Have to say I wish I had found this site when my son was still in H.S. as it has opened my eyes to the crazy world of college baseball.Thanks to all who post here as it is a treasure of information. My son just returned for his junior year at a very good academic D3 that historically has produced some excellent baseball teams. I wish I could say the journey so far has been as expected but as others have posted the road has been full of surprises. My son began attending camps & showcases the summer before his junior year of hs. His goal was to attend a D1 in the South. He was given ratings of 4 or 5 [5point scale] at the 3 camps we attended that summer. He really liked the program at one school but did not meet the academic requirements to get accepted. He rejected the other 2 schools because he didn't like the campus. Back to square one. His junior year he was 1 of 3 non seniors who started & he ended up 2nd in team ba. That summer we hit the showcase trail again except this time he focused on schools within 3hrs. driving time of home. He did 3 D1 & 1D3 and again scored very high but he rejected all for various reasons. Things were not looking good. He contacted one of the national recruiting services but couldn't afford the cost. He then registered with an on-line recruiting service that was very reasonable & got several campus visit offers but they were all too far from home. Senior year begins with no real prospects & son decides he will go to local branch of state univ. which does have a successful bb team. I couldn't believe that after all the time & money we had spent for travel teams & camps & showcases & all of the high reviews son had received at camps & showcases he wasn't getting any interest. Then, in late fall, the e-mails & phone calls started coming. He visited several schools,a D1,2 NAIA, & 2 D3. All made offers of aid, some very generous but the moment my son arrived on the campus of his current school he told me that this school was where he was going to go. Needless to say I was stunned that he was so positive about this school without even talking to anyone or interviewing with the HC. We were escorted around campus by one of the bb team's starters & had lunch with several team members. The HC met with us for over an hour explaining his program & expectations & how son would get opportunity to start as an of but probably wouldn't pitch much because HC liked his hitting. We left feeling good about school. After several back & forths with financial aid dept.we reached an agreement & enrolled. Fall ball begins & son does very well hitting over .400 but grades are down he's having hard time with balancing bb & class work but manages to stay eligible. Season begins & he makes travel squad & looks to be starting of. Then 1st game in Florida & he doesn't play. Next game is against Marietta, he doesn't start but is put in as pinch hitter. He gets a base hit & has started every game since. He latter told me that if he hadn't got that hit he probably would have been a sub the whole year. He went on to have a fine year ,hitting over .300 & named conference player of the week. His grades improved but I could tell something wasn't right. When he came home for the summer he said he wanted to transfer to a D1 closer to home & be a walk-on because he couldn't stand his HC. He was accepted at a local D1 & we thought things were settled. HA! Last day of July son informs us he will return to his D3 school. Seems his girlfriend had been the one wanting him closer to home but they had now broken -up. Fall ball begins son does well again & solidifies his starting spot. Grades show dramatic improvement & the HC isn't so bad after all. Soph season ends with son again hitting over .300 & on solid academic footing. What a difference the loss of the girl friend made! Son has begun jr yr & is looking forward to a successful season as team returns 5 .300+ hitters & 4 seasoned starting pitchers. Academically he will finish his requirements for his major this semester & is already looking into grad school. To sum up my son was prepared for the rigors of college ball but was surprised by the toughness of his classes & was completely unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of trying to take care of his college work & keeping peace with a girlfriend. As for me I always knew he would excel at bb and would be a good,not great, student & I knew that once my son set his mind on something nothing would keep him from achieving it.