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Is there a right time for a HS prospect that has received some D1 interest to transition and instead focus on pursuing D2/D3 baseball programs? Is reaching out to D2/D3 schools while a rising Junior (2019) to soon?  

Perhaps it is still early, however 2019 son has received interest from a few D1 schools (phone calls, speaking at games, one unofficial visit). The few coaches have been responsive and have provided good feedback, it just seems that getting traction towards a potential offer is difficult.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated.

 

WCP

Last edited by WestCoastPapa
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2019Dad posted:

Wow, this is a timely topic! WCP, can I ask a few clarifying questions?

(1) were the phone calls set up by the college coaches (through travel or HS coach) or did your son call them unprompted?

(2) Similarly, was the UV at your suggestion, or their's?

(1) Two of the calls were set up by 2019's coach (coach was contacted by college recruiting coordinator). A third school was called by my 2019 son after recruiting coordinator came to watch him play. They have been in touch, with only my son calling of course, for the past year.   

(2) The UV was a little of both...... Recruiting Coordinator told son: "you should come to the campus and take a look one of these days. If you are ever in this area, give me a call." 

WestCoastPapa posted:

Is there a right time for a HS prospect that has received some D1 interest to transition and instead focus on pursuing D2/D3 baseball programs? Is reaching out to D2/D3 schools while a rising Junior (2019) to soon?  

Perhaps it is still early, however 2019 son has received interest from a few D1 schools (phone calls, speaking at games, one unofficial visit). The few coaches have been responsive and have provided good feedback, it just seems that getting traction towards a potential offer is difficult.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated.

 

WCP

WestCoast,

While I tend to think it is too early for a rising 2019, the real answer likely needs to have a reference point to the extent and type of exposure for your son, thus far.

The more extensive the exposure, with the responses you summarized, would suggest broadening horizons.

Less exposure or, perhaps more focused exposure, does not necessarily relate to staying the course.  If your son has had exposure but focused on Power 5 programs, for instance, that would support he probably is not a Power 5 candidate. He may well still have D1 options with broader exposure.

Behind all of this, though, is the fact that our State has far more D1 players coming out of HS than there are D1 slots open in the colleges and universities within our State, perhaps by a factor of 10.  If the goal of your son is to play D1 in CA. and he has had decent D1 exposure in our State, I would probably expand horizons, especially understanding the D1's in the WCC will cost anywhere from $45,000 to $55,000 per year even with 25% baseball money.

WestCoastPapa posted:
2019Dad posted:

Wow, this is a timely topic! WCP, can I ask a few clarifying questions?

(1) were the phone calls set up by the college coaches (through travel or HS coach) or did your son call them unprompted?

(2) Similarly, was the UV at your suggestion, or their's?

(1) Two of the calls were set up by 2019's coach (coach was contacted by college recruiting coordinator). A third school was called by my 2019 son after recruiting coordinator came to watch him play. They have been in touch, with only my son calling of course, for the past year.   

(2) The UV was a little of both...... Recruiting Coordinator told son: "you should come to the campus and take a look one of these days. If you are ever in this area, give me a call." 

Thanks for the additional color. My son is the same year as your's . . . and I think everyone in your (or my) shoes struggles with "what does it mean when school does X" (short of an actual offer, that is).

Unless you're looking at only Power 5 schools, most Mid Major D1 schools don't start filling their roster until junior year. Some even have plenty of spots available summer following junior year. Are you not considering Juco as a viable option? If my 2019 doesn't get an offer from 1 of his top schools, he'll probably go that route in hopes of getting more playing time and a shot at his top choices down the road. We have plenty of top Jucos in Texas.

infielddad posted:
WestCoastPapa posted:

Is there a right time for a HS prospect that has received some D1 interest to transition and instead focus on pursuing D2/D3 baseball programs? Is reaching out to D2/D3 schools while a rising Junior (2019) to soon?  

Perhaps it is still early, however 2019 son has received interest from a few D1 schools (phone calls, speaking at games, one unofficial visit). The few coaches have been responsive and have provided good feedback, it just seems that getting traction towards a potential offer is difficult.

Any advice/feedback is appreciated.

 

WCP

WestCoast,

While I tend to think it is too early for a rising 2019, the real answer likely needs to have a reference point to the extent and type of exposure for your son, thus far.

The more extensive the exposure, with the responses you summarized, would suggest broadening horizons.

 

...

Exactly what I was thinking... what type of exposure would you say he has had and what has been the nature of discussions with RC's and HC's other than the one or two you described?  

Also, remind us what type of player/specs we're talking about and what are general parameters in regards to which schools he may be interested in (size/major/region, etc.)?

WCP,

Do you have any measurables from an outside source? ie; scout, PG showcase or other respectable sources. Any deciding should be based on where WCP Jr fits. My advice would be to focus on all of the above, including JUCO's. You will find out where he fits. There are some great affordable DI, DII & JUCO's in CA. DIII & NAIA here tend to be high dollar. 

Agree with others that the Junior College route might be a good move if you can find the right fit.   It allows for another year or two of development, which can be huge for someone on the bubble of D1.  Ultimately, good solid evaluations by top scouts (Perfect Game etc) will help you pinpoint your answer to the question of "when is the time?" etc

It depends on a lot of factors.  Most rising Juniors haven't maxed out their size & strength or skill development.  Scouting is a lot about projection

What does the player want?  A shot at D1?  If so he shouldn't give up, rather he should consider a JC in a competitive league if there is no legit D1 offer/interest.  Most of the SoCal JC leagues are competitive enough to attract a lot of scouts and coaches from D1 schools coming to play in SoCal.  My son's ACC team had  4-5 CA JC players his senior year.  They had more Cuesta JC players then Cal Poly.  The starters on my son's  sub .500  JC team all played professionally and/or D1 or D2.

 

Good luck, you still have options.

Last edited by CollegeParentNoMore

a 6'2" 165 pound rising Junior would presumably have room to fill out.   With the proper strength training and speed/running training he could get the 60 time even lower and the exit velocity in the 90's and really be in an interesting place

That 6.8 sixty:  is that a huge achievement after years of working at it?  Or is that somewhat his natural speed?  If it is his natural speed he can drop that even lower working on his running form and his starts

Those are real good numbers! If he continues to improve he will have options. Players that can hit draw attention. Teach him to use the whole field. Power is great, but guys that get on base with speed are valued. I would still encourage him to reach out to all levels. Lots of Juco's in CA feed DI's across the country. 

First, based on your site name 'westcoastpapa' I'm assuming you are in California like me. My son is a rising sophomore at a D1 school in South Carolina .

A couple of things: California players are the most coveted kids in the recruiting cycle but California kids and parents are the worst at getting recruited. Most of the kids say the same thing " I wanna play at UCLA or ASU or UCSB" and the parents honor that. That is a huge mistake . There are approx 900 NCAA baseball programs. Approx 300 per division. Yet , California kids all chase the same 12 schools . RC's on the west coast do not work hard at recruiting . The talent comes to them. Hunter Greene 2017 MLB number 2 draft pick? Committed to UCLA out of middle school.

FACT: Less than 6% of the kids playing HS baseball will play at the NCAA level. Only 2% at the Division 1 level

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/probability.htm

California kids need to cast a 'wide net' . We were lucky. My son played on one of the top travel programs in the country. This travel team employed a full time Nazi recruiting consultant that schooled the parents and kids about what I'm typing here. Of the 18 or so kids on this team ( That was based in California ) ALL 18 committed to D1 schools. Only 2 were 'in State '

The first thing that we learned and the very first thing that I now tell people is : Get off the D1, D2, D3 thing. This is all about OFFERS and finding the right fit. Not just with Baseball but  the right fit Academically, Financially and Socially. The goal is never D1 baseball. The Goal is finding the school the LOVES YOU. There are premier baseball programs and top schools at the D3 level and crap programs and diploma mills at the D1 level.

Secondly, you gotta cast a wide 'out of state' net. College Baseball as far as talent and degree of difficulty is REGIONAL . The west coast and the south are the toughest places to play and conversely the hardest places to get offers. California guys do well and get offers quicker from east coast schools. The numbers speak for themselves. There are 300 D1 programs and a large amount of those schools are on the east cost . The MLB draft and recruiting from top programs has made California players a sought after commodity.

Third, your son has 4.0 what are his standardized test scores? This is important. A 2019 that's 6'2 with a 4.0 and runs a 6.8 is gonna get love from the academic schools. A kid like that needs to do headfirst and Arizona Fall Classic Academic try-outs. A kid with a high GPA separates himself from the pack. And once again , most your high academic schools are on the east coast. Check out the patriot league. Also, one of the top schools in the country with a very reputable coach and program is Pomona-Pitzer. Pomona -Pitzer is a California school but most California high school players and parents have never heard of it. Go to the US NEWS College Rankings and type Pomona - Pitzer.....It's ranked alongside Harvard.Coach Pericolosi has a terrific baseball program. He  had a kid draft in the 9th round this year!  He also has 2 players on the cape right now. Once again , forget about D1, D2, D3

Offers: RC's don't offer until they have to. Don't forget that. Steve Martin had an ongoing joke back in the day that went something like this " You wanna make a million dollars? ....Well, first you need a million" . What that means is you want an offer? You gotta get an offer first. It doesn't matter if it's D1, D2 or D3.

My son emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Went to camp. Had conversations with Savage. Nothing. They never said or did anything. Once my son got an offer he sent out an email to his top 10 schools saying something like " I just received an offer from school X , it's a great offer , the school is a terrific fit and I'm seriously considering accepting it . But before I do I want to reach out one more time to you guys because I always wanted to play for you"

UCLA responded to that email in 10 minutes flat. True story.

So, what does all this mean? It means several things . It means that most RC's won't do shit unless someone else offers first. It also means that most players and parents are caught up in the nonsense of D1, D2 , D3 . By the way most those guys end up with very little options if any at College baseball. It means that west coast kids and parents chase the same 12-20 schools despite the fact that there are in fact 900 NCAA programs . Did you know that the best learning institutions primarily are at the D1 and D3 level?  ( With some of the elite schools in the world at the D3 level) . Did you know that most D2 schools are terribly underfunded ? Did you know that some of the worst schools academically are at the D2 level? Sorry about throwing D2 under the bus . Not judging , just reporting the facts.

This whole thing is about reaching out. WAY outside the comfort zone. talking to parents that have been through it and casting a WIDE net. And whatever you do , Do not forget two things :

-Less than 6% of the kids playing HS baseball will play at the NCAA level. Only 2% at the Division 1 level

-It's about finding the baseball program that LOVES you. Not interested in you. Or even liking you. The one that loves you

 

~Anything I write here is just my opinion based on my experience ~

Last edited by StrainedOblique

I agree that a large majority of D2 schools don't have the academic reputation that D3 or high level D1 schools have, but don't rule them all out.  UC San Diego is one of the top 10 research universities in the country and as you know, a D2 school that just played for a national Championship.  Nova Southeastern in Florida won the D2 national championship last year and is highly ranked university.  There are many great academic and baseball programs in the D2 ranks.   D2 schools for a large number of reasons don't have funding or student populations to support D1 athletics, but never the less are often very good academic institutions, perhaps more on a regional level.  You just have to dig a little deeper to vet those schools out.  I totally agree with casting a very large net to many schools in all regions of the country and as you said, getting the first offer is key.  My advice is to keep an open mind, research the various schools and look at all options.

3and2Fastball posted:

a 6'2" 165 pound rising Junior would presumably have room to fill out.   With the proper strength training and speed/running training he could get the 60 time even lower and the exit velocity in the 90's and really be in an interesting place

That 6.8 sixty:  is that a huge achievement after years of working at it?  Or is that somewhat his natural speed?  If it is his natural speed he can drop that even lower working on his running form and his starts

The 60 time is pretty much natural speed. He did go to a speed/agility coach for several months to refine his running mechanics so that's it. He's a young 2019 (age-wise) so there's definitely time to keep working on things. Thanks for the feedback 3and2, it helps.

Really great stuff, Strained Oblique.

I would note that Pomona Pitzer is not the only great school in the  SCIAC.  And also that while top players all seem to want to play in PAC 12 or Big West, there are good schools in the Big  West, if you can afford them.

Great point about UCSD in D2, FFred, but as you know they are set to move from D2 to D1. There are still some good schools in the CCAA and even Pac West, but none that will compete with UCLA, ASU, CAL etc. for players.

Wow, great informative post from Strained... one of my son's schools was a D2 and I only wish I could argue his point.  That said, as Friarfred pointed out, there are exceptions.  Research.  We were surprised that some of the Caif. D2's put so little $$ into the baseball programs (in many aspects) as compared to many much smaller private D3's and even NAIA's elsewhere.  These things can be pretty easy to identify if you know what to look for and what to ask.

WCPapa, those are good numbers.  Aside from the PG events, is he playing with a good travel org this summer?  Going to the right events?  What would you say are the main reasons he is not getting more attention yet?

All the comments about JC's are true as well although I suspect may not be a fit based on his academics.  Still could be, depends on his career direction, budget, etc., etc.

StrainedOblique posted:

First, based on your site name 'westcoastpapa' I'm assuming you are in California like me. My son is a rising sophomore at a D1 school in South Carolina .

A couple of things: California players are the most coveted kids in the recruiting cycle but California kids and parents are the worst at getting recruited. Most of the kids say the same thing " I wanna play at UCLA or ASU or UCSB" and the parents honor that. That is a huge mistake . There are approx 900 NCAA baseball programs. Approx 300 per division. Yet , California kids all chase the same 12 schools . RC's on the west coast do not work hard at recruiting . The talent comes to them. Hunter Greene 2017 MLB number 2 draft pick? Committed to UCLA out of middle school.

FACT: Less than 6% of the kids playing HS baseball will play at the NCAA level. Only 2% at the Division 1 level

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/probability.htm

California kids need to cast a 'wide net' . We were lucky. My son played on one of the top travel programs in the country. This travel team employed a full time Nazi recruiting consultant that schooled the parents and kids about what I'm typing here. Of the 18 or so kids on this team ( That was based in California ) ALL 18 committed to D1 schools. Only 2 were 'in State '

The first thing that we learned and the very first thing that I now tell people is : Get off the D1, D2, D3 thing. This is all about OFFERS and finding the right fit. Not just with Baseball but  the right fit Academically, Financially and Socially. The goal is never D1 baseball. The Goal is finding the school the LOVES YOU. There are premier baseball programs and top schools at the D3 level and crap programs and diploma mills at the D1 level.

Secondly, you gotta cast a wide 'out of state' net. College Baseball as far as talent and degree of difficulty is REGIONAL . The west coast and the south are the toughest places to play and conversely the hardest places to get offers. California guys do well and get offers quicker from east coast schools. The numbers speak for themselves. There are 300 D1 programs and a large amount of those schools are on the east cost . The MLB draft and recruiting from top programs has made California players a sought after commodity.

Third, your son has 4.0 what are his standardized test scores? This is important. A 2019 that's 6'2 with a 4.0 and runs a 6.8 is gonna get love from the academic schools. A kid like that needs to do headfirst and Arizona Fall Classic Academic try-outs. A kid with a high GPA separates himself from the pack. And once again , most your high academic schools are on the east coast. Check out the patriot league. Also, one of the top schools in the country with a very reputable coach and program is Pomona-Pitzer. Pomona -Pitzer is a California school but most California high school players and parents have never heard of it. Go to the US NEWS College Rankings and type Pomona - Pitzer.....It's ranked alongside Harvard.Coach Pericolosi has a terrific baseball program. He  had a kid draft in the 9th round this year!  He also has 2 players on the cape right now. Once again , forget about D1, D2, D3

Offers: RC's don't offer until they have to. Don't forget that. Steve Martin had an ongoing joke back in the day that went something like this " You wanna make a million dollars? ....Well, first you need a million" . What that means is you want an offer? You gotta get an offer first. It doesn't matter if it's D1, D2 or D3.

My son emailed UCLA 5-6 times. Went to camp. Had conversations with Savage. Nothing. They never said or did anything. Once my son got an offer he sent out an email to his top 10 schools saying something like " I just received an offer from school X , it's a great offer , the school is a terrific fit and I'm seriously considering accepting it . But before I do I want to reach out one more time to you guys because I always wanted to play for you"

UCLA responded to that email in 10 minutes flat. True story.

So, what does all this mean? It means several things . It means that most RC's won't do shit unless someone else offers first. It also means that most players and parents are caught up in the nonsense of D1, D2 , D3 . By the way most those guys end up with very little options if any at College baseball. It means that west coast kids and parents chase the same 12-20 schools despite the fact that there are in fact 900 NCAA programs . Did you know that the best learning institutions primarily are at the D1 and D3 level?  ( With some of the elite schools in the world at the D3 level) . Did you know that most D2 schools are terribly underfunded ? Did you know that some of the worst schools academically are at the D2 level? Sorry about throwing D2 under the bus . Not judging , just reporting the facts.

This whole thing is about reaching out. WAY outside the comfort zone. talking to parents that have been through it and casting a WIDE net. And whatever you do , Do not forget two things :

-Less than 6% of the kids playing HS baseball will play at the NCAA level. Only 2% at the Division 1 level

-It's about finding the baseball program that LOVES you. Not interested in you. Or even liking you. The one that loves you

 

~Anything I write here is just my opinion based on my experience ~

This is why this site is so great. Great stuff and thank you for this info.

WestCoastPapa posted:
Consultant posted:

West Coast Papa:

Did your son receive an invitation to a California Scout team or Area Code tryouts?

Bob

No he did not. He made the regional NTIS team and went to Cary a couple of years back. He will be trying out for a scout team next month however.

Scout team... SoCal or NorCal?   I have heard the product has become a little bit watered down in very recent years but still, SoCal Scout ball always had good exposure and position players were going to be able to showcase their hitting abilities (or lack thereof) against some very good arms.  This was always a great "showcase" environment for P's but still, a great place where scouts and RC's are willing to go out and take a look at guys in person, including position guys.

cabbagedad posted:

Wow, great informative post from Strained... one of my son's schools was a D2 and I only wish I could argue his point.  That said, as Friarfred pointed out, there are exceptions.  Research.  We were surprised that some of the Caif. D2's put so little $$ into the baseball programs (in many aspects) as compared to many much smaller private D3's and even NAIA's elsewhere.  These things can be pretty easy to identify if you know what to look for and what to ask.

WCPapa, those are good numbers.  Aside from the PG events, is he playing with a good travel org this summer?  Going to the right events?  What would you say are the main reasons he is not getting more attention yet?

All the comments about JC's are true as well although I suspect may not be a fit based on his academics.  Still could be, depends on his career direction, budget, etc., etc.

He is on a well known travel team. He has attended some big events (that's where a D1 saw him and his been talking to him ever since, but it hasn't gotten more serious). Not sure what the reasons are but trying to get into stronger tournaments and trying out for fall scout teams are priority right now. His travel coaches have not been much help at all from a recruiting standpoint however son knows that it is up to him (with my help) to reach out to college coaches and try to garner attention.

WestCoastPapa posted:
cabbagedad posted:

Wow, great informative post from Strained... one of my son's schools was a D2 and I only wish I could argue his point.  That said, as Friarfred pointed out, there are exceptions.  Research.  We were surprised that some of the Caif. D2's put so little $$ into the baseball programs (in many aspects) as compared to many much smaller private D3's and even NAIA's elsewhere.  These things can be pretty easy to identify if you know what to look for and what to ask.

WCPapa, those are good numbers.  Aside from the PG events, is he playing with a good travel org this summer?  Going to the right events?  What would you say are the main reasons he is not getting more attention yet?

All the comments about JC's are true as well although I suspect may not be a fit based on his academics.  Still could be, depends on his career direction, budget, etc., etc.

He is on a well known travel team. He has attended some big events (that's where a D1 saw him and his been talking to him ever since, but it hasn't gotten more serious). Not sure what the reasons are but trying to get into stronger tournaments and trying out for fall scout teams are priority right now. His travel coaches have not been much help at all from a recruiting standpoint however son knows that it is up to him (with my help) to reach out to college coaches and try to garner attention.

Sounds like you guys are on the right track!  You've already learned another tough lesson that can be surprising... many decent travel organizations can get you to the right events but even with all the questionnaires and some dialog, they are just a tool for you to utilize - quite often less helpful than players anticipate in the actual recruiting work, not an entity that will take over the process for you.  Player (and parents) must drive the process. 

He should (if he hasn't already) choose two or three of his biggest advocates who are qualified (travel coaches, established HS coaches, reputable instructors, local scouts who know him, etc.)  He should keep open dialog with these people and ask if he can use them as reference.  If they are kept aware of his ongoing status, they will be more likely to think of him when they hear about a school with a need or more likely to mention him in discussions with schools.  But more importantly, they can add credibility and provide reference for when the player steers an RC or HC to them during recruiting dialog.

Exciting time!  I suspect good things are in his near future.

cabbagedad posted:
WestCoastPapa posted:
cabbagedad posted:

Wow, great informative post from Strained... one of my son's schools was a D2 and I only wish I could argue his point.  That said, as Friarfred pointed out, there are exceptions.  Research.  We were surprised that some of the Caif. D2's put so little $$ into the baseball programs (in many aspects) as compared to many much smaller private D3's and even NAIA's elsewhere.  These things can be pretty easy to identify if you know what to look for and what to ask.

WCPapa, those are good numbers.  Aside from the PG events, is he playing with a good travel org this summer?  Going to the right events?  What would you say are the main reasons he is not getting more attention yet?

All the comments about JC's are true as well although I suspect may not be a fit based on his academics.  Still could be, depends on his career direction, budget, etc., etc.

He is on a well known travel team. He has attended some big events (that's where a D1 saw him and his been talking to him ever since, but it hasn't gotten more serious). Not sure what the reasons are but trying to get into stronger tournaments and trying out for fall scout teams are priority right now. His travel coaches have not been much help at all from a recruiting standpoint however son knows that it is up to him (with my help) to reach out to college coaches and try to garner attention.

Sounds like you guys are on the right track!  You've already learned another tough lesson that can be surprising... many decent travel organizations can get you to the right events but even with all the questionnaires and some dialog, they are just a tool for you to utilize - quite often less helpful than players anticipate in the actual recruiting work, not an entity that will take over the process for you.  Player (and parents) must drive the process. 

He should (if he hasn't already) choose two or three of his biggest advocates who are qualified (travel coaches, established HS coaches, reputable instructors, local scouts who know him, etc.)  He should keep open dialog with these people and ask if he can use them as reference.  If they are kept aware of his ongoing status, they will be more likely to think of him when they hear about a school with a need or more likely to mention him in discussions with schools.  But more importantly, they can add credibility and provide reference for when the player steers an RC or HC to them during recruiting dialog.

Exciting time!  I suspect good things are in his near future.

Quoting from above....This is very true and something all parents with aspiring baseball players should know.

"You've already learned another tough lesson that can be surprising... many decent travel organizations can get you to the right events but even with all the questionnaires and some dialog, they are just a tool for you to utilize - quite often less helpful than players anticipate in the actual recruiting work, not an entity that will take over the process for you.  Player (and parents) must drive the process." 

Having just come through this journey — I can tell you that EVERYTHING that Strained said is spot on.  We are Northern California based family and son cast a huge net over two years and it made all the difference.  Everything in this process is a trade-off except for the top 0.5% of the talent out there.  

I think much is made of the whole “reaching out” idea but it isn’t that simple. Some kids simply don’t want to reach out, some are introverts, some have smaller comfort zone with unknowns…some kids will be salesmen others will be financial or back office…different personalities approach the same process differently.  If you are in your comfort zone selling yourself go do it, if you are interested in travelling to a faraway college wonderful but that doesn’t mean it is best way for everyone.

There most likely will be plenty of good options close by if you look, it takes some research and effort, I would guess that if your boy is generating the partial interest from D1’s right now he will have D2 and 3 schools after him hard over the next 12 or 15 months…

My advice would be to work hard, keep ears and eyes open, have some honest conversations about he wants from college and let it unfold. If you read the stories on commitment time lines you might think you are late for a 2019 but you aren’t. He can hardly drive, he hasn’t started his JR year, if he didn’t play baseball nobody would expect him to have clue what he is looking for in a college.

Don’t let the rat race that is high level D1 affect him, it is highly doubtful he is that type of player anyway or you would already know it.

Great topic.  Son (2019 RHP) pitched this week at PG WWBA in ATL.   I was using the analogy the other night with my wife....if someone came into my garage and saw my fishing gear would they tell me to stick to the local farm pond, or would they suggest I go to the nearby lake and look for the big bass OR would they say "man you need to go out in the Gulf and shoot for a giant marlin"?     This is what I saw at PG and am curious from those of you who have been there.....the game was at an off site location (not lake point),  two minutes before game starts 5 + Power 5 D1 scouts show up.  My son was on the mound for the start (definitely not there to see him but obviously they were there to see someone on one of the two teams).    He pitched two innings, no hits, no walks, three up three down.  Now for my question....he said that while he was pitching a couple of the scouts were feverishly taking notes.....What were they writing down??  BTW I love this site and it has given me so much useful information.  

Adding to what Strained Oblique said, aside from Baseball.

Colleges all over the country value diversity, especially many National D3's. Even if you are not an athlete. California residents are some of the most under represented populations at many of these colleges. I have seen financial aid and administration actively chase these students. I know of a local D3 that avoids recruiting locally, unless they can find an absolute stud, however if you are from California, Admissions is all over the coaching staff to admit them. 

I can understand why California residents do not want to move east. Why come to Ohio, to a LAC, when in the fall you are put up in a dorm with no AC, the temp is in the 80's with a 80% humidity, then in the Winter, you slog through campus in bitter temperatures, And you cannot get outside to play ball until the Middle of March and even then you may be playing in under 30 degree weather. 

However for those who are willing there are plenty of opportunities. My sons Alma-mater recruits quite a few kids locally, but there were always one or two from California. 

As a Cali dad, I hope you're right.  I suspect things are changing w/r/t the attitudes of west coast kids.  Although, as I write this I can think of a handful of local (SD) kids who have really good east coast "academic" offers or acceptances in hand but who are holding out for one of the big west coast programs where they're less likely to start/contribute.  I'm a Cali native so I get the appeal but I think it's really important to get kids outside their comfort zone.  

OskiSD posted:

As a Cali dad, I hope you're right.  I suspect things are changing w/r/t the attitudes of west coast kids.  Although, as I write this I can think of a handful of local (SD) kids who have really good east coast "academic" offers or acceptances in hand but who are holding out for one of the big west coast programs where they're less likely to start/contribute.  I'm a Cali native so I get the appeal but I think it's really important to get kids outside their comfort zone.  

Send them East, we will introduce them humidity, cold, wind chill and get then a Trump 2020 hat...it will be a great experience!!

Strained Oblique basically gave away my strategy for my son! Learned on this site very early that there are a lot more colleges with baseball programs east of the rockies than west (see image I attempted to upload). This was the basis of my decision to look OUTSIDE California...

college map
Caption

http://www.scholarshipstats.com/baseball.html

I was discussing this morning that there are some D2/D3 programs that can offer everything a small D1 school can. You have to be really fortunate to get into a P-5 school, it takes a special guy.

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