The New Era of College Recruiting

Winning Ways — September 2026, Vol. 1, Issue 1. A newsletter publication of Play to Win.

Practical insight for baseball and tennis families navigating a recruiting process increasingly crowded with rankings, metrics, and noise.

Note From the Founder

Gary Cohn, Founder & President, Play to Win

Winning Ways is back. College recruiting continues to change, but PTW's objective has not: help student-athletes and families make informed decisions and find the proper academic and athletic fit.

Coach's Corner: The Struggle Is Also the Prize

Craig Schwartz — Howard Talmud '77 Head Men's Tennis Coach, Lehigh University

Most young players who reach college tennis believe the hardest part is behind them. They've earned ranking points, traveled to tournaments, handled the pressure of junior competition. They think they know what hard work looks like. The level of play jumps. The competition gets tougher. Academic demands grow, and time management turns critical.

The hardest adjustment is losing control over your tennis career just as you expected more independence. In junior tennis, everything revolves around you. Your coach works for you. Your tournament schedule follows your development and your ranking goals. When you win or lose, the outcome belongs to you.

College tennis operates differently. A coach decides whether you play at No. 2, No. 5, or not at all. You practice every day against teammates competing for your spot in the lineup, then support their development and the team's success anyway. Some days you're exhausted, carrying a minor injury, and you compete anyway because five teammates are counting on your best effort.

No one asks whether it's convenient. It's part of being a teammate. Time management doesn't develop on its own. Players who don't learn to manage it hit a wall: training, strength and conditioning, classes, assignments, travel, and relationships all compete for the same hours. Finishing three hours of practice and reaching the library at 9:30 p.m. to face material that would challenge you at full strength isn't unusual. Some students adapt fast. Others take a full year or more.

Those who struggle aren't short on talent or intelligence. They weren't prepared for a world that no longer reorganizes itself around their needs. I've coached championship teams, and this is where I've watched college tennis pay off. Players who stay committed to the process change. They compete for their teammates and invest in team results even when they're not on the court. That mindset is rare, in sport and everywhere else. College tennis teaches lessons that outlast wins and losses: resilience and selflessness. Those qualities carry players into work and relationships long after their playing days end.

The PTW Takeaway: This isn't just about tennis. Coach Schwartz's message applies across college athletics — baseball or tennis, male or female. College athletes must learn to compete for something larger than themselves.

Resilience • Accountability • Time Management • Selflessness

"Stay uncomfortable long enough to get better."

The ABCs of Recruiting

Recruiting can be complicated. What coaches are looking for doesn't have to be.

A — Academics: Can You Get Admitted?

A coach first needs to believe your academic profile can work at the institution — particularly when admission requires athletic support. If the grades don't work, nothing else matters.

B — Ball: Can You Play?

Baseball or tennis ball, the next evaluation is athletic. Does your game translate to this level? Can you compete? Can you help the team win?

C — Character: Who Are You?

What are you made of? What kind of teammate will you be? How will you handle adversity? Will you be an asset in the locker room and on campus?

Academics. Ball. Character. All three matter — and they come in that order.

Getting recruited isn't just about ball striking, footwork, metrics, or rankings. It's about much more. And at the same time, it really can be as simple as ABC.

Our Mission: PTW helps achieve the proper balance between your academics and athletics — always with a keen focus on the academic side of the equation, in a unique approach for each client.

Baseball: Don't Chase the Database™

If getting recruited to play baseball were only about metrics, a coach could recruit you off a piece of paper.

Metrics, while important, are one part of the evaluation: arm strength, exit velocity, speed, performance, academics, makeup, and competitiveness.

Numbers provide information. They don't tell the entire story. College coaches want to see how you perform when the game is being played — not simply what appears in a database.

Be a complete student-athlete. Compete when the lights are on.

Tennis: UTR Won't Raise the Bar™

UTR provides a relative benchmark that helps coaches filter their prospect lists. But it is a starting point — not the complete evaluation.

How do you compete? How do you adapt to conditions? How do you handle adversity? Do you play one way indoors and differently outdoors? What happens when Plan A isn't working?

Coaches evaluate your complete game: technique, movement, competitiveness, decision-making, and response to pressure.

UTR alone won't raise the bar.™

Winning Ways • Play to Win • ptwsports.com • info@ptwsports.com