podcast

Ryan Plansky shares his recruiting process and how he worked hard to separate himself from other athletes in high school. Despite being smaller and less talented, he focused on what he could control and followed a strict daily schedule to improve his weight and strength. His junior year was a turning point as he grew and performed well, gaining recognition from coaches. The recruiting process was stressful, but he learned to communicate effectively and showcase his personality. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury during an important game, but after rehab, he regained interest from schools. He eventually committed to SFA, achieving his dream. Overall, hard work and determination are key in the recruiting process. Hi, my name is Ryan Plansky, and today I will be sharing my recruiting process as well as what I did to separate myself from other athletes in high school. My end goal was to find a school and play Division I baseball. As a 5'2", 110-pound sophomore, I was the definition of a late bloomer. I needed to work twice as hard as my competition to get where I wanted to be. Around my sophomore year of high school, a lot of my friends and people surrounding me started to get recruited from other schools. The only thing that was different between me and my friends was talent. They were simply more gifted and talented at the time. I was extremely jealous and down on myself, but what I learned was that I have one body and what I could only tell myself was control what I can control. I was on a strict daily schedule that I needed to follow to separate myself. The biggest thing I needed to address was my weight. I was too skinny and weak. A college coach would never want someone at that size and strength. My typical day is that I would start off my day by waking up at 7.30 and having a huge breakfast along with a protein shake and some needed vitamins. I'd make sure I got six meals in and two protein shakes a day to meet my calorie requirement. By also following my workout plan along with my baseball practice and my daily mobility routine. Flash forward to the start of my junior year, I thankfully hit a solid growth spurt and started to develop. Just in time for the most important year for recruitment. I really started to see myself improve and the hard work was showing on the field. My junior season was my best season yet. Dominating my competition, I was an all-state pitcher for my high school team and really started to get my name out there. I was named a top 15 left-handed pitcher in the state by Perfect Game at the end of the year, which really boosted my name. Now as I started to receive calls, emails, and texts by tons of different coaches, I realized how stressful it really is. Making sure I say the right things as well as asking the coach different various questions so I can stand out over the other recruits. Coaches love calling their recruits because it gives them a chance to see what type of person you are. As important as how good of a player you are, coaches want to see the player that fits the personality they desire for their team. As my summer season rolled around, my plan was to show my talent in front of the coaches I've talked to and commit to a school. My first tournament rolled around and I texted all the coaches where and when I was throwing. The biggest game of my life was upon me and I was beyond nervous. With 10 plus coaches at the game, I started off amazing. I was two innings perfect and all of a sudden, during the third inning, I knew something was wrong. My shoulders started throbbing in pain. I tried to hide it, but I couldn't. Each pitch got slower and slower and scouts and coaches started to flood and leave. As the game ended, I ran to the car and immediately started crying my eyes out. My one chance to show all the chances of what I'm made of failed. I felt like my dream was out of reach because I knew this injury wasn't mine. I started my 12-week rehab and wasn't going to get over my dreams. I worked as hard as possible and was back throwing again. Sending emails out and trying to gain interest back from schools is when I received an email back from SFA. Coach Likely saw my recruiting profile and invited me down for a visit. I ended up committing at the end of my visit and it was a dream come true. In conclusion, the recruiting process is a long and stressful time, but if you put your head down and outwork your competition, it makes it a whole lot easier.