Northeast Baseball Coaches Pledge to our Players and Getting them to the Next Level:
There will not be a coaching staff that knows more about recruiting than the Northeast Staff
There won't be a staff that recruits harder for their baseball players.
Northeast will be known as a school that gets their baseball players to the next level.
We will prepare our players for college or professional baseball
We will create resources to help you achieve your goals.
We have connections all over the country at every level of College Baseball and beyond.
There will not be a coaching staff that knows more about recruiting than the Northeast Staff
There won't be a staff that recruits harder for their baseball players.
Northeast will be known as a school that gets their baseball players to the next level.
We will prepare our players for college or professional baseball
We will create resources to help you achieve your goals.
We have connections all over the country at every level of College Baseball and beyond.
YouTube Page: Videos of Northeast Players looking to play at the next level.
Northeast Baseball FieldLevel Page: Tool used to contact college coaches.
The Recruiting Process and some tips
Tips for Players and Parents!! There isn't a coach out there that knows you better than your High School and Legion Coach. Use them as a resource and WE will work for you, together we are here to make your dreams come true. BUT IT TAKES WORK.
Start the year and your high school career off on the right foot by performing in the classroom. Take pride in your grades, just as you do your play on the field.
Athletically, start playing and keep at it. If you play multiple sports and enjoy them, continue to play. Do not believe the narrative that you have to specialize early to have a chance to play in college. Coaches love to see and recruit competitors and well-rounded athletes, and it’s never considered a bad thing to be playing multiple sports. At our camps, college baseball coaches continually tell us that they love to recruit well-rounded athletes – continue to be one.
Regardless of what team you are playing on (freshman, junior varsity, or varsity), look for opportunities to play and help your team however you can. If you’ve only ever played shortstop and you are presented with an opportunity to play outfield, take it! Prove that you are a dynamic and versatile player with a team-first attitude – you never know when this versatility will come in handy down the road.
Fill out questionnaires for the colleges you are interested in attending. This can help you put your name in their system. If you’re especially interested in a school or coach, email or call them letting them know of your interest. Understand that Division I coaches cannot email or call you back per NCAA rules, but they can answer your call, and it doesn’t hurt to express your early interest. (PRO TIP: College coaches cannot return your calls or emails until July 1st after your junior year – so if you don’t hear back, they’re not ignoring you, they just can’t contact you directly.)
Summer: Play!
Sophomore:
This is a good opportunity to start looking at what types of schools are potential academic fits for you. In your initial scan, cast a broad net and keep an open mind as to what types of schools you are interested in, both academically and athletically. Above all else, continue to work hard in the classroom and challenge yourself in subjects that you’re passionate about with honors and AP classes if they’re the right fit.
Again, if you play and enjoy multiple sports, continue to play them. There may be people on your high school or travel teams who are starting to verbally commit to play at certain colleges. If this is you, congratulations. If this is not you, you are notbeing lost in the process, and are not “late”. The most important step is finding the right college fit, not being the first person to commit – academic, social, and athletic fit is imperative. Many of you will be playing on travel teams – take care of your body (know when you need a break – you will not do yourself any favors by playing through injury). Fill out recruiting questionnaires for colleges that interest you so that you’re on their radar and in their system.
Create a two minute video of yourself training. Post this video on YouTube (PRO TIP: use your name in your username – it’s easier for coaches to remember if it’s as close as possible to your name) and send the link to college coaches and programs that interest you. Write a short note introducing yourself, provide the link and thank them for their time. Coaches watch these videos that come pouring in and many will watch the entire thing if done right. It should not be longer than 3-4 minutes.
Video outline:
Play with your Legion team, and start thinking about finding showcases where you’ll have access to the schools in which you’re interested. This is an important summer to continue to improve as a player and also start gaining exposure to college coaches.
Junior:
Junior year is often seen as the toughest year of high school from an academic perspective, and a time when it all seems to come to a head. Traditionally, it’s the time for more advanced classes, more standardized tests, more pressure in the looming college process – and less sleep. You may be involved in leadership roles in some of your extracurricular activities – it’s important to remember that these take time, and to dedicate your time to those leadership positions that you’re most passionate about. It’s more important to be fully engaged in fewer activities than have less significant roles and spread yourself too thin. It’s tough to achieve your best – on the field or in the classroom – if you’re trying to focus on 100 things, and the benefit of healthy sleep can’t be overstated.
This is also the year that you’ll probably start the college visits. In advance of these visits, reach out to the coaches to let them know that you’ll be on campus and to see if they have a window to sit down to talk about the program. This is a great opportunity to get a feel for the program, introduce yourself to the coach and demonstrate your strong interest in the program. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (the sooner in your junior year the better). All potential Division I and II athletes must register to determine academic eligibility and qualify to play at these levels. You’ll also need to send your SAT and ACT scores to the NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center directly.
Summer –
Keep playing! This summer is another important one to develop as a player and continue to gain exposure to college coaches. Your recruiting footprint includes playing, showcasing and also proactive outreach to coaches that are on your narrowing list of schools. Update your video (guidelines above) and send out.
Senior:
You’ll be working through the final process for narrowing your school list, applying and writing college essays. This is also when you may be taking official visits to schools that are fits on every level, from academics to athletics and campus culture. If you’re receiving athletic aid to play at the Division I level, you’ll be signing your National Letter of Intent in November. By winter, your applications are in!
Enjoy your last high school season. It’s important to continue to challenge yourself in the classroom and to develop your game on the field. Finish strong – always go hard through the bag.
Summer –
This is the time to PLAY and enjoy doing it! This could be your last season of ball with your Legion team. Relish the tournaments and overnights. Enjoy the hours at the field. Capitalize on the 1000th ground ball rep in the infield. Regardless of the outcome of each game or tournament, enjoy the teammates you’re with, value the opponents you play against. Remember to thank your family, coaches and everyone who helped you along the way.
Tips for Players and Parents!! There isn't a coach out there that knows you better than your High School and Legion Coach. Use them as a resource and WE will work for you, together we are here to make your dreams come true. BUT IT TAKES WORK.
- Keep an open mind. There may be a school that you meet at a showcase in August before your senior year that ends up being the perfect fit – and it might not be “the school” where you envisioned playing. It’s crucial to have goals and an idea of what you’re looking for, but it’s also important to keep in mind that these can develop, grow and change as you go through the process.
- Enjoy the process. Appreciate every opportunity that you have with a uniform on your back.
- Find the school that is the best fit. This fit will heavily impact your academic and social experience – with or without athletics in the picture. These four years will be transformative and great, and the process should reflect that with a thoughtful and thorough approach. Coaches may move and take new jobs, athletic careers may come to an end due to injury, but if you choose the school that is the best all-around fit for you, you will be in a great position to have a meaningful college experience. Ultimately, you’ll walk away with a degree that will set you up for a successful next step in the journey.
Start the year and your high school career off on the right foot by performing in the classroom. Take pride in your grades, just as you do your play on the field.
Athletically, start playing and keep at it. If you play multiple sports and enjoy them, continue to play. Do not believe the narrative that you have to specialize early to have a chance to play in college. Coaches love to see and recruit competitors and well-rounded athletes, and it’s never considered a bad thing to be playing multiple sports. At our camps, college baseball coaches continually tell us that they love to recruit well-rounded athletes – continue to be one.
Regardless of what team you are playing on (freshman, junior varsity, or varsity), look for opportunities to play and help your team however you can. If you’ve only ever played shortstop and you are presented with an opportunity to play outfield, take it! Prove that you are a dynamic and versatile player with a team-first attitude – you never know when this versatility will come in handy down the road.
Fill out questionnaires for the colleges you are interested in attending. This can help you put your name in their system. If you’re especially interested in a school or coach, email or call them letting them know of your interest. Understand that Division I coaches cannot email or call you back per NCAA rules, but they can answer your call, and it doesn’t hurt to express your early interest. (PRO TIP: College coaches cannot return your calls or emails until July 1st after your junior year – so if you don’t hear back, they’re not ignoring you, they just can’t contact you directly.)
Summer: Play!
Sophomore:
This is a good opportunity to start looking at what types of schools are potential academic fits for you. In your initial scan, cast a broad net and keep an open mind as to what types of schools you are interested in, both academically and athletically. Above all else, continue to work hard in the classroom and challenge yourself in subjects that you’re passionate about with honors and AP classes if they’re the right fit.
Again, if you play and enjoy multiple sports, continue to play them. There may be people on your high school or travel teams who are starting to verbally commit to play at certain colleges. If this is you, congratulations. If this is not you, you are notbeing lost in the process, and are not “late”. The most important step is finding the right college fit, not being the first person to commit – academic, social, and athletic fit is imperative. Many of you will be playing on travel teams – take care of your body (know when you need a break – you will not do yourself any favors by playing through injury). Fill out recruiting questionnaires for colleges that interest you so that you’re on their radar and in their system.
Create a two minute video of yourself training. Post this video on YouTube (PRO TIP: use your name in your username – it’s easier for coaches to remember if it’s as close as possible to your name) and send the link to college coaches and programs that interest you. Write a short note introducing yourself, provide the link and thank them for their time. Coaches watch these videos that come pouring in and many will watch the entire thing if done right. It should not be longer than 3-4 minutes.
Video outline:
- Say your name, age and school in front of the camera. Speak clearly, look the camera in the eye and show the viewer that you are comfortable and confident.
- Hitter: 15 swings in the cage (10 from open camera angle, 3 from behind hitter and two from behind the screen).
- Infielder: 12 groundballs – 4 at you, 3 backhand, 3 forehand and 2 slow rollers. Combination of throwing to 1B and “turning two.” For first basemen, combination of throwing to 2B, throwing home and one or two throws across the diamond to 3B.
- Outfielder: 5 fly balls (get behind the ball, throw to 2B and home) and 4 groundballs (2 at you, 1 forehand/spin, 1 backhand) with throws.
- Catcher: Have someone video you from the front while receiving 5 balls from a bullpen session. Make 5 throws to 2B (two with camera right behind catcher, 3 with camera zoomed in on catcher and behind 2B so viewer can time the throw). Block 3 balls in the dirt and make 2 throws to 2B and 1 to 3B. This should all be done on regulation bases.
- Pitchers: Capture 20 pitch bullpen. Throw 5 of each of your pitches, indicating before each one which pitch is coming. Camera should be behind pitcher, offset to arm side for 15. Five should come from behind catcher/backstop.
- Include your email, graduation year and name on-screen at the end of the video.
Play with your Legion team, and start thinking about finding showcases where you’ll have access to the schools in which you’re interested. This is an important summer to continue to improve as a player and also start gaining exposure to college coaches.
Junior:
Junior year is often seen as the toughest year of high school from an academic perspective, and a time when it all seems to come to a head. Traditionally, it’s the time for more advanced classes, more standardized tests, more pressure in the looming college process – and less sleep. You may be involved in leadership roles in some of your extracurricular activities – it’s important to remember that these take time, and to dedicate your time to those leadership positions that you’re most passionate about. It’s more important to be fully engaged in fewer activities than have less significant roles and spread yourself too thin. It’s tough to achieve your best – on the field or in the classroom – if you’re trying to focus on 100 things, and the benefit of healthy sleep can’t be overstated.
This is also the year that you’ll probably start the college visits. In advance of these visits, reach out to the coaches to let them know that you’ll be on campus and to see if they have a window to sit down to talk about the program. This is a great opportunity to get a feel for the program, introduce yourself to the coach and demonstrate your strong interest in the program. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (the sooner in your junior year the better). All potential Division I and II athletes must register to determine academic eligibility and qualify to play at these levels. You’ll also need to send your SAT and ACT scores to the NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center directly.
Summer –
Keep playing! This summer is another important one to develop as a player and continue to gain exposure to college coaches. Your recruiting footprint includes playing, showcasing and also proactive outreach to coaches that are on your narrowing list of schools. Update your video (guidelines above) and send out.
Senior:
You’ll be working through the final process for narrowing your school list, applying and writing college essays. This is also when you may be taking official visits to schools that are fits on every level, from academics to athletics and campus culture. If you’re receiving athletic aid to play at the Division I level, you’ll be signing your National Letter of Intent in November. By winter, your applications are in!
Enjoy your last high school season. It’s important to continue to challenge yourself in the classroom and to develop your game on the field. Finish strong – always go hard through the bag.
Summer –
This is the time to PLAY and enjoy doing it! This could be your last season of ball with your Legion team. Relish the tournaments and overnights. Enjoy the hours at the field. Capitalize on the 1000th ground ball rep in the infield. Regardless of the outcome of each game or tournament, enjoy the teammates you’re with, value the opponents you play against. Remember to thank your family, coaches and everyone who helped you along the way.
Preparing a good Email to a College Coach
Constructing a quality introductory email to a college coach is one of the most important steps in the recruiting process for any high school player looking to play at the next level. College coaches’ email inboxes are flooded with interest from recruits each day, so if you want your email to have any chance of being read, you have to do everything right. This starts with contacting coaches at the appropriate time in your development and recruitment.
The goal of an introductory email is to captivate the interest of the coach or coaching staff so they want to follow up and evaluate you as a potential fit for their program. As such, contacting coaches before you have the skill set they are looking for will not get you very far. It’s also important to keep in mind that there are restrictions on when coaches at certain levels can email recruits back. At the D1 level, coaches cannot email recruits before September 1st of their junior year, even if it’s in response to interest initiated by the high school player. That’s why including your coach’s contact information is very important. You can find communication restrictions for all levels of college baseball here.
A quality introductory email needs to come from YOU, the player. Don’t rely on your high school coach, summer coach, or parents to make contact with schools for you. Set up your own recruiting email (first and last name with graduation year works great) and use it for all your recruiting communications. Reaching out to coaches yourself shows a level of maturity and commitment that coaches look for and value. In our most recent college coaches survey, we asked 24 coaches across every level of college baseball how they like to be contacted by a recruit for the first time and 23 of the 24 said a short email. Of those same 24 coaches, every single one said they want the recruit to be the main communicator throughout the recruiting process.
The key to having your introductory email read is to make it easy for the coaches to get the information they need to evaluate you as a potential fit for their program. Send the email to the school’s head coach and CC the assistant coaches. Tell them what they want to hear and don’t waste their time with unnecessary information. Don’t talk about players or teams you have defeated in the past or current college players who you believe you could outperform. The coaches don’t need information about your training and workout programs. Think of your introductory email as an initial inquiry about a job you really want. Keep the email simple. Show them why you are qualified for the team, give them the information to measure your qualifications, and explain in one or two sentences why that particular program is a fit for you. This personalization is key. Generic emails without coach or school names and mass emails sent to a bunch of coaches at once go straight to the junk bin. Failure to personalize your email is a sign of laziness and shows a lack of serious interest.
Most college coaches don’t care about seeing your stats in an introductory email, so save the time and space. You absolutely will want to include a link to a skills video, and here’s why you need one. Coaches prefer video links over attachments, and if your video requires a password to view, coaches won’t watch it. We discuss at length what to include in your pitching skills video or position player skill video, and you’ll want to make sure you put your most valuable skills first in the video. If you are known for your bat, put hitting first in your video. If you have a power arm, show it off first. You’ll have 10-15 seconds to capture a coach’s interest and get him to watch more from the time he starts watching it, so don’t waste any time. You’ll also want to include information about how and when coaches can see you. Understand that coaches have busy schedules during your high school season. Share information about any tournaments and showcases where you’ll be playing during the summer. This will give the coaches a better idea about how to get a look at you.
Finally, it’s okay to keep in contact with the coaches in order to keep your name in their minds. Email them every month or two, just to let them know how you’ve been doing. If a coach has been responsive, you may communicate with them more. All it takes is a quick note saying, “Hey coach, I’m throwing tomorrow at XYZ High School. I’ll let you know how it goes” or “Hey coach, I went 5-12 this week with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base.” Keep these emails short, simple, and modest.
Below is a list of everything you should include in your introductory email and a sample email. Take your time, read your email over more than once, and get it done right:
What to Include in an Intro Email:
· Name
· Graduation year and position
· Personal contact information (cell #, they’ll have your email once you contact them)
· High School and high school coach’s contact information (email and cell #)
· Travel/club team and coach’s contact information (email and cell #)
· Academic information (GPA and SAT/ACT score)
· Specific reason why you are interested in the school (no more than 1 or 2 sentences)
· Whether or not you have filled out the school’s questionnaire online (make sure you fill it out in advance)
· Future games schedule
· Any other details they should know (If you have previously attended the school’s camp or met the coaches)
- Include link to YouTube and FieldLevel Page that LNE puts together for you.
Sample Introductory Email:
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: Johnny Appleseed 2019 P/SS
Coach Reed,
My name is Johnny Appleseed. I am a junior at City High School. I am a pitcher and shortstop and am very interested in your program because it is a mid-sized D1 school and has the sports management major I am looking for. My coach at CHS is Paul Thompson. His email is [email protected] and his phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I play for the City Bulldogs over the summer and my coach’s name is Steve Jones. His email is [email protected] and his phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. Over the summer, I will be playing in the North Tournament July 22-30. I will also be coming to your camp on August 10. I have filled out your online questionnaire and included more information there, including my stats from last year and summer ball. My GPA is 3.02 and my SAT score was 1820. I have attached a copy of my academic transcript and my future games schedule. Here is the link to my short skills video . Thank you very much for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Johnny Appleseed
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Constructing a quality introductory email to a college coach is one of the most important steps in the recruiting process for any high school player looking to play at the next level. College coaches’ email inboxes are flooded with interest from recruits each day, so if you want your email to have any chance of being read, you have to do everything right. This starts with contacting coaches at the appropriate time in your development and recruitment.
The goal of an introductory email is to captivate the interest of the coach or coaching staff so they want to follow up and evaluate you as a potential fit for their program. As such, contacting coaches before you have the skill set they are looking for will not get you very far. It’s also important to keep in mind that there are restrictions on when coaches at certain levels can email recruits back. At the D1 level, coaches cannot email recruits before September 1st of their junior year, even if it’s in response to interest initiated by the high school player. That’s why including your coach’s contact information is very important. You can find communication restrictions for all levels of college baseball here.
A quality introductory email needs to come from YOU, the player. Don’t rely on your high school coach, summer coach, or parents to make contact with schools for you. Set up your own recruiting email (first and last name with graduation year works great) and use it for all your recruiting communications. Reaching out to coaches yourself shows a level of maturity and commitment that coaches look for and value. In our most recent college coaches survey, we asked 24 coaches across every level of college baseball how they like to be contacted by a recruit for the first time and 23 of the 24 said a short email. Of those same 24 coaches, every single one said they want the recruit to be the main communicator throughout the recruiting process.
The key to having your introductory email read is to make it easy for the coaches to get the information they need to evaluate you as a potential fit for their program. Send the email to the school’s head coach and CC the assistant coaches. Tell them what they want to hear and don’t waste their time with unnecessary information. Don’t talk about players or teams you have defeated in the past or current college players who you believe you could outperform. The coaches don’t need information about your training and workout programs. Think of your introductory email as an initial inquiry about a job you really want. Keep the email simple. Show them why you are qualified for the team, give them the information to measure your qualifications, and explain in one or two sentences why that particular program is a fit for you. This personalization is key. Generic emails without coach or school names and mass emails sent to a bunch of coaches at once go straight to the junk bin. Failure to personalize your email is a sign of laziness and shows a lack of serious interest.
Most college coaches don’t care about seeing your stats in an introductory email, so save the time and space. You absolutely will want to include a link to a skills video, and here’s why you need one. Coaches prefer video links over attachments, and if your video requires a password to view, coaches won’t watch it. We discuss at length what to include in your pitching skills video or position player skill video, and you’ll want to make sure you put your most valuable skills first in the video. If you are known for your bat, put hitting first in your video. If you have a power arm, show it off first. You’ll have 10-15 seconds to capture a coach’s interest and get him to watch more from the time he starts watching it, so don’t waste any time. You’ll also want to include information about how and when coaches can see you. Understand that coaches have busy schedules during your high school season. Share information about any tournaments and showcases where you’ll be playing during the summer. This will give the coaches a better idea about how to get a look at you.
Finally, it’s okay to keep in contact with the coaches in order to keep your name in their minds. Email them every month or two, just to let them know how you’ve been doing. If a coach has been responsive, you may communicate with them more. All it takes is a quick note saying, “Hey coach, I’m throwing tomorrow at XYZ High School. I’ll let you know how it goes” or “Hey coach, I went 5-12 this week with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a stolen base.” Keep these emails short, simple, and modest.
Below is a list of everything you should include in your introductory email and a sample email. Take your time, read your email over more than once, and get it done right:
What to Include in an Intro Email:
· Name
· Graduation year and position
· Personal contact information (cell #, they’ll have your email once you contact them)
· High School and high school coach’s contact information (email and cell #)
· Travel/club team and coach’s contact information (email and cell #)
· Academic information (GPA and SAT/ACT score)
· Specific reason why you are interested in the school (no more than 1 or 2 sentences)
· Whether or not you have filled out the school’s questionnaire online (make sure you fill it out in advance)
· Future games schedule
· Any other details they should know (If you have previously attended the school’s camp or met the coaches)
- Include link to YouTube and FieldLevel Page that LNE puts together for you.
Sample Introductory Email:
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Subject: Johnny Appleseed 2019 P/SS
Coach Reed,
My name is Johnny Appleseed. I am a junior at City High School. I am a pitcher and shortstop and am very interested in your program because it is a mid-sized D1 school and has the sports management major I am looking for. My coach at CHS is Paul Thompson. His email is [email protected] and his phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. I play for the City Bulldogs over the summer and my coach’s name is Steve Jones. His email is [email protected] and his phone number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. Over the summer, I will be playing in the North Tournament July 22-30. I will also be coming to your camp on August 10. I have filled out your online questionnaire and included more information there, including my stats from last year and summer ball. My GPA is 3.02 and my SAT score was 1820. I have attached a copy of my academic transcript and my future games schedule. Here is the link to my short skills video . Thank you very much for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Johnny Appleseed
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX