As I write this we are heading into one of the most important periods for softball players looking to get recruited to play in college – especially at a Power 4 or other Division i school. Because we are right in front of the major tournaments in Colorado, as well as a few other events across the U.S.

Players (and their parents) at various age levels are eagerly anticipating their opportunities to get on one of the big stages, show what they can, and hopefully get discovered by one of the myriad of college coaches who are scouting at these tournaments. It’s the softball equivalent of the story about actress Lana Turner getting discovered at the Top Hat Cafe soda fountain and going on to a fame and fortune as a leading lady in numerous Hollywood movies.

I hate to be the one to burst anyone’s bubble, but the odds of being “discovered” at a tournament, even a big one, are about the same as the odds of being discovered sitting in a restaurant in Hollywood – basically one in a million. I’m not saying it can’t happen (more on that in a bit), but it’s extremely unlikely to happen. Here’s why.

First, all of these major tournament have multiple sites, and which site you play on plays a large part in determining which college coaches (if any) will be at your site. You may be at the Biggest, Baddest tournament in Colorado, for example, but the field you’re on could be 20 or 30 miles away from the epicenter of the tournament.

As a result, you’re not going to see Patty Gasso, or Mike White, or Gerry Glasco, or Karen Weekly, or others of their stature. Or their assistants.

There may be a handful of coaches at your site, but they’re more likely to be from smaller schools. This, incidentally, is the reason so many local teams are abandoning their local organizations and becoming franchisees of bigger-name programs.

They’re hoping that more well-known name will get them on the better fields at the bigger tournaments. Although you do have to wonder if we’ve already reached the saturation point on that play, particularly with organizations that aren’t too choosey about who they award a franchise to.

The more important reason the idea of being “discovered” is pretty much a pipe dream, though, has to do with the way college coaches recruit. They don’t go to tournaments to see who’s playing and try to find kids they don’t know about.

Ask any college coach and they will tell you they are going to those tournaments to look at specific players in whom they’re already interested. They have had contact with them before, maybe seen some videos of them, or seen them play at another tournament, or know them from their camps.

They have a list of who is playing where and when, and they have mapped out in advance where they plan to be each day (and probably each hour of each day) of the tournament.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One is the rules around recruitment.

College coaches are allotted X number of days they can spend on recruiting activities, and that X is a small number. For example, in the summer recruiting for Division 1 is only allowed between June 1 and July 31. (Other divisions and organizations have their own rules.)

As a result D I coaches can’t waste time wandering from field to field, or complex to complex, hoping against hope they can find some undiscovered talent. They need to check out the players they’re already interested in to see not just how they play but learn about how they handle adversity, what type of teammate they are, how they respond to their coaches and parents, and other “character” information.

Now, if you happen to be playing on the same field as one of those players they’re looking at and you happen to have the opportunity to do something spectacular (such as hit two home runs or pitch a no-hitter) you might earn a look from one of those coaches, or at least get on his/her radar. But again, that’s leaving a lot to chance.

The other reason is those coaches are just not very likely to take a chance on a complete unknown even if you DID look great in the one game where they saw you. They’re likely to figure if they haven’t heard of you until now there’s a reason for it.

There are way fewer slots, especially at the big schools, than there are people who want to fill them. If you haven’t been tagging those coaches on X, texting them, emailing them, calling them, attending their camps, and doing whatever else you can to let them know you’re interested they’re probably going to think you’re not very serious about going there.

Getting recruited is a numbers game and a persistence game. You have to be in it for the long haul and doing all you can to stand out from the crowd. Starting that effort your freshman year is not too early.

Sure, some of the showcases and ranking organizations can help you gain some attention, particularly if you are toward the top of your class. But you still have to be making that individual effort on a regular basis if you want them to know who you are well enough for them to say “Yes, I will make an effort to check you out at the such-and-such tournament.”

So here is what I can tell you: If you haven’t been in touch with any college coaches as outlined above, if no one has said “Send me your schedule” or if you haven’t sent your schedule anyway, there’s no real reason for you to get too uptight about the upcoming tournaments. The coaches you want to impress probably won’t even be looking at you, so enjoy the trip and the opportunity to compete against high-level competition.

Then, when you get home, start your campaign right away so when you find yourself in Colorado or another, similar location next year you can maybe get some of those coaches to spend a few of their valuable minutes watching you. And don’t forget to start upping your skills (including your interpersonal skills and mental game) so they like what they see if/when they do come out to see you.

Again, I’m sure there’s a player every now and then who legitimately gets “discovered” at one of these big tournaments, but that’s not the way to bet. Understanding how recruiting works in the real world, and then following those steps, will do far more to help you achieve your dream.

My good friend Jay Bolden and I have started a new podcast called “From the Coach’s Mouth” where we interview coaches from all areas and levels of fastpitch softball as well as others who may not be fastpitch people but have lots of interesting ideas to contribute.

You can find it here on Spotify, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you’re searching, be sure to put the name in quotes, i.e., “From the Coach’s Mouth” so it goes directly to it.

Give it a listen and let us know what you think. And be sure to hit the Like button and subscribe to Life in the Fastpitch Lane for more content like this.