College baseball scholarships are often misunderstood by the students and players seeking them.
Unlike football, baseball is an equivalency sport, which means baseball scholarships can be divided among student-athletes and the vast majority of players on scholarship only have a portion of their cost of attendance paid for.
One scholarship can be split between numerous players. Also, full college baseball scholarships in college are irregular.
There are very few full scholarships available for high school baseball players, most available scholarships may only cover a player’s college education.
Student-athletes may have a better option of getting a full baseball scholarship if they apply to a junior college rather than a four-year institution.
Well, this article will enlighten you on how to get a scholarship for baseball.
Tips On How To Get A Scholarship For Baseball
One of the easiest ways to get a baseball scholarship is to draw the attention of a college coach or recruiter.
Many colleges will offer athletic scholarships to student-athletes that draw their attention to their performance and they do this as an incentive for them to join their baseball team.
So how can you make it happen?
1. Be Good Enough
It takes a lot of talent to earn a college baseball and you just have to be good at what you do.
The truth is sometimes guys get disregarded. Sometimes they end up playing at a lower level than they are capable of.
Showcases are valuable but that’s only when you have the talent to showcase.
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2. Do Your Recruitment By Making A Short Highlight Video
The good news is that you aren’t limited to the local schools that can come out and watch you play.
You can reach more coaches than anyone in history.
Send a skills video. 5-10 good swings, unedited. The video doesn’t need to be any longer than about 1-2 minutes. Keep it short.
Coaches can quickly tell if you are someone they are interested in recruiting.
Put it all together in iMovie and now you have a really nice “recruiting video” that others may charge you hundreds of dollars for.
You may not earn a scholarship from sending this out, but the idea is to get on their side.
3. Don’t Wait For Coaches To Come To You
Some people make the mistake of waiting for the coaches to come to them.
They go to a few showcases and camps and just hope that the coaching staff will come running to them.
Whether you like it or not, you are going to be your marketing team. Nobody will do that better than you.
You have to do a lot of outreach, most coaches won’t respond but that shouldn’t discourage you.
Try to always introduce yourself to every coach when you have the chance. Send a thank you note after the showcase is over
Trust me you may be the only one to do this, and it will make a difference.
4. Use Social Media To Your Advantage
Keep your social media professional
This takes us back to the idea of marketing your ability to college coaches.
Another beautiful opportunity is your social media accounts.
A short video posted on social media can really help get you on the “follow” list of a lot of schools and it costs absolutely nothing.
If you are serious about getting a scholarship then there’s no excuse not to be doing something every day to increase your exposure.
Use your social media accounts for good, not evil! You can be dropped from a recruiting list because of what you put out on social media.
You have to represent yourself first and how you represent yourself truly matters, a lot of coaches don’t want to deal with players that don’t represent themselves well in public.
5. Make Your Teammates Better
When it comes to Baseball, Reputation is very important.
If you are playing this game, make sure you don’t make it all about yourself alone, instead, focus on helping your teammates.
It’s also not your win, it’s about helping your team win, that’s how you achieve freedom.
Have this at the back of your mind, nobody
will give you this tip for free, it’s professional
Common Scholarship Terms
Let’s quickly look at some scholarship terms.
For parents and recruits, it can get confusing as to what scholarship money will and will not be paid for.
Tuition
Often a scholarship will pay for some or all of the tuition but tuition may change from year to year, and scholarships often stay the same.
Be ready for extra costs in case you get a scholarship that originally paid full tuition, but along the line, the tuition increases after the first year or two.
Books
The amount offered to you for books may be arbitrary (for example, $1000 for the year).
It does not at all reflect what books will cost you. It’s just meant to help.
Check in the bookshops of the schools you visit so you can get the actual price the book will cost. If you are offered “tuition and books,” make sure to ask specifically how much is being offered for “books.”
Room And Board
Residence halls are often an expensive option for housing. You may not want to live outside the dorms during your early years either.
Off-campus housing can be better in terms of cost. Keep in mind that the rent is only a part (albeit a large part) of the cost of living.
Depending on the landlord, you may also be responsible for electric, city, cable, and Internet bills. These things can add up.
Miscellaneous Expenses
College is meant to be enjoyed, and unfortunately, that sometimes gets a little costly.
Remember to budget for extra money or should we call it enjoyment money?
We’re not talking extravagant amounts here, but there’s nothing worse than having to miss out on being with your friends because of an empty bank account.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1.Which Baseball position gets the most scholarships?
Typically, the college baseball positions that get the highest priority when it comes to baseball scholarships are pitchers, catchers, shortstops, and center fielders.
2.How much do baseball scholarships pay?
D1 Team Limit: 11.7
A D1 player on scholarship must receive a minimum scholarship of 25% of the total cost of attendance. A full scholarship includes tuition, fees, books, room, and board.
3. What are the best Baseball recruiting websites?
Some of the most popular rankings are Perfect Game, Baseball Factory, 247 Sports, and Baseball America.
Conclusion
Earning a college baseball scholarship is not easy, don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. But these tips will help you pull through.
No matter what you do, the odds will always be against you.
So do what no one else will do. Be different.
Do things that coaches don’t expect from you. Go introduce yourself, email them yourself and keep your fingers crossed.
All of these things will go a long way and paired with proficiency you will be successful.
Hope this helps!