cabbagedad posted:Welcome to the site. You came to the right place. First, know that you can search topics here and find a ton of information that way as well as posting specific questions. Just from a baseball standpoint, Cal Poly and Cal Tech are worlds apart. Cal Poly is a frequently ranked D1 program that is able to bring in top recruits. If your son is good enough to play there, he will know very soon if not already. Touching 84 wont' do it. Cal Tech is a D3 program who is historically weak in baseball (but improving!) and would be a much easier target with regards to making the roster and getting a chance to contribute.
Engineering is a great field of study but one that will instantly reduce the number of college options where it will be feasible to play baseball. Again, there are a ton of threads you can search here on that topic. There are options but they are relatively limited when you look at how realistic it is to commit to playing college baseball and also meet the requirements of engineering programs simultaneously. Also know that California and Florida are two baseball hotbeds where the supply of really good baseball players far exceeds the demand... more so than in any other states, I believe. Embry Riddle may be one to look at in Florida.
Your son will need a solid recruiting plan for baseball along with a smart plan for college selection. How far along is he in putting that together? Does he play with a travel organization that will get him in front of the right schools? Is he getting proper instruction to maximize his abilities? To what extent has he been exposed to pitching against rosters of college-ready hitters? How has he done in that environment? These are just a few starter questions. From there, many here can offer more specific advice.
Profile says you're in CO... School of Mines is one that comes up often as a good choice. There was a recent thread that discussed specific schools good for engineering majors but I can't find in a search. Can someone else pull that link?
PS - your profile is a but confusing... stated like you are the player but your post says you are the dad ?? No big deal either way but people like to know so they can advise accordingly.
Cabbagedad, thanks for your message.
Son started the profile, but I posted the question. We already fixed the profile because I will be using it more often.
We were thinking more in Cal Poly Pomona, I understand that is a Div II school. Son went to a showcase at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and came back disappointed. He wants a more balanced experience. Colorado School of Mines is, definitely, an option. Mines is a Div II school with a focus on STEM and Engineering, so it is at the top of our list ---"our" meaning mom and myself 
In regards to the recruiting plan... Uh Oh, you got me, I have not done my homework well. I mean, we have been attending showcase camps in Colorado; son attended one of the Stanford University Summer Camps, but I have to admit that those camps have not put my son in front of the "right" schools. Also, for the past two summers we have been avoiding travel organizations and played Legion Ball instead. Probably that's the result of baseball being an afterthought and devoting equal time to other extracurricular activities (Football, Percussion, Robotics and so forth). On the other hand, playing travel baseball is really pricey, and I still have the impression that they won't put my son in front of the "right" schools. Anyways, this year we committed to a travel organization, and I think they have contacts with mid-west and southeast schools, lets see how it goes.
Son will be playing Varsity this coming year, our league has a lot of college-ready hitters in Boulder, Fort Collins and South Denver Metro, so this is something that is yet to be seen. However, in the showcases he is been part of, he had performed fairly well. For instance, last summer at the Stanford Camp he pitched a two run, three hits, eight innings game. He was really lucky that his squad had no pitchers left for that scrimmage and the coach in charge allowed him to go the entire route.
Here in Colorado is really hard to have the proper instruction, I mean, is really hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. We have heard so many horror stories about coaches that have messed up with kids (swing, pitching mechanics and so forth). I would like to know to whom I can resort to. Sometimes, I wish we live in Seattle so we can go to Driveline, but there is no such thing here in Colorado.
Thanks for you answer, Cabbagedad, it has given me a lot to think.