Contacting Coaches

The Best Time to Contact College Softball Coaches

By Madison Machado|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on January 13, 2022)

It is important to contact coaches when they're looking for recruits, but how do you know when that is? Let's first tackle the basics: when coaches are allowed to respond to you will greatly impact when you should contact them. These rules vary by division and by sport, so it's important to check the NCAA's updated recruiting calendars. Generally speaking, NCAA DI and DII coaches can start contacting recruits during their junior year of high school, while DIII and NAIA coaches have much more lenient rules to follow.

More specifically, Division I and II have contact periods, dead periods, quiet periods, and evaluation periods, which is where checking those handy sport-specific calendars comes in. So, once you take into consideration your sport and the division you're aiming to play for, you can begin planning communication.

Contact Coaches First
Even though coaches can't contact you before your junior year, you can contact them. The sooner you get yourself on their radar, the better. You can start reaching out your sophomore or even junior year. You can send film and other information to let the coach know who you are. Even though they can't reply, they can start watching your stats and keeping track of you.

Invite them to Summer Showcases in Advance
To know when to reach out, it is helpful to understand when coaches are on the hunt. The summer is prime recruiting time for softball coaches. As a softball player, you know that summer ball tournaments are crawling with college coaches. This is because they are too busy during the season to spend much time recruiting.

Although summer is prime time to get responses and looks from coaches, do not wait until then to reach out. You have to get your name out there before the summer to invite coaches to your showcases and show them you're worth evaluating. This means reaching out before the season, and following up near the end of the season.

Don't spam them during the season
This may be obvious, but because coaches are so busy during the season, that would be a good time to not spam them with messages. During the season, coaches don't have much time to go out recruiting.

What time of day should you call?
When it comes to different vehicles of communication, don't be afraid to pick up the phone. A phone call can set you apart from other athletes. When it comes to placing a phone call, the best time to call is between 8-10am during the week. This is a good time because during this time coaches are typically in their office. If the mornings don't work for you, try reaching out in the early evening after practice, but before dinner time.

Pro Tip: If you're reaching out to coaches across the country, be considerate of the time difference. If you live in New York and decide to call a coach in California at 7am before you go to school, they probably won't appreciate the 4am wake-up call.

The most important takeaway is regardless of when you do so, reaching out to coaches is a great start. Always be proactive. Finding the niche where coaches are actively searching can help you get on their radar and have a head start above other recruits.

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