@Ster posted:Just commenting based upon what I have noticed with my son's recruitment. Not only his recruitment, but baseball is a small world, and you get to know parents and players in your son's graduation year. So, I have also observed some things from following and talking to them.
First, the most important thing for you 2025 RHP is to make sure you have verified data that he is hitting 90+. I have seen plenty of kids this past year that can't control pitches at all, and then get power five offers. I first hand watched a kid this summer throw 15 consecutive pitches without a strike, and then that same day get an offer from an SEC school simply because he hit 91 on the radar gun. I also witnessed a kid that by the end of the summer the travel ball coaches wouldn't even put him on the mound, but then in August committed to a power five program So, when it comes to pitching recruiting. Velocity appears to be the only thing that matters.
Second, I would sit down with your son and map out a plan. What schools are at the top of his wish list? What schools are in that second tier of schools that he has interest in? Once you ID those schools reach out to the recruiting coordinators at those programs and give them a very brief idea of what your son can do (2025 RHP 6'5" FB 91) and then give them a run down of where you will be playing this summer. List the Showcases that you are going to attend, and tournaments that your son will be playing with his travel team.
Third, I think that it is important to be on a travel team that has some influence. Your son needs to work his way up to playing their "Scout" team, and the be available to perform when they are playing in regional and national tournaments. I would suggest your son have a conversation with the Travel Team director about what school you are serious about considering, and ask them to reach out to those coaching staffs to give them an impression of your ability and value.
Fourth, if you are going to attend a showcase, then it needs to be one of the major events. It does you no good to go to some small time reginal showcase that no coaches are going to attend. The two that come to mind that you need to consider are the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase that is held every year in Atlanta and the PBR event that is hosted at Lake Point. Those are two national events that almost all colleges will have representation there. If you are going to attend then you need to email the recruiting coordinators on your list of schools and tell them that you will be in attendance.
I personally believe that you and your son need to start now being proactive in this process. The summer before the Jr. Year is when the far majority of D1 programs are going to fill their classes. You need to work to get your son's information in their hands. And put him in a position to have an audience with the coaching staffs of the schools he has interest in. Waiting around till the Fall of the Jr. Year to go to prospect camps etc.. only means that the schools have already filled their 2025 class with players that aren't your son.
Thank you. A lot of this he has already done or has happened in some way. He’s on that type of team, coaches have had conversations with his club coaches, social media follows have happened, etc. He has had schools out watching him radar gun in hand. He just hasn’t initiated any of it. We were waiting to see his sophomore year development. If his winter work results in a few mph gain from last year he’ll be in a good place to reach out to schools I think. Just wanted to quantitatively see it on the radar gun. In the Northeast he takes the fall to rest his arm and is still working up to full velo. Rather than say he maxed out at 87 as a freshman, when some of these programs watched him throw 87 already, he’d prefer to say he tops out at 90 as a sophomore and has interest in their program.