I’ve played professional baseball.
I’ve coached Division 1 baseball.
I’ve evaluated thousands of high school players over the last 12 years.
And here’s what I can tell you:
Most families focus on the obvious stuff.
- Velocity.
- Exit velo.
- 60 time.
- Batting average.
- Showcase results.
- Rankings.
Some of those things matter.
But they are not the whole picture.
College coaches are watching far more than most players realize.
They are watching how your son handles failure.
They are watching his body language after a strikeout.
They are watching how he treats teammates when things are not going his way.
They are watching how he competes when he is 0-for-3.
They are watching whether he blames the umpire, the field, the coach, the lineup, or the situation.
Because at the college level, everyone has tools.
Everyone has talent.
The separator is what a player does when the game gets hard.
Here are a few baseball truths I’ve learned:
- Failure is inevitable. How your son responds to it is a choice.
- Talent gets him noticed. Consistency gets him recruited.
- Body language is visibly loud.
- Coaches trust competitors before they trust tools.
- Confidence comes from preparation, not motivation.
- Nobody cares how good he was last week.
- Players who blame others rarely improve.
- The game rewards resilience more than most people realize.
- Your teammates know if you are real.
- Baseball has a way of exposing excuses.
- The best players are usually obsessed with improvement, not attention.
- •Nobody remembers the excuses. They remember the actions.
This is why recruiting is not just about “getting seen.”
It is about helping the right schools see the full picture.
- Can your son play?
- Can he handle failure?
- Can he make adjustments?
- Can he be trusted in a college locker room?
- Can he show up the same way when the results are not there?
That is what coaches are trying to figure out.
And as a parent, this is where you can help.
Not by putting more pressure on him.
Not by trying to control every at-bat.
Not by panicking after one bad weekend.
But by helping him build the habits that college coaches trust.
After games, ask better questions:
- “What did you learn today?”
- “How did you respond when things went bad?”
- “What is one adjustment you can make this week?”
- “Did your body language help you or hurt you?”
- “Were you prepared before the game started?”
Those questions build ownership.
And ownership is one of the biggest separators in recruiting.
The goal is not for your son to be perfect.
No player is.
The goal is to raise his floor while he keeps chasing his ceiling.
Because the players who get recruited are not always the ones who look the best for one weekend.
They are often the ones who show coaches they can be trusted over time.
If your son wants to play college baseball, he needs more than talent.
He needs a plan.
He needs the right exposure.
He needs to know which schools fit him athletically, academically, geographically, and financially.
And he needs to understand what coaches are really evaluating when they watch him play.
That is exactly what we help families do inside the Premier Athletes Recruiting Program.
We help players get clear on the right schools, build a real recruiting plan, communicate with coaches, and put themselves in the best possible position to play at the college level.
If you feel like your family is guessing right now, or your son is working hard but not getting real traction, let’s talk.
Click here to schedule a call and we’ll look at where your son stands, what schools may fit, and what his next best step should be.
Build his floor. Chase his ceiling.
Alex Swenson
College Baseball Advisor
Former D1 Coach, Scout & Recruiter
P.S. I help baseball players get interest and land college offers for a great college experience.
- Premier Athletes Recruiting Program (4-figure investment) – Full-service: coaches outreach, video creation, bi-weekly check-ins, and our proven playbook to turn interest into legit offers.
