" His main objective is to play baseball at the highest level possible with D1 being the goal ." You mentioned this a few times and I will focus on one word....PLAY. Huge difference making a D1 team vs PLAYing. If your son would be content on possibly getting very little playing time (and being a great teammate/role player) then I can possibly see where a high D1 might be a goal. A goal is something to strive for, not something to sacrifice other areas to achieve. I would still stress getting the best education possible while using baseball (and best chance to actually PLAY) as something to strive for. Use baseball to decrease the cost of a good education. That diploma will last a longer time than playing baseball.