@Herewego posted:My (young) 2023 (should be 2024) had fall surgery knee and finally back to 90%. Recruiting paused through this. Has a D2 PWO offer. Not dream school but coach seemingly good match. Religious school (we are not). ?relevant?
Having great HS pitching so far - undefeated RHP FB 86; great secondaries. Switch hitter - hitting has been less successful- pre sx was decent - middle of the pack. Can pitch lefty too but have not developed that. Strongly considering gap year. Do you fall off radars if not in hs or college?? Will be able to play on travel team still because young enough. Or jump at offer?
Based on the way you've laid out the situation, it is not a tremendous fit. What are his expectations for college and after college? Does this offer meet the expectations for college and after? Only he can answer. The one thing that seems positive based on your description is the coach is a good match. In my experience that is not enough. There has to be more than the coach being a good fit, because coaches come and go at the drop of a hat.
You have a few options. But nobody here knows the whole story but you. Pros and cons to each one, and extremely dependent on what your son wants to get out of college. Some want to become professional baseball players. Others play the game because they love it, and will be pursuing business, legal, medical, engineering, etc... careers once their college career is over. Here are my initial thoughts.....
1) Take the D2 PWO offer, and see how it goes. Transfer if it doesn't meet his expectations.
2) Continue with D2 recruiting at other schools and D3 recruiting which is getting ready to gear up. Not sure what his academic background is, but could pursue some high level D3 academic schools if it is a fit. He'll probably need to reach to some new schools if he is pursuing D3 schools.
3) JUCO to begin his education and develop college baseball skills without the NCAA clock starting. Again, he may need to reach out to some JUCO schools if he hadn't reached out before. JUCO is very popular right now given the NCAA rules around the transfer portal and the Covid extended playing eligibility.
4) Gap year. This has worked for some. You'll need to research your particular situation if this a good fit. Given the popularity with JUCO programs these days, it makes more sense to me to jump there (start his education) than it does to take a gap year.
As always, JMO. Good luck!