The Recruiting Process: What Virginia Tech Baseball Coaches Are Really Looking For

Abstract

This research study described what non-physical skills are looked for when recruiting a prospective player for the Virginia Tech baseball team. Study participants included six Virginia Tech baseball coaches where each of the individuals were interviewed separately regarding their recruiting process for themselves and how they build a team. Through literature review, comparisons of the skills recruited by Virginia Tech coaches are also desired by some of the top businesses in the world. Through qualitative interviews with the coaching using semi-structured interviews, the information was gathered and analyzed resulting in unique codes that were grouped into categories revealing five emerging themes for future program enhancements. The results indicated that coaches look for many of the same similarities as business recruiters in terms of soft skills and that players still need to improve on some certain aspects such as, communication skills, dedication levels, confidence levels, leadership skills, and dependability. The coaches are Virginia Tech now can understand what they have done in the past and can build upon their recruiting strategies using this research. This study can be used for individuals trying to play college athletics one day in order to understand what coaches are looking for. While some coaches may be different, this is an exact rubric of what the Virginia Tech baseball coaches look for and can be beneficial for prospective athletes to understand before they try out for any college teams. This can also be used for individuals trying to get a job due to the similarities between business recruiters and coaches.