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Player/Team Rankings

Age Group

This article provides valuable insight into the player ranking process offered by Line Drive Media, Extra Innings, etc. designed to guide coaches through the experience—especially those navigating it for the first time. It includes helpful templates, submission links, and sample write-ups to ensure coaches can effectively present their athletes' skills, achievements, and potential.

EIS, Line Drive Media, Legacy and Legends, and Softball America are among the growing number of media outlets that now offer some form of annual player ranking recognition.

Are these rankings accurate? Are they meaningful? Well.... yes, no, maybe, sometimes. A ranking doesn't guarantee a player will be recruited by their dream school, it doesn't even guarantee that the player is good, and coaches know this. But if you have a player that is ranked top 10, they probably will get a look by the top colleges. Whether it blossoms into an 'interest' is up to how the player performs in live situations.

Even if your player doesn't come out in the top 10, going through the ranking process does have some intrinsic value for the player, for parents and to some extent, the team and enhancing your team's reputation.

Be aware that this task is challenging and often thankless, as parents and players may be upset if rankings don't meet their expectations. With over 300 players ranked per graduating year, there are a lot of considerations that go beyond the player that will influence ranking position, and many are outside of your control as a coach.

Quick Tips for Ranking:

Enlist the help of your coaching staff or even parents to help you coordinate the information needed (video's, pictures, pulling stats, etc.)
- The Head Coach should always make the decisions on rankings. Remember, its YOUR name going on this ranking because the player is on YOUR team.
Use this template to help you collect/organize the information needed to submit a ranking through EIS, Line Drive, Legacy & Legends.
- Also available to download and use offline

Look at players you may know in the year preceding your graduating classes to get a sense of where your players may fall in the overall ranking
Start early, allow for technical difficulties
Make sure awards/recognition received throughout the year are stored and referenced in submissions
- Use google sheets/forms to collect/store information from your players throughout the year

FAQ's

Do coaches generally submit their entire team?

Yes, generally. You may have reasons for not submitting a specific player but rankings can go as high as 200-300, so rank each player where you think they should be according to that scale.

Some Ranking outlets allow parents to submit rankings. Can we just have our parents do it to save time?

How do I know where my players should be ranked at?

That's a good question. Coaches don't directly decide their players' rankings; instead, they suggest a 'range,' which serves as a recommendation. Ultimately, factors like where you play and the tournaments you participate in will have a greater impact on your players' rankings than a coach's suggestion.

Does it cost money to submit a player to be ranked?

How do I view the rankings once they are published?