2025 OF / High-Academic / Uncommitted

Also, I just wanted to point out that one of the reasons communication slowed was my prior test scores. I took the ACT as a freshman and got a 26. I went to Showball in June and was told that we, the coaches and I, couldn't talk about anything until that test score came up, so I studied with a tutor and took multiple practice tests assigned by the CB and got to 1550+ on them, as stated earlier. I felt confident walking out of the test center a week ago, believing I got at least a 1520.

I'm also considering going to showball in October in Florida, and maybe the AZ Sr Fall Classic with a team.

If you want to get into investment banking then East Coast is the place to be. In addition to Ivies don’t rule out the Patriot League. For D3s the NESCAC or Centennial is the way to go.

There are active posters here whose sons attended Cornell and Princeton. I’m sure they will comment some time this week.

I appreciate the comment. Some of my top schools at the moment are Penn, UChicago, Williams, Amherst, Columbia, Harvard, WashU, Middlebury, and Princeton. Since I live in the Chicago area, I'm eyeing UChicago primarily, but would love to go to an Ivy.

Can you provide your height and weight?  Why did you not take a standardized test in sophomore or junior years? That .300 avg... What type of summer ball? Where'd you play?  I believe it is late in 2025 recruiting for Ivy and Patriot league schools but if you run 6.7, smash 100plus off live pitching, throw 90+ from outfield, score 1520+, there is probably a chance for an Ivy school for you. But you better go to those 2 events you mentioned. For real.  Did you not hit those metrics at the June showball? Something seems off.  You should have 10 D3s texting you daily after a June Showball.

So this isn’t really going to help you at this point, but hopefully it helps someone else….. HA recruits should prepare to take the SAT in the fall of junior year and again in the spring. You might do well in the fall and won’t need to stress, but the spring SAT usually has the highest curve and that’s where you’ll see big scores. You do not want to be chasing a qualifying score in the fall of your senior year. Coaches don’t want to use their slots on “maybes”. They want to get kids who will breeze through admissions.

It is very late in the cycle for you. Ivies have filled their classes and are getting their pre-reads finalized. Most of the super HA D3’s will be finalizing their classes over the next 4 weeks. I would definitely plan on being at the AZ classic and Showball.

You might want to see if UChicago is having a prospect camp in the next few weeks.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

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It is very late in the cycle for you. Ivies have filled their classes and are getting their pre-reads finalized. Most of the super HA D3’s will be finalizing their classes over the next 4 weeks. I would definitely plan on being at the AZ classic and Showball.

You might want to see if UChicago is having a prospect camp in the next few weeks.

Extremely late in the recruiting cycle if you are just getting started.  I agree with @TerribleBPthrower I think your best bet is going to be the D3 HA schools you mentioned based on what you've shared.  Unless something extraordinary has happened I think most of the Ivys will be filled up, and if they aren't, they're going to reach out to recruits they have been communicating with.  I also agree with @Dadbelly2023 that something seems off with your recruiting strategy (not to mention your screen name) or you weren't aware of how competitive recruiting is right now in college baseball.   For someone who has been on HSBBWeb since 2021, it seems you've missed out on a significant amount of data points as it relates to college baseball recruiting.

Getting admitted and attempting to walk-on an HA school is an option worthy of consideration at this point.

JMO.

Welcome to posting.

The timing in your story is unfortunate, because otherwise your numbers seem good, you don't say what position you play.

Usually Ivies are pretty much done by August before senior year. On Perfect Game, right now Ivies are listing 5-8 commits already. I mean, you never know, things change.

Very selective D3 schools like the ones you mention allow coaches to support a few players in admissions, and they usually want you to apply Early Decision with a deadline at the end of October. They've been looking all summer, and are in the process of bringing recruits to visit campus right now. It's still possible that someone still has a need at your position, because as each recruit commits, everyone's boards shuffle.

So, send that email as soon as possible. Go to Showball and AZ Classic, or if schools that respond to your email have individual camps - many do in the fall - consider going to those.  But, you'd probably want to know that there is real interest there.

What's your relationship with your travel or HS coaches? Are they willing contact schools of interest for you? Even if they don't know those coaches, they can still put in a good word, and/or they can reach out and ask a coach how interested he is.

If a college coach tells you "I don't have an admissions slot for you, but I'd be happy to have you on the team if you get in on your own," then you might as well apply and find out.

Finally, remember that you don't have to go to one of "those" schools to have a successful career.

And to repeat what TerribleBP said, a HA player should take the SAT/ACT early (freshman or soph year) and get the score up before recruiting begins junior year.  Perhaps you were misled by the post-pandemic "test-optional" stuff, but, as you have found out, it often doesn't apply to athletic recruiting, where coaches need a quick way to qualify athletes to the admissions office.

As has been mentioned above, it's quite late to start, but another option that would guarantee looks at this point is attending specific college camps between now and mid-October (but the earlier, the better). Amherst's is 9/14-15. Middlebury's is the same weekend, but if you were ambitious you could split the two camps.  Worked for my son a few years ago. Chicago has one in October. Swarthmore has one on the same weekend 9/22.  Google is your friend for these.  If the above schools have camps, lots of other colleges will, too.

Good luck.

First and foremost, thank you for all of your advice. It's helped me see what next steps I should take.

Now, to clarify a couple of things:

I play OF and am also a utility guy. During summer ball, I hit .300 playing all over the country: the PBR National Championship, a St. Louis tournament, a Milwaukee Tournament, the Grand Park ABC Invite Tournament, and some local games.

At Showball, I did manage to get close to my top metrics, going 2 for 4 in the game with a triple that hit the fence on the fly. The only problem was my test score, which was listed on the paper. The coaches told me that they couldn't recruit me until I raised it. I thought that I didn't need to retake the test because my family as a whole thought we could go test-optional.

My SAT score is coming in 5 days, and since I got 1550+ on all the SAT Practice Tests, I believe that I got above a 1520 which puts me in a good spot academically.

Plain and simple, my test scores stopped the communication with schools since I was out of their academic bracket before, but now things have changed.

I have also attached a hitting video here to give you a better overview of my hitting skill

Howdy, can you share which coaches you talked with at Showball?

You have gotten very good advice on the academic side of things from other posters who really understand the process. From a baseball perspective, based on what you have said and viewing your video, my advice would be to focus on D3 - especially the conferences mentioned in RJM’s post.

Sure can. Off the top of my head, I talked with Fordham, MIT, Johns Hopkins (he was the most direct about it), UChicago, Columbia, Hamilton, and WashU.

Hopkins Sep 7-8, Oct 20

Hamilton Sep 22

AZ Sr Fall Classic Sep 26-29

Showball Oct 5-6

Wash U Oct 12-13

Do your contact work as you've planned and get to as many of these camps as you can manage. Camp advantages:  Only the college staff will be there.  It'll be on their field. Chance to shine.

Sounds like you're already thinking about AZ and Showball. Good. Showball is a no-brainer.

AZ Fall Classic: Are you aware of the All Academic Tryout?  Another chance to get seen by your target audience.

https://azfallclassic.com/all-academic-game/

I'm confused.  Did any of these coaches at Showball say, "we definitely want to recruit you, if only you had a better SAT score"?  If so, I think you should focus on those.  Did you get any emails after Showball?  There are usually schools at the HA camps for whom your GPA should have been sufficient, even with the old ACT score.

UChicago and WashU are nearby.  Work local connections and go to their camps.

Does anyone know if coaches at Showball get access to video afterwards?  They did at HF in my son's year.  If your SAT score comes in as you hope, in your email tell them that you were at Showball on xxx date and your id # was xxx, they can take a look.

I would not want to travel halfway across the country to a camp without knowing that the coach had real interest, especially if you're talking about schools that have seen you already at Showball.  So, if you can have your travel or HS coach contact the college coach before you go to a camp, that will be valuable.

Good luck!

At Showball NYU was by far very interested in me, said they wanted me on campus, etc. Didn’t work out academically for them though, so communication stopped.

Out of curiosity, what is your height/weight and your Showball (Chicago?) metrics? They usually don't do tee EV nor pulldown. But would agree that close to those metrics + your academics (unless wGPA scale out of 6+) would've gotten interest from schools this summer.

UChicago camp is 10/13.

5’9 185. Was told my 60 was 6.9, OF Velo was 86 (only pulled down 89 at that time, which is the number I told coaches, and just recently hit 93 pulldown within the past couple weeks) and EV was 92. Not my best EV since I injured my hand ligaments a couple days prior during a tournament. I hit 97 off the tee in April.

Some things to consider.

ALL of the schools you and others have mentioned are absolutely amazing. I can't imagine any of them wouldn't serve you well for desired career choice and a great baseball experience. I'd add at least one SCIAC school to the econ-bro/ IB school list.

I know of at least 3 of the ivies that have already started committing '26s. 2 of them remain test optional (for now).

If you're hell bent on an ivy, when the 1500+ SAT score comes in, I would email the ivies the very next Tuesday at 6am EST with a title highlighting your test score, metrics, and position and ask them if they are still recruiting '25s and for which positions and attaching video. I'd also ask if they will be at the AZ SENIOR classic/ tryout. Historically, most of the ivies are, but the times they are a changing...  This could be the first year some of those schools prioritize the Junior Fall classic more. The AZ Senior Classic tryout is likely to be cost efficient to boot. Look at previous years' attendees to see if there are schools that fit what you want.

https://azfallclassic.com/wp-c...lleges-at-Senior.pdf

Be advised others here have said that in years previous pitchers seem to be more in demand and the IMG academy teams generate a lot of attention.

Something else to consider. Again, when the 1500+ comes in you will be in rarefied air of being a legit potential transfer candidate to an Ivy later. Things are changing. While still a long shot, ivies have taken some transfers in the past, but academics for many remain a stumbling block. This should not be an issue for you so long as you maintain your academics in college. You should hopefully also be playing well (presumably at an HAD3).

Regardless, you're still in the heart of recruiting for HAD3. The SCIAC school I referred to typically has their last camp the 1st week of January. Others have given great advice focusing on those schools that have camps in the coming weeks/ months and are somewhat local. Looks like Williams and Middlebury have upcoming camps too, though at what point does going back to Oct Showball make more (cost efficient) sense as one stop shopping for all potentially involved? (since ALL the aforementioned HAD3/ivy schools are scheduled to be there...). If you feel like you underperformed at previous Showball, you can use it perhaps as an opportunity for some of those coaches to see you a recent second time (presumably after an earlier local camp now until then), and give peace of mind that you did everything you could to be seen by longer shots too. I'd wait as long as possible to sign up, as it's rather pricey, and sometimes last minute promotions are offered if it's not filled up early. Besides, you may commit prior and not need it.

Others have posted great suggestions about communicating with coaches to tease out where previous interest can be reignited, particularly with a dramatically improved test score. A little upfront legwork can save a lot of time and money.

@anotherparent posted:

Welcome to posting.

The timing in your story is unfortunate, because otherwise your numbers seem good, you don't say what position you play.

Usually Ivies are pretty much done by August before senior year. On Perfect Game, right now Ivies are listing 5-8 commits already. I mean, you never know, things change.

Very selective D3 schools like the ones you mention allow coaches to support a few players in admissions, and they usually want you to apply Early Decision with a deadline at the end of October. They've been looking all summer, and are in the process of bringing recruits to visit campus right now. It's still possible that someone still has a need at your position, because as each recruit commits, everyone's boards shuffle.

So, send that email as soon as possible. Go to Showball and AZ Classic, or if schools that respond to your email have individual camps - many do in the fall - consider going to those.  But, you'd probably want to know that there is real interest there.

What's your relationship with your travel or HS coaches? Are they willing contact schools of interest for you? Even if they don't know those coaches, they can still put in a good word, and/or they can reach out and ask a coach how interested he is.

If a college coach tells you "I don't have an admissions slot for you, but I'd be happy to have you on the team if you get in on your own," then you might as well apply and find out.

Finally, remember that you don't have to go to one of "those" schools to have a successful career.

And to repeat what TerribleBP said, a HA player should take the SAT/ACT early (freshman or soph year) and get the score up before recruiting begins junior year.  Perhaps you were misled by the post-pandemic "test-optional" stuff, but, as you have found out, it often doesn't apply to athletic recruiting, where coaches need a quick way to qualify athletes to the admissions office.

Sat/act before junior year?

@Dadof3 posted:

Sat/act before junior year?

As this example shows, an early test will not score as high as one later in high school, even without test prep.  But I recommend testing early for three reasons:

- maybe you'll do well "enough" (however defined) that you won't have to worry about it any more

- if you play baseball, a lot of Saturdays are spoken for, especially in the spring and summer.  You don't want to find yourself in the position of missing important baseball events (however you define those) because you HAVE to take that test.

- you don't want to discover, late, that you really need to do test prep, practice tests, whatever, and you are running out of time.

There has been discussion on here about whether HAs really need these tests any more, but clearly some do.  I don't know whether other D1s still require them, but I have known, in the past, D1 recruits desperately trying to get the minimum in the fall of senior year.

I’ve said it many times before and will say it again now in hopes that it helps somebody else in the future, test optional really doesn’t apply to an athletic recruit at the most selective schools unless you are one of their top recruits (and even then it might not matter)

@anotherparent posted:

As this example shows, an early test will not score as high as one later in high school, even without test prep.  But I recommend testing early for three reasons:

- maybe you'll do well "enough" (however defined) that you won't have to worry about it any more

- if you play baseball, a lot of Saturdays are spoken for, especially in the spring and summer.  You don't want to find yourself in the position of missing important baseball events (however you define those) because you HAVE to take that test.

- you don't want to discover, late, that you really need to do test prep, practice tests, whatever, and you are running out of time.

There has been discussion on here about whether HAs really need these tests any more, but clearly some do.  I don't know whether other D1s still require them, but I have known, in the past, D1 recruits desperately trying to get the minimum in the fall of senior year.

Dovetailing on what anotherP has consistently said, the standardized tests are not unlike an "academic showcase". As many consistently say regarding baseball showcases, If you have nothing to show, then don't showcase. Fortunately, there are many "dress rehearsals" that don't actually count.

For many school districts, there's a built in check point of the PSAT fall of Junior year. It's "free" at many public schools. Some skip it for some inexplicable reason. Many schools offer the grade appropriate ACT and PSAT (ACT 9, PSAT 10) during freshman and sophomore years as well. Hopefully, if your kiddo has taken both, they hopefully at least have a feel for which test (ACT vs SAT) they PREFER based on performance and perceived difficulty/ time pressure. For others in the future, one can choose to take the PSAT as a junior cold with no advanced studying, go full bore and study for it beginning months in advance, or something in between. One's performance can dictate action from there. If one does well and likes their score, (prepare for and) take the DECEMBER SAT as a Junior. Yes, for many there are baseball "tryouts" lurking and/or final exams for first semester but there's NEVER a GREAT time to take the test as there's always something. Had there not been some transition between paper and digital exams last winter this is what we would've done.

If one feels they need more seasoning, then one can choose to take a prep course (or actually study). We used free online CB and Khan Academy resources prior to the PSAT, and then added a cost efficient online course for insurance and regimented, consistent and structured study leading up to March SAT. Though the spring baseball season is on, March (Junior year) is also a good time to take the test, as playoffs, finals, and AP exams aren't distracting yet, PLUS there's a lot of built in time off with winter vaca and president holidays. If you liked your PSAT score and it's in the desirable SAT score range or projects so, you can start emailing HA coaches before their seasons start and again right after their seasons end now with MARCH SAT scores (presumably) in hand. And as TerribleBP (& others) have consistently said, all of this comes with the caveat if you're sincerely the kind of dominant P4 type recruit your scores may not need to be in said "desirable" range, but moving forward it's still good to have (some) scores in a timely fashion, even if you're "that" guy/recruit.

A note on the new digital SAT. If one believes the CB, there is no longer a "curve" after the test, as there are swaths of kids on the same date that get different questions. The test now adapts in real time depending on real time performance. If one scores below some threshold on part one of reading or math, they get a (predetermined) "easier" part two, and vice versa. Difficulty of questions in the bank for the test day are PREdetermined. It can still mean some dates are "easier" than others, but it's not based on a curve afterwards. It's because the questions in the bank for the date are easier by luck/ happenstance or premeditated design.

And in the OP's defense, half of the ivies went test mandatory out of the blue a couple weeks before the March SAT. Even many NARPs were caught off guard...

@adbono posted:

You have gotten very good advice on the academic side of things from other posters who really understand the process. From a baseball perspective, based on what you have said and viewing your video, my advice would be to focus on D3 - especially the conferences mentioned in RJM’s post.

@StanfordCommit - Lots of people have provided you with a number of events at many D3 schools that have great student athlete experiences.   You need to understand there is a difference between a coach talking to you (recruiting is his job) and a coach who is seriously interested.   Serious interest will require him to take you academic credentials to an academic/athletc liaison who submits them to Admissions.  Based on what you've shared, you don't currently have academic numbers which means you are behind the 8-ball at this point.   You are going to have to do some fast talking, selling and convincing....possibly a 1500 SAT will help to that end with these D3 schools.   However, you need a back up plan in place.   PSAT practice tests aren't the same thing as the real deal.   You will need to be real flexible.   There are many other uncommitted D3 candidates out there that have better athletic stats.

I say all of this, because I want to see you succeed.  The truth stings a little, and you've got some quick catching up to do.  The key to your college baseball future lies with that SAT score among the schools that have been listed.  Do not waste anymore time once you get those numbers.  You need to go from interest to serious interest to offer in a matter of weeks.   That rarely happens, but it does happen.

JMO, and good luck!

Good luck with the SAT score that comes out in 3 days.  My 2025 took it also.  I hope it's a really high number but be ready to adjust your targets if it isn't as high as you'd like. 2025 scored 1480 PSAT (760 math) junior year.  But only 1470 (710 math) on his real SAT.  I would have thought easy 1500plus. Caught me by surprise. So he used a math tutor for 2 months for this one.

You're very fast for a solid framed guy. And good bat speed.  You can find a D3 spot. It's go time.

I think you can do two things at once. Since the baseball gods are fickle, it is best to explore both options.

You can have Plan 1: Baseball Plan.

• Plan 1 Step 1:  Contact coaches who might still be recruiting about your interest ( e.g. HA D3s or good NY-area baseball schools. Fordham, for example, has an excellent Business School and deep hooks into NYC finance jobs).
• Plan 1 Step 2: Go to all the events you listed and try to get recruited.
• Plan 1 Sept 3: Act on any interest you receive by immediately following up.

At the same time, work on Plan 2: Academic Plan.

• Plan 2 Step 1. You certainly have the academic credentials to apply to lots of these schools without baseball; identify your academic "reach" school (that might be U of Chicago or NYU?). Apply Early Action/Decision if you can.
• Plan 2 Step 2: Make a list of schools you can afford where you can both a) study finance and b) try walking on to the baseball team.   Be sure each school you apply to has both the major you want and a baseball team that allows walk-on tryouts. Apply to those schools by the normal deadline.  Make sure you have a non-selective school on the list (a local public option, generally), then add schools you are interested in that have a range of academic and athletic selectivity.  Try to keep the total number of applications reasonable (between 5 and 8). Fordham could also go here (sorry, I'm a former Ram).

One of these plans will work, even if the ideal plan doesn't. Let us know what happens!

As said, you are late for Ivy and D1 Mids.  Brutally honest, you are probably undersized for a D1 outfielder without 6.5 speed.   D3 you have maybe a month before their spots in admissions are taken.  The D3's you mention are top Academic schools and you will most likely need one of those admission spots from coach.

You will need to decide which school because you will most certainly have to apply Early Admission to get one of those spots.  So get communicating now.    IF it were me I would contact Amherst, PJ Pyne is a straight shooter and will give you an honest evaluation of your situation.  He's also an exceptional coach and will care about your ability to get into the school.

Reach out by email, include a short video of your skills (no background music),  don't mention batting averages as they don't matter.  Your video should include hitting, side and back view,  outfield movement to ball, and throws (make sure you show you know how to long hop your throws home) Do this now, if you don't have some of those things, don't wait to create them, send the emails now while you go make them.  Put your 60time and exit velo in the subject line for the D3's.  Ie whatever is your best measurable attribute.

Finally, there is no merit money nor scholarships at those schools, so if the coach likes what he sees and offers a chance to walkon in the fall, I'd take it if it gets me into the school of my choice.

Finally, yes undergrad to top schools helps your future, but success is mostly based on where you go grad and post grad.  So a great tier 2 school isn't a bad option if baseball has to happen for you.  And better chance for additional merit money.

@HSDad22 posted:

As said, you are late for Ivy and D1 Mids.  Brutally honest, you are probably undersized for a D1 outfielder without 6.5 speed.   D3 you have maybe a month before their spots in admissions are taken.  The D3's you mention are top Academic schools and you will most likely need one of those admission spots from coach.

Agree with this statement, which is why I was curious about your measurables because I believe size bias is real. My kid has similar measurables + metrics as you with a 1550+ SAT and coach interest from those schools after last (rising junior) summer - showcased well, hit a HR in game at Showball...but no offers. This past (rising senior) summer, he got injured in the 1st tourney and missed every tournament, event & showcase so far...all that interest not surprisingly disappeared. Kid just got cleared last week to play, but we believe his journey isn't over yet and I'm rooting for you @StanfordCommit because my kid is basically in the same boat.

Shoutout to the posters here like @RJM because reading their son's comeback stories from injury at the most inopportune time offers hope that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. It's not over until you decide it's over...

It’s not over until we decide it’s over …

https://youtu.be/V8lT1o0sDwI?si=ngJeUGMvGaouUJ17

So many great high academic D1 and D3 schools mentioned in this thread.  One is missing.  I would like to point out that the Wall Street Journal 2025 top college rankings came out last night.  #1 Princeton #3 Stanford, tucked nicely between those two, is #2 Babson College.  Very strong D3 baseball and a great business education at Babson.

@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:

So many great high academic D1 and D3 schools mentioned in this thread.  One is missing.  I would like to point out that the Wall Street Journal 2025 top college rankings came out last night.  #1 Princeton #3 Stanford, tucked nicely between those two, is #2 Babson College.  Very strong D3 baseball and a great business education at Babson.

The Babson coach is also very connected to the Cape League. If one of his players has enough potential they have access to the Cape.

@RJM posted:

The Babson coach is also very connected to the Cape League. If one of his players has enough potential they have access to the Cape.

Got his nephew playing on one ;-)

Babson is an excellent school and always either in or very close to post season play.  It may not have the cashe name of Amherst or John Hopkins nationally, but in the business community it is top tier.  Their pitching is getting better too.  From watching my son's team play them, I also like the coaching staff's approach in game. (Team ball not hero ball).

"Agree with this statement, which is why I was curious about your measurables because I believe size bias is real. " - @txball25

Added that quote so just did it myself....  anyway, yes size bias is real even D3 at the top tier baseball schools, the next level tiers will take a chance, actually, more like enjoy grabbing great players who got passed over because of size.  Oh and please don't read into my comment on your size, it was based on how the trend is going with bias at certain positions, you should wear it as a chip and motivation.

@StanfordCommit any update on your journey? I enjoy hearing success stories for the underdogs/undersized guys...