It’s amazing how much recruiting has changed. Showcases and travel tournaments allow players to get in front of the schools they want to be seen by. Some kids start thinking about college ball and where at fourteen years old.
Growing up I assumed I would play baseball as long as I was in school. But I didn’t spend time dwelling on it or planning. Where I would go was all about education. I assumed I would attend the college (a D3) where I would become a 6th generation legacy. All recruiting was word of mouth by baseball people. Junior year my high school coach told me I was being checked out by colleges that were D1’s. My reaction was, “Wow! They think I can play there.”
I had no grasp of what I was getting into. I thought college ball was just advanced high school ball. I loved playing ball. I wanted to keep playing. I had no idea it was a very time consuming job.