The first thing we need to do is take a look at the hard facts of what you are up against when competing for a NCCA D1 scholarship. You are competing against hundreds of thousands of U.S. senior baseball players as well as hundreds of Canadian baseball players for only a few thousand positions.
The next issue is to look at how many full baseball scholarships are available at each NCAA D1 University. There is a maximum of 11.7 full scholarships available per NCAA D1 baseball team and most team rosters are in excess of 30 players. This article is not intended to dampen your hopes, but to show you exactly what you are up against and that the trail is not going to be easy.
Marketing is the key to success when trying to obtain an athletic scholarship. You must promote yourself as much as possible so you can get your name out and peak the interest of any prospective college recruiter. The following tools should be used to aid in marketing yourself to a prospective college recruiter.
Player Bio Letter
Cover Letter
Personal Information
Statistical Information
Scout References
Coach References
Schedule
College Video
Edited video showing controlled skills
Edited video showing game skills
Personal Information
Statistical Information
E-Mail Summary
Video Clip of your position
Personal Information
Schedule
Short and Sweet
Website
Cover Letter
Personal Information
Statistical Information
Scout References
Coach References
Schedule
Video Clip
Head and Shoulder Picture
Exposure
Enter High Profile Tournaments
Participate in off-season University Camps
Go to professional Try-out Camps
To be accepted into a NCAA University, you must first write the Student Aptitude Test (SAT). The SAT is a three-hour test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning skills students have developed over time and skills they need to be successful in college. Many colleges and universities use the SAT as one indicator among others - class rank, high school GPA, extracurricular activities, personal essay, and teacher recommendations - of a student's readiness to do college level work. SAT scores are compared with the scores of other applicants, and the accepted scores at an institution, and can be used as a basis for awarding merit-based financial aid. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800. The SAT is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors. It is administered seven times a year.
The test in London is conducted at Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary School. For more information go to the College Board Website
Next you must register with the Clearinghouse. If you intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman, you must register and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse.
For more information, go to the National Student Clearinghouse Website
How do I decide who to send my letters and videos to? There are a few things that you must ask yourself and consider when sending off your recruiting package:
Does this University offer the degree that I want?
What State do I want to play in?
What is the school tuition?
Do I have the grades to get into this school?
Will I get a legitimate chance to start as a freshman?
NCAA, NAIA, Jr. College or Canadian University?
Make sure that you are educated and prepared. Keep a log book of all the schools that you sent packages, e-mails and videos to and record any time they have called or sent information back to you.