Everyone is thinking about recruiting. Colorado has become the hub of all things softball for a couple of weeks each year because so many players and parents are hoping to be seen by college coaches. Skippers come out in great numbers to evaluate and find the players who will make up their future rosters.
Over the years, I’ve done dozens of recruiting seminars and have tried to share some of what I have learned with softball players and their families as they embark on this process.
There are many things that I hope these players and families will take away from these sessions but none is more important that what I call the “14 Commandments.”
What are the Commandments supposed to accomplish? To help the next wave of potential softball players avoid the same mistakes others have made.
#9. Walks don’t show coaches very much.
When Sammy Sosa was at the height of his steroid-fueled fame, an ESPN reporter asked him,”Why are you so aggressive at the plate?” and Sosa answered, “You don’t walk off the island!”
How does that relate to recruiting? Just like players in the Dominican Republic who have to hit to get signed, no one gets a softball scholarship because they have a great eye. That doesn’t mean that a player should swing at everything, but you need to hit to get noticed.
College coaches will tell you that they love aggressive hitters. College pitchers are so much better now. So coaches know that a player who can’t hit, can’t play at the college level. Period.
About the Author: Tory Acheson brings a wealth of knowledge to the Fastpitch Prep staff. He has coached at all levels of the game, including the last 25 years at the college level at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State. He began his coaching career at the high school level spending 9 years Whitnall High School in Greenfield, Wis. and is now working as a professional softball instructor.
