First day of practice at DI freshman year. HC gathers the players and points around the room at each guy...you were all league, you were first team, you were drafted, so on and so on. He says, today you are just another baseball player trying to make the team. Nobody cares what you did in HS.
That’s hard for some to hear. If you don’t adapt quickly, you wont last. HC/RC are already recruiting your replacement before the ink drys and before you set foot on campus.
My son was a casualty sophomore year. Great freshman year, not so great fall next year. Five new LHP added, all of which threw harder(3 of which are playing pro ball). He became the last man out. Sat the bench all sophomore year until two weeks before season ended and was told that he won’t be in the plans for next year and will be released to transfer.
The next three years he never missed a start at his new DII school. He graduated in the top ten in school history wins leader in just three years. He has a great job and is two semesters away from his MBA. Would he have stayed at the DI as a bench guy? I guess. He didn’t get that choice.
The reality is that some way, some how college baseball filters out players, hopefully you land in the right spot. If you are lucky enough to play four years you can count your blessings.