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After 12 or more college visits to D1s, D2s, D3s and JUCOs from Colorado to South Carolina and lots of places in between, my 2018 committed this week to play baseball at the only D1 school in Iowa — about two hours away from home.

As my son said, it feels surreal. And yet it's sinking in that after a three-year journey, it's real.

Thanks to everyone on this site who has helped us along the way — whether you knew it or not. As I said in another thread, this isn't a place I have necessarily come for answers. It's a place I have come to learn what questions to ask, and how to think about the information we have gathered along the way.

Many people on this site have shared their worst case experiences, and sometimes, I have to admit, some of you terrified me and I wondered if I wanted my son to pursue college baseball. Sometimes, it made me look for the worst in the people we encountered along the way.

Our experience, though, has been the best. High school coaches who gave playing time to a freshman when it was earned. Fellow parents on both travel and HS teams who have been welcoming and encouraging and truly happy for my son's success — even when he took their kid's spot on the field. And yes, we worked with an advisor, and three years later, we still feel like it was worth it.

Even most of the college coaches who recruited him have been very gracious when he decided their schools weren't the right fit for one reason or another.

I came into this not understanding much of anything about HS or college baseball or recruiting. I have learned a lot about all of those things, and about my son. I'm so incredibly proud of him and his hard work, and impressed that his first action after saying yes was to start pestering the coaches — what should I be working on, what can i do better? Any workouts I should try?

He knows this is the beginning of the journey, not the end. Because of that, I'm not going anywhere. I feel like the questions are just beginning!

 

 

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Buckeye 2015 posted:

Congrats!!   Though I hope they don't beat the Buckeyes!    My son plays 45 minutes from home...it's great to be able to get to see a lot of games.   I didn't realize until today that Iowa State doesn't have a baseball program...learn something new every day lol

My dad went to Ohio State, so that used to be my preference in the Big 10. My daughter is at Iowa State. Part of my son committing to Iowa was negotiating with the RC how much Iowa State gear we would retain and which teams we would cheer for in interstate game.

JK, although when my daughter comes home she comments on how odd it is to see people wearing black and gold "just like it's normal or something."

 

younggun posted:

Congrats to your son and entire family. Yes the next phase has just begun, but soak in the accomplishment. 

I told son that the best part of getting a new job (which this kind of is) is the day YOU know you have the job, but you don't actually have to DO the job yet. He disagreed and went back to the gym, but I'll celebrate it for him. 

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