Have been to about 25 games in short season A and a few more than that in low A, plus a week watching Spring training and Spring training games for about 7-8 hours per day. Also have been a season ticket holder at Sunken Diamond at Stanford and have seen 100's of games involving some of the top DI programs/players in the nation.
IMO, it is very important to recognize that players have to improve every time they move to the next level. To imagine a DI program limited to 11.7 scholarships and a recruiting budget can compete with a professional team signing the best players from the US, Latin America, Asia,etc is not realistic. CaDad, one of the most enlightening experiences is Spring training in mid March. You will see 180-200 players competing for 100 spots on rosters that begin April 7. Intensity, effort, and skills are amazing, especially when you realize that player 200 was an All American/best player/all conference/MVP.
These are players who see a teammate end his career regularly, when they are cut. They do not want that to be them...and they play like it.