Things I Hear College Coaches Say

Recruiting is a tough business. Because of the limited time they have to make a decision, college coaches have to form impressions of kids pretty quickly. They may only get to see a pitcher, or player, a couple of times in games or at camps. Since they have to move quickly, they try to make judgements based on more than just performance in a game. You might be surprised at some of the things that shape their opinions.

With that in mind, we thought you might want to know some of the things we have overheard over the years. First, the negatives:
-She looked okay, but I would like to see how she does against better competition. (They absolutely have to know how you do against kids who will be playing at their level)
-She loses her composure easily when the calls aren’t going her way. (Frustration is not a quality that colleges need)
-She doesn’t look to be in very good shape. (This is not a weight issue, but strength and athleticism.)
-She has a great bat. (Sometimes they take a chance on a kid that can hit because she will find a place in the lineup, but not necessarily as a pitcher.)
-She doesn’t make adjustments well on the mound. (Teams will constantly adjust to her. A one dimensional pitcher has little chance of success.)
-She does not have great mound presence. (Both teams feed off the pitcher’s emotions in a game.)
-She does not make good grades. (We can’t take a chance by offering a precious scholarship to someone who may let us down academically.)
-She does have great body awareness. (In a camp setting, this is something they assess. We see so many kids who have no idea how to make changes.)
-I saw her roll her eyes at her father after the game. (This can indicate several things they do not want to have on their team.)
-She got behind in the count a lot. (Very frightening at the college level, so they notice.)
-If she gave up a homerun everything went downhill. (It will happen, so how does she recover?)
-I checked her Facebook page and did not like what I saw there. (Do we really need to explain?)
Then, there are the positives that seem to create interest among coaches. Here are some of the things we hear that impress them:
-She gets a lot of swinging strikes.
-She competes with tenacity.
-Her best pitch wasn’t working or getting called for a strike, so she found another way to win.
-She gave up a homerun and it just made her more determined.
-She carries herself so well, is so mature, and looks you in the eye when talking with you.
-She knows what she wants.
-She is a 4.0 student.
-She wants the ball in tough situations.
-She will find a way to win.
-Who else is recruiting her? (This seems like a strange question, but college are so unsure. Very few recruits live up to expectations, so they are looking for any indication this kid may be worth it)
This is not the complete list, but helps you to be aware of some of the thought processes. Every college coach has been burned several times, and each has at least one kid who became a delightful surprise. Statistics cannot predict that outcome, so they are looking for something special they cannot always identify.