Make Your Hot List
This is Step #4 in the 10 Step BRC Recruiting Formula!
#4 – Make Your Hot List
What’s a Hot List and Why Is It Important?
You will ideally start crafting your Hot List prior to your junior season.
A Hot List is simply a list of colleges that fit you as a baseball player, a student, and a person.
As you come across schools of interest be sure to keep track of them. This will be the early stages of your Hot List.
Pay attention to the colleges you get to visit, the colleges older teammates go to, and any other colleges that stand out to you both athletically and academically.
Ultimately, we will help you figure out exactly what level of college baseball is right for you (Step #3 in the BRC). Once we get that ironed out, you will fill in the rest of your Hot List with schools that fit your talent level, academic level, and your future goals.
Your Hot List will ideally start with 15 colleges at the level we determined was the best fit for your skill level and then 5 colleges in the level above and 5 colleges in the level below.
For example, if we determine that your baseball skill set is at a D2 level than your Hot List will ideally consist of 15 D2 schools, 5 D1 Schools, and 5 D3/NAIA schools.
This will be the list of coaches that you begin sending your skills video to your junior year. As colleges fall off of your list (either they don’t have a need for your position, don’t think you’re a good fit, or other possible reasons), you will continue to add more.
The end goal is to have as many college baseball opportunities as possible at the end of the process.
BRC 10 Step Formula
#1 - Understanding How the Recruiting Process REALLY Works
#3 - What Level of College Baseball is Right for You?
#4 - Make Your Hot List
#5 - How to Create a Skills Video that Coaches Will Watch Til the End
#6 - Sending Emails That College Coaches Will Want to Read
#7 - What College Baseball Coaches ACTUALLY Look For
#8 - How to Make Sure a College Baseball Program Is a Good Fit for You
#9 - How to Maximize Your College Visits
#10 - What to Do When the Scholarship Offers Start Coming In (How to negotiate)
Important Links!
Visit http://ncaa.org (Division I, II and III), http://njcaa.org (National Junior Colleges) or http://www.naia.org/ (NAIA) for more information, rules and regulations. “I didn’t know” is not considered an acceptable excuse by these agencies.
Please note that the highlighted rules here mainly apply for NCAA Division I and II. Rules vary for different associations, divisions and sports, so do your research!
A Guide to College Baseball Programs, From DI to Junior College
College baseball is divided into several programs: Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and Junior College. Junior College is also broken down by DI, DII, and DIII.
Finding the right fit for you involves a little bit of research. To help you navigate that process, below is a list of links for programs and rankings at each level of college baseball.
170,000+ Student Athletes, nearly 350 Schools, the most scholarships, 32 Championships
List of colleges with a Division I baseball program
109,100 Student Athletes, 314 Schools, 56% receive some level of athletic aid, 25 Championships
List of colleges with a Division II baseball program
194,000+ Student Athletes, 449 Schools, no athletic scholarships, 37 Championships
List of colleges with a Division III baseball program
65,000 Student Athletes, 250 Schools, $600MM in Scholarships, 21 Conferences, 26 Championships
Schools participating in the NAIA small college athletic conference
59,000+ Student Athletes, 525 Schools, Division I, II, III offer full, partial and no scholarships, 25 Sports, 103 players MLB drafted in 2019
See this, and more, information on the College Search Tools page. If you want to narrow your search by geography, the map there will be particularly helpful.
Work Your Plan!
Every player will have his own pathway to college baseball, but download the BRC Checklist for you year. Use the information you learn on these pages to customize the plan that’s right for you.