Early decisions become commonplace

Tony Cummins rode on the back of a golf cart, thinking his daughter, Morgan, might just decide her college plans during their tour of the LSU campus.

Only three weeks into her freshman year at Lakewood Ranch High School, Morgan Cummins was the recruiting target of major college softball teams and, after all, she had wanted to be an LSU Tiger since she was 4.

By the afternoon, the third baseman had verbally committed to playing softball at LSU.

“It’s absolutely crazy to me,” said Morgan Cummins, who hadn’t received her first high school grade at the time of her commitment. “That’s what’s funny about it. I was the first person in my class to commit, and it’s absolutely mind-blowing to me.” 

Since her father coaches her Sarasota Heat 16U team and the Mustangs' junior varsity squad, he was very familiar with the recruiting process. Even so, it was a bit unnerving.

“When we got there, I knew there was virtually no way that she wasn’t going to commit,” Tony Cummins said. “It was pretty obvious.

"Our worlds changed the next day. She basically signed over her childhood ... that’s the way you look at it as parents. But LSU is as close to a family as I’ve ever seen in college softball.” 

Early softball commitments have become commonplace among area high school students with 11 current Lakewood  Ranch girls either committing as freshmen or sophomores. Braden River seniors Bethaney Keen and Linda Ross committed to USF and Stetson, respectively, as sophomores and junior teammate Sarah Crawford committed last summer. 

It should be noted verbal commitments are not binding, Either the player, or the college program, could change their mind without penalty. However, in a very competitive sport, college softball programs not living up to their scholarship agreements would have a hard time recruiting. 

High school freshmen and sophomores tend to bank on the scholarship promise.

"I took an offer I thought was great and not going to be there awhile," Keen said. "USF liked me since eighth grade for who I was as a player."

College softball coaches are setting their future lineups years in advance so high school freshmen and sophomores are under pressure to make up their minds.

Recently, Lakewood Ranch freshman Maddie Koczersut committed to the University of South Florida. Koczersut attended a Bulls camp in the fall, went on an unofficial visit in January and received an offer that same day. The Mustangs infielder, who also had an offer from Stony Brook and interest from five or six other universities, was ready to commit, but her father, Mick Koczersut, thought she needed more time.

“She didn’t know what she was committing to,” said Mick Koczersut, who is Lakewood Ranch’s football coach and junior varsity softball coach. “I told her to ride it out and decide if that’s still what she wants in 30 days.” 

After weighing her options and reassuring her parents she would be comfortable there both academically and in the event the coaching staff changed over time, Maddie Koczersut made a verbal commitment Feb. 24.

"I didn't really want to commit as a freshman, but the way the recruiting process works now, it just happened," Maddie Koczersut said. "I was really excited and happy to have the opportunity to go to (USF) and play for coach (Ken) Eriksen." 

Having been around the recruiting process for a number of years, Mick Koczersut and Tony Cummins both understand increasingly younger players are being offered scholarships. As parents, both coaches encouraged their daughters to look at their respective schools, not for their softball programs, but for what the school had to offer them in the long run. 

First and foremost, did the school offer their intended major, physical therapy for Maddie Koczersut and sports science for Morgan Cummins? As important as softball is to them right now, the reality is that anything from career ending injuries to burnout to coaching changes can happen over the span of three years. 

"Recruiting in general, from a parental side, is not a fun decision to make," Mick Koczersut said. "You really want to hold your kid back, but at the same time you're afraid that offer might not be there when they are a junior and more capable of making a decision. 

Morgan Cummins, now a sophomore, didn’t intend to commit early. She had interest from more than 15 schools across the country and had eight unofficial visits scheduled with various programs. LSU happened to be first. 

“My parents supported me through the whole thing,” Morgan Cummins said. “They knew I wanted to go big. They asked me if I was sure, but they never questioned me for a second.” 

Lakewood Ranch junior shortstop Kinsey Goelz is the area’s longest standing softball commit after having committed to USF Dec. 2, 2013, a little more than three months into her freshman year. 

It would be another two months before Goelz would play her first high school softball game, but that didn’t deter her from making her college intentions known. 

After going on unofficial visits to USF and Florida State, Goelz, who had no intention of leaving Florida, weighed her options with her parents T.J. and Liz, who both played college baseball and softball, respectively, at the University of North Florida. 

Her parents encouraged her to think of five things to help her make her decision easier: academics, the softball program itself, financials, in terms of scholarship offers and costs to attend the school, the football program, if there is one, and your Mason-Dixon line: the weather. 

For Goelz, her Mason-Dixon line was Tallahassee, so it made her decision process that much easier.

Goelz generated interest from the majority of the Florida schools, and received offers from USF, FSU and James Madison, but USF ultimately stood out.

“USF felt like home to me,” Goelz said. “It’s very softball oriented. I really like the coaches at USF and they made me feel like family. Coach (Ken) Eriksen reminded me of my dad. 

“I wouldn’t say I was pressured into it,” Goelz said. “I was ready and coach Eriksen was, too.” 

None of the players have received additional offers since their commitments, as is customary among college coaches. 

"The hardest part was ending the recruiting process while I was still developing as an athlete," Keen said. "Being committed (made) other school back off, but for me, I loved the recruiting process and seeing what schools were interested." 

Goelz's younger sister, Avery Goelz, has been on two unofficial visits as an eighth grader. 

“It’s crazy to me,” Kinsey Goelz said. “She’s not even in high school yet.”

College coaches across the board attend numerous 16U and even 14U tournaments in the hopes of landing potential recruits. 

"It's a big risk for college coaches to recruit softball players at such a young age," said Lakewood Ranch coach Maggie Feix, who didn't commit until the fall of 2004 during her senior year of high school. "They are assuming a lot, that the girl will even want to play in college or that they will continue to develop or work hard at their skill." 

Morgan Cummins, Maddie Koczersut and Kinsey Goelz all were in middle school when they first started getting interest from college coaches. While the girls didn't feel pressure to commit as freshmen, all three recognized the importance of the opportunities. 

As the coach of both Kinsey Goelz’s Tampa Mustangs 18U travel team and Avery Goelz’s Tampa Mustangs 14U team, T.J. Goelz talks with college coaches practically every day. In doing so, the majority of Division I coaches have told him they aren’t necessarily fans of early recruiting, but they do it as a way to stay ahead of the competition. 

“I'd truly rather see the process start and finish later, but in Kinsey's case, she had a very good idea on where she wanted to go to school at an early age,” T.J. Goelz said. 

Kinsey Goelz goes to USF about once a month and tries to catch as many college softball games as possible while reconnecting with former competitors who now attend USF. 

“It feels like forever,” Kinsey Goelz said about the time remaining before she plays college softball. “I just want to get out there and play with them. At the same time though, it’s allowed me to get better and mature. I’m lucky that I’ve been able to have the time do that.”