RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Whenever we announce we’ll be doing player rankings through the Extra Elite 100 series—and we’ve done class ratings from 2014 through 2024 with multiple updates on most—we typically get dozens of emails or texts like these:
- “What can we do to get our daughter considered for your rankings?”
- “What do you look for when evaluating a player?”
- “Our athlete was in your rankings before; what can she do to move up?”
Today and tomorrow, I’m going to show you two good examples of how a parent or coach—or even the player herself—can help a player get better visibility, exposure and consideration!
Understand that our evaluation process is different than the promotion/media process.
Here are three quick points to help you…
1. E-Mail
The best way to get info to us is by email; that way we can store the content and access in the short-term or in the future. Send to me directly: [email protected] or to [email protected] so it goes to multiple people.
Believe it or not, I personally have 33,385 emails stored in my massive system so I can research and find information sometimes going back years!
2. Photos
Please feel free to send photos, but make sure you ID them!
For example, if it’s an action photo, label the photo (URL) like “Jane Doe hitting home run for Club Team at PGF Nationals on July 28, 2019.”
Head shots, make sure the name is included too like: “Jane Doe, Club Team X, July 28, 2019.”
An ID’d photo is much more likely to get used!
3. Content:
What to send? There’s no hard and fast rule. We have forms you can fill out on the Home Page (top right: “Got a Tip? Contact” tabs).
But if you want some good examples, we’ll provide two legit ones we’ve received over the last couple weeks!
Finally, although these are examples, what is sent doesn’t have to be exactly the same, but being THOROUGH and making it easy to look at the content will definitely help both sides!
And, of course, it helps if the player is really talented and/or has a really good story to tell!
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
*****
There’s a Lot That’s RIGHT With Abby Ota’s Submitted Info!
The first example is a player who’s been in our rankings before, Abby Ota.
Three things stand out to me immediately about what was emailed:
- Look at how much info is provided in this email sent to us and the photos we’re attached with the ID’s included with them (right).
- Also, what’s really, really good here are the hype-links that even go back to OUR previous articles on her… that’s impressive!
- Finally, note the YouTube 3-minute video highlight package below. Some club coaches debate whether these are good to provide to colleges saying they can expose weaknesses as much as strengths (One coach said: “It’s my job to get the college interested, not a video”).But for us to use for evaluation photos they’re nice. You can see in the clips provided Abby’s speed and technigue…
2021 Extra Elite 100 Player Rankings Nomination:
Player: ABBY OTA
Grad Year: 2021
Club: Georgia Impact Premier – Gusaeff/O’Neal
High School: Joel Barlow (Redding, Connecticut)
Position(s): MIF/OF
Intro:
Abby was selected No. 62 on the first 2021 Extra Inning Softball Extra Elite 100 list last January (2019) and featured in an Extra Inning Softball article in Dec. 2018 called “2021 Extra Elite 100 Candidate: Abby Ota Has Power 5 Interest After Lighting Up Elite Events.”
Spring 2019
As a sophomore at Joel Barlow High School this past spring, Abby was named to the Extra Inning Softball All-American 1st Team after leading the entire state of Connecticut in batting average (.725), hits (58), on-base percentage (.771) and stolen bases (38/38) in 24 games.
Also, she reached her 100th career hit in just her 45th game and Barlow advanced to the quarterfinals of the state tournament for only the second time in school history.
Abby was selected First Team CHSCA All-State, First Team Gametime CT All-State, First Team All-South-West Conference, and JBHS Offensive Player of the Year. This feature story by GameTime CT describes more of her high school season.
*** Scroll down to see more info provided on Abby!