• Cory Stevens enters his fourth season as the head baseball coach at Wabash, his seventh overall with the Little Giant program.
• Last year Stevens' Wabash team posted 20 wins — the first time a Little Giant squad reached the 20-win mark since 2003.
• Prior to coach at Wabash, he spent the summers of 2004 and 2005 as pitching coach for the Stark County Terriers of the prestigious Great Lakes Collegiate Summer Baseball League. The Terriers won the 2005 Great Lakes League title.

COLLEGE Q & A

Q & A with Cory Stevens

Current Head Coach at Wabash College - NCAA Division III - Crawfordsville, Indiana

Question: How important is it for a player to attend a college team's summer camp? (Assuming an interest in that school)

 

Answer:

I don’t find it to be extremely important.  If we are able to see a recruit in person somewhere else (high school game, summer league game/tournament, showcase, etc.), it will allow us to evaluate you there.  If you know that a coach from a specific school that you have interest in will be an instructor at a college camp, it might be worth your time to attend.  Attending that camp will also allow for personal interaction.

 

Question: When should a player write an introduction letter to a college coach? (ie. 10th grade?)

 

Answer:

It is beneficial to receive an introduction letter prior to the start of the recruit’s junior high school season.  If the letter is received before the junior season, it allows us to track the recruit and see them live before we make contact after the junior year of high school is completed.

 

Question: Is it better to have the high school coach write and send the first letter?

 

Answer:

Not necessarily.  The most important thing is getting on a college coach’s radar.  High school coaches work on their own time frame, which is completely understandable.  The time frame in which you want to send your letter and when you want a college coach to receive it, might not be what works for the high school coach.  Also, many high school coaches will send letters with multiple players listed for their program.  Many times those names are simply entered into a mailing database.  I think the individual letters, when sent early (prior to the junior high school season), benefit the player more.

 

Question: Do sending copies of high school and/or summer team statistics help? Are they of value to you, when included with an introductory letter?

 

Answer:

Although statistics for a high school team and/or summer league team do hold some value, in the end they are all relative.  Some statistics may be skewed depending on the strength, or lack thereof, of your opponents and/or conference, and your statistician.  If they are readily available, it never hurts to include them.  I would not encourage a recruit to go great lengths to send them.

 

Question: Should a player or coach send copies of clippings from local newspapers that include highlights about the player?

 

Answer:

I think clippings which list All-Area, All-Conference, and/or All-State team are worth sending because they cover an entire season and present the big picture.  Clippings from one game or individual games do not necessarily capture output or performance over an entire season.

 

Question: Are "online" recruiting services used by college coaches? Would you recommend them to a high school player and his family as a good resume and reference tool?

 

Answer:

I would not encourage high school players or parents to pay for online recruiting services.  If the service is provided for free, there is no harm in pursuing it and usually only positive results can come from the use of it.  Many times an online recruiting service simply gets you in the college’s mailing database, which does not mean they are actively recruiting you.  Most of the services provided by online recruiting companies can be done by the player and his parents for much cheaper.

 

Question: Should a player send a video tape of himself in game situations? How important is the editing of the tape? Should it be professionally done?

 

Answer:

If video footage of games is sent by a player, I definitely prefer for it to be edited so that I am only seeing the plays that involve the player.  If the video is not edited, coaches spend precious time sifting through video to find the footage that actually involves the player.  I personally like to view practice video.  A coach can see 10 times the amount of repetitions in practice that they can from game footage.  For example, I might only see 2-3 at-bats from a game, whereas I can see 25 good batting practice swings in the same amount of time.  In either situation, the mechanics are there and we will see it.

 

Question: Assuming that a player has received, completed, and returned a "baseball questionnaire" from a college, is it a good idea to contact the college coach by telephone?

 

Answer:

I would recommend contacting the coach by email.  An email allows the coach to respond at their own convenience by email and/or phone and it doesn’t catch the coach off-guard.  Recruits need to remember that college coaches see thousands of players each year.  It puts the coach in an awkward situation if they don’t have detailed information about a recruit readily available.

 

Question: When would be the right time period for a player to contact a coach? (What grade? What time of year?, etc.)

 

Answer:

The best time to begin contacting coaches is after the completion of the junior year.  This will give the coach time to see you play, if they haven’t already, during the summer leading into the senior year.  This also limits the chances of any rules infractions with initiating contact.

 

Question: With the increase in the number of "Showcases", how important is it for a player to attend this type of event?

 

Answer:

I think it really depends on the reputation of the showcase and whether or not you have already been seen by the coaches who represent the schools where you might have interest.  It is beneficial to see players do specific activities that you might not see when attending a game.  For example, you might only get one defensive play during a game.  At a showcase, you are guaranteed multiple opportunities to display your abilities.

 

Question: If a player has attended an "invitation only" showcase, does this help a player when he expresses an interest in a particular college?

 

Answer:

Yes it does.  We have specific showcases that we consider to be more reputable than others.  All of those that we consider to be reputable and reliable for talent, are by invitation only.

 

Question: How important is a player's physical appearance? (ie. tattoos, body piercing, dress, odd hair styles, etc.) Are any or all of these items a "negative" to a college coach?

 

Answer:

It is important.  I don’t know many/any college coaches who don’t have policies regarding appearance with their programs.  If a player is serious about playing college baseball, he shouldn’t give a college coach a reason (which is completely within their control and has nothing to do with ability) to cross them off of their recruiting list.  In the end, you represent your school (and your college in the future) as much as you represent yourself.

 

Question: If a player has a bad game when a college coach is in the stands watching him for the first time, does that hurt a player as far as that school is concerned?

 

Answer:

A player can have a bad performance and a college coach can still see quite a bit physically and continue to be interested.  It is not so much about the outcome as it is about the mechanics and approach.  We are still going to get to see you swing, throw, run, field, etc.  We also get to see how you carry yourself when you aren’t at your best.

 

Question: How important is a player's "attitude” when in a game or at a practice? Is body language important?

 

Answer:

A player’s attitude is extremely important.  If a player has talent but doesn’t have a good/positive attitude, we simply won’t recruit him.  I am looking for players who enjoy the game, respect the game, and know how to play it the right way.  A player with a poor attitude has the potential to bring down other players in your program.  Body language is one component of attitude that we do pay attention to.

 

Question: In terms of academics, is a player that has a 3.3 GPA and qualifying ACT or SAT score more readily "looked at" than a player that tells you that he is right on the verge of qualifying?

 

Answer:

Yes.  The player who automatically qualifies academically requires much less work on the part of the college coach and it’s one less hurdle you have to overcome in getting him to your college.  The player who is on the verge requires much more effort with no guarantee of being admitted by the admissions office.  Academic scores are also a strong indicator of a player’s work ethic and their ability to succeed academically at the college level.

 

Question: Do the college coaches ever call or talk to professional scouts about a prospective player?

 

Answer:

Yes.  For me it is often on the road when I am watching games in the spring or the summer while recruiting.

 

Question: Does a prospective college player benefit by attending a professional "try-out" day?

 

Answer:

I think a professional try-out day is another opportunity for players to be seen, which is beneficial.  Colleges could be in attendance at the try-out day, in addition to the professional scouts. 

 

 

If you have any other info you would like to share with prospective players, please write them below:

 

Wabash College is a private liberal arts institution for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana.  We compete at the NCAA Division III level in the North Coast Athletic Conference, which produced the national runner-up in 2009.

 

It is a very exciting time for Wabash and our baseball program.  In 2009, Wabash won the NCAC West with an 11-5 record, while winning 23 games overall.  Many of our players were selected as all conference and all region performers, and many school records were shattered.  Wabash will be breaking ground for a new multi-million dollar baseball stadium this spring.  The new baseball stadium will be one piece of an impressive major outdoor athletics facility project.  We feel that it will be one of the elite college baseball sites in the Midwest.  In addition to our new stadium, the Allen Athletics Center is home to a $22 million indoor training facility.

 

With that said, the most important reason for you to consider Wabash is what the school does for you in life.  Few schools have Wabash’s proven ability to prepare you for a successful life in whatever endeavor you pursue.  Wabash was recently named America’s 12^th best college by Forbes.com.  One out of every eight of our graduates holds the title of CEO or President.  90% of our graduates who apply to Medical School are accepted.  95% are accepted to Law School, and virtually 100% are accepted to Business School.  Wabash is unique, and it is not for everyone.  We seek only those men who are concerned with being champions both on and off the field; those who understand that picking the right school goes beyond considering just athletics, but also choosing one that will insure your success during the 35-40 year career after you are done playing baseball. 

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