The NCAA baseball recruiting calendar determines when college coaches can watch your son at a Perfect Game event, when they can call him after a showcase performance, and when all in-person contact goes completely dark. For baseball families, this calendar matters more than in most sports because the showcase circuit — which drives the majority of baseball recruiting — is designed around these evaluation windows. A family that attends a $400 showcase during a dead period has wasted money. A family that times their best showcase performances during evaluation periods when target coaches are present has maximized the investment.
The existing baseball recruiting timeline covers the year-by-year recruiting journey from freshman through senior year. This article covers the NCAA's official recruiting calendar — the contact periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods, and dead periods that dictate what coaches can and cannot do during each window. Understanding these periods is how you time your showcase schedule, plan your campus visits, and interpret coach behavior correctly.
Understanding NCAA recruiting calendar terminology for baseball
The NCAA uses four period types to regulate coach-recruit interaction. The definitions apply across all sports, but the specific dates are unique to baseball.
Contact period.
Coaches can have in-person, off-campus contact with recruits and their families. They can attend showcase events and approach athletes directly, visit high schools, conduct home visits, and have face-to-face recruiting conversations anywhere. Phone calls, texts, and campus visits are all permitted. Contact periods are the most open recruiting windows.
Evaluation period.
Coaches can watch athletes compete in person but cannot have off-campus, in-person recruiting conversations. This is the critical period for showcase events — coaches attend Perfect Game tournaments, PBR showcases, and travel ball events during evaluation periods to scout talent, but they cannot walk up and have a recruiting conversation at the venue. Phone and digital communication continues normally. A coach sitting behind home plate with a radar gun who doesn't approach your family is almost certainly in an evaluation period.
Quiet period.
In-person contact is limited to the college campus only. Coaches cannot visit showcases or high school games but can host unofficial and official visits. Phone, text, email, and video communication continue without restriction. Quiet periods are ideal for campus visits because coaches are available on campus rather than traveling.
Dead period.
No in-person contact whatsoever — not at showcases, not on campus, not at high school games, nowhere. Electronic and phone communication continues. Dead periods in baseball typically fall around the College World Series, holidays, and academic breaks.
The D1 contact initiation rule: D1 baseball coaches cannot initiate phone calls, texts, or direct messages to recruits until September 1 of the athlete's junior year. Before that date, your athlete can email coaches, attend camps, and fill out recruiting questionnaires — coaches just can't initiate outbound contact. After September 1, communication opens in both directions. This date drives the urgency around sophomore and early junior year showcase attendance.
The NCAA baseball recruiting calendar: month-by-month breakdown
The baseball recruiting calendar follows an annual cycle built around the college season, the showcase summer, and academic calendars. Specific dates shift slightly each year, but the structural rhythm is consistent and predictable.
| Month | Period type (typical) | What's happening |
|---|
| January | Quiet period | College preseason preparation. Coaches on campus and available for calls and visits. Good time to schedule unofficial visits. Spring high school season approaching in warm-weather states. |
| February | Quiet period → Contact/Evaluation | College season begins (in warm-weather conferences). Some contact and evaluation windows open. High school seasons start in southern states. Coaches begin tracking junior class prospects actively. |
| March | Evaluation period → Quiet period | College season in full swing. High school season evaluation for juniors and seniors. Coaches attend high school games during evaluation windows. Quiet periods ideal for campus visits around spring break. |
| April | Quiet period → Evaluation period | College conference play intensifies. High school regular season evaluation. PBR and regional showcase events begin. Coaches balance their own season with recruiting evaluation. |
| May | Quiet period → Dead period | College exams and conference tournaments. High school state playoffs in many states. Dead period begins around the NCAA tournament. Coaches focused on their own postseason — limited recruiting activity. |
| June | Dead period (CWS) → Quiet/Evaluation | College World Series creates an extended dead period through mid-June. After CWS, the summer showcase window opens. College camps begin. June is transition month — dead period early, recruiting opens late. |
| July | Evaluation period (the critical window) | Peak showcase season. Perfect Game, PBR, and travel ball tournaments operate during evaluation periods when coaches can attend and scout. The single most important month for baseball recruiting exposure. Coaches deploy across the country to evaluate talent at major events. |
| August | Evaluation period → Dead period | Late showcase events. College fall practices begin. Brief dead period. Transition from showcase season to fall ball. Follow-up communication from July evaluations intensifies. |
| September | Quiet period → Contact period | September 1: coaches can initiate contact with juniors. College fall practices and intrasquad scrimmages. Fall showcase events. Contact period enables direct conversations — coaches who've been watching since July can now communicate freely. |
| October | Contact period → Evaluation period | Fall high school and travel ball evaluation. Official visit weekends begin. Coaches finalize early recruiting boards. Contact period enables home visits and in-person meetings. |
| November | Contact period → Dead period | Early Signing Period (mid-November for baseball). Dead period around signing. Senior commitments finalize. Coaches shift focus to the incoming class and remaining needs. |
| December | Dead period | Academic finals and holiday break. No in-person recruiting. Communication continues electronically. Coaches evaluate roster needs for the spring and identify remaining recruiting targets. |
July is everything for baseball recruiting. The concentration of coaching attendance at July showcase events makes this the single highest-leverage month on the calendar. If your athlete is not competing at showcase events during July evaluation periods — PG tournaments, PBR events, quality travel ball tournaments — they are functionally invisible to D1 recruiters during the most important scouting window of the year.
How the calendar drives showcase and camp timing
The entire showcase industry is built around the NCAA recruiting calendar — specifically around evaluation periods when coaches can attend events and scout talent. Understanding this connection explains why certain events matter and others don't.
July evaluation period events are the anchor of baseball recruiting. Perfect Game WWBA tournaments, PBR state and national showcases, and competitive travel ball tournaments are all scheduled during July evaluation windows specifically because coaches can attend. The coaching density at a PG WWBA event during an evaluation period is staggering — dozens of D1 programs sending scouts to evaluate simultaneously.
June events after the CWS dead period provide a secondary showcase window. College camps begin operating once the dead period lifts, and early showcase events create evaluation opportunities. June is particularly valuable for college-run prospect camps where the host program's coaching staff evaluates directly.
Fall showcase events (September–October) provide a tertiary evaluation window that serves different purposes. Fall showcases attract coaches who are filling remaining roster needs, evaluating late-developing athletes, and scouting the junior class after September 1 communication opens. For athletes who had strong July showcases, fall events with the same coaching staffs reinforce the evaluation. For athletes who didn't showcase well in July, fall provides a recovery opportunity.
Events during dead or quiet periods have limited D1 recruiting value. A December showcase or January camp may provide good competition, but D1 coaches cannot attend during dead periods and generally don't travel during quiet periods. D2, D3, and NAIA coaches have more calendar flexibility, so off-peak events can still provide exposure at those levels. For a full breakdown of how to evaluate which events are worth attending, see our guides on PBR baseball showcases and whether baseball recruiting camps are worth it.
D1 vs. D2 vs. D3 calendar differences for baseball
D1 baseball follows the full NCAA recruiting calendar with strict enforcement. The September 1 contact date, the July evaluation periods, and the dead period restrictions are all heavily regulated. D1 programs have the largest recruiting staffs and maximize every evaluation window.
D2 baseball follows the same general calendar structure with similar period types. D2 coaches can initiate contact starting June 15 after the athlete's sophomore year — earlier than D1's September 1 junior year date. However, D2 programs have smaller recruiting budgets and fewer staff members traveling to evaluate. D2 coaches focus on regional showcase events and travel ball tournaments within driving distance rather than national PG events.
D3 baseball has essentially no recruiting calendar restrictions. D3 coaches can contact athletes at any time, attend any event, and have in-person conversations whenever they choose. There are no dead periods, no evaluation limitations, and no contact initiation date. This means:
- D3 coaches can respond to your son's email immediately, regardless of grade level
- D3 coaches can approach families at any showcase and have recruiting conversations
- Campus visits and evaluations can happen at any time without calendar constraints
- The urgency around July evaluation periods is less critical — D3 coaches evaluate year-round
The practical implication: don't mistake a D3 coach's immediate responsiveness for more interest than a D1 coach who can't legally respond yet. You're comparing unrestricted communication to regulated communication.
How to align your showcase schedule with evaluation periods
Before September 1 of junior year:
Email coaches, attend PBR state showcases and college camps, and build your recruiting profile. Coaches read these communications and track your measurables — they just can't initiate contact. Attending a college camp at a target program during a quiet period (on-campus evaluation is permitted) gives the coaching staff a direct look while building the relationship on their terms. For the email template, see our guide on how to email a baseball college coach.
During July evaluation periods (sophomore and junior summers):
This is the highest-stakes showcase window. Ensure your athlete is competing at events where target-level coaches are evaluating. Two weeks before each event, email every target coach: include your athlete's travel ball team, jersey number, game schedule, position, and verified measurables. After the event, follow up within 48 hours with performance highlights.
During quiet periods (January, May):
Schedule campus visits. Quiet periods mean coaches are on campus and available for meetings. January is particularly strong for visits — the college season hasn't started, coaches have time, and the campus is active. Touring the facility, meeting the coaching staff in person, and watching a practice tells you more about a program than any website.
During dead periods (June CWS, December):
Don't go silent. Coaches still read emails and watch film during dead periods. Send academic updates, fall performance recaps, and upcoming showcase schedules. Dead periods are relationship-maintenance windows — keep the conversation alive electronically so that when the next evaluation period opens, the coach is already invested.
During September contact periods:
Communication opens for juniors. Coaches who've been evaluating since July will reach out to athletes they're interested in. Respond promptly and professionally. Be prepared for increased communication volume — coaches use contact periods to accelerate relationships with their top targets.
The bottom line
The NCAA baseball recruiting calendar is the framework that drives the entire showcase industry and governs every coach-recruit interaction. July evaluation periods are the single most important window — the showcase events scheduled during those weeks generate more recruiting outcomes than the other 11 months combined. Understanding when contact periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods, and dead periods fall is how you time your showcase investment, plan campus visits, and interpret coach behavior accurately.
For the full year-by-year recruiting journey, see the baseball recruiting timeline. For how to evaluate which showcases and camps are worth attending during evaluation periods, our guides on PBR showcases and baseball recruiting camps cover the options. For the email that starts the conversation with a coach during contact windows, the baseball coach email guide has the sport-specific template. And for what to expect on campus visits during quiet and contact periods, our guide to official and unofficial visits covers the details.