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Now you have guys committing 15 months ahead of that time table.
That rates a "WOW".
Congrats to the family on the work, foresight, and dedication. There's a blueprint in here somewhere.
quote:So I guess we need to sit down with 2016 joemktgson and start targeting schools.
I know you were tongue in cheek on this, but indications are that perhaps you should not be -- not if your son has legit D1 ability. Apparently he could well be committed by this time next year!
quote:Originally posted by joemktg:
So I guess we need to sit down with 2016 joemktgson and start targeting schools. Think it will be safe to wait until February to do this, when he has 6 months of HS under his belt?
Joemktg, you may already be years behind. Berryberrygoodson2017 has already been talking to several ACC and SEC programs. (Won't be long before this is thought to be the "new norm," the way things are going!)
Or the AAU Basketball paradigm.quote:Originally posted by berryberrygood:
Won't be long before this is thought to be the "new norm," the way things are going!
quote:Finally, VT has gotten more verbals from underclassmen this year than in the past, which tells me they are trying to lock up kids earlier to compete with the rest of the ACC. Either you adapt or become irrelevant. Congrats to VT for adapting.
Well, it is about time. It sounds like VT may have finally figured it out. I don't think there has been a lack of interest by recruits over the last bunch of years and there has not been a lack of talent in the state over the last bunch of years. VT does recruit some talented players, but they've lacked depth that better ACC teams have. Hopefully the idea of competing for younger talented recruits to keep pace with competition will stick with the program.
The fact of the matter is, Va. Tech is a school a lot of kids grow up dreaming about attending. Maybe their parents went there, maybe they love the idea of being in a stadium with 70,000 of their closest fans 6 times each fall for the rest of their lives, but the reality is that VT has a lot of advantages in recruiting. Now that they are consistently competitive in the ACC, it's only natural that players respond accordingly.
I can also tell you, with each passing year the number of players and former players who are out there singing the praises of Coach Hughes grows. That makes an impression. Everyone likes the head guy when they are being romanced during recruiting. When the players still love and respect him after 4 years of working with him daily, it means a lot.
Baseball Commitment Tracker
Kaleb Bowman, Woodgrove, RHP to South Carolina
Surely there will be pitchers who develop surprisingly between their Sophomore and Senior year who these teams wish they would be able to offer the scholarship to, vs the kid they offered before hie sophomore season?
Wish and hope someone tracks this and can provide facts that should be available to all families with an interest.
quote:Originally posted by zrxkuma:
Early commits need to remember GPA and SAT/ACT scores matter when it comes to actually getting the scholarship.
We discuss this with our kids all the time.
I understand from a college coach that Connor Eason of Great Bridge committed to UVA last night.
I understand from a college coach that Connor Eason of Great Bridge committed to UVA last night.
Yes.... was on Twitter. Posted by Dynamic Baseball. However, Connor is a Hickory product.
Daniel Lynch, LHP Freeman, to UVA.
2 more EvoCanes to the ACC:
Paul Hall, LHP Maury, to Va Tech
Grant Maiorana, OF/C Western Branch, to Va Tech
***That is 13 EvoCanes in the 2015 class that are committed to ACC/SEC schools***
Surely there will be pitchers who develop surprisingly between their Sophomore and Senior year who these teams wish they would be able to offer the scholarship to, vs the kid they offered before hie sophomore season?
Wish and hope someone tracks this and can provide facts that should be available to all families with an interest.
The numbers are very low...like a handful per year. We pay attention to this for our kids and help counsel them properly.
Congrats to Daniel Lynch!
You can see him here...
Please disregard the kids that you hear in back ground. I opted to not mute the video because I'm partial to the pop of the catchers mitt. There scouting reports on teams were pretty funny though considering the 2 teams that were supposed to be "down" made it to regionals and states! I also toyed with the idea of putting "Eye of the Tiger" in the back ground but just couldn't do it. Maybe now I should put "That Good Ole Song"... "Wah-hoo-wah, wah-hoo-wah! Uni-v, Virginia! Hoo-rah-ray, hoo-rah-ray, ray, ray--U-Va!"
The rest of the RBA West players can be seen here... http://www.playinschool.com/rbawest2013
Rich
I see that 13 players of the 2015 class committed to ACC/SEC congrats to them an their family's. My question is how many will go to the committed schools. And how many will really play on these teams.
Coaches are always looking for up grades an a lot can change between now and then? An stats on this??
Wow! I should just go ahead and tell my son (2015 - 1st Team all District) to throw in the towel - it's over....
Proud praent,
As long as they stay injury free, I will say all of them. Let's look at Connor Eason since JB was throwing 90-91 as a frosh. Connor was 5-10ish and 81-83 as a frosh but the ball came out of his hand very easily. UVA saw him throw several times and liked him but wanted to see more growth. So...they see him this past winter at the East Coast Baseball camp where he had grown to 6-1ish and was touching 85-87. He committed this spring. Just last week at the PG National, he touched 89 as a rising junior.
Will there be others who throw harder by the time he matriculates to UVa? Maybe, maybe not. What Connor has shown them is the ability to get high level hitters out (with the EvoCanes) and a consistent pattern of velocity improvement. They can project him to be throwing 90+.
Ilovebaseball,
I'd suggest your son find a solid travel team so the colleges of interest in him can see him play. They won't recruit him off any All District teams.
redbird and SE DAD, I am not in any way diminishing the accomplishments of these players. If the player is a good fit than great, but experience has been little different then yours or these players. Here's what I have seen:
Coaches are recruiting players to win, (we can agreed on that), an what they see in young players is projection, sometimes doesn't work out. Let me put different spin on this just for good discussion.
Why would a young player want to go to a ACC/SEC school as freshman an never see the field, an possible not as a sophomore . An if the players doesn't progress as projected by coaches never see the field. Also there could be a coaching change even before the player gets there, then what?
Here is my advice to young players an even studs, go to good JUCO, get two years of proven college baseball under your belt an then go to the big D1 school an get a starting position.
D1 are always looking at JUCO players, the main reason is they have good college baseball for the last two years, and can get right into their program an improve it and be starters. Also when these 2015's are there every fall there will a class of JUCO recruits show up on day one to take there spots they thought they had.
I have seen this happen, I am sure parents can also chime in with story's of how they thought their player had worked into a starting spot to see the JUCO's arrive an take'em away. Your thoughts.
Wow! I should just go ahead and tell my son (2015 - 1st Team all District) to throw in the towel - it's over....
Please do, that will open up a potential spot for my kid. Really? Why not just be happy for the kids that have made a verbal commitment to great programs? I know quite a few of them personally and they are great kids that have worked hard. Being part of a great organization shouldn't lessen the accomplishments of these young men.
Proud Praent,
I understand what you're saying, but these super-early major conference commits are so far ahead of the pack and so committed to the regimens/programs/disciplines that will keep them ahead of the pack that it doesn't require a huge leap of faith to project them as successful college players.
Swampboy: your talking about the top 10%, an they are few an far between. Unfortunately we see to many kids and parents that are not in touch with reality an think they not only can get on a D1 roster but start. Most find out the hard way. They go to D1's an sit when they could be starters in other programs and continue to work there way there.
Well, you've changed the subject a couple times.
First you asked how many of these 2015 commits will actually go to these schools, and Redbird assured you nearly all of them would.
Then you shifted the focus to how many will go to major conference schools and be disappointed by the opportunities they find, and I said the super-early commits I've seen are on a trajectory that does lead to success at big programs.
Then you changed the subject yet again to advise where non-elite players should go. Well that's fine, except this started out as a conversation about a small handful of truly elite players. The general advice doesn't so readily apply to them.
Even so, I do agree with your general point that non-elite players who pick the most prestigious program available to them often have a harder road than if they went for a better fit or gave themselves more time to develop in environments that aren't over their heads. But that idea is a long way off from where the thread started.
Proud Praent and Ilovebaseball,
You do realize you are on a Virginia forum? Things could be different in, say, South Texas and NH?
I posted awhile back how many early verbal commitments came from Virginia, NC, SC, GA and FL, while other states like CA and TX did not have many (at the time). Months have passed since that post so the stats have changed, but even mid-majors around here are on the early commitment bandwagon. In Virginia, we mostly have 2 year community colleges, many/most without baseball programs. Not so many JUCOs for our instate guys.
The question of whether a kid who just finished his sophomore year should commit is always going to be a case-by-case situation.
For most, it's an option they could only wish to have in the first place. If you get that option, consider yourself lucky.
For those who do have the option, clearly there are some who are ready and who are getting the offer they wanted/needed. Others would be well advised to wait and weigh their options a bit longer.
The key is in doing your homework and having the self awareness to know which category you fall into. Clearly we have seen mistakes made on both ends and as you see more and more early commitments I think you may see more and more mistakes -- probably the same percentage, but of a larger number of players.
But we almost never see a decommitment pushed by the school. The biggest drivers of decommitments are players failing to do their classroom work, players getting into trouble (DUI's and the like), or players changing their minds. When players change their minds, it has been my observation that a common problem is that the parents drove the initial decision making too much -- some are always looking for those bragging rights -- and at some point the kid spoke up and said, "But that's not what I want!"
There is a lot of concern expressed over whether committing early hurts the kid by putting him at a college coach's mercy. That is an interesting theory of what might happen, but in practice we don't see it actually happening. The bigger risk that's growing is for the college coaches who have money committed out there, position slots filled in their recruiting classes, and then after they've seen everyone else commit elsewhere, they guy they thought they had locked down messes up or just changes his mind. And then they have a hole in their class and have to scramble to fill it.
My thinking is that if the brakes get put on this, it'll be the college coaches who do it, not the players. And it probably won't require the NCAA to intervene, either.
...Why would a young player want to go to a ACC/SEC school as freshman an never see the field, an possible not as a sophomore...
...Here is my advice to young players an even studs, go to good JUCO, get two years of proven college baseball under your belt an then go to the big D1 school an get a starting position...
And my experience is way different than yours. We work with coaches and players every day. Why can't a frosh step on the field right away? Why not shoot for the stars? If they have to sit the bench and bide their time, why is that a bad thing? We not compete at the highest level if you have the ability and drive. I heard a great story about the Oregon State CF. He lived in a tent to tryout for the team as a walk on his frosh year. He had gone unrecruited and earned a spot on the team. If he followed your advice, he would have been at a JuCo watching the CWS.
And, I completely disagree with your use of JuCo. JuCo, IMO, should be for: 1) Highly drafted guys who didn't sign and want another shot the next year; 2) guys with academic issues; 3) guys who weren't recruited due to injury or some other circumstance who have D1 potential.
I am hoping for the best for all these players,
I apologize for getting off subject, I read some of these posts an think about the post an different issues an opinions out there. All well thought out with I enjoy hearing the opinions and experiences of other players, parents, and coaches. There are so many different paths to college baseball, some we agreed with, some we don't, I enjoy this site and hearing from other people outside my normal circle.
Evan Sperling, RHP Grafton, to UVA.
Congrats to Nick, family, and Cardinals. What a great choice, and a great school!
W&M seems to have changed their recruiting philosophy over the last few years with new W&M Head Coach Pinzino. They are getting very, very good talent and much earlier in the process than in years past. Nick makes 3 players in the Dominion district alone verbally committed to W&M (that I know of). This is a program on the rise. I'm really looking forward to seeing this guys play in a couple years.
Nathan Trevillian, 2015 RHP from Amherst and the Virginia Cardinals, has committed to Liberty University.
Currently ranked by Perfect Game as the # 2 Virginia player in his class, Nathan chose the Flames over numerous other suitors and competing offers. Nathan gained wide attention after his eye-opening spring and summer season that included a 9-up, 9-down, 5 K performance at PG's Junior National Showcase, where his fastball was at 90 mph, and where no ball was hit hard or left the infield.
Another EvoCane commits:
Chase Illig, Tazewell, C - to College of Charleston
Chase is our 20th 2015 to commit. Congrats!
Logan Harvey - Freeman HS - C - to Wake Forest. Very proud of you, Logan! Congrats to the entire Harvey family - great people.
You can see Logan this fall and next year with the EvoShield Canes.
Congrats to Logan and his family!!
Another EvoCane commits:
Colby Higgerson - SS Great Bridge - to Radford. Colby joins his brother, Hunter, on the Highlanders roster. Congrats to Kim & Don.
Another EvoCane commits:
Matthew Roth - INF Western Branch - to Radford. Congrats, Matthew and family!
24 and counting...
Another EvoCane to the ACC:
Stevie Mangrum - 3B, Western Albemarle - to Va Tech
Outstanding get for VT!
Reid Leonard, a junior at Benedictine and a late fall addition to the Virginia Cardinals, has committed to Morehead State University.
Reid is an infielder who is currently working towards adding catching to his resume.
I learned today that Josh Winder, Virginia Swamp Things, RHP from James River HS, has committed to VMI. Great ball player, great baseball family! Congratulations!
Watched him pitch this week with Coach Ikenberry. VMI got a good one! Here he is from Aug 2012.
Rich
Kieton Rivers, SS, Nansemond River has accepted an offer to continue his studies and playing career at Coastal Carolina!
Congratulations!
Great job and good luck at the next level!
Jake Huggins, a 1B/3B/RHP from Cosby HS and the Virginia Cardinals, has committed to VMI!
Chesdin Harrington, RHP for the Virginia Cardinals and Patrick Henry High School (Ashland), has committed to the University of Virginia after weighing several offers.
Ches also plays SS at Patrick Henry and is one of his team's leading hitters, but he was recruited as a pitcher.
Congratulations!
Excellent sink on his change-up! I'm sure there's lots of swipes at that pitch with a pitcher's count.
Ches is a guy who fits the UVA model very well. Excellent command of three pitches (fastball or sinker, slider and change), and he works quickly and efficiently when the defense makes basic plays behind him. Defense at the high school level is always iffy, but at UVA they are one of the top defensive teams in the country. Ches's spike in velocity recently (now 88-91 in games) garnered him several offers and he was very pleased to accept UVA's. Bear in mind this is a guy who was 80-82 just a year ago.
Ches is an "under the RADAR" guy (pardon the pun) in large part because his fall play has been limited by his also being a football player, and his spring play at Patrick Henry seems focused more on filling the team's need at shortstop. For us, he's been a consistent standout. And I'll bet you he'll be 91-94 by the time he wears orange and blue. If not by this time next year.
Nathan Eaton Thomas Dale RHP & SS verbally commits to VMI today.
Thomas Chisam, LHP/1B from Walsingham Academy and the Virginia Cardinals, has committed to James Madison.
Congratulations to two 2015 Loudoun Valley Vikings (2014 3A State Champions) - Sam Urban (CF) and Jack DeGroat (RHP) - on their commitments to play baseball at Liberty University today. Both are terrific young men from great families with great stories as both came on strong and fast this Spring. Their fine performances - at Liberty - in the state tournament obviously caught some attention. Of note, they are great friends and have played together since LL. DeGroat is especially a cool story as he was LV's starting C last year and had not pitched in years prior to last summer.
Outstanding!! Congratulations to Sam and Jack and their families. Many in Loudoun County have played with them and against them for years...hard work definitely pays off!
Congratulations to two fine young men and their families!
Rich: that is the awesome part of the story! Jack has been pitching for such a short period, I bet no one has video of him on the mound! So cool. Thx for sharing.
I'm a big fan of this kid!
See him here...
See the rest of the Tidewater Orioles here... http://www.playinschool.com/orioles
Rich
Robert Fitzwater, RHP Nansemond River HS, has accepted an offer to attend VMI!
Congratulations Robert! Hard earned, and well deserved!
Congrats, Robert! Very well deserved.
So happy you have been a Cane.
Millbrook/Post 21 Winchester's CF, Ryan Hartigan (2015) has verbally committed to UVA.
Congrats to EvoShield Canes and Hampton HS INF, Patrick Jackowski, for committing to VMI. I love this kid!
Congrats to EvoShield Canes stud Patrick Holdworth (Tidewater Academy) for committing to Va Tech.
Proud to post that EvoShield Canes and First Colonial HS INF, Austin Henry, will continue his playing career at Christopher Newport University.
EvoShield Canes Brett Smith, 2015 RHP from Grassfield HS, to Old Dominion
EvoCanes & Warhill HS LHP, Patrick Daly, to Mount St Mary's
Updated list of committed 2015 EvoCanes, as of 8-1-14:
Stephen Polansky, Hickory, Va Tech
Connor Eason, HIckory, UVA
Grant Maoirana, Western Branch, Va Tech
Paul Hall, Maury, Va Tech
Evan Sperling, Grafton, UVA
Chase Illig, Tazewell, College of Charleston
Logan Harvey, Freeman, Wake Forrest
Matt Roth, Western Branch, Radford
Colby Higgerson , Great Bridge, Radford
Stevie Mangrum, Western Albermarle, Va Tech
Drew Moyer, Woodside, Old Dominion
Christian Bourne, Jefferson Forrest, James Madison
Reid Leonard, Benedictine, Morehead State
Brett Smith, Grassfield, Old Dominion
Austin Henry, First Colonial, Christopher Newport
Payton Holdsworth, Tidewater Academy, Va Tech
Robert Fitzwater, Nansemond River, VMI
Pat Jackowski, Hampton, VMI
Patrick Daly, Warhill, Mount St Mary's
Brian Eckert, Madison, Radford
EvoShield Canes and Madison LHP, Brian Eckert, to Radford
Congrats Alex!
Attababy, Alex Abbey! Great kid. I look forward to watching him and Austin Henry in Captains uniforms next year.
Updated list of committed 2015 EvoCanes, as of 8-14-14:
Stephen Polansky, Hickory, Va Tech
Connor Eason, HIckory, UVA
Grant Maoirana, Western Branch, Va Tech
Paul Hall, Maury, Va Tech
Evan Sperling, Grafton, UVA
Chase Illig, Tazewell, College of Charleston
Logan Harvey, Freeman, Wake Forrest
Matt Roth, Western Branch, Radford
Colby Higgerson , Great Bridge, Radford
Stevie Mangrum, Western Albermarle, Va Tech
Drew Moyer, Woodside, Old Dominion
Christian Bourne, Jefferson Forest, James Madison
Reid Leonard, Benedictine, Morehead State
Brett Smith, Grassfield, Old Dominion
Austin Henry, First Colonial, Christopher Newport
Payton Holdsworth, Tidewater Academy, Va Tech
Robert Fitzwater, Nansemond River, VMI
Pat Jackowski, Hampton, VMI
Patrick Daly, Warhill, Mount St Mary's
Brian Eckert, Madison, Radford
Alex Abbey, Western Branch, Christopher Newport
Griffin Roberts RHP from JRHS who has played for the RBA South and Virginia Cardinals programs over the last 4 years has committed to coach Tom Walter and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
Congratulations to Griffin and his family.
This week too:
Joe Mason to Wingate University
2015 West Carteret HS
Evoshield Canes 18u South
Way to go Joe!!
Congratulations!
Congrats to Jordan and the Mason family!
Congratulations to both:
Zach Mort, 2015 Cosby High School, RISE Baseball Showcase 2015 committed to GMU
Austin Glenn, 2015 Manchester High School, RISE Baseball Showcase 2015 committed to Longwood University
Ty Ramirez - Greendale HS - Creighton
Nick Cafaro - Marquette HS - Creighton
Trevor Cho - Homestead HS - St Cloud State
All Wisconsin boys. 2015's PT Wreckers
Super excited for those boys.
But I think you posted in wrong forum. This is the Virginia forum.
Sorry! Just saw the topic to the right. My bad.
Connor Jones, 2015 Oakton HS and Canes 18U North, has committed to Lafayette. Nice job, Connor!
Connor Jones, 2015 Oakton HS and Canes 18U North, has committed to Lafayette. Nice job, Connor!
Congrats to Connor and his family!
Not sure that this has been posted
Matthew Pita, 2015 Cosby High School has committed to VMI
Andrew Llewellyn, C for Powhatan HS and the Virginia Cardinals, has committed to Wingate University.
Reeves Lowry, RHP for Hanover and RockIt Sports has committed to Shenandoah University.