Preparing for College Softball
Recruiting Information
EALITY CHECK
Div I – 262 colleges – 12 full scholarships available
Div II – 253 colleges - 7.2 full scholarships available.
Total # of scholarships available between the 2 divisions = 4965.6.
Div III – offer no athletic scholarships.
* The majority of girls playing softball in college right now are notreceiving
athletic-based aid.”
“Even at the ‘fully funded’ programs meaning Div I and Div II, most players on theteam will receive only partial scholarships andsome may have to make the team as a “ walk-on.”
“Without a doubt, every college-bound softballplayer would love to be offered a full athleticscholarship. Although, the competition for athleticaid is getting tougher each year. In case you arenot fortunate enough to get a scholarship offer, beprepared. Look at all of your financial aidoptions.”
Important References
NCAA GUIDE FOR THE COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE
Available online at or see your guidance counselor at your high school.
THE NATIONAL FASTPITCH COACHES ASSOCIATION
The NFCA is the largest organization of softball coaches in the country. Joining it will provide you with important opportunities and information about softball. For more information, go to:
NCAA Recruiting Timeline
Prior to Junior Year in High School:
You may visit an institution at your expense as many times as you wish. At the beginning of your 9th grade year, this isconsidered an Unofficial Visit. All contacts by a coach with an athlete must be on a collegiate campus. The athlete can call the coach, but the coach cannot return the phone call, email, instant message, and text message or encourage contact of any kind prior to the athlete’s junior year.It is strongly recommended that you register with theNCAA Clearinghouse (see below) and the NCAA AmateurismClearinghouse. It is up to you to update this information every semester!
Junior Year of High School
September 1st:
Recruiting letters, emails, instant messages, text messages andinformation about the athletic program may be sent to prospects.No phone calls can be made unless the junior prospect calls the
coach. The coach is not allowed to return phone call to theprospect until after July 1st.
July 1st After Junior Year:In person, face-to-face contacts can begin - a Division I college
is allowed three total off-campus contacts with a prospectduring her senior year in high school.
One phone call per week can be made by the coach to theprospect; this includes a conversation with anyone at the house.
Senior Year of High School
First Day Classes:
On-campus official visits may begin. You are limited to fiveofficial visits at five different institutions. These are expense paidvisits for the prospect. A coach is allowed unlimited
telephone calls during the five days before an official visit to acampus. Coaches are also allowed unlimited telephone callsduring the day of a home visit.
National Letter of Intent Signing:
Early Signing: Begins the 2nd Wednesday in Nov. of Senior year
Late Signing: Begins the 2nd Wednesday in April of senior year
COLTimeline for College Athletic Scholarships
The key to succeeding is exposure. You must let college coaches know that you are out there, but you must not jeopardize the thousands of dollars of scholarship money by violating the current NCAA rules.
Time Line
Freshman Year
* Get settled in high school. Concentrate on a solid high school Curriculum.
* Talk to your coaches or Athletic Director about local /summer teams.
* Setup a workout schedule allowing comfortable time for academics and sports.
If you think you are interested in attending a college for a sport, send an introduction letter in your freshman year. Send an update at the end of the season, along with your club schedule. Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (it's never too early, but it can be too late). Prepare your athletic resume.
Sophomore Year
* Continue striving for academic success. Research NCAA academic requirements.
* Make sure that you are "on target" for all core requirements.
* Stay active in Summer League Softball and High School Softball.
* Visit your High School career center or counselor’s office and start investigating colleges and their admission requirements.
* During the summer between the sophomore and Junior years, prepare your athletic resume.
* Prepare to send out your initial contact letters with resumes. Include high school and summer softball playing schedules, if available. If schedules are not available, mail a follow-up letter and schedule as soon as they become available, but still send out initial letters.
Update academics with Clearinghouse. Monitor the academic requirementsof the universities you want to attend... Refine and update your resume. Prepare a skills videotape (10-15 minutes inlength of basic skills)
Junior Year
* Send out athletic resumes now, if you have not already done so.
* Register with the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
* Request that ACT/SAT test scores be sent to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
* Keep up with your studies and once again review the NCAA requirements to make sure they have not changed.
* Keep investigating other colleges and send out additional resumes.
* Prepare video tape to be sent when requested.
* Send out update as your season closes. Include your new stats and any special recognition's you may have earned.
* Visit some of the campuses that you are interested in, if you can.
* Try to watch some local college games in you sport, especially if one of the schools you are interested in is playing close by.
* In July, after completion on your junior year, phone contact with college coaches is permissible.Begin heavy contact with the schools you are interested in, even makinga few phone calls (but remember that coaches cannot call you back untilJuly 1 after you complete your junior year). Update your academic informationwith the Clearinghouse. If your top choices of colleges have not pannedout send info to your second and third choices...
Senior Year
* Do not let up on academics
* Review your core requirements with your high school counselor.
* Send out your senior team schedule as soon as possible for high school and club softball.
* Keep college coaches posted on any changes or updates to your team schedules.
* Send out last of resumes, if new interest in other schools.
* Find out Letter of Intent dates for Softball from NCAA.
* Take advantage of, no more than 5, college paid visits, if offered.
* Ask a lot of questions and weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of the schools you are interested in.
* Study hard and play hard, but remember you are a student athlete and the student comes first.If you are being seriously recruited by a school, they will invite you to make an official visit (where travel, room and board is paid during one of their home weekends. Continue phone contact with schools.Some schools ask their top recruits to verbally commit to attending during the spring or summer before their senior year. Most school like to be finished recruiting by the end of the softball season. The thing to remember is that a commitment is not binding until a National Letter of Intent (NLI) and Offer of Financial Aid is signed by the recruit. Recruits may change their mind about a school after they've made a verbal commitment, but not after signing the NLI. If they do not attend the school they sign with or transfer before one year is completed, they will lose at least a year of eligibility. Players must also understand that being brought to campus on an official visit does not constitute an offer of a scholarship. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR SENIOR YEAR TO MAKE FIRST CONTACT OR REGISTER FOR THE CLEARINGHOUSE.
There are so many minor details for students to know about the recruiting process that thousands will never know. Recruiting classes are typically 200-300 players per year. Most recruiting is finished by April each year. Coaches still looking at seniors in the spring may have had some lack of continuity in theirrecruiting (maybe a coach left) or had a player transfer out ofschool in the spring or may be an NAIA school or lower level NCAA program or some other circumstance.