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Andy Concialdi Athlete Interview – Committed to Hope International University
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, Baseball, College, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Q & A, Recruiting
We would like to congratulate Andy Concialdi on his commitment to Hope International University! Here are Andy's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Royal!
1. Share your recruiting story and status!
I committed to play baseball at Hope International University in Fullerton during my Senior year of high school baseball. The process for me was determining what the best schools were and then getting seen by them. I am very happy that HIU saw me play at a showcase and offered me a scholarship. I immediately thanked them but also asked for some time to make my decision. I got back to HIU about mid-season and accepted their scholarship to play baseball at Hope International University. I had opportunities to play at five schools, two of them being out of state. I decided I wanted to remain in California and play baseball here. I was extremely appreciative of all the opportunities.
2. What school are you going to, and why did you choose them?
I chose to play baseball at Hope International University because of the fantastic program, coaches, and players. HIU has built a winning program and I want to be a part of that. Also, I believe HIU is the school for me because I love that it is a Christian school and I knew I wanted to play baseball at a Christian school.
3. How did SportsForce help in the process?
SportsForce helped tremendously with the entire process. They answered every question and gave me and my family outstanding advice. They are great about responding and also have lots of patience to deal with very busy high school baseball players. I could not have asked for a better experience with SportsForce. I enjoyed the frequent calls with SportsForce (Andrew, Darrell and Ryan) that kept me accountable for what I was doing and made sure I stayed on track with the recruiting process. SportsForce really cares about the athlete and wants what is best for them.
4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process?
My advice would be to keep updating new and fresh game highlights. Video can help a lot with a coach being interested in you. Keep in mind, a video is great, but coaches need to see you perform in person. Be patient and keep a positive attitude.
5. How excited are you about your future in college?
I cannot wait to start my baseball career with the HIU Baseball Team. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a great school and baseball program. I only have good things to say about HIU.
6. How much money do you estimate your family saving in college expenses over the entirety of your college career? (Includes, Athletic scholarships, Academic scholarships, & financial aid)
Over my four years in college, I anticipate saving around $75,000 because of Athletic and Academic Scholarships.
7. Would you recommend SportsForce to any other student-athletes? Why?
Yes, I would recommend SportsForce to other student-athletes. SportsForce has helped me tremendously with the recruiting process. This process is different for every player and comes with hundreds of questions. The SportsForce team has been very patient and very helpful with answering all of our questions and concerns. They have recommended certain events to attend in order to be seen and have advised certain events that I would be wasting money going to. They are very good at what they do. I extremely appreciate them for everything that SportsForce has done for me. They are great people!
Over the last six years, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Adam Pahos Athlete Interview – Committed to Southeastern Community College
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, Baseball, College, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Q & A, Tips & Advice
We would like to congratulate Adam Pahos on his commitment to Southeastern Community College! Here are Adam's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Blackhawk!
I started my journey in early 2017, we didn't have much knowledge of the college system and how to reach out to college coaches and get the process started. The process is shorter than we first expected, we thought we would have to commit to a school before the new year which we now know isn't the case. I committed to my school on 4/17/2018.
I will be going to Southeastern Community College in Iowa. I chose them because they have other Aussies players there, and they all had very positive feedback about the school and baseball program
SportsForce helped by giving us the tools to be able to reach numerous college coaches in the United States, despite being from Australia. They helped put together a good highlight video and quality advice on how to email and talk to the coaches.
Start the process early so you aren't in a big rush to find a place. Start collecting lots of game footage as well as training footage that will help show off your skill set.
5. How excited are you on your future in college?
I am very excited to go to college, it has been a dream of mine ever since I found out about college baseball in America and am very excited to start this new chapter in my life.
I would recommend SportsForce to any other student-athlete because they are very knowledgeable in the college scene, were easily accessible to talk to at any time and make the search for a college very easy.
Jake Lawrence Athlete Interview – Committed to Trinity University
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, Baseball, College, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Inspiring Stories, Q & A, Recruiting
We would like to congratulate Jake Lawrence on his commitment to Trinity University! Here are Jake's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Tiger!
1.Share your recruiting story.
The process was stressful as expected, but SportsForce, as well as my high school coaches, were very helpful in guiding me. I got exposure through team tournaments and showcases and started receiving attention my junior year. When I started playing varsity, I eventually received offers during the fall of my senior year. I decided between several Division 3, high academic universities and committed in February of my senior year.
I chose Trinity University because it was a great combination of high-level baseball and quality academics. I also think very highly of the coaching staff and respected the players I met during my visit.
I was fortunate that my high school program and coaches were able to help me get exposure. But Andrew and the SportsForce team helped me organize my reach out to coaches after showcases and, most importantly, helped prepare me to effectively communicate with coaches by having prepared answers to the typical things they ask as well as have questions ready for them. I don't think I would have made a very good first impression without SportsForce's help. Andrew also helped guide me in deciding which showcases would be the best to attend so that we didn't waste a ton of money and time trying to go to all the ones I got invited to.
I think many would tell you to start as early as possible, but I'm not sure that would have been the right thing for me. Up until spring of my junior year, I mostly played shortstop and focused primarily on fieldwork and hitting. Turns out that I was a better pitcher than middle infielder and that's what got coach interest. I am now a PO and don't think I would be playing high-level college baseball if I'd stayed the path of infield/hitting. So waiting until I developed some as a player was better for me. I also used actual game footage for my video which I heard from many coaches they liked better than the more typical, non-game highlight videos. [Mostly applies to Pitching]
I am very excited that I get to live my dream of playing college baseball. Trinity University is a great overall fit for me and I'm not sure I would have gotten there without baseball being part of the process and decision.
6. How much money do you estimate your family saving in college expenses over the entirety of your college career?
Division 3 schools don't give athletic scholarships but I did receive the academic Trustee's Scholarship from Trinity for $22,000 per year or $88,000 for the full four years.
I would recommend SportsForce because they helped me navigate the recruiting process which can be confusing, stressful and exhausting. They definitely helped find the right fit for me in terms of a baseball program and school. I appreciate all they did to help me and my family.
Maeve Hungerford Athlete Interview – Committed to Colorado Mesa University
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, College, Commitments, Commitments, Lacrosse, Q & A, Tips & Advice
We would like to congratulate Maeve Hungerford on her commitment to Colorado Mesa University! Here are Maeve's recruiting story and interview after her commitment. Good luck as a Maverick!
1. Share your recruiting story and status
I knew I wanted to play lacrosse in college early on. It is an intimidating process and despite all the camps, club, and tournaments I had no idea where I wanted to go to college, what constituted a "good fit", or what I should be looking at with regards to lacrosse programs. My dad would talk to me about colleges, towns, or coaches and I just didn't fully understand what he was talking about. After joining SportsForce in 9th grade, Coach Andrea Ervay was assigned to me as my mentor. We would talk by phone every few months and she would ask about my grades, how lacrosse was going and helped keep me on track. The one thing both Coach Ervay and my dad said was grades came first and lacrosse comes after. I definitely stalled out in my process during junior year. It was hard enough trying to handle school and lacrosse and I didn't want to think about college yet. However, being with SportsForce helped as all communication that was or wasn't doing was in a central place and easy to keep track of. Summer after my junior year, my dad helped me narrow down my options and then we visited campuses and met with coaches. While I hate to admit it, my dad was right in that going to the campuses was the most helpful thing in my recruiting process. There were quite a few D2 and D3 coaches that were interested and the websites for all the schools made them all look awesome. However, I didn't realize how truly far away, or how I would feel on campus, the size of school I was looking for, and the geographic location until I got on campus. Visiting the schools really helped and I was able to rank them better after getting offers and an idea of location, cost, and lacrosse program. I was really surprised at the results. A few schools I had thought I really would like, I didn't, and a few that I didn't think I would like at all, ended up enjoying them. Ultimately I narrowed everything down and when I was offered by an in-state school (which I had always thought I wanted to go out of state) that I really liked the lacrosse coach and location/cost, it was an easy decision. If I hadn't made all those visits, I think I might have made some choices I would regret.
I will be attending and playing at Colorado Mesa University (DII) in the RMAC. Ultimately I decided to become a Maverick because the campus was beautiful, it had all the academic programs I needed and wanted, the facilities are unreal, and I really liked the lacrosse coach. Also, as I said before, I thought I wanted to go out of state, but everything seemed really far away when it got down to it. CMU is close enough to access my parents and friends in Denver but far enough away they won't be randomly knocking on my dorm door.
SportsForce helped in many ways. For me, the constant reminder to fill out my contact sheet, the accountability knowing that I had to schedule a talk with Coach Ervay from time to time, and the ability to have all my recruiting stuff in one place ended up being crucial. My dad says that for him as a parent, it was really nice to deal with Darrell (Client Services) and Coach Ervay as his only contacts, that the site was easy to use and update, and that he only had to pay once for four years of ongoing help. The database of schools, coaches, and contact information ended up being really helpful. I didn't realize this until some of my teammates started trying to get recruited and I realized what a struggle getting a film, making contact with coaches, and then keeping all that straight was. SportsForce truly made all that easy.
I would say that getting good footage of your play is key. Also, after meeting with many coaches during this process, I found that they don't always want to see your best plays, they want to see everything. If you start using film from 9th grade and as a sophomore, you improved, it is ok to show how something wasn't awesome but now it is. The coaches mentioned they like to see coachability and progress more than your most awesome plays (include those of course), or something where you made a mistake but showed hustle to get the ball back (the words tenacity, speed, and attitude come up a lot).
My dad wanted me to be sure and mention that campus visits and patience were what helped most as a parent. I know he was frustrated with me but was kind enough to let me figure stuff out on my own to some degree. The visits helped because I really got a feel right away whether I liked the college or not. I talked to a lot of coaches on the phone and the campuses always sound awesome, but until I got there I knew pretty quickly whether it would make my short list or whether I wasn't interested anymore.
#1 piece of advice….. KEEP YOUR GRADES UP. It turns out both colleges and coaches want to know about those first before you even start talking about lacrosse. Also, so many avenues open up for financial help when your GPA is as high as you can keep it and you do well on the SAT/ACT. It makes coaches much more interested because as one coach told me "it shows you are serious about coming here for all 4 years and that you have the chops to succeed".
I am really excited to start college and get to play lacrosse too. I think I took a long time to commit/sign but I think I found a really good fit, one that I will be successful at academically and enjoy playing lacrosse.
Over the 4 years, it likely will add up to about 40k.
My family would absolutely recommend SportsForce to other student-athletes. By starting with them early in 9th grade, the cost was essentially for 4 years of service rather than a blitz right at the end of high school. Also, while I did ultimately want a scholarship for athletics, SportsForce provided another outside source of motivation and accountability that helped me stay on top of my grades and ultimately receive scholarship money for my academics as well. There is no way I or my parents could have done all the research and communications with the effectiveness or ease that SportsForce provides. Darrell and Coach Ervay were patient and understanding, as well as very attentive whenever we needed something i.e. game footage compilations, questions about NCAA rules and how to get a number, as well as keeping the communications list up to date.
Brodie Maloney Athlete Interview – Committed to Southwestern University
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, Baseball, College, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Inspiring Stories, Q & A, Recruiting, Tips & Advice
We would like to congratulate Brodie Maloney on his commitment to Southwestern University! Here are Brodie's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Pirate!
I live in a small community in California that does not have a summer club team. I started traveling down to Southern California my freshman year and played for Trombly Baseball. The process was hard and long, but it was very rewarding in the end. I committed to Southwestern University in January 2018.
I am going to Southwestern University in Austin, Texas. I chose SU because it was definitely the right fit for me, academically, athletically, and socially. SU had a great campus feel and it has a great baseball program.
SportForce helped me understand how the recruiting timeline worked, how to communicate with college coaches, and how to keep myself in better shape.
Definitely try to get on a team that goes to the AZ Fall Classic (major baseball recruiting event) and if you have good enough grades try out for the All-Academic team. Other then that never think it is too late to get interest from coaches.
I am extremely excited to start my college career as a Pirate mainly because Austin is an extremely nice area and the school and baseball program are outstanding.
Over 4 years my family and I will save 80,000 dollars.
I would recommend SportForce to other athletes that do not have enough guidance from another coach because they helped figure out my needs and wants for college.
CJ Whelan Feature Athlete Interview – Committed to Tulane University
We would like to congratulate CJ Whelan on his commitment to Tulane University! Here are CJ's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Tulane!
I signed an NLI to attend Tulane University on 11/15/17 as a second year Junior College player. Signed on with SportsForce during the first year of Junior College. Had D1 interest out of high school but an injury derailed those opportunities. My time in JC gave the opportunity to get stronger, receive great coaching at San Joaquin Delta College and my college opportunities were bigger and better as a result. SportsForce helped get my name out to various schools, organized my marketing material, and helped orchestrate the initial contact to the school that turned out to be the perfect fit. Ultimately I had to choose between numerous D1 offers up to a D1 full ride scholarship.
SportsForce was very helpful through the entire process which became very busy with daily calls/texts from coaches and was always available to talk and give advice. Having SportsForce on my team along with supportive JC coaches that colleges would call was a one/two punch.
Tulane University. Coaches, team, and school were a perfect match.
Andrew (our personal recruiting advisor) initially spoke with the Tulane coaches about me (was his idea), their team needed pitching and had scholarship money available. Andrew was available to consult through the entire process and was very helpful.
First of all, work on your skills to be able to contribute at the next level and get great coaching along the way, which will make you more marketable. Be realistic about college choices and be open to suggestions.
Extremely excited. Look forward to the challenges ahead.
Absolutely! I felt they were a big asset to let schools like Tulane know about me. It is difficult to go to school, play sports and also let schools/coaches know are available. SportsForce made a big difference and I would use their services again.
Jimmy Chatfield Feature Athlete Interview – Committed to Yale University
We would like to congratulate Jimmy Chatfield on his commitment to Yale University! Here are Jimmy's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Bulldog!
I stayed in contact with several target schools throughout the year, sending them updated videos approx. once per month. Ryan Thompson with SportsForce also made a more consolidated highlight video and helped us reach out to our target schools as well. I had a great high school season, went to JO's (Junior Olympics) in AZ, then Head First in Sacramento followed by the Stanford camp. Interest really started to accelerate at the latter two camps as I hit, fielded, and pitched well. Offers started to come in at the Stanford camp, and on the last day of that camp, several schools were making either offers or inviting me to visit the campus. Yale was in our top three from the start, so when they offered, it was over!
Yale because it's an elite school that we felt had the right balance of sports and scholastics.
Initial help in establishing the target school list was good, but the communications directly with coaches, and knowledge of the coaches' needs/priorities/interest was paramount! We have to thank Ryan Thompson for his work. Also, his personal interest, assessments, and coaching were huge.
It's extremely important that you take charge of the splicing, compiling and sending of video updates to coaches. Coaches want to gauge a student-athlete's interest in their program and get to know them. Make sure a professional video is both shot and edited to increase the chances of getting a college coaches attention. SportsForce can counsel the parents on the proper angles to shoot for hitting and fielding. Even if the student-athlete attends a camp or event and have professional video services available, the parents should film the assessment events as well…there's no such thing as too much video!
Extremely excited!
Yes….for families that really don't have a plan or experience in college sports, they need help. For our family, it was really Ryan Thompson that made all the difference!
William Sweeney Feature Athlete Interview – Committed to Stanford University
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, College, College Football, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Inspiring Stories, Q & A, Recruiting, Tips & Advice
We would like to congratulate William Sweeney on his commitment to Stanford University! Here are William's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Cardinal!
My recruiting process was difficult and stressful at times, but in the end, it turned out to be a total blast. After having promising sophomore and junior seasons, I initially cast a wide net and contacted schools from the D1 FBS level all the way to the D3 level. I attended camps during the summers, played 7v7 in the off-season, and trained year round. After my junior season, I began heavily contacting Ivy League and highly academic D3 schools, but I always had the dream of playing FBS football in the back of my mind. The recruiting process took a difficult turn when I tore my ACL during the winter of my junior year, but a few schools stood by me despite the injury. On a whim, I also decided to reach out to my dream school, Stanford University, and to my surprise, they responded quickly with interest despite my injury. They were interested in bringing on a preferred walk-on long snapper in my class and liked what they had seen from me in camp and on film. Once I displayed my ability to get into the school on my own with my grades and test scores, they offered me the spot. From then on, it was a waiting game to see if I would get in. I received my admissions offer on December 12th, committed an hour later, and signed my Letter of Intent on National Signing Day.
I chose my dream school Stanford University because it is the only school in the country that offers an elite education and the opportunity to compete for a national championship every season. Also, my mom and uncle are alumni, so I've grown up around campus and have always imagined myself there. It has been my goal since I was 7 years old.
SportsForce and Andrew Beinbrink really helped me early on in the process by giving me the organizational tools to communicate with many schools. They showed me how to write effective emails that would give coaches an idea of my skills and who I am as a person. SportsForce really helped me put myself out there, as I was initially a little shy at first. Andrew also explained the NCAA recruiting rules for each level and simplified terms that I wasn't familiar with, such as the Ivy League Band System. He was a great help to refer to if I was ever confused about something.
I would advise that it's good to start sending out emails early, right when an athlete has varsity film. Also, never be shy about reaching out to coaches. It is their job to find athletes, and you coming to them makes it that much easier for them. They appreciate it. Also, be careful about the number of camps you go to. You want to plan your summers in a way that allows you to recover and get sufficient rest before you see more coaches.
5. How excited are you for your future in college?
I could not be more excited. This is a total dream come true.
Yes, I absolutely would. SportsForce was a great asset to me early on in the process, and they supplied me with valuable information. The recruiting process can be tough or confusing sometimes, and it's great to know you have someone there to answer your questions. SportsForce was there for me.
Over the last five years, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.
Jacob Sligar Feature Athlete Interview – Committed to Beloit College
Posted by SportsForce in Athlete of the Week, College, Commitments, Commitments, High School, Q & A, Recruiting
We would like to congratulate Jacob Sligar on his commitment to Beloit College! Here are Jacob's recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as Buccaneer!
The process was difficult at first to understand the emails and responses to send to coaches, but I eventually understood what needed to be done. It involved paying attention and updating coaches that got interested and it paid off. I verbally committed January 29th. I will sign the first day I am permitted.
I am going to Beloit College. I chose them based off their academics and how good their baseball program was. It felt like the best fit for me.
Sportsforce helped me to truly understand what needed to be done and understand what to talk about with coaches to get a better understanding of their school.
4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process (ex. start early, get a highlight video)?
Start early and do not lose any hope that your son or daughter will not get a chance to play at the next level. There is a college that will want your son or daughter and your child will love that school.
I am extremely excited for my future in college and can't wait until the season starts when I finally graduate.
6. How much money do you anticipate your family saving in college expenses because of you being recruited?
I would say about 75% savings for my family.
I would recommend SportsForce to other student-athletes because of how well their program works in helping you understand the process and getting noticed.
Austin & Dylan Thomas Feature Athlete Interview – Committed to Linfield College
We would like to congratulate Austin and Dylan Thomas on their commitments to Linfield College! Here are Austin's and Dylan's recruiting story and interview after their commitments. Good luck as Wildcats!
We started working with SportsForce in the spring of our junior year. Ryan and the SportsForce team were extremely helpful in evaluating film and listening to our wants and needs when deciding on a college. The team was very helpful putting us in front of college coaches that were a good fit academically, athletically and matched our financial criteria. SportForce met the unique challenge of finding a school that allowed both of us to find an opportunity to play.
We will be attending Linfield College in the Fall of 2017. We selected Linfield because of their excellent academic program and it provides both my brother and I the opportunity to play baseball. Our financial needs were met, and the campus and surrounding area are what we were looking for as well. In particular, Coach Manley's philosophy and enthusiasm was very compelling and made Linfield the best choice for my brother and me.
3. How did SportsForce help in the process?Ryan and the SportsForce team were extremely helpful in the recruiting process. Through our numerous conversations with Ryan, he got to know us personally and helped create a list of schools that he felt were a good match. SportsForce met the unique challenge of finding a school that provided the opportunity for both my brother and me to play together.
4.What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process (ex. start early, get a highlight video)?
It is never too early to start the recruiting process. It is important to get an objective and honest evaluation about your talent level and be sure to focus on schools that fit your academic and athletic needs.
We are very excited to begin our college career as a Linfield Wildcat. We look forward to leaving home and being more independent as well.
I would highly recommend using SportsForce for your recruiting needs. They take the time to get to know you, understand your wants and needs, and help tailor your college choices to schools that meet these needs and provide a good talent fit.
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