Tagged With "III"
Topic
Division 3 to Pro
Does anyone have any experience or know how to get pro scouts to come see you play at a Division 3 school? I've heard most of the Division 3 players that get drafted/signed played in top summer leagues like Northwoods or Cape Cod but those leagues seem to want scout recommendations. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
Your coach is going to place you in the appropriate league if he thinks you have the talent he will get you placed there. Top D3 programs have scouts at their games and following their top players and many have a scout day. Getting noticed is not typically not the problem if the talent is there.
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
BOF is correct, I know a kid friend of the family who committed to a power 5 school. For a few reasons he ended up staying local and throwing D3 ball. He had many scouts looking at him closely this summer and will have many more this spring.
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
Much depends on which DIII college you are at. Some are followed closely by the scouting community, many are not followed at all. There is a very big difference between the highest level and lower levels of DIII. I would think that most coaches would know when they have a player with professional ability. They should also know some area scouts that they can notify and someone in a summer leagues. Also, be proactive if you truly believe you're a prospect. There are Tryouts you can attend.
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
A coach at a quality D3 is going to know pro scouts. He's probably had scouts interested in his players in the past. If a player isn't getting interest and his coach isn't good enough to help he should attend a MLB tryout. If he has anything he will be noticed. A D3 pitcher is more likely to draw interest than a D3 hitter. 90+ is 90+ regardless of the competition. I know a kid who entered college 5'11" throwing 84. He left drafted, 6'2" throwing 93. The question regarding D3 hitters is the...
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
The coach of my son's D3 says that he expects that up to three of his players should draw some interest in the draft this year. From what we can gather the coaches are well connected and well respected, at least for a D3. They seem to get what might be called a small trickle of guys drafted from time to time. I think I read on their website that it was 24 in the past I can't remember how many years. So it definitely can happen. Of those 24 draft picks, though, I think most were in very late...
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
Thanks for the input everyone! Looks like I'll have to attend a tryout this summer since my school isn't a power house D3 program. We do play a lot of power house schools (two schools from our conference went to the world series last year and one of their coaches made it to the majors) though so I may get lucky if a scout is watching someone on another team. I am a pitcher by the way and I know we have a better chance at being scouted. Thanks again!
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
With that velo, you should press your coach to find you a spot - Northwoods would be perfect for you. If he does not have the contacts, press him to speak to an area scout who has the right contacts. If that doesn't work, at the beginning of the Northwoods season, teams are always looking for temp players to fill in until the rostered players arrive. Do well during that temp contract and the team will either have a spot or call other teams on your behalf. Also, as the Northwoods season...
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
lion, I am going to come at this in a slightly different way, but it worked for our son who was a D3 position player who was drafted. This is actually the way our son's D3 coach did it and his track record for Summer placements is second to none at the D3 level-last summer he had one player selected as a Northwoods All Star and 2 selected as NECBL All-Stars, (including one pitcher) and another who was one of the very top hitters in the NECBL for most of that Summer. I would suggest you look...
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Re: Division 3 to Pro
You have received great advice, get on a good summer league team, work on your velo, and don't worry about the pro prospects until it is evident you have those skills. 86-88 in today's world is nowhere near where you need to be. Frankly 90 is not that unusual these days, for serious pro interest you will have to sit 90 (minimum) and be touching 94-95, anything less than this you are just kidding yourself. My son has a friend from his program (CWS team) who sat 90 touched 94 and was taken as...
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Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
My 2024 senior, who has done almost nothing to appear on the radar of college coaches, got an invite to a prospect camp out of nowhere. The camp is for a small, highly rejective (<10% acceptance rate) division III school about two hours away from us. My son has played baseball his whole life, but he hasn't yet played varsity and is hoping to make that team this year. ??? You see why I'm a little confused. They only thing I can figure is that maybe they've seen... his grades? We consented...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Welcome to the site! I really doubt a baseball team could have seen his transcript sent to state schools for academic purposes. Is your son interested in playing in college? If he were, surely he would have been doing something about it this summer. Do you think the high school baseball coach might have sent in his name? Does he have a travel coach who might have done so? Can he ask them? Since there are only seven D3 baseball schools in California, they are in high demand; the academically...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
He didn't play ball this summer. He had to have a minor procedure on his foot, attend to the requisite rest period, and then he was off on a backpacking trip with his scout troop for two and half weeks. That is among the reasons we were baffled at this invitation. No varsity record, no time in front of CMS coaches... His high school coach told us that the assistant coach position at CMS might be unpaid, and filling camps might yield compensation for this coach. Regardless, he encouraged our...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Sorry I'm late to this but a couple of comments: 1) The Claremont schools' (CMS/P-P) rosters are relatively small. Admissions may be screening for full paying folks who fit their academic profile to admit overall but I kinda doubt if that fits into Walkenbach's formula for building a competitive team. These high academic baseball coaches and the schools they work for offer maybe 8 or so, on average, admission slots to athletes each year. So, if your son gets a commitment from Walkenbach...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Thank you so much, everyone, for your thoughts. My son has revealed, since getting this message (through the FieldLevel portal), that he *would* like to play baseball in college, even though he told us the opposite last year. The truth, he said, was that he had just assumed he wouldn't be able to. I think he based this on his perception on his ability relative to his peers, and counted himself out. And that broke my heart. But we are where we are now. Yes, I guess it's pretty easy to figure...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Ah, so he had a Field Level profile, and a HS coach who was at least minimally aware. I think that your evaluation of the situation is exactly right. If your son did nothing regarding baseball recruiting until this message (did he play baseball this summer?), then he might ask his high school coach what he thinks the prospects of playing there, or anywhere, are. HA schools offer their top recruits a boost with admissions if they apply Early Decision. The HA timeline is that for the most...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Baseballmom2024, Agree with @anotherparent . If he is interested, he needs to pick up the phone and solve the mystery. He'll want to ask questions about the nature of the camp (recruitment or skills development). Until he does that, I wouldn't take it seriously at all. It doesn't take too much imagination to figure out which schools are at the top of the list of seven, given the acceptance rate you mentioned. It may be worthwhile to check into the school a little more for this reason....my...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Is it a form letter or a personal letter? If there's an unsubscribe option in an email, it's a form letter. There is no interest in your son if it's a form letter. Your son can also reply and ask where they saw him at or any other polite reply to see if the coach responds. No response, it's not personal. If it's not personal, his chance of getting noticed is pretty small unless he does something amazing. You can also google the camp and see what people say about it. Some are well run camps...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
We haven't, but I don't think it aligns with what he's looking for in a school. Baseball aside, he'd prefer a larger school, not religiously affiliated, and with a low acceptance rate (very competitive admissions). To be clear, though, I also don't think he's a competitive candidate for a D2 team. So, probably not a good fit for a couple of different reasons.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Is this a place your son would want to attend college without baseball? Keep in mind he hasn’t even made high school varsity heading into senior year. And he’s “hoping” to make varsity senior year. Is the baseball program successful? Why are they interested in your son out of the blue? Keep in mind at some D3’s coaches receive bonuses for recruiting full paying students whether they end up playing or not.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
If the school is a place he wants to go to college and baseball helps him get in go for it regardless of whether he ends up rostered. If the coach tells him get admitted on your own and you’re on the team be leery it’s about the coach getting a recruiting bonus. Unless your son likes hanging with baseball players and practicing there isn’t value in being player #25-35 on a roster.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Baseballmom have you evaluate Westmont in Santa BArbara? Now Div 2 Bob..
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
You're preaching to the choir, PABaseball. But we have decided to support his desire to attend as a gesture of confidence in his discernment. He's a pragmatic kid - he was just as shocked as we were to see this invite come through the portal. To say that he is not overconfident would be complete understatement. He knows where he stands relative to the other players. In fact, to put a finer point on it, his hs coach pointed out that one of the students currently on the roster is a former...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Is his HS team better than this program where you got the camp invite? Being in California it definitely is possible, especially SoCal with schools like JSerra, ND, De La Salle, etc. If he's not at some powerhouse HS that wins and has a logjam of talented players I wouldn't even be considering college baseball. The prerequisite to being a college player is being a standout HS player. Respectfully, not only is he not excelling amongst his peers, he hasn't made the team yet. Unless this school...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
If you/he decide to attend the camp, you need to find an advocate for him to contact the coach before the camp. Travel coach, high school coach, some scout that the head coach will listen to. An advocate can call the coach and talk him up before the camp and make sure your son gets more than a cursory glance. Your son will go from needing to do something outstanding to get noticed to just needing to be really good because the coaches are paying attention.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
You know what? I reminded him of that after reading your comment. Thanks for re-planting that seed.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Sounds like you have a good kid. If he wants to do it just to say he did it it sounds like he deserves a fun opportunity. Best of luck, hopefully it works out. Not too late to shoot an email over to CalTech.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
My 2025 received a message about the upcoming CMS camp through Fieldlevel that looked like this. Is this what he got? Or was it more personalized? 2025 is known to them through Showball, emails to them, prospect questionaire. I know they checked out his profile and video. But we view this as pretty generic and not really a sign of interest. Your 2024 sounds like he has the academic chops to get in without baseball so maybe if he wants to possibly be a part of a team he should check it out.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
It's that same exact message. An it's correct to assume that our son is not a recruit by any definition of the word. This was - in case I haven't been specific enough - LITERALLY the first communication from any school he has ever received about baseball. It came out of thin air. That's the only reason I came here to ask about it. And I'm glad I did because, not only have the responses solidified our sense that it's a complete long shot, regardless, but this also seems to be the most chill,...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Hang around long enough and someone will get testy. Kinda fun to watch when that happens. Go back a few years and check out "The Elephant in the Room" thread. Cataclysmic. But, actually, with good reason. It was a stressful time.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
No way I'm going to read all 20 pages of COVID stress... It impacted me in some very personal non sports related ways, oddly, it may have actually helped my ballplayer, and I feel for every athlete and their parents that got hosed. I think respectful conflict is the foundation of learning...
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
Aw, man. And here I thought I’d found utopia. I think I’ll just remain blissfully ignorant.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
You've apparently not run into @IAmThatGuy ... I'm still trying to figure out whose alter ego he/she is? lol! That being said, baseball is a very small world, and this has been a very positive and supportive community.
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Re: Prospect Camp Invite Out Of The Blue?
More importantly you received some great intel here with some decisions to make with your prospect. Please support this site; i.e., financially and/or just participating. Yeah, the wheels have fallen off the threads many many times and contentious at times would be an understatement...I have been a casual witness to many and sometimes participant; I never ever would thought that I would get into a medical policy disagreement on a HS Baseball PMB, but I did, go figure.