BBDad 46,
You've already received very good advice thus far. The September 1 date is just the beginning and an exciting time for your son. Congratulations on the interest your son has received, especially coming from one of his top choices. My son (2011) is a year ahead of your son in this process, as he received the Sept 1 emails last year. I'll admit it was exciting for him, and for his mom and dad. The same adrenaline rush and excitement/disappointment occurs on July 1 of incoming senior year too. When September rolls around, it's difficult to determine the true interest a school is showing. How Big is the net that was cast out to your son and the other recruits from the initial email? Who knows? There is a very good chance that you'll see many changes over the next twelve months...schools that are currently on your son's "wish list" will change with it.
I would recommend that your son try and get on a local scout team (if it's not too late?) this Fall, or a high profile travel team in your area. You stated that your son participated in a PG Showcase, however it wasn't in a game? I assume it was a winter indoor showcase? I know showcasing can be tough on the pocket-book, but if your son is a pitcher, it's imperative that he is seen in a game situation, especially if he lacks eye popping velocity. Besides velocity and movement, college coaches want to see how our kids compete. They want to see how our kids accept success and failure on the mound, and IMO the best way to achieve this is a high profile showcase event, and there's nobody better than PG. If I'm not mistaken, they'll allow you to break your payments up to make it easier to attend their events. You may want to contact them, or possibly PGStaff will answer that if you send him a PM.
The best thing I did with my son this past baseball season was attend several college games. Now that your boy is a junior, schools can leave complimentary tickets to your son if he is on their recruiting list. We live in Southern California and we took full advantage of the opportunity! We watched a couple D2 games, a D3, and many D1 games. It was very important for me to not only attend the games for the simple pleasure of watching good baseball, but to gauge my son's ability with the players out on the field. My son is a two-way player, as I believe your son is? I tried to always arrive in time to watch a little BP, and the pregame infield/outfield. Again, we did this so we could measure his arm strength, footwork, etc... versus the college players on the field. I try and do my best to take the "Daddy Goggles" off, and give him the best advice I possibly can as it pertains to what level he can play with the tools that he has been given.
As others already stated, make sure that your son returns all emails and questionnaires. If he's invited to a camp, and he can't attend, make sure he still contacts the coach and thanks him for the invite. Also, probably the best advice I can give you is don't sit back and wait! As I said earlier, my son was/is on a few recruiting lists. We figured that attending games and saying hello to the coaches was enough? It's not. We felt that he would ultimately receive an offer from one of the schools that appeared to be quite interested in the last year. Never...not once, did we ever send emails to other schools that didn't show initial interest, figuring it was their loss...not ours! Boy was that stupid, and he's/we're learning a lesson from it. Fortunately, I had him send out an email last week with his Fall schedule to a number of colleges that he is interested in. He received replies from about forty percent of the schools, a few that weren't on the radar and a few that were. A few of the top schools on his list didn't reply, and a few schools that he's never communicated with replied and asked for his transcripts. He received a call from one of his top schools today that we thought had given up on him, apparently not...so you never know?
The lesson our family learned as of the July 1st date...unless your son is one of the "Elite" (PG 9.5/10) players, he's going to have to sell himself, just like the colleges have to sell themselves to our kids. So don't be afraid to allow him to send out his own "Large Net" to colleges. AND try your best to go watch some college games in your area with your son this upcoming season. Besides checking out the talent, it's good Father/Son time for you! Good Luck and Enjoy the Journey!