By: Zac Bottoms
Arkansas State University

All college programs have different ways to evaluate talent and come to their final decision on who to recruit and when they recruit them. I have sat down with Coach Noah Sanders from Arkansas State University to discuss how his program works through the recruiting process.

 

PBR: At what grade do you start evaluating players for recruiting purposes?

Coach Sanders: The process seems to have started earlier and earlier over the past few years. We are constantly evaluating players of all ages, both on and off the field. However, for true recruiting purposes, we start to lock in on players that we feel could potentially be a fit for us in about 9^th or 10^th grade. We are really big on building relationships with our prospective student-athletes. If it takes doing that over a 2-3 year period of time, that is fine with us.

PBR: What are some of the biggest factors for you to recruit a student-athlete?

Coach Sanders: There is always a certain level of tangible, on-the-field play that we will need to see from a player in order to assess him as someone who could help our team. However, there is so much more that goes into the process. Academics are huge for us. We were recently awarded by the Sun Belt Conference as the team with the highest overall GPA. That is a huge deal for us. We need guys who we can count on both on and off the field. We have found that the guys who can get it done in the classroom consistently, are usually the same guys we can count on to take care of business when it comes to the physical aspects of baseball also.

PBR: What are some of the reasons you would not recruit a student athlete?

Coach Sanders: We always try to find something positive in each kid that we evaluate. Whether it is physical, academic, or their overall makeup. On the field, we need players who show a certain level of hustle, who are willing to put themselves on the line for their team. Guys need to show us that they are going to be ok with playing as hard as they can all the time. Academically, the NCAA has certain rules and regulations on what student athletes must do in the classroom in order to be eligible. So, if they can’t meet those standards it makes it really tough for us to recruit that player. Also, we need guys who are going to be a positive influence on the players we already have on the roster. If we feel like a certain player will disrupt the chemistry that we have going on in our locker room, there is a really good chance that we will not make the decision to bring him into it.

PBR:  What is the one skill a position player must have for you to recruit them and why?

Coach Sanders: We talk a lot about bringing in the best athletes that we can possibly find.  If a position player shows a certain level of athleticism, we feel like the rest of his tangible tools will have a chance to progress also. The most athletic kids tend to be the ones who, by the end of their career, can run the fastest, hit the ball the farthest, and throw it the hardest. If we have 9 really athletic players in the lineup, we think we will be in good shape.

PBR: What do you value more from a pitcher, pitch-ability or power and why?

Coach Sanders: I don’t know that I can say we value one more than the other, honestly. Usually we will make the decision on pitchers on a case-by-case basis. There are some guys who get a ton of outs at the high school level, who don’t always translate well as D1 pitchers because their velocity never really pans out. On the other hand, there are some players who throw really hard, but they can’t seem to find the strike zone, or they don’t ever develop high caliber secondary pitches, both of which are extremely vital for us. Our pitching coach, Caleb Longshore and myself tend to try and find guys who either have a nice mixture of both.

 

PBR: What advice do you have for student athletes that have a desire to play college baseball?

Coach Sanders: You gotta put in the work! It is not easy to do, but then again, I don’t think it would be quite as much fun as it is if it were really easy. My best advice would be to do whatever you can to be the best on the field, in the classroom, in the weight room, and the best citizen you can possibly be. If a player can truly give his best in those areas, then the recruiting process can be a lot of fun for him. Another piece of advice would be to make baseball as fun as you can. When working to get better becomes a chore, there may be something else you should find to do. If you can do all of those things and enjoy going to the field every day, I would say that the odds of attracting college baseball coaches will be in your favor.