As Promised 25 College Recruiting Facts

As promised, I have the download information for the short report, 25 College Recruiting Facts. If you're involved in any way with the college recruiting process (player, coach, or parent), it's likely this short report will tell you *something* you may not have known before. Of course, if you're well schooled in the college recruiting process, then maybe you already know the 25 Facts listed in the report. But you can always test your knowledge with the page of questions I included at the end of the report. How much to you really know?

Find out today.

Click HERE to Download 25 College Recruiting Facts.

You can also right click on the link as SAVE the report to your computer.

If you like it, please feel free to forward it, copy it, and share it with others. Also, come back here and post a comment telling me what you thought of it. Did you see anything that you never really knew before? Were you able to successfully answer the questions at the end of the report?

Click on the What Do You Think link below and let me know.

Coming Soon - 25 College Recruiting Facts

Yes, I will have this new free report ready for you very soon. Not only that, I'm finishing up a free college recruiting audio that covers 5 Common College Recruiting Mistakes. So...if you're in need of some information on college recruiting, please stay tuned! Or, sign up for our mailing list and I will notify you via e-mail.

Oh yeah, and if you're following me on twitter or if your a member at Fastpitch World, I'll be posting the information in those places too. Lots of ways to find out what's going on here at AllAboutFastpitch.com.

Plus, I'm about to unveil a paid resource that I believe is BY FAR the best bang for your $ offered here at AAF. So don't go too far!

Don't Make This College Recruiting Mistake!

I recently asked AAF Members for their college recruiting questions. If you have any college recruiting questions you'd like to have answered, please leave a comment here.

One of the responses I got was about whether a family should go out and contact coaches or if they should sit back and wait for coaches to come to them.

Of ALL the things you do in the college recruiting process, do NOT just sit back and wait for college coaches to come to you no matter how unbelievable a player you are! Be pro-active and make contacts yourself. Send out your information. Let schools and coaching know you are interested in them! The more you do this, the more options you will have by the time you're ending you're high school years.  No one told me about this when I was in high school, and yes, I did get a spot on a DI college team, but I probably could have had more options had I gone out and "introduced" myself to the coaches of the programs I was interested in.  Do not make the mistake of sitting back and thinking they will come to you because your are that good or because you go to showcase tournaments or because you attend recruiting camps.  Be more involved in your own journey!

Sports Specialization and Injuries

Many parents and coaches fall into the trap of believing that kids have to concentrate on only one sport to keep up with the best. I do suppose there are a few situations where that may be true and they are mentioned in an article I read about youth athletes.

However, playing more than one sport has it's benefits, even for those striving for that college scholarship. College coaches love "athletes" and being able to play more than one sport shows that you have the coordination, speed, and agility to do more than just play first base. Playing mulitple sports may also help prevent overuse injuries as well. Overuse injuries has risen substantially in the past 15 years.

Do not make the mistake of pushing your players/child(ren) too hard too often. Playing too hard too often can cause some serious damage and, in some cases, end softball careers far before college is even a reality. Click here to read the article that will tell you just how much overuse injuries have risen in the past 15 years.

Summer Softball Camps Are Fun

Well, at least the ones I've been to. I have no idea what summer softball camps at universities are like on the mainland US (I do hope to find out one day), but my daughters had a blast at the University of Hawaii camps these past two weeks.

Was it intensive training where they got all their mechanical problems corrected? No. I did hear the coaches giving them great advice though. I love having another source, a fun one at that, give them the same messages I'm also trying to get across when I work with them. Plus, all 3 of my girls who attended camp (ages 7, 8, and 11) all thoroughly enjoyed themselves which is the whole point of being involved with this sport in the first place. That and the fact that I know they all learned at least one new thing at camp makes the experience worth the time and money in my opinion. I just know my girls will be asking to go back next summer.

My oldest daughter even sent me an @reply on twitter to thank me for taking her to camp. Cool beans!

NCAA DI Regionals Continue Today

There were a few regional games played yesterday with the most "interesting" one being the Jacksonville State vs Florida State. It may not sound all that interesting, but it became the big story when Jacksonville chalked up their first NCAA DI Regional win in the opening game of the NCAA Softball Championships Tuscaloosa Regional. NCAA Sports has the story.

The majority of the Regionals begin today and all the match-ups are also available at NCAA Sports.

Hawaii will face Mississippi State today with Robinson as the starting pitcher.

But in other post-season softball, Robinson's sister just came out on the short end of a 2 hour and 45 minute game last night in Hawaii's High School State Tournament. Moanalua lost 1-0 to #2 seed Kamehameha in a 10 inning game at Rainbow Wahine Stadium last night. Read the full story here. Don't forget, tonight's State semi-final games will be broadcast live in Hawaii on OC16 and live via streaming video on the internet at http://www.oc16.tv/. The semi-final games begin at 5pm Hawaii Standard time which is 8pm on the West Coast.

Hawaii Gains Unlikely Berth to NCAA Tournament

Wow! I was hoping it would happen, but everyone was saying that the University of Hawaii softball team's only chance at post season was to win the WAC tournament. When they came up short in Friday night's game against Nevada, I thought their season was done.

However, if anyone had told me that Nanci Coolen, Coach Coolen's wife, believed they were going to make it, I would have immediately believed it too. I remember Nanci from when I was a freshman in college. I always did like her. She's played this game and she's been involved with softball for a long, long time. She's a former player, a woman, and a mother....so, of course, I trust her intuition. ;)

Anyway - Hawaii is in, but it won't be an easy road. They have just 1 true starting pitcher left and they're in a regional with some TOUGH competition. But I'm still going to have fun following their journey in the post season.

Read the story of their post season berth in Hawaii's Local Newspaper.

For more information on the 64 team DI field, visit the NCAA website.

The College Information I Promised

If you're waiting for the college recruiting information, it's right here in this e-mail.

Again, this is something I truly feel every high school softball player and their parent and their coach NEEDS...unless, of course, the player does NOT want anything to do with softball at the college level. But if you took time to sign up to get these e-mails, chances are the players in your life want to go as far as they can OR you would like to help the players you know get as far as they can with this game and with their education. That said, I'll cut to the chase. Get the college recruiting information you need from one of the best in the business, Dynamite Sports...

Get a FREE Preview - No Credit Card Information Required

Note: this login information will only be good for a LIMITED TIME, check it out as soon as possible!

Simply go to: http://www.thecoachescircle.com/school/112 and use the username and password provided on the page.

Forget the Preview, I need/want this ASAP!
Small schools, Travel Clubs, or Individual Teams save over 30% off the regular price for a full year of unlimited access to the ENTIRE system.

Word Doc Order Form: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSOrder.doc

PDF file Order Form: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSOrder.pdf

What's this all about? View the Dynamite Sports Flyer
Word Doc Flyer: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSFlyer.doc
PDF Flyer: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSFlyer.pdf

Again, if you or the players you know have any inkling that they'd like to continue to play softball at the collegiate level, this is a MUST SEE program. I will, personally, be using this same program to help me give all of my kids the best chance at playing athletics in college if they decide that's what they want to do. So in a year or two I will be starting with my oldest daughter (she's in 6th grade now). Don't wait until Junior or Senior year to begin preparing! If you're working with Freshman or even current 8th graders who will be Freshman next year, you're actually in the best position to make the most of what Dynamite Sports has to offer and help the players be the most prepared to get to that next level. If you are in that range of Junior/Senior year, there is still some very important information provided by this program. For example, if you're wondering how to get your name out there to the schools you want to attend, this program tells you exactly how to do that. If you're trying to figure out where to start as far as who to contact, this program tells you how to come up with a list of schools that would be a good fit for you so that your more focused in your efforts to connect with, not just any school, but the right school for you.

The three biggest mistakes I see people make in this college recruiting process is

1) Starting too late

2) Not being proactive enough....thinking that showcase tournaments and travel ball are all you need to do

3) Choosing the WRONG school

Learn how to avoid these 3 big mistakes and give the softball players you know the best chance at getting to a college that is a good fit for them. There's no sense in going through all the stress that comes along with the college recruiting process only to have the player leave the school after a year or two OR spend 4-5 years in a place they can't stand.

Order forms are available here:

Word Doc Order Form: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSOrder.doc

PDF file Order Form: http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/DSOrder.pdf

At the very least, go take a look at the preview at http://www.thecoachescircle.com/school/112 - it won't cost you anything but a few moments of your time.

But won't my counselors do the college stuff for me?
To some extent, yes. I was fortunate enough to go to a high school where there were 3 counselors per class. Each one had less than 175 students to keep track of and work with. My counselor was the one who made sure I was registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse which was just starting up. She gave me the form to fill out and send in. Our counselors did a lot to help us get ready for college, including walking us through the application for the University of Hawaii. Line by line, they told us what to write in. But as good as they were, I was not given even HALF the information about the college recruiting process that I got from Dynamite Sports in that one 2-hour seminar.

I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but the public high schools in Hawaii have ONE College and Career Counselor for the whole student body. The high school I coach at has 600+ students in some classes. So that's over 2000 students for one counselor to track. Don't leave everything up to the counselors when there's so much you can take control of yourself.

Check out the free preview today.

Have a great week!

Must See College Information

Softball National Letter of Intent signing is right around the corner and this time of year is often when players, parents, and coaches give some thought to making it to the college level.

So what do you need to know or do to get to the collegiate level? Or to help your daughter get there? Or help other players you know get there?

The good news is there ARE specific things you can do, specific steps you can take, to greatly increase your chances of making that happen.

Let me tell you a little story...

A few years ago I was asked to attend a college recruiting seminar. In fact, this seminar was mandatory for all the coaches at the high school I coach at. Now, I'll be honest, I reallydidn't want to go. I was working a full time job at the time, and I was coaching, and I was about 8 months pregnant with my 4th child. Seriously, if it wasn't really necessary for me to stay another 1 1/2 - 2 hours after practice, then I didn't want to do it. After all, I had been through the process. What was the speaker going to tell me that I didn't already know? I honestly thought it was going to be a big waste of time. I mean I already knew grades were important. I knew that college coaches DO look at player attitude. I already knew what I had gone through during my journey to playing softball in college, etc, etc, etc. But I went to the seminar, albeit reluctantly, and expected to be bored during the next hour or two while some guy from out of state talked about how to become a college athlete.

Thankfully for me, and for the other coaches who attended, this speaker (and President and Founder of the company he represented) was MUCH better than I ever expected. By the end of the seminar I was completely BLOWN AWAY! The thing that kept running through my mind was the EVERY high school athlete, parent, and coach in Hawaii NEEDED to hear this message. The information provided was absolutely invaluable for anyone involved in the life of a high school student-athlete who had any aspiration to play their sport at the collegiate level.

So what's in it for you? Well...just a few days ago, I got a call from the President of this company that goes around the country speaking at high schools. I just found out that their program, which educates student-athletes, parents, coaches, and counselors about the college recruiting process, is much more readily available than it was a few years back when I first heard the seminar. Not only that it just got a LOT easier to afford. I thought the program was worth every penny a few years ago when there was only about 1/3 of the information it provides today. I thought it was worth every penny when they added all the new stuff and high schools and clubs were paying hundreds of dollars to provide the information to their student-athletes. When I heard how much the new and improved program is being offered for now, I could hardly believe it. You have no idea how excited I am about 1) this company making this information and this program easier to access and easier to afford and 2) being in a position to help others (and not just those in Hawaii) get this program which includes all the information I got at that seminar and more.

I don't have all the details just yet, but you CAN get a hold of this awesome program for your school, travel club, or team. Not only will you be able to access all the information I received at that seminar, but you will also be able to take advantage of the wealth of information that has been added over the last few years. Plus travel clubs or teams qualify for "small school" pricing which is over 30% below regular price.

Again, for those involved with high school aged softball players, this information is MUST SEE stuff. I just received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a father who asked, "What should I put in a letter to college coaches?" This program tells you EXACTLY what to do and include when contacting college coaches (and not just for softball, but for ANY sport). This program gives you specific answers and helps you create a "blueprint for success" when it comes to the college recruiting process.

In the next few days, I will have all the details on how you can get access to all the information this company and their program provides. I'll also be able to tell you how you can personally preview the everything this company has to offer without paying a penny or giving out any credit card information.

Coaching (and parenting) is not only about today, but about preparing the players we work with for the BEST FUTURE POSSIBLE!

I'll be in touch very soon.

If You Want to Play Softball in College...

...I have an announcement you won't want to miss coming up soon .

AAF Members will get this message directly via e-mail. If you're not a member, you can sign up HERE, or stay tuned to this blog for more details in the next few days.

Howard Kobata - Good Stuff

So I've heard a ton about Howard Kobata. I've been to his website and watched the short video clips too. But, this weekend, I finally got to meet him in person and see him do a clinic. He covered some good stuff!

It was interesting to me because a lot of what he talked about makes sense. There's quite a bit that I do, but never saw taught. It's another eye opener about how I, as a coach, overlook some things that need to be taught. Since they were not taught to it doesn't dawn on me that some players need to have such things explained.

Anyway, I loved the concepts he presented to the kids. I could see that there was a TON covered in a short period of time. I can also see why players would sign up for lessons vs just go to a clinic with him. I don't think even I was able to soak up everything that was covered in just that one session. I liked being at the clinic because it gave me a better idea of how to TEACH better skills to the players I work with, and, of course, to my own daughter. I only wish I was able to jump in with the girls.

At any rate, Howard, if you're ever back in town for a clinic or, if and when you start giving lessons in Hawaii, I'll be there.

Dave Feinberg Steps in to UA Asst Position

Dave Feinberg is not a new face to the Arizona softball team, but he will be stepping in to a paid assistant position this season. He's been a volunteer assistant for the past two years, but with Nancy Evans leaving the staff, Feinberg will be filling a more prominent role this year.

Feinberg brings a passion for education, more than 15 years as an elite fast-pitch softball player, and 20 years as a softball and baseball coach to his new job. Learn more about Dave Feinberg at azstarnet.

NFCA Team Offense and Strategy

The 2008 NFCA National Fastpitch Coaches College schedule begins with Team Offense and Strategy in Massachusetts. This instructional course will be held Jan. 4-6 at Tufts University in Medford.

For more information about this course or about National Fastpitch Coaches College, visit http://www.nfca.org/news/?id=2840.

Coaches looking for additional information or to sign-up for the course can do so online at http://nfca.org/college/ or by calling (662) 320-2155.

DePaul Hires Cat Osterman

I've finally had a chance to sit down and catch up on softball news and of course, one of the stories that caught my eye was Cat Osterman being hired as the new pitching coach at DePaul University. Hmmm....now I have another reason to visit Chicago.

The season hasn't even started and already Osterman's presence is having an impact on DePaul's softball program. Head coach Eugene Lenti has noticed a spike in interest from the top pitching prospects in the nation. Pitchers on DePaul's pitching staff were in disbelief when they heard the news of Osterman becoming a part of the DePaul program.

Read the full story at SI.com.

Time Flies!

Whew - summer has been soooo busy and I'm not even coaching! As you can see I'm even having trouble keeping up with this blog. It's already past mid-August and this is my first August post! School has started, some teams who have fall seasons are beginning AND the college softball schedules have already been released for 2008!

Apparently the Lady Vols of Tennessee have a tough one ahead of them. In addition to their regular season games they also have a special exhibition planned in April when they will host the US Olympic Softball Team as part of the Olympic team's pre-Olympic tour. This contest will be televised live on ESPN.

For more information on the Tennessee schedule visit WBIR.com.

Congratulations to the NCAA Champs - Arizona Wildcats

Wow - what a great 3-game championship series! Arizona comes through to win their 8th NCAA title and successfully defend the championship they won last year. It wasn't just a walk in the park either as Arizona had to climb out of the loser's bracket just to get into the 3-game championship series with Tennessee. In fact it was Tennessee that sent them into the loser's bracket to begin with!

There is an article about last night's game on the Arizona Softball Site, so you can read all about it there. I just wanted to say congratulations to Mike Candrea and the Arizona Wildcats ~ classic example of how great teams and great players get it done when it really matters. Great job!

It's June!

Another month has past and now it's the beginning of June! The Women's College World Series is already under way!

There's information on the championship tournament at
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens

There is also a WCWS Blog over at
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/story/10203649

ESPNU at www.espnu.com also has video clips of some of the games.

Good luck to all the teams!

For those of you who may be entering your ASA tournaments as well - we wish you the best of luck too! Hawaii 12U ASA teams - have fun in the state tournament this weekend!

Hawaii Advances to Super Regional

Congratulations to the University of Hawaii and all the other teams who are advancing to the Super Regional part of the NCAA Championship Tournament. There are 16 teams participating in the Super Regional. Those paired up will play a Best of 3 Series - winner advances to the Women's College World Series.

Should be fun!

Hawaii Upsets UCLA

Okay - you know I had to write about this. I don't have all the details, but I do know that the University of Hawaii softball team has advanced to their regional final with their 3-1 win over UCLA today! The game was tied at one a piece, but in the top of the 8th, UH scored two runs and held off the Bruins in the bottom of the 8th to advance to the LA Regional Championship Game!

Of course, I wasn't home, so I DVR'ed the game, BUT, my husband's boxing program, which has a higher "priority" than my softball in the DVR schedule, cut the game off in the middle of the 6th inning and started recording instead. So I did get to see UH score one of their runs, but wasn't able to watch the rest of the game.

Congratulations to the team and great job Brandi Peiler who drove in all 3 of the Rainbow runs. It's great to see a local girl (and a graduate of my high school alma mater) doing well. Robinson, who got the win on the mound for the University of Hawaii, and Kaulana Gould are also graduates of Kamehameha Schools! Just had to add that in. :)

Anyway - Go Bows! I'll be waiting to hear/see the results of tomorrow's game.
More details of this game are available at
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/recaps/d1_0519_546841/2007

If I didn't have my own ASA tournament to coach, I would be looking for a way to get to the Super Regional right now. Like I said before, the two teams I'm watching are UH and Tennessee because of local connections. They just may be meeting up in the Super Regional. I sure hope so. Tomorrow, we shall see.

Softball Makes Me Get More Cable

So yesterday I called my cable provider so that I could UP my subscription package and get ESPNU. I wanted to be able to watch all the LA Regional games!

I wonder if I could write off that "extra" monthly subscription to get the softball regionals as a business expense...Hmmm.

Anyway - I also set up my DVR to record the games in case I'm not at home. Can't wait for a weekend of softball! Unfortunately I have a very busy weekend myself, so I probably won't actually get to see the games live. But at least I'll be able to watch a bunch of them!

Wishing the best to all the teams in the regionals!

Softball On TV

It's that time of year when there is quite a bit of softball on TV as compared to the rest of the year. I love it! I also like watching with my kids because it's fun for them and it's also an opportunity to teach and learn. It's especially cool with DVR because I can ask my daughters a question about a play and see what their answer is, then rewind and show them the play again so that they can see the point I'm trying to make or see that their answer was indeed correct.

I was amazed last year when I was watching a game and the ball was hit outfield, then relayed backwas 9 years old and had never played the position, but wanted to. To my surprise, she knew exactly where the pitcher went. She was covering home plate because the lead runner had advance to 3rd on the hit. There wasn't even a play there. The action on the screen was not focused on the pitcher or on home plate, yet she noticed where the pitcher went on the play. I didn't think she would catch on to it, but she did. So, from then on, I started asking her more questions just to see how much of the game she understood and to take the opportunity to teach her something new that she may not have noticed before.

If you have a daughter that plays softball - try it. Watch a game with her and ask questions. Allow her to ask questions. Teach and learn together.

Abbott Breaks Record, UT Wins Title

Monica Abbott struck out 6 against Alabama to break Cat Osterman's NCAA career strike-out record. Abbott now has 2,271 strike outs for her career.

The University of Tennessee also clinched their first ever regular season SEC title with the sweep over then ranked #1 Alabama in a double header over the weekend.

Congratulations to the University of Tennessee on a great regular season! With the wins over Alabama, Tennessee earned the top seed in this year's Southeastern Conference Championship Tournament which is scheduled to begin this Thursday, May 10th. For more information on the tournament, Click Here.

University of Hawaii Softball - On Fire!

Congratulations to this year's University of Hawaii Softball Team! Their win over the weekend secures their 2nd regular season WAC title. Overall their record is 45-9 - the best regular season recored in school history. Great job ladies!

I hope to be able to see UH on TV in post season play this season!

Best wishes on the rest of the season from everyone here at AllAboutFastpitch.com ~ Go Bows!