How To Get Noticed At A College Softball Recruiting Camp

One of the best ways to get seen by the college—or colleges—of your dreams is to attend a softball recruiting camp or clinic on their campus.

Since the spring season is packed with a full slate of games, many of these camps and clinics take place during the fall and winter seasons. They are both great recruiting vehicles and fundraising methods for college softball programs, so coaching staffs often like to have them take place multiple times a year.

See below for tips on how a college softball hopeful can get noticed at an upcoming recruiting camp or clinic.

With dozens of softball players often attending college camps and clinics at a time, it is easy to blend in among the group of attendees. One way to avoid blending in is to wear a shirt with your last name on it to the camp or clinic. Better yet, it is a great idea to wear your full club uniform to the event, and if your jersey does not have your last name on it, get a piece of masking tape, stick it on the back of your jersey, and write your last name on it with a marker. You should make it as easy as possible for a coaching staff to be able to identify you, and having your club team name on the front of your body and your own name on the back of it is the best way to guarantee that you are identifiable.

The way you conduct yourself at a college softball camp or clinic is extremely important, since eyes will be on you at all times. One way to stand out and show a college coaching staff that you could be a good addition to their program is to pick up balls after you complete a station and help carry equipment if the camp or clinic calls for it. This type of behavior reveals one's character and willingness to help others, which can often be a separating factor as you get deeper into the recruiting process.

In addition to the team's coaching staff, the people who often work at college softball camps or clinics are the current players on the team. This reality provides a great opportunity for campers or clinic attendees to connect with the people who have a direct link to the coaching staff they are trying to reach. As a result, it's important to engage the team's current players in conversation—ask them questions about their experience playing for the program, if they are happy with the school they chose, what their course load is like, and if they have any advice for you. These types of interactions can only serve you well in the recruiting process, so be sure to appropriately engage the people working the camp or clinic as much as possible.

There is usually time at the end of a college softball camp or clinic to introduce yourself to the coaching staff. This type of interaction should include a handshake, eye contact, and a bit of information about yourself that you want them to know. Oftentimes, camp and clinic attendees are most concerned with getting their photo taken with a college coach to post on their social media channels, but in the process, the actual exchange between the player and college coach falls by the wayside. This is a grave mistake to make. Avoid this mistake by preparing some remarks ahead of time so you have your own little elevator speech ready to say to the coach after you shake her or his hand. You may never get the opportunity to have face-to-face contact with this coach again, so don't miss your opportunity to make a positive impression.