Getting the Attention of College Coaches

9/02/2005

By Erica Beach,

Pitcher for the Arizona Heat

When trying to make yourself known by college coaches, you should definitely think about a few things. One of the most obvious is making sure your grades are where they need to be. If a college coach sees two relatively similar players who are even in skill level, they will almost always go towards the girl with the better grades. It doesn't matter how good you are if you aren't eligible to play when you get to college, so keep those grades up! One thing I think a lot of players don't realize is that when a college coach is at your game, they are looking at more than just what happens between the lines. They see your hustle, attitude, how you work with your teammates, etc... They see if you are pouting on the bench or show attitude to your coach. If you keep a positive attitude, hustle on and off the field EVERY time, and back your teammates up, the coaches will notice that. Make sure to register with the Clearing house (no, not the publisher's clearing house), but the NCAA Clearing house. This is basically a program that makes sure you are cleared (eligible) to play NCAA collegiate athletics. You CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT play in college unless you get cleared, so by your sophomore year, you should definitely talk to your advisor or counselor and get the information. This is one more step that can get you on your way to playing ball for a college program. Other than that, keep working hard on your skills, play many positions (coaches like to have options), and set your sights high because if you dream it you can be it!