@Momball11 posted:A lot of good points in this and I appreciate it. Son is a 2024 (16 years old) and baseball has certainly become his business and he discusses the questions you mentioned with his teammates, coaches, parents, recruiters. I think these discussions are helping him formulate what he should be expecting at the next level if he is so fortunate. It will also guide him in making a decision of what to do post HS. That could even be walking away from baseball completely. It will be interesting to see what he decides.
I can't say I have the expectation of him going to college and everything falling into place. If there are people out there that are fortunate enough to have that happen to them when transitioning from HS life to post HS life...then good for them. Flexibility is definitely good to have on top of preparation. The more one can prepare, the better one can flex.
There are multiple reasons I'd prefer him not to transfer. Credits might not transfer. I want him to tough out a challenge instead of transferring as a means of escape. There would be another transition to deal with. Those are some of the reasons.
I hope there are some coaches out there that are still willing to invest in developing a player. I understand there are coaches out there that have taken advantage of the transfer portal, but I can't blame them when it's their livelihood. So we'll even discuss what to do if a coach says he's no longer welcome on the team. I think if he selects the school for the school with baseball being a bonus he may not want to transfer. He might just try playing club or being involved with baseball as a non-athlete.
I'm not sure about if he'd be willing to compromise on level of play to stay at the same school for 4 years. I'll have to see what he thinks.
As of right now he has a list of needs and wants. It's his responsibility to figure it all out. I'm just here to get him thinking about how to prioritize those needs and wants and provide my opinion when he'd like it.
Appreciate you responding kindly to my post. I re-read it and thought it was a little harsh. Apologies!
I guess my question is - why are you so deadset on your son not transferring schools? Hard for me to understand why that would be anyone's #1 concern, given the myriad of things that could change once enrolled, esp when adding athletics in the mix.
Do you have a specific school in mind for your son and don't want him to give up the slot once enrolled no matter what?
I'm no expert, but based on what I read here on HSBBW and from what I see in the wild, it seems more and more the norm that players transfer. Those staying and playing all 4 years at the same school are a dying breed. It's too bad but it is what it is.