Recruiting
Welcome to the Thunder college softball recruiting page, which is meant to serve as a resource for high school players that wish to continue playing in college as well as for coaches that are interested in learning more about our players. This page is a working document and we will continuously update it with new players, information, statistics and information that can be used to make informed decisions.
Coaches interested in viewing Player Profiles, please use the links below to access Team Pages to learn more:
Where Do I Begin?
Getting into college and earning a scholarship to play softball is not as simple as playing on a strong Thunder team and waiting for a scout to find you. Finding the right fit for college and gaining the attention of the coaching staff at that college or university requires young athletes to figure out a lot early on -- which colleges are you interested in, what are you looking to study, and where will you have a good opportunity to earn playing time. All of these are factors to consider when you begin this process.
Once you have those steps identified, you then need to pull together a couple of pieces of information:
- Completing the Thunder Player Profile information form
- Creating a couple of highlight reels for Coaches to review
When those items are in place, the real fun begins.
When Do I Start?
Determining the type of institution that you want to play for will help determine when you need to begin the recruiting process.
For example, Division I schools typically start considering their Freshman Class during the summer between your Freshman and Sophomore year in high school. The top programs even start to build their list before this based on the information they are able to gain from camps and showcase events. However, NCAA rules prohibit them from talking with you until September of your Junior year. Because of this, going to softball camps to get on their radar early is important if earning a spot at one of these schools is your goal.
Division II and III schools generally start a little bit later than Division I. For example, many Ivy League and Division III schools will often recruit during the summer between your Junior and Senior year. That said, they need to know who you are before they start recruiting you, so this is another reason to attend summer camps at the schools you are interested.
When Are College Softball Camps?
Colleges offer softball camps at various times of the year. Many start with fall camps or winter camps during the holiday break and then have summer camps as well. You should visit their website to find out when their camps are held. This information is generally in the Softball section of the Athletics portion of the website.
Before you start investing in camps though, it’s important to do your research on the school. First and foremost, make sure it has your major – softball is in avenue for your education, not the other way around. We will build out a recruiting profile for you on the Thunder website, so that will serve as a great resource to share with colleges you are interested in attending.
Once you have colleges identified and your profile complete, you can then start going to camps and emailing coaches. It’s important to know that you can email a college coach at any stage of your high school career, the early recruiting rules about contact apply to the college coaches, not you. If you are unsure about anything and have a question though, be sure to ask your coach for guidance.
Should I Use a Recruiting Service?
There are a lot of options out there to help with your young athlete’s recruitment. Our recommendation is to start building a list of potential college destinations, then reach out initially once your Player Profile page is ready to go. If that model proves unsuccessful, considering one of the services available may make sense.