As the summer rapidly approaches, now is the time to begin working hard towards finishing your high school career with a game plan and execute that plan to maximize your potential for schools and coaches who may come calling because of your skill set.

If you are a 2016 grad, meaning a rising senior in high school, preparing yourself for the summer is key to staying on schedule and being ready when the time comes. This summer between your junior and senior year is the most crucial point in the college recruiting process. You’ve likely just finished your SAT and ACT tests, and your GPA and class rank you’ve earned after this school year will be submitted to colleges. The more time you put in to school work and also training for the upcoming season will provide positive results.

One of the first things you will need to set out to do is to start putting together a college list of schools that interest you. Schools that you find best suit your needs, comforts and ability to play and learn at a high level.

According to Dan Mooney, Baseball Factory’s Senior Director of College Recruiting, 75% of the schools you list should be considered “Safety to Fit” schools, ones that are most attainable and fit all of the criteria you look for.

Roughly 25% should be considered a “Reach or Challenge” school, meaning branching out slightly to different areas of the country or perhaps a bigger or smaller school that interests you. Maintaining a well-rounded list of Division I, II and III as well as junior college and NAIA schools will help you to look at all of the factors and narrow your search down.

As you begin to put a school list together, you should begin to find a video that you like, that is updated and ready to send to coaches now before it gets too far into the summer. It is imperative to send your videos out before any tournaments, showcases or camps that you may be playing in.

When sending prospective coaches e-mails, do not bombard them with long messages; stay focused and to the point on your interest in their program. Be sure to include specific information such as: height and weight, the high school you attend, your grade point average, test scores, link to your video, a summer schedule that you will be playing and if possible, a link to the team you’re playing on. You don’t need to send pictures or newspaper articles – remember to keep it simple and give coaches the most powerful and important information you can.

When playing this summer, pick a good mix of tournaments, showcases and individual camps to continue building your game and see the best pitching possible wherever you play.

In addition to game playing, training for the rigors of the upcoming season is just as important, if not more than just playing games. Mooney points out that playing 60-75 games and not developing isn’t the answer. Make sure to focus on dieting correctly, throwing long-toss, tee work and strength training.

With this balanced approach, you will enter your senior season primed not only academically but athletically to put yourself in a position for the school you want to go to, to have their eyes on you as well.