning.
Identifying Sentence Errors questions test your knowledge of grammar, usage, word choice, and idiom. You are required to find errors in sentences or indicate that there is no error. Practice now
Improving Sentences questions ask you to choose the best, most effective form of an underlined portion of a given sentence. Practice now
Improving Paragraphs questions require you to make choices about improving the logic, coherence, or organization in a flawed passage. Practice now
Additional Information concerning the PSAT Exam can be found at www.collegeboard.com.

October: Take the PSAT and attend College Fair

During the last two weeks of October most of the area school districts sponsor a college fair where admission office representatives from various colleges will be able to answer general questions about their school as well provide you with literature about what the college has to offer. Gather as much information as you can while attending this event. Get on as many he college mailing lists as you can.

November-December: Review your PSAT Scores

Once you receive your scores review them and identify areas of weakness that you need to address/concentrate on in preparing for taking the SAT in May. Following the receipt of your scores sit with your guidance counselor and get the necessary information for signing up for the May SAT and sign up early so you can get your study guide for that test ASAP!

January-May: Prepare for the SAT and plan to college visits.

Visit www.collegeboard.com for study guides and practice tests.

A. Make time to prepare for the exam. In January and February find 1-2 hours each week to focus on Increasing Vocabulary; Make 3 x 5 flash cards; buy a pocket dictionary; Increase reading of news articles and editorials. For example, spend time reading Time Magazine cover to cover and the Express-News Editorial Page, this will help improve vocabulary and aid in skill development for writing.

B. March-April, 8-10 weeks prior to test: Increase time review time to 2-4 hrs each week. Focus on writing skills. Know how to form paragraphs, proper structure of sentences, use of correct grammar and punctuation. Take an SAT Prep Course if possible. Utilize SAT study guides.

C. March: Spring Break-Plan a family trip to visit a few colleges you have an interest in. This is a great time for parents and students to get a feeling of a college campus. The vast majority of colleges offer tours year-round. Contact the school in advance about getting a tour of the school.

D. January-May: Research potential colleges. Start completing prospective student athlete forms online or mail them to the school as soon as possible.

May:

A. Study for Semester / Final Exams

B. Take the SAT and report your scores to colleges of interest.

C. Enroll in NCAA Clearinghouses
Enroll in the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse and the NCAA Amateurism Certification Clearinghouse (required for fall 2006). Your school will be required to submit official transcripts to the Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse. Please follow-up with your counselors immediately following the last day of school to make sure transcripts are sent.

June - August:

A. Find a summer job or internship/volunteer in a potential major field. Log as many community service hours as you can during the summer. This will become more important when applying to colleges and for scholarships.

B. Summer Training: Most Division I colleges will be looking to make decisions on whether to recruit you off the results after your junior year. If you are considered one of their top prospects the college coaches’ goal will be to sign you in November.

C. Narrowing the field and visiting schools: From October-June you should start receiving mail from the various colleges. When mail arrives begin sorting the information into: Colleges of High Interest, Colleges of Moderate Interest, and Colleges of Little Interest. Summer is great time to make visiting colleges a family vacation. However, try not to plan long trips away from tournaments since most colleges coaches are looking at your performance as an indicator for recruiting. Try to narrow your schools of interest down to 10-12 schools and if possible try to visit about half of them during the summer.

Senior Year

August – September:

A. Plan on retaking the SAT exam in November and adding the ACT exam in either November or February.

B. Review your previous test scores and work on areas that needed improvement.

September - October: College Matching

A. Compare your test scores, GPA, and class rank with the colleges of high interest acceptance rates.

B. Second look at your athletic performance/best times and do they mesh with needs of a college program.

C. Review for the SAT and ACT exams.

D. Conduct scholarship and financial aid searches.

E. Take Recruiting Trips

F. Complete early decision application: Some colleges programs will ask you to apply early decision meaning if you apply early decision and are accepted you are committing yourself to attending that school the following year.

October-December:

A. Complete college applications.

B. Recruiting trip.

C. November: Early signing period NCAA Div I athletic programs.

D. Begin applying for scholarships and grants

E. Parents start getting data for Federal Tax Return ready in order to apply for FAFSA program. FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

You must fill out the FAFSA form in order to apply for federal and state student assistance. Many colleges and universities, especially public institutions, also require the FAFSA. The www.finaid.org website section on the FAFSA contains a database of the Title IV School Codes needed to complete the form as well as instructions and tips for filling it out. The section also links to a variety of government sites related to the FAFSA, such as FAFSA Express (a PC version of the form) and FAFSA on the Web (an interactive online version of the form).

January-February:

A. Complete and apply for scholarships

B. Parents submit and apply for FAFSA program.

C. Last of Recruiting Trips.

D. Take ACT exam if not taken in November.

Late February-Early April:

A. Receive acceptance, rejection, and waiting list letters from colleges.

B. Receive Financial Aid information from FAFSA and package offers from colleges.

C. Make a decision on which college to attend.

D. Apply for campus related scholarships and student loans if necessary.

May-June:

A. High School Graduation - Congratulations!