Phone Calls to Coaches

Question: What do you talk about on your initial phone call with a college coach?

Answer: This is a great question because almost every prospect has to handle that first phone call at some point. My book, Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level, is the best resource for you here because it has a whole chapter with questions to ask coaches about their colleges. This will help fill those awkward silences and it will help you learn more about the program and college. There's also a reprint in the book on talking to coaches.

If a coach is calling you, most of the time, he or she will guide the conversation. But it's helpful to everyone if you have an idea of what you want to ask beforehand. You may want to keep that first conversation short---e.g., 10 minutes. It should be a meet and greet as they say. If it turns out you find you're comfortable chatting longer and the coach seems to want to do the same, that's great. My players tell me of first phone calls that lasted five minutes and first phone calls that lasted an hour.

Keep a notebook and pencil handy so you can jot down your impressions of the coach as well as future questions to ask and what next steps you should plan on taking with this school.

If you're initiating the call to introduce yourself, it's smart to practice in advance, perhaps with your mom or dad. You want to say who you are, when you graduate, where you're from and why you're calling---e.g., to learn more about their program and to find out where they are with recruiting. If they're done for your grad year, you want to know this ASAP so you don't waste your time and can move on to your next call. It also helps to have sent the coach a snail mail packet with your letter/resume/transcript and video link so the coach has a frame of reference for you.

Whatever happens, take a deep breath and remember, this is practice for the future when you have to call prospective employers about a job!   Hope this helps!