tiffany deering: So they don't really learn about the whole process and they think that they're just gonna show up and play and somebody's gonna find them.
Rob D.: what are coaches looking at in a recruiting profile and immediately think, I wanna know more about this kid? Play more tournaments, send more emails, make more videos, spend more money. Because apparently that's the official recruiting strategy. Or maybe we've been doing it all wrong. Let's find out. Welcome to the Softball Central Podcast, your comprehensive look. into the world of fast pitch softball. In softball, some people have played the game, some have coached the game, and some have dedicated their careers to helping the next generation navigate everything that comes with it. Our guest today is former University of Michigan softball player and national champion Tiffany Worthy Deering. She now serves as president of APS Recruits Helping athletes and families make sense of the often confusing and chaotic world of college recruiting. Welcome to the show, Tiffany.
tiffany deering: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Rob D.: so the first thing I wanted to ask you about is what's the biggest recruiting mistake you see talented players making like over and over again?
tiffany deering: Well, that's a that's a loaded question, Rob. I think number one is they don't start early enough and not to become obsessive, but just to get information. They wait they wait too long or they expect it to just happen for them. So they don't really learn about the whole process and they think that they're just gonna show up and play and somebody's gonna find them. and get in front of all these coaches and and the coaches are just looking for players. Well, I have college coach friends and I've seen their spreadsheets when they go to tournaments of, you know, what fields they have to be on at what time to watch watch kids. So I'm not saying that doesn't happen that you don't just get noticed, but it gives you a better chance of getting noticed if you are prepared. And I I think that we need to make sure that the girls know that everybody's journey is unique. You know, it the timeline that certain things happen might not be the same for you as they are for one of your teammates. your journey is yours and your fit is different. Everybody's fit is different, I know that there's that stigma of the D1 or bust.
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: And we don't really realize that there's a lot of good fits out there and they might not be the ones that you're seeing on TV and you might be missing opportunities because of it because we're we're going in there thinking, well, I'm only going to Oklahoma or I'm only going to Tennessee when there could be a really good fit for you somewhere else. so I think it's being proactive, doing your due diligence, and kind of knowing your timeline, know the rules that surround root recruiting, and Just be open to possibilities other than what you're seeing on television. But you gotta know what you're getting into because it's a huge commitment. And is it something you really want, or are you doing it just because everybody else is? So the process is pretty complicated and that's where APS has kind of bridged the gap and kinda solved some of the stress associated with it, helping girls create better habits earlier.
Rob D.: Right. So i it it basically i if you're gonna do it, do it right. Don't
tiffany deering: Right.
Rob D.: don't compare yourself to someone else's story and then don't be disappointed if the phone doesn't ring on September first. Right. Right.
tiffany deering: my gosh, don't be disappointed. Don't be disappointed. That's not the end all be all.
Rob D.: I know. Well, people people do make it out to be and if you get a phone call on September first, that's great. You know, more power to you.
tiffany deering: Yeah, more power.
Rob D.: But y you might get the call on September second or you might be getting calls before that from a D two. You know, y y you you just don't know. And I I I love what you say and we try and drill that home all the time about finding the best fit, putting the forty before the four, you know, meaning the the the forty years of work before the four years of college or five years as it may be now. Are you training to get tired or training to get better? Team Coach Shoe isn't just about surviving the workout, it's intentional training for speed, explosiveness, and first step quickness. Their structured eight week programs track real metrics to make you a dominant athlete. Stop just sweating and start performing. Call six one nine three seven zero six three two eight or click on the booking link in the show notes to schedule your first visit. so tip you went from Southern California To Michigan, correct? So w I wanted to add To the University of Michigan.
tiffany deering: That's correct.
Rob D.: Let's let's be clear. Wolverine. Yes.
tiffany deering: Gah.
Rob D.: what what did practice look like in February in Ann Arbor?
tiffany deering: freezing no we were inside We have state of the art facilities at Michigan. It wasn't some schlock operation.
Rob D.: Well of course, of course. I'm wondering if that's what most people visualize 'cause I know I'd be like, Michigan? No. Yes.
tiffany deering: Yeah, it was you know, you travel so much that you're really not there. I didn't really experience my first real winter until after I had graduated, but I mean the facilities are state of the art and you don't even realize you're so busy as a student athlete, you don't even realize what the temperature is outside besides getting to the facility. Like that's that's the only part that's bad. I mean, not to say that we didn't play in some very cold temperatures, you know, come May when we had to play in May and it might be snowing. but you know, Brundage Biggie, we call her at Michigan. She says only the tough come to Michigan, and Hutch says that too. So you gotta be you gotta be tough.
Rob D.: You were a part of Michigan's 2005 national championship team. What do people who weren't there misunderstand about what it actually takes to win a championship?
tiffany deering: We played a lot of games and we practiced a ton. And so that was just like the icing on the cake to get to that I mean that was our end goal, obviously, but I mean it it's a lot of training room. It's a lot of prehab, rehab, it's a lot of mental talks, you know, pre-game stuff. It's a it's a huge Huge time commitment. and it's a balancing act for academics and and playing the sport, obviously. But I mean it's a grind. if you don't love your teammates, you better love them. You better figure out something that you love about them
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: because you're with them nonstop. everybody thinks it's all glamour and and TV and and you get the rings and you get all this stuff and really the the behind the scenes stuff is grind. So if you don't love the grind, then it's not for you. But it it was tough with a good payoff, that's for sure. But it was a lot of work to get there and once you got there then it even got tougher. but our coaches did a really good job that year or the whole time I was there is preparing us to handle setbacks and preparing us to fight and you know give the give a blow if somebody gave you a blow. you don't have time to roll over.
Rob D.: something you said there that I I I don't think I've heard before and I love it, the prehab and the rehab. That is great. I'm gonna I'm putting that on a t shirt and I'll give you credit for it. I like it. What I love about it is she talks about like, you know, the College World Series. Basically you're see seeing the last round of the fight, but there are the rounds in between from the first round to the tenth round of the fight and and I love it that you're like, you know, you might have to take a blow and counter blow and that's I love that analogy.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: That's awesome. Yeah. 'Cause no one no one sees no one sees the crappy food, the hotel rooms, you know, yeah, getting to the bus, getting off the bus. Yeah, the injuries,
tiffany deering: The injuries.
Rob D.: the bus is late, all all they see w which is great is them on the field having a great time. And that's and I've said it a million times. That's what love about softball. If you if you turn on the TV and you don't see a scoreboard and you look at either dugout, you have no clue who's winning or who's losing because everybody is up and having a damn good time. I tried, I tried to quit, I couldn't quit.
tiffany deering: Right, that's why I can't get rid of this sport. It's so fun. I die right. And
Rob D.: You eventually became a team captain for the Wolverines. I love the Wolverines. What did that
tiffany deering: Ha ha.
Rob D.: teach you that you still use today in the recruiting world?
tiffany deering: Being a leader, well That's helped me in my professional life in a number of ways, obviously. realizing nobody's gonna do it for you, taking initiative and making sure you you're doing things the right way with with good character, 'cause you never know who's watching, but always with a grateful grateful spirit and knowing that it's not about me, it's about for APS in particular, it's about making girls understand that there's a place for them and it it's not impossible. We just are here to simplify it. So kind of giving them the structure to simplify their ultimate end goal of playing in college. So I feel like I'm grateful for that opportunity to to impact some girl along the way, whether it's I ever meet her or I don't meet her, hopefully she could look back and say, gosh, it was a blessing to have APS because you know it made things a lot more simple for me and I didn't have all the stress that all these other girls did
Rob D.: n you've now seen recruiting from both sides, as a player, as someone helping athletes navigate it. What's the biggest misconception parents have about getting their daughter recruited?
tiffany deering: Well I've seen it as a player, as an athlete as a president of APS I think that parents think that they have to get their kid in front of as many coaches possible. Like it it's the more the more coaches the better. But I don't really think that's the case. I think it's the right coaches. How are we as parents gonna put our kid in the right position to get in front of the right coaches and develop meaningful relationships with the right people because you could be in front of a hundred different coaches and they aren't the right ones, that's when the planning comes in, you know, where do I wanna go to school, what geographic location, what schools have my major. So sitting down with your with your daughter and going through that kind of stuff academically and athletically, where you kinda can see her fitting and then saying, okay, what targeted camps do we need to go to? Or maybe what showcase is going to be important that we're at and if your team's not headed there, either we we're rethinking our team decision or we're thinking I gotta do a good I got I gotta do my research and figure out how I can get in front of said coaches that are that are gonna be on my you know target list or my reach list or whatever list I have. So I think it's not always about getting in front of millions of coaches. It's the right ones
Rob D.: So so when it when it comes to getting in front of the coaches, as far as the camps, is there anything that APS recommends about camps, whether it's, you know, the ID camps or come to our camp? But we we understand the reasons why colleges do it, you know, th to raise some money, but is there any particular camps that you see that they should be taking part of?
tiffany deering: Well, I won't feature dump, but there is like a camps tab where you can search all the camps based on geographic location and stuff that Riser the Riser platform hosts. But I think you have to be specific in which w where you allocate your funds unless you're just super rich 'cause you could go
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: broke real fast with camps, clinics, showcases,
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: I D camps, all these different camps. I think that as a player i and and it changes as your journey changes, you know, as you start to get into your freshman year and then towards your sophomore your your approach might change a little bit. But I think familiarizing yourself with, you know, even as a local college camp when you're in eighth grade or seventh or eighth grade, just to kind of get a feel for it, not to expect to be discovered, but to kind of see what to expect at a camp. And then my our biggest advice is to make sure that they know who you are prior to attending camp if you didn't have an invite. And then, if you're if you're communicating with these schools prior, the system does a really nice job of showing you the engagement rates. So if those coaches are even seeing your emails prior to camps or if they're following you on Twitter, that's a sign that they might kind of know your name or kind of know where you're at. And then the coaches side of the platform does a nice job of allowing the coaches to navigate every interaction that players are having with colleges. So that's when the coaches, we would advise the coaches to, you know, that's when your your role is important that you're active in knowing what camps your kids are going to and making sure that, if you have anything positive to say about one of those kids that's going to a camp to reach out to the college coaches prior and then reminding your coach to follow up with the college coaches afterwards to see if they have any kind of a secondary evaluation to share with you to see if it's worth, pursuing another campus. at that university or at that showcase. But I mean the ID camps I think they're good for measurables. Like it sometimes it's nice to have some some real tangible measurables.
Rob D.: should it should it be a mix of camps and showcases? I mean are the the your your team's gonna go to showcases anyway, but do you feel that the camps are a little more concentrated and you get a little more attention than you would at a showcase or it doesn't matter if the c if you're on the coach's radar, you're on the radar.
tiffany deering: I mean I think I think college coaches like to see the girls attend one of their camps, you know, 'cause that shows that the kid is also interested. And there's something to be said about seeing about the whole picture, about the student athletes seeing the campus and kind of getting a vibe for you know, where you're at in space, like what's their facilities like if that matters to you. What's the geographic location like? Is it a big campus, a small campus? Is it, you know, is it something somewhere I could see myself feeling comfortable moving away to go to? so I think there's there's definite added value to being on campus from your experience point and then getting to you know show the coaches that you are interested in their program.
Rob D.: and you mentioned about not starting early enough. That's like one of the big problems that you're seeing. Is is it ever too early to start? I'm not I'm not like saying, you know, the girl's in six view and she just starts sending out emails or something. Or maybe maybe she said.
tiffany deering: Hey, it wouldn't surprise me, Rob. It would not surprise me. Some parents, I tell you what. We could go on and on.
Rob D.: Hi, my graduation year is twenty fifty and I'm very interested
tiffany deering: Here's a link
Rob D.: in Texas A and
tiffany deering: Here's a link to my YouTube channel.
Rob D.: in Texas A and
tiffany deering: daisies. No, I You should
Rob D.: Standing out standing out in right field chasing butterflies. my gosh, that's that's funny.
tiffany deering: see how fast I got that monarch. No,
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: my th my forty yard out. no, I think I I d I think it's over the top to be to be any earlier than seventh grade, but I think seventh grade is when the conversation starts to the kid like, hey, do you think you would ever want to explore playing in college? And it could be as simple as that. do you realize what it takes? as a parent, I'm not gonna put the pressure on you. I'm just gonna say, here's what it's gonna take and when you get into the eighth grade, then we gotta talk about it again. So we'll talk to you later. Keep having fun, go work, right? And then
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: in eighth grade, you know, it's time to start maybe showing them like this is what these freshmen are doing. They're creating profiles, they're learning how to email a coach, they're learning how to have a conversation with an adult looking in the in the eye. So some of those things that you might not even be calling recruiting are are definitely recruiting, just instilling those good habits. So those good habits can start at six, not the YouTube channel. And then and
Rob D.: Ha ha ha.
tiffany deering: then in eighth grade like in around eighth grade, I would say like 20 2030s and 2031s. I mean there could be 2031s right now getting noticed by some top programs, but I think the latest to to really start if you're really serious is your freshman year.
Rob D.: how important is the travel organization, travel team to the recruiting process?
tiffany deering: I'd I think it's It could go either way. You know, I the the recruiting is a lot about relationships. and there are certainly some organizations that have been doing it for so long that have so many relationships with college coaches and you know, college coaches will call them and say, Hey, who do you got? You know, so that could be advantageous, but that's not to say that just because you don't play for an organization that's been around like a bad busters or a mercado for so long. I mean all all these organizations are growing. Softball is the fastest growing sport. And you'll see it on all the blogs and stuff and Facebook if you if you go on Facebook of how watered down it's really getting. And
Rob D.: Mm, yes.
tiffany deering: it's true. I mean there's when we're having 25 teams but we have this name across our chest you have to take off your glasses and realize like sometimes just because you have the name is not an automatic you're going to get recruited. It's more of the kids got to do the work, the parents have to commit to helping you know position them strategically and then coaches relationships are important but not every single organization has a coach that's been doing it for 20 plus years so I I think that they can be strategic but it can it can also not matter I don't think as long as we're going to the right tournaments and like I said doing our doing our due diligence as far as like the communication and and getting to the right places in front of the right people. So there's a lot of Tennessee mojos and there's a lot of Mercados. there's probably some high-level ones and there's probably some not so high-level ones. just because your jersey says that name doesn't really mean that you're gonna get a D1 scholarship.
Rob D.: Right. And and it there there are some organizations that, you know, that say, well, you can't play for us, you you know, you're gonna get D one and then someone said, Well yeah, that that might happen, it might be D one, but y you might be riding the bench the whole time. They don't talk about, you know, the starters. You
tiffany deering: The experience.
Rob D.: right, all that. I know Dave Mikado out here and I'm sure y you know, you know of Dave McCardo, th their facility is impressive when you walk in the door. From floor to ceiling, all the way around the building is just plaques of all the girls that have gone on to play. It doesn't even mean D one, but all the girls that went to college. And you know, I I remember the the first time I was in there, I l I was just looking around and I saw Amaya Perez and that's like we're like a big fan. And I'm like, Wow man, she played for Mikado, that's cool. And then you just start seeing player after player. but it there's the crush organization, they've been around three years, but I'm telling you, they are they are going to be like a Mercado and a bat buses as far as like notoriety that you know people will know them and she's already got the banners going up in the practice facility and I watched her in action at PGF. she came out of the dugout and she was
tiffany deering: No.
Rob D.: she was working the coaches and she knew almost all of Like and they were like, Hey Jessica like they and they had that relationship, just like you're saying. Yeah. So that
tiffany deering: See yeah, the relationships. So those are invaluable, you know, and it sounds like that that some of these organizations that are newer, as long as they have the systems in place and they're not just going in blind, I think I think it's a good thing. So sounds like she's got the systems in in place and and the relationships. So I think that's great.
Rob D.: Yeah, it's I I get I get worried about the the talented kid that Bob the dad is ticked off that he feels he should not get enough playing time. So he starts his own org and and he ha he has no clue about recruiting or whatever. And all he's really doing is hurting his daughter of getting, recruited because No one's gonna go see Bob's big softball team be because he started this org. And his daughter might be really talented, and there might have been different reasons why she wasn't getting playing time, but he didn't want to bother to ask, so I'm I'm just gonna start my own team. How big is the social media presence nowadays, for these girls?
tiffany deering: So much different than when I was growing up. social media is huge. It's your brand. But social media is kinda like how you introduce yourself to the coaches and and what you want them to see about you. It's basically your your virtual bio. So coaches will tell you they're on social media, X primarily, And then they might bop around to a couple other platforms like Instagram or Facebook. I feel like everybody hears this all the time, but you gotta be careful what you put on it and strategic about how you use it and and I think coaches can certainly tell the difference between the parent who's using it and the player who's using it. but I think it's just a good it's a good tool and it could be a really bad asset as well. So
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: girls need to be careful about what they're posting, how the content that they're posting, what they want people to know about them. It's basically like an interview without even knowing you're being interviewed. but social media, it it can help you or it can hurt you. but it's your brand. So it's your personal brand, what you want the world to know about you.
Rob D.: yeah, you have to be s you have to be smart about it, right? So but like
tiffany deering: Mm-hmm. Relevant content. I mean they don't want to see the get ready with me's. So
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: if you're gonna have a Twitter page, like keep it softball and maybe a couple of your extracurriculars that you might do or your academics, some posting like that. So I think it's important.
Rob D.: Yeah, I mean when when I was getting recruited I I sent out emails on a a stone tablet. from what you know about recruiters, what are coaches looking at in a recruiting profile and immediately think, I wanna know more about this kid?
tiffany deering: Well, I think it depends on the institution. I mean i w we're different if we're talking about a Harvard and a Stanford than we are other schools because that their their list gets real narrow real fast based on academics and scores and such. But I know just because Ryan and I, the the founder of APS, we went we our team went to the convention and we talked to a lot of the college coaches and they wanna see video. So I think not long video but I think updated highlights of, you know, let me see you in the weight room, just let me see you working. They wanna see your work ethic obviously. They they wanna see they they like to see video and some prefer game footage where others prefer training footage. So continuously updating your your social media channels with with relevant highlights or or training is really important because then that might prompt them to follow you a little bit more. So I think video is the most important as far as c coaches are concerned.
Rob D.: so Tiffany, how important is that first email to a college coach
tiffany deering: I think I think the first email is more important to the kid than it is to the coach. obviously you're introducing yourself to the coach. it's important or some of the things that can help you are are what you put in the subject line to get them to open it. It's more important that it comes from your personal Email account and it and it comes in your tone and not your parents' tone with something acknowledging your awareness of something about the school or the coaching staff or the program or something that catches your eye about the team so it's not blind copied to a bunch of other college coaches and it's not just like hi here's everything about me. Instead of that, you know, you might introduce yourself and say say what's drawing you to send them an email. and you'll be following up with video. But I think I I think that certainly in your first email you should include a highlight so they can click on it. But I think the first email is more important for the player than it is for the coach. And then I'm not I'm not feature dumping but you can you can go at least see on APS if they've opened it and then if they've opened it then you know maybe they can't respond because of your age, but they've opened it. I've opened the door now. I'm gonna continue. Maybe it maybe it's just I'm following on Twitter and I see that they they just had their first team outing and it looked like a lot of fun in it and you just wanted to say something about that. I mean I wouldn't bombard them every day, obviously. but if you have something important to share with them, always address them personally and show interest in the program because it's a two-way street, You want them to be interested in you, then you have to genuinely authentically be interested back in them, not just, okay, I have 75 schools I email every week. You know, and if
Rob D.: Mm-hmm.
tiffany deering: you do, great, but you better know s a lot of information on 75 schools.
Rob D.: Is is there anything that a a a recruit puts on emails that they think is impressive but the coach doesn't care about?
tiffany deering: unverified stats. Coaches are like, You're crazy. You're crazy. Your pop time is not one four. Cut that crap.
Rob D.: Ha ha ha.
tiffany deering: They probably like just talk they lean to their assistant coach and go like that's bull crap. But so
Rob D.: Mm-hmm.
tiffany deering: don't oversell like what you are. You know, if if you do have a great pop time, cool, include it, but you better sure as hack back it up with some video showing. And you know,
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: I think stats aren't necessarily that important because your stats really aren't reflection of anything based on who knows where you're playing so stats can be inflated or or
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: not really hold too much value. I mean if you were just at PGF and you hit ten ten bombs then go ahead and put that in there. But making yourself look way better than you really are is silly.
Rob D.: I think if I was a a college coach recruiting and I saw some some crazy stats, I would write back and say, Is mom or dad keeping the game changer? Are they they doing that? Are they the game changer scorer? Yeah. 'Cause we know.
tiffany deering: Yeah. No, you can't write back. That's against NCAA rules. Certain ages. So you would just be talking
Rob D.: yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I'm that's why I'm not a college coach recruiting right now. so the APS recruits. you said that that Ryan started it, is that correct? And then and
tiffany deering: Yeah. Yep.
Rob D.: then you came on board. was there a a particular issue that He saw that he's like, you know what? I don't like the way this is being done I think there's a better way. I I'm gonna I'm gonna do it.
tiffany deering: Yeah, I mean he ha a little bit of his background professionally he's in logistics and so systems being in order are are of importance to him. and things should kinda make sense. So the the whole recruiting process doesn't really make sense if like it's so scattered and so unorganized that he thought there's no real logic in place. there's gotta be a better way to streamline everything and put it all in one place. I feel like We're wasting a lot of time. We're spending six hours on Sundays emailing coaches. He has like 16
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: Firecracker teams. He's ahead of Firecrackers in the Midwest. and he he had a this one group that is just now off to college. He had them since they were 12 you. But so he was walking hand in hand with them through the whole process. And it just felt so cumbersome and so unorganized that he he developed the systems, you know, the background systems to streamline the process. But yeah, th there was definitely that there's gotta be a better way. Sending all these emails, going to all these camps, not not knowing who's opening, not not not being able to know what his players on his team were doing, you know, like A lot of coaches are real frustrated because they have to constantly nag at their players and parents have to nag their players, send your emails, send your emails, and then you don't know if they did, they don't know where they if they emailed them, if they tweeted them or if where the communication is and it just it gets messy and it and it doesn't feel consistent. And the system he created it in that it gives you nudges if you input your information in like your tournament schedule, it'll give you a nudge two weeks per. Hey, this is a good time to reach out to some college coaches. and then after the tournament, follow up with your college coaches. So it's the first thing to remind you, and not your parents or your coach. and then the coaches have insight into who they're reaching out to so they can follow up if they so choose. and it just it just feels like he created a space where everything was integrated. if you're talking anything softball recruiting related, you just go to this place. your softball hub so like where did I reach out to that coach or did they open the email or did I tweet to that coach or did I did I DM them or did I send them an email and when did I send that email and was it from my Gmail, my Yahoo, was it from my field level, my sports recruits? So you know how it can get seem like all over the place. so he just streamlined the process and he did a really nice job of integrating all of the issues whether it's coach issues, player issues or parent issues, they're like all cleaned up. It's all cleaned up. Made way more more efficient. he made it so number one, girls are more. involved and more intentional on stuff so they can do it. Parents can help out, you know, guide kind of guide them and show them this is kind of where where we're headed and they can be involved but not over involved so it leads some of it up to the girls and it's easy to do. It's the easiest thing ever. I keep comparing it to Amazon Prime versus going to the mall. Like why
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: would you why would you go you sit in traffic to go to the mall and shop around when you already can get the stuff at your door already. So it's it's just
Rob D.: Yeah, so
tiffany deering: right there so it's not taking the work out of it it's just making it more efficient it's just as simple as anything else they do on their phone
Rob D.: We'll be right back with the seventh inning walk off. Welcome back everybody to the seventh inning walk off. This is a trivia and opinion game. We play with our guest. Tiffany has agreed to play. She might be a little reluctant. she's having a little bit of sweaty palms.
tiffany deering: Feel like losing.
Rob D.: so basically the trivia questions obviously have a correct answer and that's a point, but we call them runs, and most of the trivia questions have one or two parts. So that's a another point, or we call them RBIs. and then the opinion questions are just are just for fun and they're your opinion. So we're gonna get started. are you you okay, Tiff? You ready to go? All right. So
tiffany deering: Yeah, I'm great. I'm great. I'm ready. Hope I don't look stupid.
Rob D.: You played at Michigan for Hutch, coach Carol Hutchins, and she has the most N C A A Division One Softball Wins of any Coach. do you know how many wins she has total?
tiffany deering: Over a thousand.
Rob D.: Seventeen seven. Yeah, so one thousand seven hundred and seven. Yeah, exactly.
tiffany deering: Damn. Who
Rob D.: Do you know for this is for the RBI? Do you know who's in second place in the all time record? yeah. Yes, sorry.
tiffany deering: Sssue N quest?
Rob D.: It's actually Mike Kendrea from U of A.
tiffany deering: dang it that was my next guess. Dang it.
Rob D.: And then and then just for fun, do you know who's in third place with the most wins? And I'll give you a hint, still active.
tiffany deering: Calgaso.
Rob D.: Yeah. Ding, ding, ding, ding. See, you gotta run out of that. That's great.
tiffany deering: Yeah, but you're winning two to one. This sucks.
Rob D.: I love it.
tiffany deering: I'm the worst loser ever. Listen, side note, I bought extra Monopoly money 'cause when we played Monopoly, I didn't want to lose. I hate losing. Yep.
Rob D.: Wow. Where did this extra 500 come from? it was tucked under the board. I am I'm writing that down. Never play Monopoly with
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: Scrabble with Timothy. In your senior year, you led the team in what category?
tiffany deering: RBIs.
Rob D.: Yeah. See one in that
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: one. How many RBIs did you have in your senior year?
tiffany deering: over thirty, under forty.
Rob D.: Yes, yes.
tiffany deering: This is gonna be a guess. Thirty four.
Rob D.: Thirty six. Super close. We'll give it to you. Yeah, we'll we'll give you
tiffany deering: Damn. Okay.
Rob D.: that. That's good. That's good. That's really good. all right. So this is an opinion question. Just take a so no points. No points.
tiffany deering: Okay.
Rob D.: Just e easy peasy. if you could sit down with every softball parent and just for five seconds, what would be the one piece of recruiting advice you would give them?
tiffany deering: Stay where your feet are.
Rob D.: And download the APS app. I'm just saying.
tiffany deering: Yes, there you go.
Rob D.: I'm actually gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a run for that for that one because I like that. Yep.
tiffany deering: Settle down. Really? Be present.
Rob D.: Yeah, be in the moment. Okay. Here's another one that you could score a run and an RBI. During your time at Michigan, what pitcher had the most wins?
tiffany deering: Jenny Ritter.
Rob D.: Yes. and do you know how many wins she had during that time? between two thousand three and two thousand six?
tiffany deering: geez. No, I have no idea, but there had to be a lot, because what did we have? Over s we had over 70 games might in 2005. Mmm. Dang, Ritter. Go off.
Rob D.: So ninety eight wins. Yeah, she had ninety eight wins. Exactly. Dang Ritter. Dang, Ritter.
tiffany deering: Dang, Ritter?
Rob D.: okay. I this this is my favorite question. Okay. True or false, the Michigan Ohio State football rivalry started over an eighteen thirty five border dispute called the Toledo War. before the teams ever played their first game in eighteen ninety seven.
tiffany deering: I'm saying true. There had to be some kind of war.
Rob D.: That is absolutely true. Yes. It was a a dispute over the Toledo Strip and President Andrew Jackson gave Ohio the strip and Michigan got the upper peninsula. So that's how that all worked out. But yeah, it started over a land dispute. Yeah. All right, this is another opinion. What is your favorite catcher's gear you ever wore?
tiffany deering: Well I wasn't fortunate enough to get to wear the Jen Shro edition. there's a plug for Jen. There you go, Jen.
Rob D.: The very best. yes, our daughter wears Dentro's catcher's gear.
tiffany deering: There you go. I'll have to tell her. My favorite catcher's gear, what did we wear when I was at Michigan? It was super comfortable. I think I still actually have it. we were Wilson. Mm-hmm. but we weren't
Rob D.: Awesome. Okay. Cool. Awesome.
tiffany deering: bougie. We probably didn't have a lot of options back then.
Rob D.: Right. Yeah. We'll just spray paint it blue. It'll be fine. And then we'll we'll spray
tiffany deering: Yeah. Yeah.
Rob D.: paint it white for the for the home games.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: Okay. inning number seven. Who has more Big Ten Conference title championship appearances in softball, Michigan or Ohio State?
tiffany deering: Are you trying to trick me? You wouldn't say Michigan.
Rob D.: Yes, that is correct.
tiffany deering: Yeah, you wouldn't give me a question that we lost. But you almost tricked me. I thought it was gonna be a trick question.
Rob D.: No, absolutely not. I that's that's because of my tricky voice. No.
tiffany deering: Ha ha
Rob D.: so Michigan's appeared eighteen times and Ohio State has appeared once. And here's my favorite part. The one time Ohio appeared, they got beat by the Wolverines. Two to one.
tiffany deering: Let's go.
Rob D.: That's good. Let's go. We're gonna get gonna get some bad emails from some Buckeye fans. I know.
tiffany deering: I know. Right. They're actually really good. I know. Actually,
Rob D.: We just alienated the whole state of Ohio from our podcast. Great.
tiffany deering: everybody from Ohio is like every time I go to Ohio, people are really nice, but you just can't have a Michigan license plate.
Rob D.: my gosh, really.
tiffany deering: but everybody's always been really nice, unless you're wearing the block amp. People are nice in Ohio.
Rob D.: Right. Yeah. So, Tiff, w we really want to thank you for being here. It's been a blast.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: we love talking about recruiting because it's so important and it can be so confusing and it can lead to a lot of procrastination because, you know, it kids and parents they're they're they're afraid of it because they don't understand it. it's very
tiffany deering: Well it's daunting. So
Rob D.: daunting. but The APS app, I I think that makes it a lot less daunting. I think that is it's amazing and I I am looking forward to seeing the the demo on that. That's gonna be great. I'm super impressed with w with your career. I mean, first of all, I I said in an email, Wolverine fan, yes.
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: catcher, yes. And then with the
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: the recruiting stuff. So again, thank you Thank you, thank you for being here. It's it's been a lot of fun.
tiffany deering: you're too kind. It was such a pleasure. if anybody
Rob D.: we would like
tiffany deering: has any questions, direct them towards me. you can follow us on Instagram at APS Recruits and Facebook too and then our website just www.apsrecruits.com.
Rob D.: awesome. And yeah, so you heard it here folks. she has provided all of the handles to get a a hold of APS and we'll have a link in the in the show notes for all of it. For all of the information that she's provided. Yeah, but again, thank you. It's Yes.
tiffany deering: Hey, however we can help the girls and I know that's your mission and we're on the same page.
Rob D.: Absolutely. Absolutely. Remember everybody, if you enjoyed today's conversation, the easiest way to stay in touch is by going to Softball Central Podcast dot com. You'll find all the episodes there. You'll find links to your favorite podcast provider, our YouTube channel, social media, and everything happening with the show. All in one place. Have a question, a guest suggestion, or just want to say hello? We'd love to hear from you. You can call or text us at 323 909 2112, or send us an email to info at softballcentral podcast dot com. If you find value in what we do and like to support the show, you can do that at patreon.com forward slash softball central, or you can find that link on our website as well. Thanks again to Team Coach Shu for the support and sponsorship of this podcast. Team Coach Shu provides intentional training for speed, explosiveness, and first step quickness. Call 619-370-6372. two eight or click on the booking link in the show notes to schedule your first visit today. I'm Rob D. And I'm Samara. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Softball Central Podcast. Until next time, put that ball in play. You never know what's going to happen. Ciao.
Rob D.: what are coaches looking at in a recruiting profile and immediately think, I wanna know more about this kid? Play more tournaments, send more emails, make more videos, spend more money. Because apparently that's the official recruiting strategy. Or maybe we've been doing it all wrong. Let's find out. Welcome to the Softball Central Podcast, your comprehensive look. into the world of fast pitch softball. In softball, some people have played the game, some have coached the game, and some have dedicated their careers to helping the next generation navigate everything that comes with it. Our guest today is former University of Michigan softball player and national champion Tiffany Worthy Deering. She now serves as president of APS Recruits Helping athletes and families make sense of the often confusing and chaotic world of college recruiting. Welcome to the show, Tiffany.
tiffany deering: Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Rob D.: so the first thing I wanted to ask you about is what's the biggest recruiting mistake you see talented players making like over and over again?
tiffany deering: Well, that's a that's a loaded question, Rob. I think number one is they don't start early enough and not to become obsessive, but just to get information. They wait they wait too long or they expect it to just happen for them. So they don't really learn about the whole process and they think that they're just gonna show up and play and somebody's gonna find them. and get in front of all these coaches and and the coaches are just looking for players. Well, I have college coach friends and I've seen their spreadsheets when they go to tournaments of, you know, what fields they have to be on at what time to watch watch kids. So I'm not saying that doesn't happen that you don't just get noticed, but it gives you a better chance of getting noticed if you are prepared. And I I think that we need to make sure that the girls know that everybody's journey is unique. You know, it the timeline that certain things happen might not be the same for you as they are for one of your teammates. your journey is yours and your fit is different. Everybody's fit is different, I know that there's that stigma of the D1 or bust.
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: And we don't really realize that there's a lot of good fits out there and they might not be the ones that you're seeing on TV and you might be missing opportunities because of it because we're we're going in there thinking, well, I'm only going to Oklahoma or I'm only going to Tennessee when there could be a really good fit for you somewhere else. so I think it's being proactive, doing your due diligence, and kind of knowing your timeline, know the rules that surround root recruiting, and Just be open to possibilities other than what you're seeing on television. But you gotta know what you're getting into because it's a huge commitment. And is it something you really want, or are you doing it just because everybody else is? So the process is pretty complicated and that's where APS has kind of bridged the gap and kinda solved some of the stress associated with it, helping girls create better habits earlier.
Rob D.: Right. So i it it basically i if you're gonna do it, do it right. Don't
tiffany deering: Right.
Rob D.: don't compare yourself to someone else's story and then don't be disappointed if the phone doesn't ring on September first. Right. Right.
tiffany deering: my gosh, don't be disappointed. Don't be disappointed. That's not the end all be all.
Rob D.: I know. Well, people people do make it out to be and if you get a phone call on September first, that's great. You know, more power to you.
tiffany deering: Yeah, more power.
Rob D.: But y you might get the call on September second or you might be getting calls before that from a D two. You know, y y you you just don't know. And I I I love what you say and we try and drill that home all the time about finding the best fit, putting the forty before the four, you know, meaning the the the forty years of work before the four years of college or five years as it may be now. Are you training to get tired or training to get better? Team Coach Shoe isn't just about surviving the workout, it's intentional training for speed, explosiveness, and first step quickness. Their structured eight week programs track real metrics to make you a dominant athlete. Stop just sweating and start performing. Call six one nine three seven zero six three two eight or click on the booking link in the show notes to schedule your first visit. so tip you went from Southern California To Michigan, correct? So w I wanted to add To the University of Michigan.
tiffany deering: That's correct.
Rob D.: Let's let's be clear. Wolverine. Yes.
tiffany deering: Gah.
Rob D.: what what did practice look like in February in Ann Arbor?
tiffany deering: freezing no we were inside We have state of the art facilities at Michigan. It wasn't some schlock operation.
Rob D.: Well of course, of course. I'm wondering if that's what most people visualize 'cause I know I'd be like, Michigan? No. Yes.
tiffany deering: Yeah, it was you know, you travel so much that you're really not there. I didn't really experience my first real winter until after I had graduated, but I mean the facilities are state of the art and you don't even realize you're so busy as a student athlete, you don't even realize what the temperature is outside besides getting to the facility. Like that's that's the only part that's bad. I mean, not to say that we didn't play in some very cold temperatures, you know, come May when we had to play in May and it might be snowing. but you know, Brundage Biggie, we call her at Michigan. She says only the tough come to Michigan, and Hutch says that too. So you gotta be you gotta be tough.
Rob D.: You were a part of Michigan's 2005 national championship team. What do people who weren't there misunderstand about what it actually takes to win a championship?
tiffany deering: We played a lot of games and we practiced a ton. And so that was just like the icing on the cake to get to that I mean that was our end goal, obviously, but I mean it it's a lot of training room. It's a lot of prehab, rehab, it's a lot of mental talks, you know, pre-game stuff. It's a it's a huge Huge time commitment. and it's a balancing act for academics and and playing the sport, obviously. But I mean it's a grind. if you don't love your teammates, you better love them. You better figure out something that you love about them
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: because you're with them nonstop. everybody thinks it's all glamour and and TV and and you get the rings and you get all this stuff and really the the behind the scenes stuff is grind. So if you don't love the grind, then it's not for you. But it it was tough with a good payoff, that's for sure. But it was a lot of work to get there and once you got there then it even got tougher. but our coaches did a really good job that year or the whole time I was there is preparing us to handle setbacks and preparing us to fight and you know give the give a blow if somebody gave you a blow. you don't have time to roll over.
Rob D.: something you said there that I I I don't think I've heard before and I love it, the prehab and the rehab. That is great. I'm gonna I'm putting that on a t shirt and I'll give you credit for it. I like it. What I love about it is she talks about like, you know, the College World Series. Basically you're see seeing the last round of the fight, but there are the rounds in between from the first round to the tenth round of the fight and and I love it that you're like, you know, you might have to take a blow and counter blow and that's I love that analogy.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: That's awesome. Yeah. 'Cause no one no one sees no one sees the crappy food, the hotel rooms, you know, yeah, getting to the bus, getting off the bus. Yeah, the injuries,
tiffany deering: The injuries.
Rob D.: the bus is late, all all they see w which is great is them on the field having a great time. And that's and I've said it a million times. That's what love about softball. If you if you turn on the TV and you don't see a scoreboard and you look at either dugout, you have no clue who's winning or who's losing because everybody is up and having a damn good time. I tried, I tried to quit, I couldn't quit.
tiffany deering: Right, that's why I can't get rid of this sport. It's so fun. I die right. And
Rob D.: You eventually became a team captain for the Wolverines. I love the Wolverines. What did that
tiffany deering: Ha ha.
Rob D.: teach you that you still use today in the recruiting world?
tiffany deering: Being a leader, well That's helped me in my professional life in a number of ways, obviously. realizing nobody's gonna do it for you, taking initiative and making sure you you're doing things the right way with with good character, 'cause you never know who's watching, but always with a grateful grateful spirit and knowing that it's not about me, it's about for APS in particular, it's about making girls understand that there's a place for them and it it's not impossible. We just are here to simplify it. So kind of giving them the structure to simplify their ultimate end goal of playing in college. So I feel like I'm grateful for that opportunity to to impact some girl along the way, whether it's I ever meet her or I don't meet her, hopefully she could look back and say, gosh, it was a blessing to have APS because you know it made things a lot more simple for me and I didn't have all the stress that all these other girls did
Rob D.: n you've now seen recruiting from both sides, as a player, as someone helping athletes navigate it. What's the biggest misconception parents have about getting their daughter recruited?
tiffany deering: Well I've seen it as a player, as an athlete as a president of APS I think that parents think that they have to get their kid in front of as many coaches possible. Like it it's the more the more coaches the better. But I don't really think that's the case. I think it's the right coaches. How are we as parents gonna put our kid in the right position to get in front of the right coaches and develop meaningful relationships with the right people because you could be in front of a hundred different coaches and they aren't the right ones, that's when the planning comes in, you know, where do I wanna go to school, what geographic location, what schools have my major. So sitting down with your with your daughter and going through that kind of stuff academically and athletically, where you kinda can see her fitting and then saying, okay, what targeted camps do we need to go to? Or maybe what showcase is going to be important that we're at and if your team's not headed there, either we we're rethinking our team decision or we're thinking I gotta do a good I got I gotta do my research and figure out how I can get in front of said coaches that are that are gonna be on my you know target list or my reach list or whatever list I have. So I think it's not always about getting in front of millions of coaches. It's the right ones
Rob D.: So so when it when it comes to getting in front of the coaches, as far as the camps, is there anything that APS recommends about camps, whether it's, you know, the ID camps or come to our camp? But we we understand the reasons why colleges do it, you know, th to raise some money, but is there any particular camps that you see that they should be taking part of?
tiffany deering: Well, I won't feature dump, but there is like a camps tab where you can search all the camps based on geographic location and stuff that Riser the Riser platform hosts. But I think you have to be specific in which w where you allocate your funds unless you're just super rich 'cause you could go
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: broke real fast with camps, clinics, showcases,
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: I D camps, all these different camps. I think that as a player i and and it changes as your journey changes, you know, as you start to get into your freshman year and then towards your sophomore your your approach might change a little bit. But I think familiarizing yourself with, you know, even as a local college camp when you're in eighth grade or seventh or eighth grade, just to kind of get a feel for it, not to expect to be discovered, but to kind of see what to expect at a camp. And then my our biggest advice is to make sure that they know who you are prior to attending camp if you didn't have an invite. And then, if you're if you're communicating with these schools prior, the system does a really nice job of showing you the engagement rates. So if those coaches are even seeing your emails prior to camps or if they're following you on Twitter, that's a sign that they might kind of know your name or kind of know where you're at. And then the coaches side of the platform does a nice job of allowing the coaches to navigate every interaction that players are having with colleges. So that's when the coaches, we would advise the coaches to, you know, that's when your your role is important that you're active in knowing what camps your kids are going to and making sure that, if you have anything positive to say about one of those kids that's going to a camp to reach out to the college coaches prior and then reminding your coach to follow up with the college coaches afterwards to see if they have any kind of a secondary evaluation to share with you to see if it's worth, pursuing another campus. at that university or at that showcase. But I mean the ID camps I think they're good for measurables. Like it sometimes it's nice to have some some real tangible measurables.
Rob D.: should it should it be a mix of camps and showcases? I mean are the the your your team's gonna go to showcases anyway, but do you feel that the camps are a little more concentrated and you get a little more attention than you would at a showcase or it doesn't matter if the c if you're on the coach's radar, you're on the radar.
tiffany deering: I mean I think I think college coaches like to see the girls attend one of their camps, you know, 'cause that shows that the kid is also interested. And there's something to be said about seeing about the whole picture, about the student athletes seeing the campus and kind of getting a vibe for you know, where you're at in space, like what's their facilities like if that matters to you. What's the geographic location like? Is it a big campus, a small campus? Is it, you know, is it something somewhere I could see myself feeling comfortable moving away to go to? so I think there's there's definite added value to being on campus from your experience point and then getting to you know show the coaches that you are interested in their program.
Rob D.: and you mentioned about not starting early enough. That's like one of the big problems that you're seeing. Is is it ever too early to start? I'm not I'm not like saying, you know, the girl's in six view and she just starts sending out emails or something. Or maybe maybe she said.
tiffany deering: Hey, it wouldn't surprise me, Rob. It would not surprise me. Some parents, I tell you what. We could go on and on.
Rob D.: Hi, my graduation year is twenty fifty and I'm very interested
tiffany deering: Here's a link
Rob D.: in Texas A and
tiffany deering: Here's a link to my YouTube channel.
Rob D.: in Texas A and
tiffany deering: daisies. No, I You should
Rob D.: Standing out standing out in right field chasing butterflies. my gosh, that's that's funny.
tiffany deering: see how fast I got that monarch. No,
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: my th my forty yard out. no, I think I I d I think it's over the top to be to be any earlier than seventh grade, but I think seventh grade is when the conversation starts to the kid like, hey, do you think you would ever want to explore playing in college? And it could be as simple as that. do you realize what it takes? as a parent, I'm not gonna put the pressure on you. I'm just gonna say, here's what it's gonna take and when you get into the eighth grade, then we gotta talk about it again. So we'll talk to you later. Keep having fun, go work, right? And then
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: in eighth grade, you know, it's time to start maybe showing them like this is what these freshmen are doing. They're creating profiles, they're learning how to email a coach, they're learning how to have a conversation with an adult looking in the in the eye. So some of those things that you might not even be calling recruiting are are definitely recruiting, just instilling those good habits. So those good habits can start at six, not the YouTube channel. And then and
Rob D.: Ha ha ha.
tiffany deering: then in eighth grade like in around eighth grade, I would say like 20 2030s and 2031s. I mean there could be 2031s right now getting noticed by some top programs, but I think the latest to to really start if you're really serious is your freshman year.
Rob D.: how important is the travel organization, travel team to the recruiting process?
tiffany deering: I'd I think it's It could go either way. You know, I the the recruiting is a lot about relationships. and there are certainly some organizations that have been doing it for so long that have so many relationships with college coaches and you know, college coaches will call them and say, Hey, who do you got? You know, so that could be advantageous, but that's not to say that just because you don't play for an organization that's been around like a bad busters or a mercado for so long. I mean all all these organizations are growing. Softball is the fastest growing sport. And you'll see it on all the blogs and stuff and Facebook if you if you go on Facebook of how watered down it's really getting. And
Rob D.: Mm, yes.
tiffany deering: it's true. I mean there's when we're having 25 teams but we have this name across our chest you have to take off your glasses and realize like sometimes just because you have the name is not an automatic you're going to get recruited. It's more of the kids got to do the work, the parents have to commit to helping you know position them strategically and then coaches relationships are important but not every single organization has a coach that's been doing it for 20 plus years so I I think that they can be strategic but it can it can also not matter I don't think as long as we're going to the right tournaments and like I said doing our doing our due diligence as far as like the communication and and getting to the right places in front of the right people. So there's a lot of Tennessee mojos and there's a lot of Mercados. there's probably some high-level ones and there's probably some not so high-level ones. just because your jersey says that name doesn't really mean that you're gonna get a D1 scholarship.
Rob D.: Right. And and it there there are some organizations that, you know, that say, well, you can't play for us, you you know, you're gonna get D one and then someone said, Well yeah, that that might happen, it might be D one, but y you might be riding the bench the whole time. They don't talk about, you know, the starters. You
tiffany deering: The experience.
Rob D.: right, all that. I know Dave Mikado out here and I'm sure y you know, you know of Dave McCardo, th their facility is impressive when you walk in the door. From floor to ceiling, all the way around the building is just plaques of all the girls that have gone on to play. It doesn't even mean D one, but all the girls that went to college. And you know, I I remember the the first time I was in there, I l I was just looking around and I saw Amaya Perez and that's like we're like a big fan. And I'm like, Wow man, she played for Mikado, that's cool. And then you just start seeing player after player. but it there's the crush organization, they've been around three years, but I'm telling you, they are they are going to be like a Mercado and a bat buses as far as like notoriety that you know people will know them and she's already got the banners going up in the practice facility and I watched her in action at PGF. she came out of the dugout and she was
tiffany deering: No.
Rob D.: she was working the coaches and she knew almost all of Like and they were like, Hey Jessica like they and they had that relationship, just like you're saying. Yeah. So that
tiffany deering: See yeah, the relationships. So those are invaluable, you know, and it sounds like that that some of these organizations that are newer, as long as they have the systems in place and they're not just going in blind, I think I think it's a good thing. So sounds like she's got the systems in in place and and the relationships. So I think that's great.
Rob D.: Yeah, it's I I get I get worried about the the talented kid that Bob the dad is ticked off that he feels he should not get enough playing time. So he starts his own org and and he ha he has no clue about recruiting or whatever. And all he's really doing is hurting his daughter of getting, recruited because No one's gonna go see Bob's big softball team be because he started this org. And his daughter might be really talented, and there might have been different reasons why she wasn't getting playing time, but he didn't want to bother to ask, so I'm I'm just gonna start my own team. How big is the social media presence nowadays, for these girls?
tiffany deering: So much different than when I was growing up. social media is huge. It's your brand. But social media is kinda like how you introduce yourself to the coaches and and what you want them to see about you. It's basically your your virtual bio. So coaches will tell you they're on social media, X primarily, And then they might bop around to a couple other platforms like Instagram or Facebook. I feel like everybody hears this all the time, but you gotta be careful what you put on it and strategic about how you use it and and I think coaches can certainly tell the difference between the parent who's using it and the player who's using it. but I think it's just a good it's a good tool and it could be a really bad asset as well. So
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: girls need to be careful about what they're posting, how the content that they're posting, what they want people to know about them. It's basically like an interview without even knowing you're being interviewed. but social media, it it can help you or it can hurt you. but it's your brand. So it's your personal brand, what you want the world to know about you.
Rob D.: yeah, you have to be s you have to be smart about it, right? So but like
tiffany deering: Mm-hmm. Relevant content. I mean they don't want to see the get ready with me's. So
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: if you're gonna have a Twitter page, like keep it softball and maybe a couple of your extracurriculars that you might do or your academics, some posting like that. So I think it's important.
Rob D.: Yeah, I mean when when I was getting recruited I I sent out emails on a a stone tablet. from what you know about recruiters, what are coaches looking at in a recruiting profile and immediately think, I wanna know more about this kid?
tiffany deering: Well, I think it depends on the institution. I mean i w we're different if we're talking about a Harvard and a Stanford than we are other schools because that their their list gets real narrow real fast based on academics and scores and such. But I know just because Ryan and I, the the founder of APS, we went we our team went to the convention and we talked to a lot of the college coaches and they wanna see video. So I think not long video but I think updated highlights of, you know, let me see you in the weight room, just let me see you working. They wanna see your work ethic obviously. They they wanna see they they like to see video and some prefer game footage where others prefer training footage. So continuously updating your your social media channels with with relevant highlights or or training is really important because then that might prompt them to follow you a little bit more. So I think video is the most important as far as c coaches are concerned.
Rob D.: so Tiffany, how important is that first email to a college coach
tiffany deering: I think I think the first email is more important to the kid than it is to the coach. obviously you're introducing yourself to the coach. it's important or some of the things that can help you are are what you put in the subject line to get them to open it. It's more important that it comes from your personal Email account and it and it comes in your tone and not your parents' tone with something acknowledging your awareness of something about the school or the coaching staff or the program or something that catches your eye about the team so it's not blind copied to a bunch of other college coaches and it's not just like hi here's everything about me. Instead of that, you know, you might introduce yourself and say say what's drawing you to send them an email. and you'll be following up with video. But I think I I think that certainly in your first email you should include a highlight so they can click on it. But I think the first email is more important for the player than it is for the coach. And then I'm not I'm not feature dumping but you can you can go at least see on APS if they've opened it and then if they've opened it then you know maybe they can't respond because of your age, but they've opened it. I've opened the door now. I'm gonna continue. Maybe it maybe it's just I'm following on Twitter and I see that they they just had their first team outing and it looked like a lot of fun in it and you just wanted to say something about that. I mean I wouldn't bombard them every day, obviously. but if you have something important to share with them, always address them personally and show interest in the program because it's a two-way street, You want them to be interested in you, then you have to genuinely authentically be interested back in them, not just, okay, I have 75 schools I email every week. You know, and if
Rob D.: Mm-hmm.
tiffany deering: you do, great, but you better know s a lot of information on 75 schools.
Rob D.: Is is there anything that a a a recruit puts on emails that they think is impressive but the coach doesn't care about?
tiffany deering: unverified stats. Coaches are like, You're crazy. You're crazy. Your pop time is not one four. Cut that crap.
Rob D.: Ha ha ha.
tiffany deering: They probably like just talk they lean to their assistant coach and go like that's bull crap. But so
Rob D.: Mm-hmm.
tiffany deering: don't oversell like what you are. You know, if if you do have a great pop time, cool, include it, but you better sure as hack back it up with some video showing. And you know,
Rob D.: Right.
tiffany deering: I think stats aren't necessarily that important because your stats really aren't reflection of anything based on who knows where you're playing so stats can be inflated or or
Rob D.: Mm.
tiffany deering: not really hold too much value. I mean if you were just at PGF and you hit ten ten bombs then go ahead and put that in there. But making yourself look way better than you really are is silly.
Rob D.: I think if I was a a college coach recruiting and I saw some some crazy stats, I would write back and say, Is mom or dad keeping the game changer? Are they they doing that? Are they the game changer scorer? Yeah. 'Cause we know.
tiffany deering: Yeah. No, you can't write back. That's against NCAA rules. Certain ages. So you would just be talking
Rob D.: yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I'm that's why I'm not a college coach recruiting right now. so the APS recruits. you said that that Ryan started it, is that correct? And then and
tiffany deering: Yeah. Yep.
Rob D.: then you came on board. was there a a particular issue that He saw that he's like, you know what? I don't like the way this is being done I think there's a better way. I I'm gonna I'm gonna do it.
tiffany deering: Yeah, I mean he ha a little bit of his background professionally he's in logistics and so systems being in order are are of importance to him. and things should kinda make sense. So the the whole recruiting process doesn't really make sense if like it's so scattered and so unorganized that he thought there's no real logic in place. there's gotta be a better way to streamline everything and put it all in one place. I feel like We're wasting a lot of time. We're spending six hours on Sundays emailing coaches. He has like 16
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: Firecracker teams. He's ahead of Firecrackers in the Midwest. and he he had a this one group that is just now off to college. He had them since they were 12 you. But so he was walking hand in hand with them through the whole process. And it just felt so cumbersome and so unorganized that he he developed the systems, you know, the background systems to streamline the process. But yeah, th there was definitely that there's gotta be a better way. Sending all these emails, going to all these camps, not not knowing who's opening, not not not being able to know what his players on his team were doing, you know, like A lot of coaches are real frustrated because they have to constantly nag at their players and parents have to nag their players, send your emails, send your emails, and then you don't know if they did, they don't know where they if they emailed them, if they tweeted them or if where the communication is and it just it gets messy and it and it doesn't feel consistent. And the system he created it in that it gives you nudges if you input your information in like your tournament schedule, it'll give you a nudge two weeks per. Hey, this is a good time to reach out to some college coaches. and then after the tournament, follow up with your college coaches. So it's the first thing to remind you, and not your parents or your coach. and then the coaches have insight into who they're reaching out to so they can follow up if they so choose. and it just it just feels like he created a space where everything was integrated. if you're talking anything softball recruiting related, you just go to this place. your softball hub so like where did I reach out to that coach or did they open the email or did I tweet to that coach or did I did I DM them or did I send them an email and when did I send that email and was it from my Gmail, my Yahoo, was it from my field level, my sports recruits? So you know how it can get seem like all over the place. so he just streamlined the process and he did a really nice job of integrating all of the issues whether it's coach issues, player issues or parent issues, they're like all cleaned up. It's all cleaned up. Made way more more efficient. he made it so number one, girls are more. involved and more intentional on stuff so they can do it. Parents can help out, you know, guide kind of guide them and show them this is kind of where where we're headed and they can be involved but not over involved so it leads some of it up to the girls and it's easy to do. It's the easiest thing ever. I keep comparing it to Amazon Prime versus going to the mall. Like why
Rob D.: Yeah.
tiffany deering: would you why would you go you sit in traffic to go to the mall and shop around when you already can get the stuff at your door already. So it's it's just
Rob D.: Yeah, so
tiffany deering: right there so it's not taking the work out of it it's just making it more efficient it's just as simple as anything else they do on their phone
Rob D.: We'll be right back with the seventh inning walk off. Welcome back everybody to the seventh inning walk off. This is a trivia and opinion game. We play with our guest. Tiffany has agreed to play. She might be a little reluctant. she's having a little bit of sweaty palms.
tiffany deering: Feel like losing.
Rob D.: so basically the trivia questions obviously have a correct answer and that's a point, but we call them runs, and most of the trivia questions have one or two parts. So that's a another point, or we call them RBIs. and then the opinion questions are just are just for fun and they're your opinion. So we're gonna get started. are you you okay, Tiff? You ready to go? All right. So
tiffany deering: Yeah, I'm great. I'm great. I'm ready. Hope I don't look stupid.
Rob D.: You played at Michigan for Hutch, coach Carol Hutchins, and she has the most N C A A Division One Softball Wins of any Coach. do you know how many wins she has total?
tiffany deering: Over a thousand.
Rob D.: Seventeen seven. Yeah, so one thousand seven hundred and seven. Yeah, exactly.
tiffany deering: Damn. Who
Rob D.: Do you know for this is for the RBI? Do you know who's in second place in the all time record? yeah. Yes, sorry.
tiffany deering: Sssue N quest?
Rob D.: It's actually Mike Kendrea from U of A.
tiffany deering: dang it that was my next guess. Dang it.
Rob D.: And then and then just for fun, do you know who's in third place with the most wins? And I'll give you a hint, still active.
tiffany deering: Calgaso.
Rob D.: Yeah. Ding, ding, ding, ding. See, you gotta run out of that. That's great.
tiffany deering: Yeah, but you're winning two to one. This sucks.
Rob D.: I love it.
tiffany deering: I'm the worst loser ever. Listen, side note, I bought extra Monopoly money 'cause when we played Monopoly, I didn't want to lose. I hate losing. Yep.
Rob D.: Wow. Where did this extra 500 come from? it was tucked under the board. I am I'm writing that down. Never play Monopoly with
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: Scrabble with Timothy. In your senior year, you led the team in what category?
tiffany deering: RBIs.
Rob D.: Yeah. See one in that
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: one. How many RBIs did you have in your senior year?
tiffany deering: over thirty, under forty.
Rob D.: Yes, yes.
tiffany deering: This is gonna be a guess. Thirty four.
Rob D.: Thirty six. Super close. We'll give it to you. Yeah, we'll we'll give you
tiffany deering: Damn. Okay.
Rob D.: that. That's good. That's good. That's really good. all right. So this is an opinion question. Just take a so no points. No points.
tiffany deering: Okay.
Rob D.: Just e easy peasy. if you could sit down with every softball parent and just for five seconds, what would be the one piece of recruiting advice you would give them?
tiffany deering: Stay where your feet are.
Rob D.: And download the APS app. I'm just saying.
tiffany deering: Yes, there you go.
Rob D.: I'm actually gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna give you a run for that for that one because I like that. Yep.
tiffany deering: Settle down. Really? Be present.
Rob D.: Yeah, be in the moment. Okay. Here's another one that you could score a run and an RBI. During your time at Michigan, what pitcher had the most wins?
tiffany deering: Jenny Ritter.
Rob D.: Yes. and do you know how many wins she had during that time? between two thousand three and two thousand six?
tiffany deering: geez. No, I have no idea, but there had to be a lot, because what did we have? Over s we had over 70 games might in 2005. Mmm. Dang, Ritter. Go off.
Rob D.: So ninety eight wins. Yeah, she had ninety eight wins. Exactly. Dang Ritter. Dang, Ritter.
tiffany deering: Dang, Ritter?
Rob D.: okay. I this this is my favorite question. Okay. True or false, the Michigan Ohio State football rivalry started over an eighteen thirty five border dispute called the Toledo War. before the teams ever played their first game in eighteen ninety seven.
tiffany deering: I'm saying true. There had to be some kind of war.
Rob D.: That is absolutely true. Yes. It was a a dispute over the Toledo Strip and President Andrew Jackson gave Ohio the strip and Michigan got the upper peninsula. So that's how that all worked out. But yeah, it started over a land dispute. Yeah. All right, this is another opinion. What is your favorite catcher's gear you ever wore?
tiffany deering: Well I wasn't fortunate enough to get to wear the Jen Shro edition. there's a plug for Jen. There you go, Jen.
Rob D.: The very best. yes, our daughter wears Dentro's catcher's gear.
tiffany deering: There you go. I'll have to tell her. My favorite catcher's gear, what did we wear when I was at Michigan? It was super comfortable. I think I still actually have it. we were Wilson. Mm-hmm. but we weren't
Rob D.: Awesome. Okay. Cool. Awesome.
tiffany deering: bougie. We probably didn't have a lot of options back then.
Rob D.: Right. Yeah. We'll just spray paint it blue. It'll be fine. And then we'll we'll spray
tiffany deering: Yeah. Yeah.
Rob D.: paint it white for the for the home games.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: Okay. inning number seven. Who has more Big Ten Conference title championship appearances in softball, Michigan or Ohio State?
tiffany deering: Are you trying to trick me? You wouldn't say Michigan.
Rob D.: Yes, that is correct.
tiffany deering: Yeah, you wouldn't give me a question that we lost. But you almost tricked me. I thought it was gonna be a trick question.
Rob D.: No, absolutely not. I that's that's because of my tricky voice. No.
tiffany deering: Ha ha
Rob D.: so Michigan's appeared eighteen times and Ohio State has appeared once. And here's my favorite part. The one time Ohio appeared, they got beat by the Wolverines. Two to one.
tiffany deering: Let's go.
Rob D.: That's good. Let's go. We're gonna get gonna get some bad emails from some Buckeye fans. I know.
tiffany deering: I know. Right. They're actually really good. I know. Actually,
Rob D.: We just alienated the whole state of Ohio from our podcast. Great.
tiffany deering: everybody from Ohio is like every time I go to Ohio, people are really nice, but you just can't have a Michigan license plate.
Rob D.: my gosh, really.
tiffany deering: but everybody's always been really nice, unless you're wearing the block amp. People are nice in Ohio.
Rob D.: Right. Yeah. So, Tiff, w we really want to thank you for being here. It's been a blast.
tiffany deering: Yeah.
Rob D.: we love talking about recruiting because it's so important and it can be so confusing and it can lead to a lot of procrastination because, you know, it kids and parents they're they're they're afraid of it because they don't understand it. it's very
tiffany deering: Well it's daunting. So
Rob D.: daunting. but The APS app, I I think that makes it a lot less daunting. I think that is it's amazing and I I am looking forward to seeing the the demo on that. That's gonna be great. I'm super impressed with w with your career. I mean, first of all, I I said in an email, Wolverine fan, yes.
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: catcher, yes. And then with the
tiffany deering: Yes.
Rob D.: the recruiting stuff. So again, thank you Thank you, thank you for being here. It's it's been a lot of fun.
tiffany deering: you're too kind. It was such a pleasure. if anybody
Rob D.: we would like
tiffany deering: has any questions, direct them towards me. you can follow us on Instagram at APS Recruits and Facebook too and then our website just www.apsrecruits.com.
Rob D.: awesome. And yeah, so you heard it here folks. she has provided all of the handles to get a a hold of APS and we'll have a link in the in the show notes for all of it. For all of the information that she's provided. Yeah, but again, thank you. It's Yes.
tiffany deering: Hey, however we can help the girls and I know that's your mission and we're on the same page.
Rob D.: Absolutely. Absolutely. Remember everybody, if you enjoyed today's conversation, the easiest way to stay in touch is by going to Softball Central Podcast dot com. You'll find all the episodes there. You'll find links to your favorite podcast provider, our YouTube channel, social media, and everything happening with the show. All in one place. Have a question, a guest suggestion, or just want to say hello? We'd love to hear from you. You can call or text us at 323 909 2112, or send us an email to info at softballcentral podcast dot com. If you find value in what we do and like to support the show, you can do that at patreon.com forward slash softball central, or you can find that link on our website as well. Thanks again to Team Coach Shu for the support and sponsorship of this podcast. Team Coach Shu provides intentional training for speed, explosiveness, and first step quickness. Call 619-370-6372. two eight or click on the booking link in the show notes to schedule your first visit today. I'm Rob D. And I'm Samara. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Softball Central Podcast. Until next time, put that ball in play. You never know what's going to happen. Ciao.
