September 1, 2021 was the first day DI college coaches could directly contact current juniors—those in the Class of 2023.
It’s an interesting time for many, to say the least!
The arrival of September brings (hopefully) many phone calls between softball prospects and potential college coaches and that leads to exciting family discussions being held around the dining table as opportunities (read: offers) are extended and verbal commitments are made.
That is the dream scenario, of course.
However, there is debate as to whether the switch from the way it was not that long ago—when 8th, 7th and even one 6th grader were offered and committed—back to the “September 1 of the Junior year first contact period” has been what many in the softball community hoped it would be.
While many are happy that it is the way it is now, some fear that current rule was overly aggressive in trying to address the problems that came with very young verbal commitments and the pressures young commits faced.
One ramification of today’s current rule is that it gives juniors a shorter window of time to talk to coaches, check out schools, make visits and get the decision finalized.
My purpose in writing this article is to address those 2023’s that will come on the other side of September 2021 uncommitted and possibly not even contacted.
And my hope is to provide encouragement and some tools to navigating your own path if playing at the next level is your goal. Although this is geared toward the Junior class, many of the ideas given are relevant for all ball players that want to play at the collegiate level.
Here are some questions to ask yourself—and answer honestly—to find ways to take your game to the next level.
Do an honest self-evaluation of your current skills and abilities and ask yourself these questions on your journey of improvement…
1. What competitive level am I currently playing with my club and high school team?
If your club team is not a top tier team playing strong national tournaments with exposure to D1 coaches, you probably won’t be seen by college coaches and recruited by D1 colleges. Hard reality, but true…
2. What have I done up to this point to ensure I’m seen and known by the colleges I am interested in?
Are you doing everything you can? Your recruitment is your responsibility. There are so many recruiting websites out there so make sure your profile is on the websites the colleges you are interested in use. Make sure to update your profile often. Retake the ACT and or SAT to get a better score. Send emails to coaches letting them know what you’re up to, ways you are improving in the sport and how you stand academically. You’re in charge of getting YOU on their radar!
3. What level am I realistically qualified to play?
Get outside input, non-biased opinions and unbiased skill assessments. Successful high school athletes often do not have a good grasp on where their skill level is at in comparison to other athletes outside of their state. You must be willing to take constructive criticism to get better.!
4. What emphasis am I putting on the education side of my college experience and my recruiting journey?
Be more interested in getting a great education while having the privilege to play collegiate softball rather than being caught up in whether a school is D1, D2 or below.
5. Am I tapping into all the resources available to help me?
You have a lot of people willing to assist you; don’t be shy in soliciting advice from club directors, high school coaches, your parents, former teammates that now play in college and anyone else who has good insights!
The list of questions above is not comprehensive but is a good starting point.
Above all and most importantly, you as a student-athlete need to remember your value; your worth is not contingent on whether you get recruited to play softball!
It’s easy to get wrapped up in this wonderful sport and forget that softball/athletics is only a portion of your journey through life.
Look for ways to improve your character, be a kind person, help others, be humble but not afraid to get help from others.
Your journey is just: it is YOURS! Event though it might not look like what you thought it would, know that perseverance and hard work always pays off in one way or another.
Don’t give up, just do your best to enjoy the process and good luck!
— Joy Roeder, Extra Inning Correspondent
Note: Joy’s daughter Delanie Roeder is a 2024 Extra Elite 100 outfielder with the Nebraska Gold and, as we got to know Joy as a coach, parent, student of the game, lover of all things softball and a writer of everything from short stories and poems to front-page features and opinion pieces, we knew we had to have her voice and insights on our site!
Extra Inning Softball is happy to introduce Joy as one of our newest correspondents and are happy to have her in our stable of writers!
Also, we profiled Delanie’s story last week in an article titled Tough Decision: Delanie Roeder’s Two-Sport Dilemma… Volleyball or Softball in the Fall? She Made a Difficult Choice But Has Followed Her Heart
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
