COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT ATHLETE

"Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory."

- Arthur Ashe

High School Schedule | Sample Letter to College | Video Information | FAQ

FAFSA ON THE WEB
(Federal and State's student grants, work-study, and loans)
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

Click Here for the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Web Site

The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse, located in Iowa City, Iowa, is the organization that handles ALL inquiries regarding an individual's initial eligibility status. The Clearinghouse operates a separate Web site at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net which maintains and processes all of the initial-eligibility certifications.

Juniors should register with the clearinghouse before they leave their Junior year. Seniors, if they haven't registered, need to in order to be cleared to play Division 1 or 11 softball.

To register with the Clearinghouse
Fill out the online form at the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Web Site or call the NCAA publications hotline at 800/638-3731

For information on your Clearinghouse status
For questions about whether your transcript, student release form, etc. were received, or about when you will be cleared, call the automated system at 877/861-3003 (toll free in the USA) or 319/339-3003. (You will need your Personal Identification Number [PIN] and Social Security number.)

Contacting the Clearinghouse
If you've misplaced your PIN or need other information contact the Clearinghouse at:

Customer Service: 877/262-1492 (toll free in the USA) or 319/337-1492

24-hour Voice Response: 877/861-3003 (toll free in the USA)

Fax: 319/337-1556

Mail:
Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse
2255 N. Dubuque Road
P.O. Box 4044
Iowa City, IA 52243-4044

Office Hours:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday

Click Here For The College Board

Test-Score Requirements In Divisions I and II
You must achieve the minimum required SAT or ACT score before your first full-time college enrollment. Your test scores must be achieved under national testing conditions on a national testing date [i.e., no residual (campus) testing].

Test-Score Interpretations
All prospective student-athletes, including natives of foreign countries, must achieve the minimum required test score on a national testing date. Foreign prospective student-athletes should contact the appropriate testing agency for more information about registering to take the test on a national testing date.

If you take the SAT, the highest scores achieved on the verbal and math sections of the SAT from two different national testing dates may be combined in determining whether you have met the minimum test-score requirement. [Note: This includes combining converted subscores from the "recentered" and "non-recentered" versions of the SAT.]

If you take the ACT, the highest scores achieved on the individual subtests from more than one national testing date may be combined in determining whether your sum score meets minimum test-score requirements.

Preparing for ACT's

HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior

FRESHMAN:

Get settled in high school.
Concentrate on a solid high school curriculum.

SOPHOMORE:

Continue striving for academic success.
Research NCAA academic requirements.
Make sure that you are "on target" for all course requirements.
During summer between Sophomore and Junior years prepare your athletic resume.
Start investigating colleges and their admission requirements.
Prepare to send out your initial contact letters.

JUNIOR:

Send out athletic letters now, if you have not already done so.
Request the ACT/ACT test scores be sent to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse.
Now is the time for you to join the clearinghouse.
KEEP UP WITH STUDIES and once again review the NCAA requirements.
Send out updates as your season closes.

SENIOR:

Do not let up on academics.
Review your core class requirements with your counselor.
Again, send out your team schedule as soon as possible to all schools you are interested in.
Always play to the best of your ability, and remember you're a "student athlete"...

STUDENT comes first.

SAMPLE LETTER

Date

School
Address

Attn: name of softball coach

Dear Coach (last name)

My name is _________________________ and I am a Junior/Senior at (name of your school, City).

As my high school career comes to a close, I am looking ahead to attending an excellent college and would like to participate in your softball program.

I have completed some preliminary research on your school, but I would like more detailed information on your academic requirements and athletic program.

I am currently playing for the (name of summer team) and will send you a schedule of games when I receive one.

I invite you to view some of the games this season. Also, I am hopeful that we can discuss my participation in your athletic program in the immediate future.

Best regards,

Name
address
phone number

VIDEO INFORMATION

Make a skills tape. Have a parent or coach videotape you in action. It doesn't have to be fancy, or done by a professional.

VIDEOTAPING YOUR SOFTBALL SKILLS
Colleges want to see everything you are capable of doing. If you play several positions, show footage of different skills. Please keep in mind, though that they receive hundreds of videotapes each season and simply don't have time to view excess and unneeded footage. Here are some guidelines as to what they want to see and how many repetitions they would like to see. In what order you perform the skills makes no difference.

It is recommended to use the zoom feature rather than moving in a position you may disturb the fielder or hitter.

The entire tape should only be approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

HITTING:
View from beyond opposite batters box, facing the batter as they are in their stance, close view. Full swings in this segment, if you have full swings from both right and left side, please show both.

BUNTING:
Sac Bunts: View from pitching circle, left and right sides, if applicable.
Bunt for Hit: View from pitching circle, left and right sides, if applicable.
Drag Bunt: View from pitching circle, left and right sides, if applicable.
Slap Bunt: View from beyond opposite batters box, left and right side, if applicable.

THROWING AND CATCHING: (All Positions)
Fielding ground balls, some directly at you, some to your right and left.
Balls to your right and left should be approximately 15 to 20 feet each way.
Show the throw to a base. (Note) Always have an angle to show the throw.
DO NOT follow the ball with the camera.

CATCHERS: (Full Equipment)
Block ball in dirt, some right at you, some to show lateral movement.
Field bunts and throw to all bases.
Pickoff, show throws to 1st and 3rd base.
Steals, show throw to 2nd and 3rd base, with the fielder on the move to cover the base.

CORNERS:
Field bunts, throw to 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases.
At 1st base, taking throws in the dirt.
At 3rd base, taking throws from the outfield, making a tag.

MIDDLE INFIELDERS:

Double play, pivot and footwork.
Double play, feeds.
Shortstop, covering second on a steal.
Second, covering first on a bunt.
Fly balls overhead, Texas Leaguer.

OUTFIELDERS:
Fielding fly balls, some directly at you, some to your right, left and forward. Show the throw to 2B, 3B and home. Right field also show throw to 1B.

PITCHERS:
Two Angles:

From behind pitcher.
From side of the pitcher.

Show 5 to 6 of each pitch you have from each angle.
Fielding grounders and bunts, throwing to all bases.

BASE RUNNING:
Home to first, after you swing.
Home to home, after you swing.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR OUR COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS

I've heard that if you're a good softball player, the college coaches will recruit you. Is that true?

Any college coach or recruiter will tell you that being good doesn't automatically giv a player an edge in being recruited or being offered a scholarship to play college softball. There are thousands of good softball players who go unnoticed and unrecruited every year.

The coach or recruiter first has to know about you to be able to recruit you. In addition to talent, coaches recruit players based on a number of important factors including experience, grades, work ethic, team needs, and the player's ability to adjust to the demands of college softball.

How many players get "full-ride" scholarships?

Very few players get a "full ride" (100% of college costs). It's important for players and parents to know that colleges are allowed to divide scholarships. With an average roster of 18 players per team, there's not enough scholarship money for every player on the team to get a "full ride." Most college teams award half or three-quarter scholarships, in order to stretch their funds as far as possible and still be able to recruit quality players.

Which players get "full rides"?

When available, full-ride scholarships generally go to top-notch pitchers, catchers, and hitters. Prospective college softball players should expect that scholarship offers will range along these lines:

Pitchers, 80-100% of "full-ride"

Catchers, 50-80%

Infielders, 30-70%

Outfielders, 20-50%

Versatility, hitting ability, and team needs can make a player more valuable, and a scholarship offer will be adjusted accordingly.

What are my chances of being awarded a four-year scholarship?

No matter what any player, parent, coach, or recruiter might tell you, there is simply no such thing as a "four-year scholarship" to play softball. Scholarships are awarded on a year-by-year basis only. The name of the game is performance. The best way to insure a "four-year scholarship" is to exceed expectations from each "one-year scholarship" to the next.

Will going to a recruiting camp or tournament guarantee that I'll get recruited?

Just attending a recruiting camp or tournament is no guarantee that you'll be recruited. A college coach might never recruit some of the better players at a recruiting camp, or even get a chance to watch them play.

How can I improve my chances of being recruited at one of these camps?

The best chance any player has of being noticed and possibly being recruited as a result of a recruiting camp is based on two important factors:

Parents and players must do their "homework" and marketing preparation, including letters, "Player Marketing Package" "described in detail in the book), phone calls, e-mails, and so on, to the coaches who are expected to be at the camp.
You must perform up to the expectations while the college coach is looking at you.

Coaches don't just show up at these camps and tournaments looking for players to fill any old position on their rosters. They go to the camp with a list of names of players they want to evaluate, and a list of positions that they need to fill. The players on a coach's list are top-level players who are well known to coaches, players who the coach has seen before and wants to watch again, or players who have contacted them directly. Unless a coach knows about you, chances are that he/she won't be looking at you. The way to get a coach to look at you is, first to tell them that you'll be there, and, secondly, to ask them to take a look at you.

When should I start my scholarship search?

Searching for a scholarship is only part of the college selection process. Your first goal should be to find a school that's a good match for your academic abilities and interests, and to find a team that's a good match for your softball skills. Then you can start thinking seriously about the scholarship search.

NCAA schools can't begin actively recruiting players until their junior year. That doesn't mean, however, that you should wait until your junior year to beging the college selection process or start your marketing efforts. There's nothing wrong with getting a head start on your college selection process in your freshman or sophomore year. It's a simple matter to log on to a college's web site, and find out all the information you need to know. If you start narrowing the field of prospective colleges early in your high school career, you'll be well ahead of the game (and ahead of other players) by the time your junior year rolls around.

California Aces