Imagine a baseball game with infinite innings, a tennis match with infinite sets or a round of golf with infinite holes – just as those examples illustrate an endless undertaking, the recruiting process at Baker University is a continuous endeavor to find better athletes and better students.
“I’m constantly watching scores, talking to coaches, receiving e-mails, and I spend a lot of time on the phone throughout the year,” head golf coach Karen Exon said.
Even though they’re busy during the season, coaches make efforts to bring in possible athletes to meet the team and see facilities.
“I like to focus on the (junior college) players because they have the collegiate experience and can focus on keeping grades up and that makes them a real asset,” head tennis coach Regan Dodd said.
While some coaches like to focus more on transfer students, others like to get a commitment even before an athlete’s senior season of play.
Head baseball coach Phil Hannon spends one day a week during the season to touch base with players via phone or e-mail.
“The Internet is great nowadays because kids can be in school and check their mail and we can touch base without consuming too much time,” Hannon said.
When focusing on high school students, Baker tries to sign them before the beginning of their senior season in high school.
“It’s good when a high school kid can make a decision before the season starts, which is the middle of ours,” Hannon said. “That way they can focus on baseball and not worry about earning scholarships.”
Coaches go through the same process of bringing players to visit the campus.
“We bring the kids in and they get to see the facilities and the campus and they get to meet the players, which is a huge recruiting mechanism because we have great team chemistry,” Hannon said.
In tennis and golf, the coaches will make an effort to attend as many tournaments as possible at the end of the high school season.
Ultimately, Baker is looking for student athletes who can contribute to the team and make the grade at the same time,?Exon said.
“I want the player to know that academics are first,” Exon said, “otherwise you won’t play for me.”