Parents and guardians play a huge role in the recruiting process. They play a significant role in the success or lack thereof of student-athletes. Students need the support and active participation of parents/guardians to help make good decisions, stay positive, and maintain focus. However, when parents become too emotionally invested, they can be overbearing to the athlete and coaches. Although overbearing parents may have good intentions for their son, their actions are distracting and cause a lot of unintentional anxiety for the athlete. In high school baseball, coaches are very accessible. It's easy for parents to approach a dugout. It's one of a very few sports where parents attempt to gain access to the players during the game. Even reaching in the dugout to hand an athlete a Gatorade can be distracting. I've seen parents trying to call pitches from the stands during games. When there are college coach evaluators at the game witnessing this type of behavior, it absolutely hurts recruiting opportunities. College coaches do not want unsolicited advice from parents, and neither do high school coaches, especially in the middle of a game. Parents want to see their kids play, and they believe they know what's best in order for their kids to succeed. Parents who were youth coaches have a tendency to believe they know enough about the game to coach at the varsity high school level. They can be quite opinionated about coaching decisions, vocally expressing their opinions with their face pressed up against the fence in the middle of an intense conference game. College coaches will avoid recruiting players who are micromanaged by parents. At that level, players need to have autonomy and independence. Coaches need to know that their roster is made of players with high self-esteem and sense of self. Coaches are able to recognize patterns in parenting behaviors, which trigger red flag reactions. They know the characteristics of overbearing parents and the impacts that can have on their programs and time management. The athlete may be extremely talented, gifted, and smart. If that caution light goes on due to the behaviors of parents, the recruiting process comes to an immediate halt, and an opportunity is lost. 

Coach Mike VanderBunt