Buckeye 2015 posted:If you think that's bad, check out some NAIA schools. There's one near me that will have 90-ish in the fall, knowing that by Spring, that number will be down to 45-50 and they will put half of the on the JV team. If you drive by the field in the fall, there are so many kids, you'd think it was a football practice lol
I believe you, I just question why a family would agree to terms knowing that? It honestly seems ridiculous to me that it could happen...but I totally believe you that it does.
Maybe I am wrong but the D3 world I am familiar with is coaches recruit kids, they try to pull kids they think got missed by or passed over by higher levels. They come in 2 kinds, real players who compete immediately and are pretty much guaranteed to be on the team at least year 1 and typically longer. Type 2 are projects they think have tools or are "projectable" and typically don't have huge success rate but obviously one or 2 come along and are well worth the investment of the program. Most often they are pitchers but can be players with raw tools. Check out how many 6'3" pitchers are rotting in the bullpen waiting to "develop"...every high quality team has some it seems. They assume the freshman class will be cut in half or there about by the Jr year maybe sooner and recruit accordingly. If they have an awesome class and don't loose any year one they will just sqeeze a couple of marginal upper classmen to hit the number the coach wants. Typically form 35 to the low 40's.
If you go to a school carrying more them 40, I think you need to reexamine what you are doing. It still may be a great fit but you better look damn close because statistically it probably isn't.
I know of very few if any real D3 players who were actively recruited that get cut by the colleges for not being talented enough. Typical they see it themselves, don't make the grades, party to much or whatever...seldom is it solely a baseball move.
The attrition rate is high, I honestly think the business of college baseball is poorly managed but ultimately it becomes a supply and demand issue. The D3's realize they need the athletes as part of the business model for them to sustain. The %'s of athletes on D3 campus vs State U is ridiculously high.
IMO it is a buyer beware market, as a parent the 2nd time down the road was so much easier and clearer then the first time. The coaches and schools take advantage of the lack of knowledge as often as possible at all levels...I negotiate deals for a living and the entire process of college athletics is amazing one sided but most people just don't realize it until it is late in the game and hard to readjust.