Caden Wooster is a freshman right-handed pitcher at Santa Clara University majoring in physics with an emphasis in biophysics. Standing at 6 ‘8” with a fastball topping out at 95 MPH, Caden also received interest from Major League Baseball teams, with area scouts frequently attending his starts during his high school recruiting process. A three-year varsity pitcher in high school, Wooster racked up a whopping 124 strikeouts with a microscopic 2.64 ERA. Today, he shares his unique experience of being scouted and recruited simultaneously.

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2aDays: Describe your experience as a college athlete at Santa Clara. What is the most significant difference between preparing for your first college season compared to off-season preparation in high school? 

CW: I've had a fantastic experience in my first collegiate season at Santa Clara. It's the environment I've always dreamed about as an athlete, knowledgeable coaches who are honest and hold the team to high standards, helping to guide the ship of a boat filled with talented players of high character, that show up to the field ready to compete on a day-to-day basis. 

The intensity is certainly a step up from that of high school programs–not only the time invested on a weekly basis, but the expectation between the players to invest beyond what is outlined by practice schedules. This intensity absolutely promotes an increased level of average strength and conditioning helping to maximize the peak performance of all players. As a team saying of ours goes “you sink to the level of your training,” [and] I view our group as being as well prepared as anyone in the country.

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2aDays: Could you describe your recruiting process for me? What factors lead to you choosing Santa Clara University as your home for the next four years?

CW: The recruiting process is different for everybody and the mental approach you take to it has a significant impact on how you feel about it. I would not advise others to think about the recruiting process the way I did–as a young player you always dream of the next level of baseball, the NCAA tournament, playing in stadiums, performing under the friday night lights, all of that can be very consuming when you start to understand that you may have the opportunity to play at the next level. 

For me I often became too consumed in making the recruiting videos, worrying about making sure scouts were able to come see me, and then feeling the immense pressure of performing once coaches came to watch me play. All in all the process removed a lot of the fun from baseball for a period of time. Eventually, through self reflection and talking with some of my mentors, I began to learn that receiving offers was a byproduct of coaches being able to watch you compete and being your authentic self on a baseball field. 

Related: 9 Recruiting Questions With Former Minnesota/MiLB Baseball Player Matt Fiedler

Santa Clara was a school that was present in my recruiting process for a long time which had led to me developing a strong relationship with Coach Karcich and Coach Filter. Coach Filter's pedigree as a pitching coach and the messages he shared about the culture being built within Santa Clara's baseball program aligned great with what I was looking for. My parents and I quickly came to the decision that it would be a great fit for me and I committed two weeks before national signing day my senior year. 

2aDays: What was the process like being scouted by Major League Baseball teams? In what ways was it similar to getting recruited for college ball, and in what ways was it different? 

CW: Pro scouts are very different from college coaches. It is a much more passive process that I understand to happen as a result of word spreading about your performance. Similar to college recruiting, there was a period of time that I allowed it to matter too much to me, [and] instead of just playing ball I caught myself looking into the stands attempting to suss out what scouts were hiding behind a radar gun. 

College recruiting is also dissimilar to that of pro scouting because college coaches hope to see development over time whereas a pro scout is only at a high school game to figure out whether a player is ready to make that leap and if not they move on quickly with little to no emotion. Additionally, at the stage of scouting I was at there was rarely any relationship built with scouts, aside from two scouts who I had played for on a scout ball team, their communication was directly with my coaches coming and going without a word. 

2aDays: What advice would you give to fellow high-profile baseball players who MLB teams are scouting along with being recruited by college coaches? What was your key to successfully navigating both avenues? 

CW: Keep it as simple as possible, play the game the way you know how to play it best, and represent yourself, your team, and family with pride. The opportunities will come if you are ready, remember why you play the game and the vast opportunities it has already provided you during slumps of performance. Place high value in the relationships you are able to develop with coaches you recruit you. Learn from your failures and don't get stuck on past success. 

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* Originally published on May 25, 2023, by William Calhoun