I believe there are more reasons for kids washing out of baseball (sports) at the college level than we can begin to discuss here. Here are some of the common things I’ve seen in the baseball eco system.
It’s the very rare freshman that sees much meaningful field time in the better juco’s and D1’s. It’s humbling and an ego buster for most players and parents (as I’ve said before, my son got almost no field time as a freshman, and he’s in pro ball). I specifically knew 5 HS stud ballplayers that should have had good college careers that didn’t react well to bench time. The coaching staff didn’t react well to ill placed ego and entitlement (player or parent) either.
I can think of several kids that just made bad choices with their newfound freedom. Choices that eliminated their baseball opportunity. Some of these choices were during senior HS year, but most happened once away from home. I believe that from 13 to 18 we parents are transitioning from a position of authority to a position of influence. I believe how we manage that transition can impact college freshman choices. Going from very controlled, to uncontrolled can help create bad choices.
College baseball is more than a fulltime job at the juco and D1 level. Any serious baseball program will let the athletes know if they want that lifestyle in a hurry. There were quite a few at the juco level that left before there was enough runway to determine who was going to make the squad – included a former travel ball teammate of my son.
I’ve never seen any starter in juco or D1 become ineligible or quit due to academic rigors. However, unless a kid is exceptionally gifted, the majors for student athletes at juco’s and D1’s are not overly taxing. It’s still a fulltime job and school – so it can be overwhelming. Both the juco and D1 my son experienced monitored their athletes, so no lack of visibility and help was coming even if not welcomed. A kid can still flameout due to grades, but from my experience there’s usually a safety net for this one.