How to Land a Baseball Scholarship

Every baseball athlete wants to know how they can land a scholarship that will enable them to continue to play the game they love in college. Of course, Mom and Dad are also hoping to find some money to help them pay for the rising costs of a college education. The problem with baseball scholarships is that there are so few available. Even if you are talented enough to play at the college level, there is no guarantee of landing a scholarship. Before getting started you should at least have a basic understanding of what scholarships are available. Division I and Division II each get 11.7 scholarships. I know that sounds kind of strange but that is the number. You can understand why baseball scholarships are difficult to get when many schools will carry 30 to 40 players on their roster. If you were hoping to get a 100% offer then I would suggest you master the ability to throw a 94 mph fastball. Pitchers, on average, will get the highest scholarships. NAIA has 12 scholarships available. However, there is a kicker. Many schools, if not most, do not fully fund their scholarships. Some do not fund them at all and others may only fund 3 - 6 scholarships. Division III is unable to offer athletic scholarships in any sport. This article will attempt to give you a good overview of what you will need to do to land the ever elusive baseball scholarship.

Be honest with yourself. I believe the first step toward achieving a baseball scholarship is to have a good appraisal of your skills and your attributes. Be realistic. Most Division I schools are looking not only for talent but for size. My son is only 5'10" and I cannot tell you how many times that alone has caused a scout/recruiter to overlook him. We have seen college coaches drool over guys that are 6'4" even though they possess less talent than someone else at the same showcase. So if you are 6'1" or better you can find yourself in a good position. This is not to say that you cannot play or even get money at a Division I school if you are shorter; it just puts you at a disadvantage.

Have an appropriate appraisal of your skill level. Most athletes that I know believe they are Division I athletes. In reality very few are. How do stack up to other players in your area? Do you possess the skill and attributes necessary to play Division I? Get a realistic evaluation of your talent at a local showcase so that you know what those in the know are thinking. And don't shut the door to Division II, Division III or NAIA schools.

Give tremendous effort at all times, even during practice. Make sure you practice hard and that you know the game well. Pay attention to what is happening on the field instead of joking around in the dugout. What does the opposing pitcher throw in particular counts? How are the outfielders playing your batters? How does the third baseman react on bunt attempts? Coaches are always looking for hard working and smart ballplayers. It may be the factor that gives you an edge over another player that is being looked at. Another reason to give maximum effort every time you step on the field is because you never know who is watching. Often a coach will show up unannounced or may be there to watch a player on the opposing team. You always have the potential to be seen. Run hard to first for every at-bat. Most coaches will want to get a home to first time on you. If you got it like a prima-dona you will turn them off and not allows them to get an accurate time. Never give up on a ball in the field either. You never know what you may be able to get to. Coaches are impressed by effort. Go hard or go home.

Attend a few local showcases. I am not a big fan of showcases. In great part they are nothing more than moneymakers for the organization running them. Obviously, they are in business to make money and I do not begrudge them that right but many showcases are not worth the money that you pay for them. Some of the major showcases, such as Perfect Game and Area Code, are the real deal. If you get invited to these then definitely go. Despite my previous comments, everyone should attend a few showcases. It will enable you to see how you stack up other players n your area. If there are a number of scouts at the showcase, it will also enable you to be seen. But be selective in which ones you attend. Try to determine the reputation of the showcase in your area. Attend the popular one and save your money on the rest.

Play on a well established summer team. Coaches do not come to watch (except on rare occasions) Babe Ruth, Pony League or Legion baseball unless in your area the quality of competition happens to be quite high. I know this may be sore point for some readers of this article. I am aware that players who only played Babe Ruth baseball get scholarships but they are few and far between. My son played with such a player in high school. He ended up getting a large scholarships offer from a major Division I power. However he was so insanely talented that if he had played on a sandlot in Nome, Alaska they would have found him. If your are that talented then you can stop reading this article. But my guess is that the reason you are reading this is because you are a mere mortal like the rest of us. Make sure that you are on a team that allows you to play the best competition available in the summer. Why is this so important? Not only is it important because it makes you a better player but it is important because this is when the average college coach has a chance to get out and see you. They are coaching during your high school season so they will be unable to make many of your games. However, they are active during the summer. Some of the best places to play in the summer are in showcase tournaments held on college campuses. You can rest assured that there will be many coaches in attendance and it gives you a good feel for what the college facilities are like.

Make a video of yourself and send it to coaches. Since many coaches are unable to make it out to your games during the high school season they are big fans of video. Video a number of your live game at-bats or a few innings that you pitch. Add to this a session in the batting cage and some video of you fielding ground balls or fly balls and send it off to the schools you have an interest in. Make sure that they know the video is coming. In other words, you should have been in contact with them before you send a video out of the blue. Read the next step to find out how to contact them.

Contact a coach directly. Once you have created a list of schools that you would like to possibly play baseball for, you should contact the coach. As an aside, please narrow the list down to those schools who offer your intended major. Remember that education is the most important thing. Baseball is a tool to help pay for college; it is not the only reason that you are going to college. The first point of contact should be the recruiting form on the website of the baseball team. But don't stop at this. Track down the coaches email address and send him a follow-up email. Let him know a little about you as a player, what your intended major will be and why you would like to be considered for his baseball program. You may get contacted by some smaller schools by merely filling out their online recruiting questionnaire but many larger schools will never respond. They have too many contacts as it is to chase down every individual who thinks they have the ability to play for them. However, if you contact them directly by email, most ofter they will at least respond. If they do respond, you have opened up the door to communication with them.

Attend prospect camps at colleges of your choice. These can be a very positive experience. Most colleges run baseball camps for high school prospects in the fall of each year or over Christmas break. They use them to raise money for their baseball program and to give them a close look at players in their area. The cost usually runs somewhere between $100 and $200. These camps offer you the opportunity to show your talent to the coach of your choice. But make sure that they know you are coming. Contact the coach and introduce yourself to him prior to going to the camp. Let him know that you would possibly like to play for him. If he knows you are coming, he will be more likely to make sure to keep an eye on you. Many times the players actually run the camp. Depending on the size of the camp, the coach may not see everyone. So make sure he knows you will be there.

Ask the coach for a personal workout. By far the most effective method for being seen by a coach is to ask him if you can travel to the college and do a personal workout for him. My son did this with six different universities. At two of the workout he performed very average. If that happens you can cross that college off of the list right away. The other four schools offered him a spot on the team and two of those offered money. The great thing about visits like this are that you have the coach's attention when on the field. Often you get the chance to practice with the team or to even participate in a scrimmage. You have an opportunity to see the baseball facilities and to meet potential future teammates. It also let you know if you will like the coach or not. Often these visits will be coupled with a tour of the university which will give you a good feel for life on campus.

Pay attention to your studies. Coaches love good students. They are not thrilled with low high school GPAs, ACTs or SATs. A coach does not want to have to worry about whether or not you will be able to stay eligible while in college. If you are only pulling a 2.3 GPA in high school you may not be able to get a 2.0 in college to stay eligible to play. A good student also allows a coach to be flexible with his scholarship money. If you can get academic scholarship money that is less athletic scholarship money that he must use. Get your priorities straight, buckle down and focus on your studies.

Be confident. If you are hoping to land an athletic scholarship then you must have a pretty good talent level. When you get a personal workout or when you have the opportunity to play in front of a coach trust your talent. Tell yourself that you have nothing to prove; you just need to be seen. Recognize your hard work and giftedness, relax, and be yourself. Your talent will show through.

If you apply most of the above steps and you have the talent to play the chances of you getting some money to attend college should be very good. Good luck in your search.