Today, Sunday September 1, 2024, kicked off the exciting time for high school juniors who are college prospects and can begin being contacted directly by prospective college coaches via weekly phone calls as well as via texts and emails.

As you can imagine, it’s a very exciting time for athletes, including softball standouts, who look to play competitively and take another step closer to learning at which college program they’ll play for.

Conversely, it can be a stressful time for young athletes who won’t get—at least initially—the level of recruiting interested they would hope to.

Line Drive Softball’s Brentt Eads contacted several of the top club softball head coaches to get their thoughts and perspectives on what “September 1” represents… good, bad and in-between!

Here are some of our favorite responses….

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September 1 is exciting for some and eye opening for others. It is the first opportunity for softball players to see how the market currently perceives them.

Little or no contact means you need to make a stronger case for yourself. Get some honest feedback from your coaches and undertake the challenge of strengthening your abilities. 

If you don’t have the tenacity to do that, you probably aren’t meant to play college softball.

— Gerry Quinn, Illinois Chill

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As big as everyone makes Sept. 1, I think it needs to be emphasized that only a small percentage of players get those special calls.

To lose hope and think it’s the end of the journey just because you didn’t get a call is wrong; Sept. 1 is just the date the NCAA specified for college coach to begin making personal contact in some ways.

This sport is bigger than people think with tens of thousands of athletes playing it.

When you think about it, that’s a lot of calls that need to be made and that get missed. Sept. 1 is not the end of recruiting… it is really just the start!

If you have a dream and have a ways to go to get it, don’t pout, feel sorry for yourself and make excuses; go take the dream out of the air of opportunity!

Nobody cares more about the dreams and goals more than the player themselves and, at the end of the day, I tell our players: “Nobody cares… work harder!”

— Marco Vazquez, Dirtdogs

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As for September 1 and the start of the contact period, the portal has changed everything.

We’re so concerned that we have forgotten there are oodles of seniors uncommitted, that colleges are recruiting off the portal more and that they aren’t as concerned about the juniors as they are excited to see the seniors.

Consequently, kids that age (high school juniors) don’t get called as much—not at that young of a level.

To me, it’s a great crap shoot, which can lead to anxiety as we’re forcing more and more children to make adult decisions.

— Mike Stith, OC Batbusters

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September 1 is the most prominent date for softball recruiting for players and their junior year.

When I first got into sport, July 1 was the date that colleges could end up talking to the players after they were done with IDT.

Many things have changed since then, but the anticipation in buildup of midnight September 1 has become the day that many players dreams come true.

Unfortunately, some don’t get the calls they had hoped and need to readdress their recruiting plan.

It’s not much different than on NFL day where some dreams are made and others need to look at the USFL or get a job in the real world! 

— Bill Conroy, Beverly Bandits

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I know Sept. 1 can bring a lot of anxiety for these student athletes.

As for schools contacting you, no matter how many you get or don’t get, it does not define you or your talent.

Every player has her own journey, and I tell players and their parents to trust the process and you will all be fine.

“The key to your success,” I tell the kids, “will be to hit, hit, and hit all this Fall season. Do that,” I tell each and every one of them, “and you will all find a home.”

— Bret Denio, Explosion

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September 1 is an exciting day for juniors as it allows these young ladies the opportunity to get the process started of making a big decision in not just their softball career but their academic career.

It allows them to start seeing the benefits of their hard work on the field and classroom payoff.

I tell all of my players and families to remember this is the start of the process in finding the best fit for them. It is stressful with so many unknowns, but it exciting and I encourage my players and families to enjoy the process and trust the journey.

— Rock Thompson, Birmingham Thunderbolts