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Tagged With "occidental"

Topic

2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
My son is a current LHP sophomore and plays on his HS JV team.  The HS is a Div 1 4a school that was in the CIF semi finals last year and plays in a very competitive league and schedules always schedules top CA teams ( Orange Lutheran, Harvard...
Topic

Occidental College Info

SoCal OG ·
Hey all...I've been reading and following a lot of the posts on this site. Great stuff! As a dad of a 2019, my son has spoken in depth with most of the schools in the SCIAC and a few in the NWC. He's starting to narrow down his options and he really wants to stay in CA. He's already visited and spoken with the coaches and has several official visits scheduled in Sept. The plan will be to pick one and apply ED in Nov. Sooo, just looking for any first hand knowledge/experience with Occidental...
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Re: Occidental College Info

Picked Off ·
Travel ball teammate of my son played there for four years. Great school. He started, relieved and got a fair shot to earn opportunity each year. I'm told the coaches are great. Definitely, an easier schedule than most with very little travel and very conducive to focus on academics. Nice field as well. Player was an engineering major, who interned at JPL and is now in grad school at UC Berkeley as rocket scientist. Pretty good jumping off point. Good luck to your son. Go Oxy Tigers!
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JCG ·
PO is right - Oxy is a really good college. The campus is awesome. Lovely setting, beautifully landscaped, with nice dorms and facilities. I've heard some criticize the baseball facility as being outdated, and the OF dimensions are kind of a joke, however, it's got a good vibe and unlike most d3 schools there is a kind of clubhouse/locker room adjacent to the field, so that's really cool. I don't have much direct knowledge of the coaches and how they run their program, but my son's team has...
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Re: Occidental College Info

SoCal OG ·
Thanks guys, this is exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. From what I can tell, Oxy appears to be a good balance of academics/athletics. There are other programs that are stronger in baseball but not as strong academically (La Verne & Redlands). Then there is the opposite like CalTech, crazy smart, but not strong in baseball. With the academic requirements they require its amazing they can get anyone who can even throw a ball...kudos to those kids.
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Re: Occidental College Info

JCG ·
I'd worry about academics 90%-10% over baseball. Even with baseball in the end it's more about the team, coaches, and the experience than it is about wins and losses. A D3 player's teammates are likely to stand up for him at his wedding and be his lifelong friends. The CalTech kids play as hard and have has much fun as anyone in the conference.
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Re: Occidental College Info

SoCal OG ·
I'm completely on board with that. This will be the last 4 years of baseball he plays. Hopefully, my previous comment didnt come off negatively towards the CalTech guys. Frankly, my son doesnt have the grades for CalTech, and P-P & CMS might be a bit of a stretch. He would definitely have to apply ED at either of those. My point was that Oxy seems to be right in the middle.
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JCG ·
If Oxy is in his lane, Chapman probably is too. Good school, very successful program, nice campus, and it's a great match for certain majors, especially in the arts.
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smokeminside ·
Good questions, Socal, and good info, JCG and PO!
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BishopLeftiesDad ·
Only baseball caution I would have is for PO's at any West coast school. They play the same number of games as any other D3. However they start in January when the rest of the country is lucky to start in February. Them you have Rain/snow/ice/cold outs in the North, Midwest and North East/East. So in SoCal if you look at the stats, most of these schools get by with only a few starting pitchers. Most of the innings are going to a couple of guys. Great if you are one of those guys. That can...
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Re: Occidental College Info

JCG ·
BLD, SCIAC teams play at least 3 games per week, and often 4.
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StrainedOblique ·
Oxy is a great school. Baseball wise, I've heard positive things from players. The big negative w/that school is that the facilities are bad. At least compared to other SCIAC schools. I've been there several times and I concur the facilities leave a lot to be desired. For High Academic SCIAC I like Pomona-Pitzer. Top school. Excellent Program Baseball and facilities
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Re: Occidental College Info

SoCal OG ·
P-P is also high on his list...but he may be borderline with academics. We're waiting to hear back on the pre read right now. I will admit the Oxy field was a slight disappointment but its not awful. At least the actual playing surface is nice. Its the fan experience that is severely lacking. I've seen better at some HS's.
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Picked Off ·
Our friend who played there was hardly their ace. In 4 years, he made 54 appearances, 16 starts, 160 IP and a career 4.49 ERA. They gave him opportunities to compete. Most importantly, he earned a degree, had an internship JPL and is now in grad school at Berkeley. I do agree with others here that some of the other choices in the SCICA aren't bad either.
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57special ·
Many HS baseball fields are the equal, or better, than ball fields I've seen at D3's, many of them elite, and with large endowments.
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Re: Occidental College Info

BishopLeftiesDad ·
With three games a week depending on the timing you still only need 2 or 3 starters. Heck my sons school plays 4 in two days alone. That's 4 starters. Depending on the schedule during the week That adds another starter or two. Sometimes one of the weekend starters will pick up the midweek games. Or they pitched by committee. However a minimum of 5 regular starters are needed in many of the conferences out here. I am not saying that Occidental uses a limited number of starters. Just something...
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SoCal OG ·
I guess its good my kid is not a pitcher!
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BishopLeftiesDad ·
Sorry to hear that.
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StrainedOblique ·
Also, Coach Pericolosi at Pomona-Pitzer is one of the most well respected HC's in D-3 smart ball. I really like him. Coached on the Cape. Great job placing guys in top summer ball programs and he has solid Pro Ball contacts.
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StrainedOblique ·
Good. SCIAC is a Hitters league. Guys flat out MASH
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JCG ·
News -- Oxy HC leaving. His wife is LAX HC and she's leaving too. http://www.oxyathletics.com/sp...eases/20180823f2j2je
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2019Dad ·
From that article, her husband is the baseball coach at Caltech?
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SoCal OG ·
Correct..the CalTech baseball coach is leaving.
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JCG ·
Yes, I misread that at first. Too bad for Caltech. Marks had made some real progress there and lead the baseball team to its first league wins in decades.
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BishopLeftiesDad ·
I wonder if he is going to coach in PA. Plenty of D3 and D2 in that area.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

leftyshortstop ·
I want to be completely honest with the poster about the number and odds for the "crafty lefty" pitcher in top academic baseball. The very high academic school my son plays for has only one. That player only does late inning mop up work and gets hit very hard. For that matter, we have a 6'3" lefty who throws north of 85 who is a weekend starter and gets hit very hard if his breaking stuff isn't on. So here are the odds at our school. The coaching staff recruits nationally for only 6 "tips"...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Thanks craftyshortstop.....great info from someone who is currently watching heir son play D3 baseball. He still has two more years left, so we'll see where his velo ends up but I'm assuming if he get into the low 80s, he may get some looks being a lefty and with his grades. if not...im sure he'll go to a good University, join a fraternity and have just as good a time. ....remembering that most of these HS and college players will never make a living playing baseball. Good luck to your so...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

web's dad ·
AcademicsFirst, You're getting a lot of good advice here. A good reality check. Your son is not "projectible". He's a grinder. You seem to be doing all the right things to give your son the best chance to figure out where he belongs. Your son's academics will open doors for him. For the "grinders", at some point it becomes a matter of how hard he is willing to work. Web is a "grinder". He surpassed more physically gifted players because he was willing to out work them. Don't give up on...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

fenwaysouth ·
Totally agree with web's dad. AF - You have a dialogue in the top right box of the web page.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Thanks webs dad and you are definitely right. He's always fought the battle of being a smaller kid even back through playing Pony ball, so it's nothing he isn't use to. Hoping he can grow another 3-4" in the next year and a half, which would put him at 6'. He's playing on a Connie Mack team this summer, besides for playing on his Varsity summer team, so he'll go up against some solid hitters all summer long, which should help him. Yeah, that's what I love about this site...such great...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

cabbagedad ·
Originally Posted by AcademicsFirst: ..Hoping he can grow another 3-4" in the next year and a half, which would put him at 6'. ... AF, I know you commented on the reaching 6' partially in jest but be careful with that. I had that type of dialog with my son and it took him longer than it should have to accept his height and focus totally on what he can do with what he has instead of what he can't do because of what he doesn't have. If sub-6' is likely to stick, keep pointing out the players...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Cabbage...you are absolutely right. It's kinda funny because he always tells me you grow when you sleep, so he try's to get as much sleep as he can, which usually means going to bed earlier than I thought he would. But we really don't talk about height too much. He knows it will be what it is...and no, I'm 5'10 and his mom 5'7, so we didn't get that lucky. He eats very healthy and he try's to have a protein shake once a day after practice, so the rest will be left up to nature.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

Picked Off ·
AF All good posts here. I know of a crafty lefty here in CA that 2 years ago max'd out 78 at a PG Showcase listed at 5'8" 140 lbs. Our travel team faced him several times over the years & struggled to make solid contact.He is now listed at 5' 11' 175 lbs. & I'm told he sits mid 80's. and is still known as a crafty lefty. He committed to a DI high academic school this past November. I'm sure grades had a lot to do with it, but being a crafty lefty did as well. My point is that your...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

fenwaysouth ·
In the context of most D3 academic schools.......If your screen name reflects his desires, his future academics and baseball team will most likely be determined by continued strong GPA and future SAT/ACT scores. Top academic schools recruit their baseball players through academics . Occidental and Hopkins are examples, but there are more such as the NESCAC conference. So, he'll want to be one of the best baseball players to get the coaches "tip", and have the best grades to get the...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

MidAtlanticDad ·
Check the on-line rosters of the teams that you mentioned (Oxy, UCSD, CSM, etc). Height and weigh don’t tell the whole story, but it should give you an idea of what’s typical. Of course, focus on the LHPs. You might also find profiles for some of those kids on the Perfect Game site, and that will list their pitching velocity. Also, use the Perfect Game site to see the recent classes who committed to schools that he is interested in. The “College Commitments” list will link you to player...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

J H ·
Not to sound blunt or rude, but I'd suggest taking a step back and waiting until he plays varsity baseball before looking at college baseball. Lots can happen in that timeframe.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Thanks guys...as always, great advice. Speaking to a local ex scout who runs a Connie Mack and scout team here in Socal, said that there is college baseball out there for everyone if they are realistic, so I've always tried to keep things in perspective. JH...you're not gonna hurt my feelings. Like I've said, I've never told my son or thought he would ever make $ playing baseball. He's always fought through not passing the eye test, but he's still growing and has gotten where be has cause he...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

J H ·
AcademicsFirst- Good thought process. I apologize if I came off as blunt, I've just seen a lot of people in your position going way overboard in relation to the process. I've seen 96 mph fastballs in D3 baseball and 75 mph fastballs in D1 baseball. The only thing you can do as a player is work as hard as you can to be the best you can possibly be, both in the classroom and on the field. Once the time comes, getting a gauge of where you stand is easier than some think. If you get yourself...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

cabbagedad ·
Participation in the SoCal Scout league along with acceptance and attendance at the better Stanford camp (and/or a PG event) will give you both a real good idea where he stacks up. I've heard that statement about "there's a college for every player" before and I don't really agree. Realistically, the average player will finds it very surprising how competitive even most D3's and NAIA's are. Many decent/average HS players (not saying your son is), have to be willing to travel to the far...
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Great points Cabbage...haha, if his velo stays where it is for the next two years, I'll be the first one telling him to go get his degree from Berkley or UCLA. He works out weekly with Trevor Bauer's pitching coach he had when he was in HS, so we'll see how his strength and velocity increases this next year. In the meantime, I'm just thankful he doesn't NEED baseball to get into a good College. Playing baseball would just be an added bonus.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

AcademicsFirst ·
Thanks J H...I totally agree with you.
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Re: 2015 LHP D2/D3 Options

RJM ·
Check out Head First showcases. They're for kids who are more academically inclined.
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