Question about league placement:
Player is currently a freshman at a small D2 in the southeast.
He's a 6'3" 200 LHP who throws low-mid 80s from a sidearm arm slot.
He had a really good fall season, and should get a chance for a decent amount of innings in the spring.
He talked to his coaches about summer ball in their exit meetings, and they said they could help place him in on a team in one of the local leagues. This is an established league, but it isn't usually referred to when listing the highly-rated summer leagues.
The upside is that he could spend more time at home or with other family who live close to that team.
The question is would it maybe be better for his long-term development to play in one of the stronger leagues, and get the experience of staying with a host family.
Can an unproven D2 freshman pitcher even get any interest from the higher-rated leagues?
Is it common for players set up their own connections to summer teams, or should he just let his coaches do the placement?