2015 and Summer Tournament Questions

My advice would be to take him to a college showcase in the Summer & Fall where coaches will provide a written evaluation (usually mailed to you approx. 3 weeks later)...this will give you and your son some insight, confidence and experience before committing to a PG showcase.

Our son is a 2013 and he will participating in his first PG showcase in August. We opted to spend more time doing specific college camps his Soph and Jr. years before plunging into PG Showcases. Not sure there is any "right" way of doing it, but we found our way to be beneficial for our kid. He figured out what we needed to work on before attending such a large event.

Enjoy every moment and good luck!

pink lady - All of those are questions that ran through all of our minds when we saw the same things.

To answer one of your questions - "...but how do we know what is going on?" - the truth is, you don't really...right now. As the college coaches begin to identify their interests, they will begin making inquiries through HS and summer coaches. As you stated that your son plays in a 'very well known program' the college coaches will have no trouble finding your son if/when they are ready to talk.

For now, please do your best to enjoy your son's games. This will go by REALLY FAST! And both you and he deserve all of the support and love and attendance you can muster...without making him feel the pressure that mom and dad sometimes feel in these situations.

If you're still just dying to know where your son fits...ask your son's coaches. If they're experienced they should be able to give you some good feedback. Make sure to let them know you're seeking honesty and not just polite niceties. Ask for advice on areas for improvement. Ask for where they think your son eventually fits.

One of the best answers I got to this question...from a former high-D1 player and travel coach was..."things can certainly change, but for now, your son is on a track to becoming a D1 player." The great thing about that answer was that it signaled to me that while things were great at that point, there was still a distance to travel...in other words, 'good for now, but room to get better.'

It was spot on!

Good luck! Stick around and keep asking questions.

Hi pl and you are certainly headed in the right direction. Already some good advice given. I learned that you end up reading through these and other posts and decide on points from several posts to work best for your situation.

That said, we obtained and used a "first" PG rating/evaluation from my son's freshman year as introduction in emails to coaches at schools of interest as we started to evaluate colleges the summer before sophomore year. Of course you need to do well, otherwise probably cannot use it that way. We then went to a couple of PG events over the next two years and he was able to secure a spot in the PG invitation only summer showcase for rising seniors. This PG event should be your son's target the summer of 2014.

Several peers told me that we were starting too early, but when you lay out a schedule of camps you will attend over the next two years (sophomore and junior are the evaluation years) that really limits the number of college camps you can attend. I recommend the winter ones over the summer ones because they are less kids attending and you are usually too busy playing summer ball to break off for a camp. Many fall/winter camps are limited to weekends and not as long or costly as summer ones as well. Most of the important and best PG events are in the summer too.

Another good reason to start early is that most top programs have their prospects picked out and try to get verbal commitments by the end junior year, sometimes sooner. The summer before senior year is then a blast because you are already set and not still waiting for the call, visit or letter! Not to say this happens every time, I am pointing out what worked for us. Don't be hesitant to visit colleges and stop by to see the recruiting coordinator and hopefully the head coach. Go visit the college teams fall workouts and regular season games. Get to know them and let them know that you are interested in their program as much as you want them interested in your son. A lot of things can happen on unofficial visits, especially after they get to know you. This is one way verbal offers are presented to your son.

Heed justbaseball's advice on taking it all in and enjoying every game you can. My head is still spinning because it went so fast!!!

GOOD LUCK.

At this point in time have him do a local inexpensive showcase just to get a feel and experience. If your son starts being told he's a stud (by people who matter) he doesn't need to wait to be contacted. He can start making contact. It's ok to contact coaches before the date they may contact players. If he's that good they will be aware of him.

Wow, thanks for all the great feedback. We (my son and I) talked to his coach, got some solid advice on where he currently stands and what he needs to work on to continue to improve his game. My son would love to be one of those kids who has made his commitment and who can enjoy his summer before his senior year, and as a rising sophomore, he still has time to achieve that goal. I read these posts and have gone back through several older one. Hopefully I can continue to get educated on this process so I can help my son navigate this experience. I can say I love watching him play, on the good days, the great days, and even on the not so great days. As long as he has a passion for the game, I will drive, cheer, wash uniforms and support him any way I can.

quote:

My son would love to be one of those kids who has made his commitment and who can enjoy his summer before his senior year

Amen to that pink lady. Dealing with my 2014 we both hope for that, but it is much harder for position players as not only do you have to be wanted, but you have to find the right fit. For us that means a good academic school where son will have good opportunity to play after freshman year, (which means you have to be aware of who is already at son's position).

This Summer has been informative so far because our travel-team pitchers have received a significant amount of interest (and some have offers), but not sure how much interest position players have received. Guess we will know more by this time next year whether any tournament or showcase helped in the recruiting process. All son can do is keep working and try to get better, because -- as said many times on this board before -- if kid is good enough and at right venues he will not be overlooked.