@Eokerholm posted:We had first hand experience with Stanford for my 21. He was recruited from Austin, TX, Fall of Junior Year (from Ft Meyers Under Class and Worlds in Jupiter. So you don't have to be in Cali to get noticed. You do have to have legit grades and SAT scores. You have to have a 3.8 GPA and a 1300 on the SAT (That is with allowances folks).
My son hit 90 in Ft Meyers, 91 in Jupiter as a Juinor and threw a Complete, No hitter (Perfect game if it weren't for the 6-3 throwing error on the FINAL OUT). Stuck out the last guy I think or ground out. So still No Hitter in Jupiter playing up, was a big deal. Those 2 events were when it blew up.
My son was in the running for the last arm slot but in doing his research it was way more High Academic than he was willing to put himself through. We have a player on the baseball team from our high school that my son also played with. Graduated Valedictorian and is a true genius. He told my son "I thought I was smart before I got here". It's a true grind and he thought they might have sent the acceptance letter to the wrong house. Baseball is a full time job along side school so my son bowed out as the academic pressure was just too much for him. I applauded his thought process and decision.
Their camps make BANK for them $1600 per head or something a week and they're full for 8-10 weeks of the summer. Serious bank roll for the program and volunteer coaches, which is great.
The endowment there is ridiculous too - so out of pocket isn't what you think it will be... $70K sticker, after endowment, think in the neighborhood of $15K or less a year....for Stanford! What an education and opportunity. But you have to be able to handled the double stress of grades at Stanford and the rigors of college baseball.
Best of luck to you and like others have said. I wouldn't go to camp unless you have something unique to show. Play in big events on a big stage and you'll be noticed.
Make sure you're tweeting your GPA along with everything @flatground tells you to on their twitter page. They'll retweet and you'll get 1,000s of views you normally wouldn't.
BookwormBallPlayers is another High GPA retweeter.
Academic Showcases are nice if you're going that route, but for $700 you get 2-3 innings, a hat, and Tshirt and a thank you. They do the same events at each showcase, so don't think you have to attend many, or any if you don't want. But don't showcase unless you have something to showcase.
as a 2025 you have TONS of time to mature and get bigger/stronger/Faster.
Use your time and your parent's money wisely. YOU DO NOT NEED TO SHOWCASE or join the crazy train.
Ramp up to your summer SO/JR year. That's when the looks and conversations start. Talk to anyone and everyone that wants to talk to you. Practice makes perfect. Don't ever be rude or dismissive and always be appreciative, thankful, humble and confident.
You have TONS OF TIME!! Get out and see campuses, with people on them, and make sure campus and the city are a fit. You might think Duke is an amazing school, and it is academically, but Durham is a DUMP. (I know, I lived there for 3 years and when we went to visit 2019 summer, they immediately fell off my son's list).
You have to see and experience the campus, the ball park and facilities. You can't make a decision without seeing the campus and talking to the coaches.
Develop a baseball profile that is a collection of your stats, videos, and awards and share that with coaches via email when you reach out. PM me and I'll share my son's. It really helped grease the skids when you have verifiable stats, with contact numbers, links to videos and tweets from 3rd party and Tournament Scouts....
Again, enjoy your time and grow up. Grab some inches and pounds where you can and work on your speed.
Worry about this in 2 1/2 years after your SO year.....
Thank you very much! This has helped me so much! Greatly appreciated 🙌