Skip to main content

Hello,

Someone recommended this site to me for recruiting help!

My son is a 2021 Middle Infielder and attended a mid-major D1 camp a couple weeks ago.  He performed well and ended up receiving an offer from the college.  It isn't a P5 school, but it has great facilities and he really likes the campus and the coaches.  The offer is nice and includes athletic and academic money (depending on his final GPA and test scores). 

This is a bit unexpected and he wants to commit, but I want him to make sure he has explored all options.  I also know that the odds of receiving a scholarship to D1 baseball are very low - especially for a 5'10" 160Lb kid - so I also don't want him to lose out on it by dragging out his decision.  His summer coach is recommending waiting to see if some of the bigger fish come around.

Here are his measurables (SS/2B):

5' - 10" 160lb (rising Junior)

60Yd - 6.69s

IF Velo - 85MPH

Exit Velo - 88MPH

He isn't going to be 6' and 190lbs so that is why I don't think the bigger D1 schools will show much interest.  Does anyone have any opinions or guidance?  We are trying to get as much information as we can from people that have been through this before.

Thanks!

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Welcome to the site.   Lots of great info here. 

My two cents....I strongly encourage you to read these active threads that just happen to be in topic for your question.

https://community.hsbaseballwe...48#54377430072441848

and this one....

https://community.hsbaseballwe...nd-you-re-fishing-in  

I'd read through those comments and advice as a re-starting point to your question.  Feel free to re-state your questions as it is YOUR post.

So, you've shared some good info.   Additional information would be great for HSBBWeb Board to formulate a response.   For example, where is your son in the recruiting process with other schools?  What does he want to study in college?   What does your son want to do when he graduates..does he want to play professional baseball or something else.   Your son has very good measurables for a D1 MIF.  

Good luck!

Last edited by fenwaysouth

FENWAYSOUTH,

Thanks for the reply.  I have lurked on this site for the past year and have tried to read all the posts to learn as much as I can.  I was really starting to get very cynical about the whole process - spending a lot of money and time playing and showcasing knowing the chances of playing at the next level are slim. 

As far as his process with other schools, he has sent out a lot of emails and his summer coach has heard from a few who would like to see him play.  No other communication other than one Big 12 school he spoke to on the phone one time after the coach sent his cell number through the summer coach, but no further communication since.

He is still undecided on what he would like to study in college. I keep telling him that is an important factor in this whole process. 

Anyway, thank you again for the response and it has been a crazy journey so far as I am sure it is for 99.9% of everyone here.

 

My own advice is to wait — at least a couple of weeks to let the excitement ease up. My son got his first offer in the same way and about the same time, from a D2. We liked it and our first instinct was to grab it and run. We were lucky in that the coach making the offer applied some brakes, telling son he would likely get some other, possibly better offers, but he wanted to be one of the first and wanted son to know he was wanted. It was great positive reinforcement in a crazy journey.

If the school is your son's dream school, that's one thing. If not, take a deep breath and try to get past the "what if no one else wants him?' to the "wow, he can do this" phase of recruiting. Try to see this offer is a snapshot of the kinds of schools that might recruit your son. Start to explore other schools just like this one, a little better than this one, and a little worse and see what's out there.

 

 

 

MarkSmith21,

100% agree with IowaMom23 that the first offer can be very exciting.   Taking some time to gain perspective is some really good advice if this is not a dream school.   My son's first offer was presented as a "place holder" offer by a local RC at a private D1 that is 20 minutes from our house.   He told us there was "no deadline" and they continued to watch him at showcases.   Well that "no deadline" quickly changed when they learned other schools were interested and began offering.   Their "placeholder" offer quickly doubled in value, and my son was given a 3 day deadline over the weekend while he was attending a prospect camp for another school that would also offer.  So, the offering RC was turning the screws to get an answer and frankly I don't blame him.   You may run into this with your son's offer.   For my son, the first offer was not a dream school but it came pretty close.   If they had offered an engineering major, he might have taken their first offer.   For us, it was a case of truly knowing what your son wants to get out of his 4 years.   So, he made the difficult decision of turning down the first offer to pursue other opportunities that were a better academic fit.   My son stuck to his guns, and didn't waiver on what he wanted.   This was both maddening and rewarding.

Good luck! 

Last edited by fenwaysouth

Thanks Everyone for the advice! 

I think for sure we will wait as my wife and I would like to tour the campus and meet the coaches, etc.  So that will take us several weeks to get that coordinated.

As far as grades go, we have preached academics from day 1 so luckily his GPA is 3.88 (unweighted).  He still has to take the SAT and I just bought a study guide for it so he can do that in his down time versus Fortnite! haha

Congratulations to your son on the offer!  It is both a very exciting and very challenging time.  You want to make sure that a smart, educated decision is made.  Still, even if given a reasonable time to decide, the schools will continue to actively search for players to fill the slots they feel they need to fill.  

We can throw out the countless things to consider but only you and your son will know how heavily to weigh each... academic, social and athletic fit, affordability, climate, culture, distance from home, etc., etc.  Sounds like there is plenty about this school that you and your son like and you seem to have some realistic ideas about what level of play he will likely fit into.  Also, you have described some strong measurables but, of course, there is still a ton we don't know (how does he grade out as a hitter and fielder, how strong mentally, etc.).  Only those closest to him will be able to advise regarding exactly which level he will be best suited for.

Information is king.  Travel coach suggests waiting to see with bigger fish.. talk to him specifically about why, what bigger fish he thinks may come around, what doubts he has about this school, what other schools he has talked to about your son and what the details were.  Get specifics from the offering school.  Your son should share with them that he is very interested but it is a big decision and he wants to take a bit of time and make sure he makes the right one.  Find out if there is a deadline with the offer.  

If your son put together a list of top ten or top twenty schools with all things taken into consideration, would this school have been on that list prior to receiving the offer?  How does it stack up to the other schools and how realistic are the other schools at this point?  We may not have the answers for you but hopefully can help by offering up some of the questions to be asking yourselves and others around you.

PS - I think your direction of making a school visit is a very good one, both in terms of learning more and buying some time.

 

Last edited by cabbagedad

Do you'll have a feel for the type of college he wants/suits him? Large, small, close to home, away from home, city, urban, rural? Where do finances come into play (some schools have great Financial aid programs instead of academic or athletic scholarships)? 

S got his first "on the cheap" oral offer from a close by school (decent baseball program) and wound up clear across the country as other options emerged towards his senior year.

Also, consider the ACT if his SAT doesn't satisfy him.

Sorry for the ask for more info, but the more info the more "accurate" the ideas coming to you. 

With that first offer in hand, you can move from being a seller of a product to being a buyer and have some degree of control over the process. (I.E., You know someone wants him this early; that is a good indication others will likewise want him.)

 The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

Regardless of what a school offers the scholarship money is finite. If left the feeling your son isn’t really up for going there they will start offering elsewhere. Then your son could make up his mind and the money is gone.

Have personal knowledge of a player who wanted to wait for a "bigger" school to come around. Kept showcasing and kept playing, talking to coaches, etc. When he was finally ready to commit, the school said: " we don't have any money or spots left." The player is now at a JUCO with no scholarship. Take it for what it's worth. I would negotiate now (or within a short time frame) if you feel the offer was too low. 

Wow, thanks again for the responses... very insightful!

This school meets several of his criteria:

1) Smaller campus size - not in big city

2) Within 5 hours drive

3) Nice facilities and campus

4) Good Business school (this is his preliminary thought on a Major)

Also, I don't know the etiquette on here about offer details but it is a nice athletic/academic package equating to around 70% or so of total cost of attendance.  I don't want to divulge too many details but it seems like a good offer to us .

OK, some good points were brought up that we are now discussing at home (wife and I).  He is signed up for a couple showcases later in the summer.  I feel like the offering school will not be too happy that he is still out trying to garner more offers and they will start to feel maybe he isn't that interested?  Again, he is young and I know has plenty of time according to the timetables I have seen, but here he is with a "bird in the hand" and is scared to death to let it sit too long and lose it.  The coach did say he is not one to pressure a kid and wants him to be completely sure he wants to attend the college, but of course the sooner the better for them so they can know how to approach the fall etc. 

With vacations and work schedule it may be August or so before my wife and I could also visit so I think they will be fine with that type of timeframe.  That at least gives him another couple months to see how he is feeling etc.

Thanks again for the responses!

Keep in mind 3,000+ kids (297 programs) will be recruited to play some level of D1. Unless your son is a top 1,000 there are thousands more just like him for college programs to choose from. If he’s in the top 1,000 and not a top 100 there are still hundreds more just like him. Even Kyle Schwarber (Indiana, first round pick #4 Cubs) got an ultimatum from Louisville when he couldn’t make up his mind. 

Last edited by RJM

Just remember there are two sides to every negotiation and that is what this is.  You can't get caught up in the mindset that they hold all the cards because that is their job to make you feel that way.  (My son does it every day in his job as RC).  But there are reasonable timeframes.  As in love, some times the best thing is when someone else likes you too.  It makes your stock go up.  For some of us, we have to be reminded that we are not the only ones who would love our spouses.  We are just the ones they chose.  (sorry I'm preaching on Five Love Languages this week.)  But it is the same in college offers.  The more schools that are interested more negotiating power you have.  But let me also say from my 2019 son's experience.  When someone gives you what you are wanting, in life or in recruiting, why would you keep looking for greener grass.  My son got almost exactly what he wanted and became hesitant hoping something better would come along.  I had to question him as to who that would be.  He had full-ride offers from schools that he were on list but not high and a good offer from an SEC school that was top 5 on list.  There was no more negotiating and no  more offers coming we could forsee.  He made the call.  So know when to say yes and when to say wait.  Like life.

I'll save the rest of my sermon for Sunday morning.  But I will take additions to it if you guys want to help.

marksmith21 posted:

….……………………………..

With vacations and work schedule it may be August or so before my wife and I could also visit so I think they will be fine with that type of timeframe.  That at least gives him another couple months to see how he is feeling etc.

So, it is June 20 and your son has been offered a combination 70% athletic/academic package.   I would not wait until August.  I would make every effort to get to campus before the middle of July (at the latest) to assess the offer and situation. I would do this for two reasons.  First, you have to know if this is the ONE so you can evaluate and make a decision based on the data you have at that time.  Second, it appears they are willing to incent the right person (with a very nice $$ offer) for the opportunity to be their future MIF.   Recruiting goes into high gear in July.   Do what you have to do to get there ASAP based on those offer numbers.

As always, JMO.

Be careful taking the "wait and see" advice from the pitcher parents, lol.   Pitchers have more options!  (Sorry, Fenway and Iowamom...I think).  Half of rosters are pitchers.  MIF-ers, not so much.

Our story: 

MIF son got a an offer from a mid-major D1 at exact same time as your son...summer between sophomore and junior year.  The 2 ACC schools near us had already seen son play several times, had unofficial visits and they came to his high school to see him play,  made offers to others in the area, but not my son.  It was a hard conversation to have with my son, but he needed to move on.  (We later figured out that one of the ACC schools probably passed son's name off to the coach of the school he attended).

Son got one offer, we went to visit the school a week or so later, and he accepted.

Son started freshman year.  Played all but one game, I think. Drafted as a jr in the 5th round, and was on the way to break a few records at the school if he had stayed another year.  He got to play, and win, against those ACC schools, and win one of them in CWS regional playoffs.

His 3 good friends that went to play for the ACC schools?   Two didn't compete at all and the other had a lackluster career with year-off gaps.   This is just one example.

Your son's monetary offer looks amazing.  Looks like they really want and "love" him.  If all else looks good, why wait?

Look at the perfectgame.org website to see the top colleges and who they have already recruited.   Many will have already recruited a MIF or two, and there are several already on roster.

Although good information, please don't compare a pitcher's journey with a mid-infielders.   

RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Last edited by MidAtlanticDad
MidAtlanticDad posted:
RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Even if they follow the rules they’re going to be in touch soon after.

RJM posted:
MidAtlanticDad posted:
RJM posted:

The campus visit buys you time. Go prepared for how he’s going to respond when they go for the close. Time will give you a better idea of where he stands in the overall process. But he doesn’t want to respond in a fashion where they start to feel like they’re the safety school option.

By rule (adopted last year), no one from the baseball program will be able to participate in marksmith21's unofficial visit this summer. Not on-campus or off-campus. If this school is following NCAA D1 rules, they will have to do that through the travel coach and/or by the recruit calling the coach to iron out the details.

Having said that, I am aware that many baseball staff members seem to be pretty blatantly ignoring this rule.

Even if they follow the rules they’re going to be in touch soon after.

Yes, I just thought marksmith21 should know that if this school doesn't talk to son on a visit this summer, it's probably because they're following the rules.

You all have been more helpful than you know!  I am simply a dad that has enjoyed his son's journey from T-ball up to now and still enjoying it!  His goal has been to play college baseball and not necessarily at any certain level.  We took the approach of keep working hard and showcase once the measurables were there and didn't expect to be in this position, but like he said "its a good problem to have dad". 

After doing a couple showcases and seeing the talent there along with every weekend in the many different tournaments I feel that we have focused in on the right level for him.  And I agree, there are thousands of kids like mine out there dreaming and working for attention.  Sure, every kid would dream to play for Arkansas or Vandy, but I have heard so many stories similar to KEEWART and my son is realizing that the chance to play at one of those schools and thrive is very slim for him.  He has good measurables and plays hard but doesn't pass the eye test of a lot of recruiters and scouts (5'-10" 160 isn't what UT is looking for) - I hate even typing that but I do live in reality. 

I like what was mentioned above - my son has gotten what he has been working for so why keep looking for greener grass?  I guess our local coaches and friends are all saying "wait till next year and I bet he will get a lot more".  Well, the odds don't align with that logic to me.  If he was top 1000 maybe, but then again nothing is certain.  Sorry for the rambling...

The stuff I learned over the last year from this site alone helped us tremendously as he started reaching out to coaches and figuring out the best strategy to get recruited!

I will also say this, he is ready to commit to them.  It is only me that is trying to hold up the process to make sure it is a good decision for him (believe it or not 16yr olds can make pretty bad decisions haha)...

 

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×