Use Correct SPF: Get the exposure you need to help you discover what college experience is right for you

by Jess Jacobson, Director of Recruiting | NJ Thunder & The Fieldhouse

If you're serious about playing softball in college, summer isn't the offseason — it's the launchpad. When you’re out there in the summer sun, you use the right formula for you, and you apply regularly.  Let’s do the same when it comes to being exposed to colleges and college coaches.

I'm Jess Jacobson, Director of Recruiting at NJ Thunder and The Fieldhouse, and I’ve worked with hundreds of athletes chasing college dreams. The ones who find the right school (not just any school) all have one thing in common: they use their summer with purpose.

Here’s how you can too.

 1. Treat Summer Like Preseason — Because It Is

College coaches aren’t just watching your stats. They’re watching:

• How coachable you are

• How you handle pressure

• How you grow over time

• Your adversity tolerance and threshold

Start with intentional reps. That means hitting with feedback, not just swings. Pitching with a notebook. Conditioning your mind like you do your arm.

 2. Use Correct SPF: Don’t just put on any sunscreen, put on the right sunscreen for YOU

Exposure can be harmful, if you don’t use the right sunscreen. You should be looking for exposure that comes with growth.

That’s why we run the Best Four College Exposure Clinics at The Fieldhouse — to combine real instruction with real access to college coaches. You’ll walk away with:

• Meaningful interactions with college coaches

• Instruction of not just skills, but the most crucial parts of being a college athlete, like on-field decision making and performing under pressure

• Conversations to help you figure out what YOU want, and not what the rest of the world wants you to have

• A competitive edge when you show up elsewhere

 Next Clinic: Friday, June 6 [Register here]

 3. Use a Notebook — Not Just a Highlight Reel

Coaches are recruiting thinkers. Are you growing your game IQ?

At our clinics, we hand out notebooks to every player. Because what you write down, you retain. The best athletes are students of the game — summer is your classroom.

 4. Get to Know Yourself and Others

Every time you step into a softball space, you have an opportunity to 1) Learn, 2) Gain, or 3) Get better.  Take this to heart. Use opportunities to ask yourself and the adults in your life the hard questions. 

• What kind of teammates do I want to be around daily?

• What skills do I bring to the field, and what kind of softball program does that fit into?

• Does this coach have the on-field skills and knowledge to help ME?

• Will I open myself up to this coach and listen to their instruction and guidance when things get hard for me?

•  Tip: Ask questions. Coaches love curious players.

 Final Word: The Right Four Years Start with the Right Four Days

The right school, right level, and right experience is built in seasons like this.

Choose wisely. Learn daily. And go where you’re coached, not just seen.