Every recruit is different. Every recruit weighs the aspects of a potential school differently. Some consider the quality of the program most important, and others the quality of the education they will get.
Two weeks ago I received an e-mail from the parent of a local softball player who, according to him, has the ability to play Division I. Whether she really is that good doesn't matter. What matters is the daughter considers the quality of the school's softball complex to be important, and Ball State University's is bad enough in her eyes to possibly deter her from coming to the school. Her father writes, "With the condition of the softball field she questions whether it would be the right thing to do."
I have been to the softball stadium - if it can be called that - many times and thought the condition of the complex was lacking. The quality was no better, and perhaps a little worse, than that of the high school I attended.
I hadn't been to any other Mid-American Conference schools' complexes, so I really had no idea if Ball State's was up to par with the rest of the MAC. With the e-mail serving as cause, I called every softball coach in the MAC to gauge where Ball State stands.
Of the 12 softball coaches, only two got back to me over the course of a week. Ball State's coach, Craig Nicholson, was one, and the other I will keep anonymous so as not to create any unneeded animosity between the two schools and programs.
Nicholson said he believes Ball State's field is up to par with the rest of the MAC with the exception of Miami University - the school spent more than $2 million on its stadium in 2005.
The other MAC coach wasn't quite so positive about Ball State's stadium.
"They are at the lower level," the coach said. "Within the MAC we have varying degrees. We have ones who put millions into the facilities, and then you have other facilities that are not even as nice as high school fields."
The coach believes Ball State doesn't need a brand new stadium, just upgrades, and said the batting cages are the worst part of Ball State's facility and that they are probably the worst in the MAC.
It should be noted that this coach's vision of Ball State's stadium is a bit out of date. Ball State did some small upgrades over the summer. According to Nicholson, the fence has been moved in, a new infield was installed and asphalt was put down around the stands area so fans don't walk on gravel anymore.
While it's good Ball State has put some money into the softball stadium, the improvements aren't enough. The facility still needs new batting cages, upgrades to the dugouts and a bunch of minor sprucing that will make the stadium look nicer.
Nicholson said he would like to see improvements made again in the next few years. It will be up to the athletics department to allocate the money to get more improvements.
It's time Ball State started getting all of its sports facilities up to par - not just its football facility. Gymnastics will be getting a major improvement in its resources and practice area with the rebuilding of Irving Gym that will be finished in Fall 2010, but little has been done for the other sports that don't have the spotlight football and basketball have.
As the coach I talked to said, "You can tell the priority of the sport at the school by the quality of their facilities."
Right now it doesn't look like softball is a high priority at Ball State, but hopefully that will change soon. Then maybe the potential recruit will want to come to the school near where she grew up.
Write to Levin at ltblack@bsu.edu
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