2022Wildcat Intro

Welcome aboard and good luck!

Step one is getting bigger, faster and stronger in the off season. These three things will help step two, improvement of baseball skills. Chances are his focus summer as a college prospect will be the summer of ‘21. He has plenty of time to work hard on optimizing his talent. Good luck. 

It all sounds so familiar!!! Welcome aboard. Lots of people who have been down this road. Talent obviously maters, but his drive, focus, and perseverance will be just as important in making the most of his talent.

Welcome.

If he's your oldest, and you haven't been through the college process before, it's never too early to begin. Grab a few reputable college books or use some on-line sites to start your preparation. Set up an appointment with the school guidence counselor - he/she will be able to set you in the right direction.

Quite obviously, the better the baseball skills AND the better the academics, the more options will emerge. On the academic side, course rigor and grades, and scores are the critical data points. The goal is fulfilling his academic potential - so, if there are any learning issues, get help; sit on him academically, get to know his teachers, monitor his progress on-line (most schools have on-line systems), accept nothing less in the classroom than you'd accept on the field. 

Start visiting local colleges and - on vacations - nearby colleges. Doesn't matter initially if those schools would be acceptable - you're looking at things like size, facilities, majors, etc. It can be a formidable task which can't really be rushed (because there is just so much info to absorb). Go to a bunch of local college games (all divisions and JUCOS) to get a feel for the levels of play. 

You'll find that at the same time as recruiting is heating up, the standardized tests are scheduled. So, try to get those tests out of the way (and if you can, pay for a reputable test prep service) as soon as he can test successfully.

One other variable will be college cost and the intersection with family finance. Often, finances are a limiting variable, so try to peer into the future and decide your limits (if any) and what steps you could take to make college more affordable.

You'll get plenty of good baseball advice here, but looking backwards (to us) the academics were as important as baseball in the short run (through college); and THE MOST CRITICAL element in the long run (through the 20s and, hopefully, beyond).

The big question......RHP or LHP?      Topping at 82 as a freshman is a nice number. 

Goosegg posted:

Start visiting local colleges and - on vacations - nearby colleges. Doesn't matter initially if those schools would be acceptable - you're looking at things like size, facilities, majors, etc. It can be a formidable task which can't really be rushed (because there is just so much info to absorb). Go to a bunch of local college games (all divisions and JUCOS) to get a feel for the levels of play. 

 

My 2018 said later that every visit helped, even those schools he immediately ruled out. He learned what he liked, and what he didn't.

Welcome to the site.  You'll find pretty much everything you need here.  Be aware that you can also search topics.  

Great detailed post from Goosegg... I'll add to the other side of the coin - don't let the recruiting process detract from your son and your family fully enjoying every minute of HS baseball and the HS experience in general.

Iowamom23 posted:

Goosegg posted:

Start visiting local colleges and - on vacations - nearby colleges. Doesn't matter initially if those schools would be acceptable - you're looking at things like size, facilities, majors, etc. It can be a formidable task which can't really be rushed (because there is just so much info to absorb). Go to a bunch of local college games (all divisions and JUCOS) to get a feel for the levels of play. 

 

My 2018 said later that every visit helped, even those schools he immediately ruled out. He learned what he liked, and what he didn't.

This^^^^^    The visit can apply to any kid...doesn't have to be an athlete.  You are going to be living there for the next 4 years of your life.  And it's not just the campus, you have to consider the town/city and what it may or may not offer...especially if it's a major change (either larger or smaller) from where your son grew up.  My daughter had several schools she was interested in when she was choosing where to attend as a nursing major.  The first one she visited was fairly "local" D3.  She got to campus, was there maybe 20 minutes and said "nope, this is too small"....which surprised us considering the campus (with only 2300 students)  had more people than our little small town where she had grown up lol.  She visited 5 or 6....all bigger than the first that was "too small".  She loved Pittsburgh, (the city and school) and ended up at Ohio State, which I would never have suspected at the start of the search.  She loved every minute of it and even though she's now graduated & moved back closer to home...still loves everything about Columbus and gets back there at least once a month to visit.

Buckeye 2015 posted:

The big question......RHP or LHP?      Topping at 82 as a freshman is a nice number. 

RHP

Thanks to all for the good advice.

Watch this with him.  A half an hour well spent.  Ryan just made his MLB debut this fall with the White Sox.  He was my son's room mate in college, both were selected in the 2013 draft.  This was after his Soph year in college.  It starts slow, it's worth it though, he talks about among other things what he wishes he had done in high school to prepare for college.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAz51vzFHP0