There are a number if ways that players can advance from JuCo to 4 year schools. The most common way historically has been that a 4 year coach will call a JuCo HC asking about/for players that the JuCo HC will endorse. That phone call can also be placed by the JuCo HC to the 4 year coach on behalf of the JuCo player. This is why it’s important to stay in good graces with your JuCo HC if you are a JuCo player. The JuCo HC can to more to help one of his players advance than anyone else. He can also do more than anyone to hinder a player’s advancement. A JuCo player should always be mindful of that and it should factor into which JuCo a player chooses out of HS.
There are other avenues that can advance a player. But the JuCo HC’s opinion of any if his players always comes into play. Most JuCos have scout days that feature all their sophomore players. These are showcase type workouts that are conducted in the fall and are attended by RCs from 4 year schools and MLB scouts. A good showing at this event, combined with productive game stats from the previous year, can get a player advanced. Posting video on some social media platforms can help too - and this can be initiated be either the JuCo coaching staff or the player. Some JuCos do a lot to help their players advance. Some don’t do as much.
The better the JuCo team the better the chances of those players advancing. Four year schools are playing their own season during the spring so RCs time already has a full plate of demands. In season they only break away to look at JuCo players for good reasons. Like seeing a team with a lot of good players. In the spring, if a JuCo team advances to post season play, you will see 4 year RCs all over the ballpark watching JuCo Regional Tournaments and World Series events. In the fall JuCos will play games (often round robin tourneys) on the campus of 4 year schools to give their players exposure. But again, when a 4 year RC sees a JuCo player he likes and wants to recruit, the first person he talks to is the JuCo HC.
Players do sometimes reach out to 4 year schools on their own. And it can get tricky when they do that. Sometimes it works out for them and sometimes they get themselves in hot water. It’s risky and I would not recommend that course of action. IMO the best way for a player to advance is a coordinated effort between the JuCo player and his JuCo coaching staff. Here is what that looks like - when it occurs. The JuCo player will meet with his coaches during fall of his sophomore year. The player will provide a list of 10 or so of his schools of interest. They will have a conversation about how realistic that list is. As in, is that player good enough to play at those schools. Are his grades good enough, etc. When the list is agreed upon the phone calls begin. Video is sent. Visits are scheduled and completed. And offers are generated. But every JuCo doesn’t do this for their players.
When a HS player goes the JuCo route he should consider it to be a 2 year commitment. While it’s possible to leave a JuCo for a 4 year school after only one year it is very rare. And even more rare for it to be done w/o the cooperation of the JuCo HC. The worst thing a JuCo player can do is throw off the vibe that he wants to leave after one year. If that happens he is likely to find himself in a doghouse that he will never get out of. JuCo HCs don’t like or want one and done players - unless it’s something the HC has already agreed to.
Just like in HS, the best thing a JuCo player can do to help advance is to help his team win games and standout as he does it. Word of mouth goes a long way. Video helps. Social media helps. Stats mean a lot. Body language is huge. But it often comes down to what the JuCo HC has to say about a player.
Hope that helps.
