Tres, son faced this choice this summer:
he could have been a backup in a well-known College League (after missing almost the whole 1st month of season due to high school ball going extra long) which would have been a learning experience but not the ABs his college coach wanted
or
playing on a local multi-county college league team which was termed HS + to us.
.
Scouts and the gentleman from the Scouting Bureau who has been following him in HS said to avoid the weaker college league and play a strong Connie Mack + schedule.
College coach wanted him to catch and hit as much as possible vs good arms.
Went that route.
Faced many D1 signed pitchers throwing around 90 mph or higher.
He hit well (except for a week facing a string of 65 mph junk-baller arms, ( I know, I know ), ending up 2nd on his team in batting (hitting in 3 hole most of the summer) to a incoming college soph who batted 2nd).
Summer ended facing good teams and D1 arms at the 18u CABA World Series where he hit .700 (he was hot, though unfortunately team failed to advance far in the event).
Several incoming freshman D1 players he knows made the same choice although many on various other Connie Mack teams suggested by their college coach, and all were happy with it.
Son was glad he faced good pitching most of the summer to prepare for fall,
for example he said he saw more sliders this summer than he ever saw all through HS..
This choice also afforded him the chance to train,
work out, take extra BP with his coach
and has turned down August invites for events to rest the body (he played & caught more games than ever before this spring and summer), as well as work out more intensely and prepare for the challenges of college.
He is sure (as am I) there will be surprises and adjustments no matter how well a HS graduate prepares.
PS- Your local college league may be better than the one close to us
PSS- we hear the good summer leagues fill up by October of freshmen year,
will know in a couple of weeks- college coach says likely son will play in the above-mentioned tougher league after his freshman year next summer
Every case is different as is often written here, just like a college choice,
going where you play a lot vs mostly good teams was the key factor for our son.