1. Practice, practice, practice.

2. Play on a travel/club team, you'll get better by playing (usually) better competition and by playing so many more games than with a high school team.

3. Practice, practice, practice.

4. Do your research and narrow your choices of colleges/universities to 5 or less. If possible, attend a softball camp at the schools of your choice.

5. Practice, practice, practice.

6. Send letters of interest to the coaches of your schools of choice.

7. Practice, practice, practice.

8. Do well in the high school classroom (study hard, learn to read well, write well, think critically, and get good grades). Don't wait for SAT/ACT scores before you start looking at colleges.

9. Practice, practice, practice.

10. Set high goals, but be realistic...there are only so many spots on the rosters of college teams and there are only so many division I teams. Don't be afraid to look at division II, III, and other colleges.

And finally...

11. Practice, practice, practice.

Additional Recruiting Resources
(Jennie Finch doesn't necessarily agree with or endorse the information found on the following websites.)

† Softball Recruiting Web Source

(The list below is from Cathi Aradi's website "Softball Recruiting Web Source")

† National Fastpitch Coaches Association

This site includes general information about the NFCA and college scores. Also a great resource for finding camps and clinics! You can order my book on-line there!

† NCAA Home Page (For all NCAA information. For Clearinghouse, see link below.)

† NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse Page

A direct link to the NCAA Clearinghouse and all current recruiting guidelines.

† NAIA Home Page

For all NAIA guidelines and regulations and other relevant information.

† NJCAA Home Page

For junior college guidelines and regulations and other relevant information (excluding Calif.). 

† NWAACC Home Page

For junior college guidelines and regulations and other relevant information for WA-OR junior colleges. 

† Calif. Community College Softball Home Page

For guidelines and regulations and other relevant information for Calif. community colleges. 

† College Board Online

A link to the organization that administers the SAT.

† Embark.com

Apply to college online and find information about colleges, scholarships and more.

† College is Possible

Great resource site for information on choosing a college, financial aid and more.

† TestPrep.com

Free on-line SAT review, with lots of lessons and hundreds of practice questions.

† ACT.org

On-line ACT registration and review, with tips on successfully preparing for this test. 

† FAFSA on the Web!

This site will take you through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (where it all begins) and allows you to complete the form on-line after January 1.

† Free Financial Aid Documents

Web listings of free information on financial aid resources.

† FinAid

An index of financial aid resources.

† EStudentloan.com Search Site

A site with information on searching for the best college loans and other aid.  

† Radisson Colorado Fireworks

The web site of one of the nation's premier summer tournaments. This tournament is attended by over 200 colleges every year, and it is simply the best! Check it out.