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Not sure how to best assist son in the recruiting process.  We are definitely late to the game, and probably haven't been aggressive enough the past couple of years.  Son is 2017 center fielder, 6'1", 175 lbs.  He is a four year varsity starter in center field for our HS, very competitive region/district in southeast.  Had excellent freshman and sophomore years, received interest from schools from local to larger D1s.   Struggled offensively first half of junior year, was having some vision issues, also another growth spurt, and had much lower B.A and OBP than usual.  His defense was solid through it all.   He is very speedy also which helps a lot.  He hit  well the last 1/2 of season, but didn't garner the awards he received sophomore year.  Summer after junior season, played on very competitive travel team, received interest from local D1s again, but nothing concrete.  Mostly emails and calling his coaches.  One local smaller D1 (his dream school) wanted to see him again at their camp, he did very well at camp, and afterwards the RC and HC told son that they like him a lot, like his speed, like his arm, will keep watching him through the spring,  but won't have any outfield spots till they see who on their team gets drafted.  They have 3 outfielders they will probably lose to the draft. 

This fall we have been attending camps/showcases locally and in surrounding states where we think he can possibly compete.   He is open to waiting to see what will happen as the season goes along and possibly sign somewhere in the spring.  He has a local JUCO that would sign him now.  We have been told that the local D1s (there are 3 of them) usually wait later to sign players.  There are also a couple of D2s and one D3 that have shown interest as well. 

Just not sure what else he should be doing at this point.  Travel coaches think he can play either D2 or small D1.  He has contacted coaches and responds quickly to emails.  So far no visits offered anywhere.  He did have a great camp yesterday at a D2 where there were 15 colleges.   I feel like he is a late bloomer and is really just coming into his own.   We hear so much about early signing and all the spots being gone.  He really just wants to play somewhere but doesn't want to go extremely far away from home.  His academics are not a problem, he has a high GPA and ACT.

Any advice is appreciated.  Would love to hear experiences where kids actually got signed in the spring as opposed to November, which looks like it isn't going to happen for him at this point, signing day is getting close, all he has is interest and no offers. 

Thanks!

 

 

 

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Welcome to the site!  Lots of HS players fall under the "late bloomer" category.  It sounds like he is getting decent visibility and some attention more recently.  There are plenty of kids that don't sign in the fall and sign in the spring (or later).  I wouldn't sweat the fall timing.  That said, I would suggest he stay active in his recruiting activities. 

Be careful about schools like the one you describe with "three OF's expected to lose in the draft".  If the current interest level were more than moderate, I don't think they would be using that as a reason not to offer.  Also, if you wait for the draft process, this will put you beyond spring and really put him in scramble mode if that doesn't pan out. 

It's great that he is focused on schools closer to home, particularly at this late stage.  That simplifies the process and is most often more realistic financially and logistically.

There is a ton of information here, not only by asking questions but you can also search related threads.  He will want to use all of his resources like his HS and travel coaches, organize and track his school contact activities, continue to work on his skill set, keep his grades up, work on strength, speed & agility, etc.

Make sure, of course, that he keeps top of mind that the primary purpose of college is for the next 40 years and not the next 4. 

 

cabbagedad posted:

Welcome to the site!  Lots of HS players fall under the "late bloomer" category.  It sounds like he is getting decent visibility and some attention more recently.  There are plenty of kids that don't sign in the fall and sign in the spring (or later).  I wouldn't sweat the fall timing.  That said, I would suggest he stay active in his recruiting activities. 

Be careful about schools like the one you describe with "three OF's expected to lose in the draft".  If the current interest level were more than moderate, I don't think they would be using that as a reason not to offer.  Also, if you wait for the draft process, this will put you beyond spring and really put him in scramble mode if that doesn't pan out. 

It's great that he is focused on schools closer to home, particularly at this late stage.  That simplifies the process and is most often more realistic financially and logistically.

There is a ton of information here, not only by asking questions but you can also search related threads.  He will want to use all of his resources like his HS and travel coaches, organize and track his school contact activities, continue to work on his skill set, keep his grades up, work on strength, speed & agility, etc.

Make sure, of course, that he keeps top of mind that the primary purpose of college is for the next 40 years and not the next 4. 

 

About the point of them waiting to see if committed players get drafted, thats funny.  They should be making rvery effort to be sure they DON'T sign if drafted.

Or maybe they are hoping they will because they really might have too many and not enough money for everyone who shows up.

As suggested by cabbagedad, dont ever rely on the premise, they are "waiting to see" what happens. Best option is Juco, you have some good ones in your area.

 

Let go of the "if, then" scenarios like the one with players they may lose to the draft. It's a trip to the craps table. It appears at the least he's a very solid D3 prospect. Keep working the process. He'll be fine. See if he can get into the November HeadFirst camp. If interested, get on it Monday. It's the 5th and 6th.

Thanks for all the replies and advice.  Just to clarify, the players likely to go in the draft are current juniors at this school.  We know not to expect that anything more will happen, I just wanted to give a full picture of what we have experienced.    Will definitely  look into the honor roll camp if we can afford it.  I really appreciate all the responses.  

hawksmom posted:

Thanks for all the replies and advice.  Just to clarify, the players likely to go in the draft are current juniors at this school.  We know not to expect that anything more will happen, I just wanted to give a full picture of what we have experienced.    Will definitely  look into the honor roll camp if we can afford it.  I really appreciate all the responses.  

Hawksmom,

Sorry, you never implied that those players were juniors. FWIW, more than likely the coaches have already spent their money on the new recruits.

Something to keep in mind, they are much better at this than any of us will ever be. 

Once again, move forward, explore other opportunities, waiting for an answer after the draft in June that may not come, is just too late.

It sounds like your son is open to all the different academic options, and he doesn't have a specific major in mind? If so, and with the background you've described so far, I think he sounds like a good candidate for JuCo. Reasons being... If he's a late bloomer, he needs as much learning and playing time as possible, especially At Bats. JuCo offers maximum playing time in the fall and spring. Also, if he really blooms in the next year or two, the path from JuCo to D1 is much smoother than from D2 or D3. If he doesn't bloom as hoped, he can still move on to a good D2 or D3 option that works for him academically. Lastly, JuCo is usually much less expensive than the 4-year options. Best of luck with the process.

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