@Texas Baseball Resource posted:Questions 1-12 stated above are spot on for any player or parent to ask/consider when selecting potential schools at an level really but one more to add on would be:
13.Do they have a weight room and meal plans?
Most D1 Juco's in Texas at least have 2 coaches who respectfully function like advanced High school coaches with oftentimes smaller budgets. The double edge sword that comes with playing at this level is you have little to no rules on the limit of time you can "work" but at the same time the resources (facilities and equipment) and the knowledge of things traditionally seen as outside of the game (strength training, nutrition and technology) can be lacking compared to larger schools with bigger budgets.
As someone who played at a major D1 Juco in Texas I highly recommend the "juco route" but it comes with its challenges for sure. This is where guys find out how bad do they really want it. Everything is earned at this level which is in many ways why players that prove themselves at this level are so attractive to four year schools. Want to get stronger ? Nobody’s there to teach you have to learn it. Need to gain weight? You'll find players taking on nutrition classes because they WANT to not because they HAVE too.
For many players the juco experience forces them to develop themselves and "get it" much sooner than most players who go to a 4 year school out of High school.
Agree 100%