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Your son has outstanding academic & athletic credentials. Is there a question in your post somewhere that I missed? What has he done with regards to entertaining offers and selling his skills to the programs he is most interested in? Is he applying to schools currently?
The coach at Stanford said he was going to be recruited by them sophomore year but I guess Coach Marques is retiring. Arizona was interested but they changed coaches too. We went to visit Stanford and Cal. I think he is resolved to pursue his academic career there or at Notre Dame and walk on. He went to camps at Santa Barbara , Creighton and the university of the Pacific. No comments by any of the coaches. He has applied at UCLA STANFORD CAL NOTRE DAME AND SANTA BARBARA .
Welcome to the site, and big congrats to your son for his accomplishments. I'm left with the same sense as Fenway... is there a question or are you just introducing yourself and son to the site? Not a problem, just not the usual intro.
We're here to help if needed. You may want to search the site regarding the challenges of walk on at the D1 level for baseball.
His first love is baseball. If someone or somewhere offered him a chance I think he d take it if they had his academic piece. How else can he get noticed at this late time? He is an amazing athlete middle school mile champion he played hockey basketball football but just loves baseball.
BIGBIGOTE IN CO,
What kind of correspondence and stuff has he received in the snail mail and his email from schools? If he's a really good player, I'd think he's been getting something from various schools . . ???
I know that HS baseball stats can't be relied on to get a good picture of a player's talent, but it would help some if you provided some info from his last year's HS season. He's a starter on Varsity? Position?
As this season begins, I would have your son speaking a lot with the HS HC to see if he can help with making contact with college coaches and get his recommendations. Most HS coaches are more than willing to help a player get to the next level. So, is this something that's already done?
PS: where's the HS located?
Welcome to the site. I am puzzled as well. What position does your son play? Congratulations on the academic piece as no matter where your son plays (if late recruit or a walk on) he'll have to balance the sport and the classroom. From the looks of the schools (except ND) it looks as though his interest is out West.
Big, IMHO, it's almost certainly too late for your son to get noticed by the type of schools you're talking about. So the question comes down to baseball vs. academics. If academics are number one, and he apparently has a good chance of getting into schools like Cal and Notre Dame, then he's a really fortunate kid and he should go to the school that is the best academic fit, and also financially feasible, and then look into walking on when he gets there. But Cabbage is correct -- It does happen, but successfully walking on at a D1 is a pretty rare occurrence, and getting significant playing time is even more rare. Club ball might be a better and is certainly a more realistic option, and my sons have known kids at UCSB and at Cal who've enjoyed it. If baseball is #1 then his best bet at this point is probably to go to as high a profile JC as he can find and work hard to try to evolve into the kind of player that those schools are going to want to add in 2 years.
A 6.99 60 makes him a corner player at the D1 level. Does he hit for power? Just curious, what is his height and weight? Was he on a travel team that played exposure tournaments? If so, the coaches should have been able to help place him.
It sounds from your post that your son has been exposed to coaches. The PG tournament and the three D1 camps he attended should have given him a real idea of what his chances were to play D1. Did he reach out to the coaches before he attended the camps? Did he follow up for feedback? You say he never heard from any of them. Hopefully he did not operate on the assumption that schools would come running to him and that he did not have to initiate the contact with coaches.
By what you have said about him and his grades and abilities, he should have generated some serious interest at some level. Has he even considered the academic D3 schools, of which there are some great ones out West where he seems to be looking? But the deadline for applications is fast approaching for academic schools if he wants to consider going that route.
Keep us posted on where this goes...this is an interesting case and might be a great story to share with others about how difficult it is to get interest from a D1 despite exceptional academic credentials.
Mr. Colorado,
did your have a tryout for the Reds Area Code team. U of Pacific, SSU are good "walk on" programs. We have several Int'l events in Santa Rosa in June and July.
Bob
He has been on varsity for 4 years 3 as a starter at short stop. This year he will pitch and play outfield due to losses of personnel in those areas. He can play 3rd 2b and catch if needed. He has been to Atlanta for the East Cobb invitational, Ft Myers PGsuper 25 and the Junior sunbelt classic in McAlister. Each college camp we've been to he has been in touch verbally with the recruiting coordinators and tried to get a response after but it seems more like college camps are coaching fund raisers. He is 6 ft and 175lbs hits with ferocity to the alleys or off the fence he hits 329 in school and higher in the summer. His HC involved with him in recruiting but believes he should be looking for the academic side with his grades. He plays in Aurora Colorado and really fit in well at all the college camps just killing the ball. So its not just a high altitude thing. We will check into the reds Area code team. He is currently awaiting news from Notre Dame about a full academic scholarship through the hispanic studies dept. He is 1/2 Irish and 1/2 Mexican and Bilingual.
First congrats on finding this site and on your son's accomplishments in the classroom. I don't have that much to add to what has been said, but we are VERY interested in this topic given our son has similar academic stats, plus runs a 6.95 60 as well!
It looks like your son applied to 5 colleges, all of which to differing levels are tough to get in, even with such excellent academic credentials. There are numerous high academic D3 schools which have a JANUARY 15 deadline, some of which are FREE and which entail no supplements, and where your son might receive substantial MERIT aid based on his academics. You might want to pursue a few of these ASAP in the event that he does not get into the 5 schools where he applied. A few D1: Holy Cross, Bucknell, Tulane, Lafayette, Richmond, UConn D3: Grinnell, Haverford, Emory, Skidmore, washington U in St Louis...and many more.
People do not realize how hard it is to get accepted, even with those grades and scores! My son is not counting on anything, even with a few coaches at a few schools providing a letter of support for him! 5 schools is tough and you may want to consider adding a few more.
So, it appears that, if I did my cross-checking properly, your son had roughly the sixth or seventh most productive offensive numbers on a very good Colorado HS team last year. Neither his power numbers or stolen bases really stood out and created separation. You also said that he will be moving from SS to OF and P this year. While it appears he has great versatility, a stud SS doesn't get moved to the OF if he is a true standout IF. He has been in front of plenty of coaches but they aren't full-on pulling the trigger.
Based on the information given, it sounds quite possible that he is a very good player who's skill level at the present time falls just outside the range of what the top Power D1 schools are looking for. He may need to adjust his sites slightly if he is looking for a program that will offer true love and money as it relates to baseball. The ND full academic scholy sounds amazing. Just be sure to study up on the challenges of making it as a walk-on. I think he would want to make sure he would be happy with the decision in the event that baseball didn't work out.
Just trying to give you an unbiased perspective.
From the academic side, IMO you have not applied to enough schools to ensure an overwhelming chance of admission. In this day and age, Stanford is less than a crap shoot (he has great grades and scores and the ethnicity may help) and as an out of state applicant to the UC system he has a hill to climb. His score likely get him into ND as a regular student (where he could try to walk on). But top tier schools are hard admits for regular (non-athlete) applicants - so it's a numbers game with more applications needed.
Perhaps broaden his applications - though you are running out of time - to include D3 top tier academic schools with academic programs he likes. At D3s, there will be opportunities for him to try out and make a team.
Otherwise, a post-grad year could allow you more time to master the recruiting intricacies and also allow him to get bigger and stronger - and hence, more desirable.
If I was in your shoes......
Your son has a "hook" with his academics. If he really wants to play college baseball he should be calling some of these high academic schools to see if they will allow a late application. If they allow it, I would also reach out to the coach to take his temperature. No guarantees. My assumption is the smaller the school, the more flexible they will be. Yes, it is a tremendous longshot.
The bottom line is your son will be trying to walk-on somewhere if he really wants to play college baseball. My point is if he reaches out to some of these other schools, it could possibly give him more choices. Again, he has outstanding academics so use that as leverage.
The ND scholarship sounds like an outstanding opportunity. Good luck!
The Notre Dame opportunity sounds fantastic from an academic standpoint. If he were my son, I would say that would decide it if he gets it, then he would just focus on trying to make the team as a Walk-on. It certainly would help your son to contact the HC and let them know he is interested in one of the 8 Walk On spots and with his grades and potential for success at ND, they will certainly give him a look (no doubt all of the scholarship spots are filled now). They want a strong team GPA and your son being part of the 35 would likely help that a lot. As others have noted, Walk On is a tough choice and limits his chances of playing, but getting a full ride to ND and sitting on the bench of a D1 ACC is not a bad gig.
If you don't want to put all of your eggs in that basket, then he should rush to get in some applications at some academic D3s. I think the deadline for Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont McKenna have already passed, but Occidental and some others on the West Coast are still open for a few days. Better to get them in and then sort it all out than miss the deadline and then be left with no fallback if the ND option does not materialize.
There's a lot of great feedback already.
As a Notre Dame grad, I can attest that the school is a pretty special place. The average admit ACT score last year was over 34. ND has become a highly selective place.
Notre Dame's 2017 baseball recruiting is done. But they do have a club baseball program with some very talented kids.
I echo the feedback on late applications and on academic D3's. There are still spots for very special kids and as noted, his academics are an incredible hook. Money is available at many places, both merit and aid.
Immediately cast a wider net. He should engage the admissions reps and the baseball staffs at schools where your son would be a fit. Today.
I don't have a good way of judging your son's baseball ability.
However, with the exception of perhaps considering applying to a "fallback" school, I think the schools that your son applied to are perfectly reasonable and he is likely to get in to one or more. Sure, Stanford is always a stretch, but with a 35 ACT (and GPA to match, and Mexican-American to boot) your son should be in decent shape at the others. From the NCED web site (https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/)
It wouldn't surprise me if he got in to all five. As others have noted, though, at this point baseball at these schools would mean trying to walk on.
Good luck!
Bigbigote in CO posted:He has been on varsity for 4 years 3 as a starter at short stop. This year he will pitch and play outfield due to losses of personnel in those areas. He can play 3rd 2b and catch if needed. He has been to Atlanta for the East Cobb invitational, Ft Myers PGsuper 25 and the Junior sunbelt classic in McAlister. Each college camp we've been to he has been in touch verbally with the recruiting coordinators and tried to get a response after but it seems more like college camps are coaching fund raisers. He is 6 ft and 175lbs hits with ferocity to the alleys or off the fence he hits 329 in school and higher in the summer. His HC involved with him in recruiting but believes he should be looking for the academic side with his grades. He plays in Aurora Colorado and really fit in well at all the college camps just killing the ball. So its not just a high altitude thing. We will check into the reds Area code team. He is currently awaiting news from Notre Dame about a full academic scholarship through the hispanic studies dept. He is 1/2 Irish and 1/2 Mexican and Bilingual.
Thanks for the response. This is helpful and you got some very good responses in the subsequent posts where I find I have little to add. From what you've posted, I'm left with the feeling that your son is a talented player, but seems to be just short of what programs like those you mention in the PAC12 are looking for (and as mentioned, how hard they can be to get in just on academics). JUCOs and D3's have been mentioned and are excellent ideas and a lot depends of what your son's priorities really are (e.g. baseball vs. academics). I know from closely watching some of my son's former teammates go through similar situations that it's NOT over until its over; that there can be some very last minute opportunities presented. For example, a very close friend of my son's was not getting any interest from anyone (somewhat like you've mentioned) and he kept bugging/communicating with a lower level D1 school and talking with the HC about his plans to walk on. Then that summer just before he was about to head off to the college, the coach from that college contacted him with confirmation that he's accepted on the team and not be a "walk on". But one still has to keep in mind that players are ALWAYS competing for a position on the team and there are really no guarantees (unless the player has accepted a baseball scholarship, and that doesn't guarantee he'll be playing much either). So, encourage your son to keep battling to the end to get what he can and be persistent in communicating with coaches even if he's not hearing much if anything back from them. It always helps to show he has a strong interest in the baseball program. A lot can still happen between now and the end of this summer.
Sincerely, my best wishes for your son.
fenwaysouth posted:If I was in your shoes......
Your son has a "hook" with his academics. If he really wants to play college baseball he should be calling some of these high academic schools to see if they will allow a late application. If they allow it, I would also reach out to the coach to take his temperature. No guarantees. My assumption is the smaller the school, the more flexible they will be. Yes, it is a tremendous longshot.
The bottom line is your son will be trying to walk-on somewhere if he really wants to play college baseball. My point is if he reaches out to some of these other schools, it could possibly give him more choices. Again, he has outstanding academics so use that as leverage.
The ND scholarship sounds like an outstanding opportunity. Good luck!
BB, here's a link to a recent post by one of our members who put together his own "D3 Academic-Baseball College Ranking". With your son's grades and ACT score, I would think some of these smaller high-academic schools would have flexibility regarding a late application. Seems like a perfect fit for your son if he would consider those types of schools. Good luck.
Not much time but there are a lot of great D3 schools your son could apply to by 1/15. Wash U, Oxy, Willamette to name a few. The current D3 champ, Trinity, has a 2/1 deadline for regular admission and also has a camp this month.
As mentioned, you have until Jan 15 for many many good schools (both D1 and D3) that could be good academic and baseball fits. Some schools have even later deadlines. Please consider casting a wider net than the 5 schools you mentioned.
Having been through the process RECENTLY with our older son, a high score, terrific grades, awesome recs, athlete but not recruited, fantastic extra curricular activities and even a "hook" (like the mexican american part but different in our case) - AGAIN, I don't mean to be a negative naysayer here, but even kids with 36s get rejected! The process is really like a lottery at many schools as they can fill their class over many times with kids with nearly perfect scores and grades and such. And the so called "easier" schools often reject such a kid as they think they will get in to a "better" school. There are NO SURE THINGS anymore. Admissions anywhere is just to tough to be certain.
Bigbig, I hope you keep us posted on your son's progress. His story is interesting and I think we'd all learn a lot from how his journey moves forward. I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, because many of us would be very happy if our kids had the grades and measurables your son seems to have. I'd be really surprised if he doesn't end up at a school he'd be happy at academically, especially if he has had time to apply to a few more schools.
Something doesn't add up. If he is as smart as you say and as good as you say ( i believe u) , he should be playing ball somewhere and getting a great education. Walking on with those academic figures appears like an instant asset to the team. Best of luck to you and your son!
I would contact Trinity University as he fits their profile to the T. You have good advice from others.
Where did your son go to high school before Cherokee Trail?
He has been there all four years.
Thanks to all for your suggestions but Michael has decided to go to The University of California at Santa Barbarbara. He has a full academic scholarship for engineering. He was offered scholarships to several other universities, Arizona, Washington, Colorado, and Notre Dame but liked the entrepreneurial spirit he felt from the west coast. Hopefully he'll get a look as a walk on. He is having a good senior year. Hitting .333 and 3 home runs.
He had been awarded the Daniels fund scholarship which will cover all expenses over and above the school offers. No school offers full rides academic or athletic. There is always some part missing.
Thanks for coming back and updating us on all your 2017's decision. And Congrats on your son's choice and decision to go to UCSB. Great engineering school and gorgeous campus--for the life of me I cannot imagine how any student can find the dedication to go study in the library there when the campus on the ocean is such a distraction!
UCSB has a strong D1 program, so making the team as a tryout will be quite a challenge. But it is certainly worth trying out, and you never know what can happen between now and the Fall. No doubt the demands of an engineering major will keep him incredibly busy even without baseball. But maybe he will get the chance to do both. Good luck!
Congrats! Great school, and sounds like a terrific opportunity for your boy!
Congrats to your son, Bigbigote. UCSB is a great engineering school. I have kid there so if you have any questions on logistics etc. feel free to PM me and we'll see if I know the answers -- or better yet, I can ask the kid.
As has been mentioned walking on at any good D1 baseball program is going to be tough. Another option would be club ball. I believe UCSB's team is pretty successful. They also have a really good club Ultimate team.
Congrats! UCSB engineering with full scholarship is a great achievement. Baseball would have been icing on the cake, but I suspect that UCSB coach won't support their players as Engineering major. Keep us posted on tryout.
Great city, Santa Barbara, my daughter graduated and we previously lived near the campus for 11 years.
You may desire to discuss with the UCSB coaches regarding playing at SBCC and attending both schools.
Bob
Congratulations to your son! One of my players went to UCSB and played with their club team... they play at some great places and he had a blast. As others have mentioned, your son may find it more realistic to go this path as an engineering major at this school.
BTW, I hope "cover all expenses" includes housing. It's kinda crazy there.
Congrats Bigbigote, and to your son for an outstanding opportunity. Best of luck to him as he embarks on his engineering degree and D1 baseball. I have my fingers and toes crossed for him.
