Softball · Issue No. 20
The Recruiting Email That Works, in 4 Bullet Points
Week of September 14, 2026
QUICK TAKE - Short and specific beats long and impressive, every time. - Mention something real and current about the program, not a templated blast. - Keep one ongoing email thread instead of starting fresh each time. - Send varied video (live pitching, fielding, movement), not five clips of the same swing.
Appalachian State's head softball coach reads a lot of recruiting emails from prospective players — enough to have a clear sense of which ones actually stand out, and it isn't the ones packed with the most impressive stats.
The emails that get real attention, in her experience, are short, specific, and clearly show the player actually follows her program — not a templated message blasted to fifty schools with the school name swapped out each time. A recruit who mentions something specific and current, like a recent post from the team's social media or an interview a coach gave, signals genuine interest in a way that generic outreach never does. She's noticed players who keep a single ongoing email thread going over time, rather than starting a new message for every update, and finds that approach easier to actually follow than a scattered new email each week.
Video matters too, but not the way most families assume — she's less interested in a highlight reel stitched together from a player's best five plays than in seeing enough variety to judge real movement quality: how a player gets ready to hit, fields a ball, and moves in general, across more than one look (live pitching, a machine, not just a tee). A few repetitive clips of the same swing tell her less than a shorter video showing a genuine range of situations.
The throughline in all of this: volume and polish matter less than specificity and genuine engagement. A shorter, more personal email that shows a player actually knows and follows a program will get read more carefully than a longer, more impressive-looking one sent to every school on a list. For a recruit trying to stand out in an inbox full of near-identical outreach, that's often the easiest, cheapest adjustment available — and one most families never make.
From an interview with Appalachian State's head softball coach.
This piece ran in PPA Pro Issue No. 20, alongside a camp spotlight and trainer pick for every sport. Subscribe free.