We’re excited to “re-introduce” one of our favorite people in fastpitch softball, Cathi Aradi, who has helped thousands of players and parents better understand the recruiting process through her clinics and consulting work.

She has also written and published the book “Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level 2014 Edition,” considered the No. 1 book covering high school fastpitch softball.  If you’re at all interested in playing softball at the collegiate level, you have to have this must-read book!

Cathi has graciously agreed to contribute recruiting articles to Full Count Softball to help players and parents navigate the tricky waters of the recruiting process.

Today’s article, the first of a three-part series, covers the time-table of recruiting and one thing Cathi says that may surprise is that “no more than 10-15% of all the students who eventually go on to play softball at a four-year college will actually give an early commitment.”

Read on to learn why this is!

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Many key elements of recruiting and the college search process have remained relatively stable over the past 10 to 15 years.

But, there are some key elements that have changed–or at least shifted–and these are things parents definitely need to know. I’ll look at one of those changes here and follow up with others in later articles.

Until eight to 10 years ago, most coaches, regardless of the level they coached at, did the majority of their active recruiting after a player’s junior year.

While the elite athlete–someone like a Jenny Finch or a Keilani Ricketts—would be pursued and might commit to a Div. I college before her junior year, this was definitely the exception rather than the rule.

And while early commitments–e.g.,those given before the middle of a player’s junior year–are still statistically-speaking the exception rather than the rule (see note below), the number of players who decide on a college while still freshmen or sophomores has increased dramatically.

Note: It’s extremely important for parents to understand that in any given graduating class, no more than 10-15% of all the students who eventually go on to play softball at a four-year college will actually give an early commitment. So while it may seem like every parent and travel coach is telling you it’s all over for your athlete if she hasn’t committed by her sophomore year, the truth is over 80% of students won’t decide upon a college until their junior or, in many cases, their senior year.

However, this particular shift in recruiting trends necessitates what I now call a two-tier approach to the college search.  If a player really wants to find out if she might be a candidate for a strong Div. I program, she needs to get on that coach’s radar by her sophomore year.

Unfortunately, not all athletes mature at the same rate, and many players who might be solid Div. I prospects by the time they are seniors may be overlooked simply because as freshmen or sophomores, they weren’t as physically mature or as competitively experienced. (This is a perfect example of my first law of recruiting–e.g., it’s not fair!)

Using this two-tier approach, many, if not most players who send out letters and resumes with video links, transcripts and schedules during their freshmen or sophomore years will have to repeat the process–expanding their target zone to include more Div. II, Div. III, and NAIA colleges–again as juniors.

So college search that used to be focused on an athlete’s junior into her senior year may now be stretched out over most of her high school career. It’s a bummer, but that may be what it takes for you to find the right college and team.

In my next column, I’ll look at other major changes that have shifted the recruiting landscape in recent years.

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Catharine Aradi has been a recruiting consultant for over 20 years, and she is considered by many college coaches to be one of the best recruiting resources in the nation. Through her book, Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level, her clinics and her consulting work, she has helped thousands of college-bound players gain that “competitive edge” during the college search process. Cathi is an active member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Assoc., (which also publishes her book), and she works with players and schools around the country.

For more information, visit her web site at FastPitchRecruiting.com. If you have questions about recruiting, you can also post them directly to Cathi on her web site (click here). To order her book, you can call 502.409.4600 or go to NFCA books