6' 7 1/2" junior RHP, high velocity, low grades

You should have a junior college plan. D3's are often higher academic schools then D1's. Honestly, his education and maturing to the point he can handle the school work is more important then baseball. Maybe he just needs a few more years to get a handle on the classroom, that's what Junior college is for. If school isn't his thing and he is as good as you say for 16, in two years he may get drafted and be someone who is best served not going to college so long as he has a back up plan like a trade. Good luck

Hi heartbreakrr


I agee with cali. Have a JUCO plan.

Have you done a search on this board for JUCO info? There are some great threads on that whole topic.


A year or two at a JUCO --- one that has a strong program for students with ADD ---- can teach him his best learning approach, to prepare him for a successful transfer to a 4 year degree. Most public high schools do an "OK" job at assisting students with learning issues but they are limited by resources and lack of the time/training to really get at EACH individual's learning needs. At the college level there are some amazing methods and programs.

Good luck.

The JUCO advice is sound and certainly what I too would recommend.

With a physically talented kid like yours who is getting so much early attention, it would be easy to cut him more slack academically than you should. The ADD diagnosis often can be a crutch. That being said, as a dad of a very successful college academic ADHD baseball player, I suggest you emphasis and prioritize academic effort from him. Perhaps there is more he could be doing in the classroom?

You are getting sound advice on the juco route. Our son is going that route this fall. Our son has ADHD and it took us a while to find the right medication that worked for him. Not sure what your son is on but we went through Adderall, Strattera and now on Vyvanse. Vyvanse was the only one that didnt make him feel like a zombie and helped him focus. It does decrease his appetite but it hasnt stopped him from growing (6' 225-230lbs). I would check with your doctor and see if the dosage he has now is correct or maybe try a different medicine.

You may have done this already but it took us 2-3 years to find something that kept him focused. He still has his moments. Good luck.

I'll jump on the JUCO wagon also.

His education is too important.

hartbreakerr, I'm not going to vote against the JUCO option, as that certainly has merits. However, here are some things to consider:

JUCO - as BaseballmomandCEP said, if you're going to look that route, look for one with a strong program for ADD students. Ask how many ADD students they work with at any one time. Can they provide individualized attention? Have they worked with students who are also athletes and have the athletic time commitments? Are they aware of the academic requirements of helping their athletes transfer successfully to Div. I or II schools? Are the coaches supportive of making sure their players are prepared to move on academically, or are they more interested in helping kids get drafted?

Also, keep in mind that JUCO's often have no restrictions on the amount of time that they practice, and are also playing games in the Fall compared to Div. I or II schools that have few or no games in the Fall.

I also agree with calisportsfan's comment about Div. III schools. So, here are things to consider about Div. I and possibly Div. II schools:

Almost all Div. I schools, and some Div. II schools, have an academic support center specifically for athletes. The larger Div. I programs may even have an academic counselor who works just with the baseball team, or maybe baseball and one other team. They can provide tutors that work specifically with athletes. They often have more funds available if your son needs additional disability testing.

Div. I and II schools have time limitations for practice and competition of 20 hours per week "in season" with one required day off per week, and 8 hours per week "off-season" with two required days off per week. Coaches will obviously encourage the players to do extra work on their own if they want to improve and earn playing time, but they can't require it. The important part here would be to find a coach who not only talks a good game when they talk about academics as a priority, but has demonstrated it. Have they had other ADD players in their program and how have they succeeded in that program?

Your son will have plenty of opportunities based on his size and ability. Seek out sources who you can talk to and obtain references for programs that have done well with ADD athletes. That might be high school counselors or coaches, club coaches, or perhaps even private tutoring services in your area.

Rick, one comment. You are focused on athletics seemly only. It would be a real shame to send a kid who his own father describes as NOT even a mediocre student off to a D1 or D2 school with all that pressure not having resolved his learning issues. That means to me, not a C average, off to college because he is an athlete.

I am not sure I'd want my son to graduate from a school that a less then 2.0 student can get into....my definition of mediocre is in the high two's so not mediocre is below that for me. I think you son is best served by working through his academic issues now and getting an education that matters. Sorry to say it but baseball is secondary to his ability to support himself in life at this juncture. Athletics aren't everything but figuring out how to make life work with his set of challenges is paramount. I am sure he can do it as so many successful people do but he needs your guidance for academics first at this juncture.

He may not even be an NCAA qualifier as a senior, making it even more important that you work through his learning difficulties now. Good Luck to you and especially him.

hartbreaker,

You have a PM.

Thanks for the input. I always thought his grades just weren't good enough for D1 or D2. I didn't realize that D3 schools were tougher academically. I've made it clear to him that ADD is not a crutch. He struggled the first two years of HS, changing meds, until they put him on Vyvance this year. That seems to really help and he notices it too. He's still growing (size 15 shoes).

I really wanted to find a school where he would 1)play 2)make a contribution to the team and 3)get a good education in the process. I was hoping playing baseball would be incentive to keep him in school, therefore giving him a "plan b", if a baseball career is not in his future. We're trying to keep it real.

quote:

Originally posted by hartbreakerr:

I really wanted to find a school where he would 1)play 2)make a contribution to the team and 3)get a good education in the process.

I'd suggest flipping those priorities around and then going from there.

Good advice here thus far.

quote:

Originally posted by calisportsfan:
Rick, one comment. You are focused on athletics seemly only. It would be a real shame to send a kid who his own father describes as NOT even a mediocre student off to a D1 or D2 school with all that pressure not having resolved his learning issues.

FYI - I am and have been a single baseball MOM for the past 12 years. Sometimes I think it's been harder on my son because coaches and teachers don't seem to take us Moms as seriously as baseball Dads. My son has made every team he's ever tried out for on his own merit - not because his dad was the coach or we knew someone. I know baseball. I was never one to drop my kid off at practices or pitching lessons. I sat, observed, and learned everything I could to help my son. I do promote academics. I keep in touch with his counselors and teachers and constantly monitor his schoolwork. My hope was that baseball would be his incentive to stay in school for four more years to get that education.

I couldn't agree more with what the others have said. When playing in college your priorities need to be SCHOOL first. You cannot play ball in college unless you maintain a GPA that is high enough to play...there are regulations. During my time in college we had plenty of great players that never got to play because they never had high enough grades.

In your situation I would definitely consider Junior College. It also sounds like you need to sit down and explain the importance of grades in college...most of the time the players just think they will be able to play regardless of the grades.

Heartb -

You are doing all the right things! I agree that baseball is an awesome motivator for all of our guys to continue to do well in school, or to step up more if they are not meeting their potential.

I have a few specific suggestions that could help you research this 'junior college with learning support and baseball' path.

If you are in the east, you might want to start your college research at a place like Dean College in MA. It is a JUCO with baseball (and I know nothing about the baseball there) but it has an amazing program for students who were not strong students in HS, due to learning issues. Their programs for students with LDs/ADD are nationally recognized as being among the best. Yes, it is an expensive path as a private 2 year, adn teh LD program costs extra. So I am not saying that should be the only place you look, but an unofficial visit with the coach, a tour of campus and a visit to learning support programs at Dean would be an excellent start to his college research.


Similarly, Curry College also in MA which I think is D2, has outstanding learning support. Some of the NY State community colleges also.

I know of one young man who is attending Penn College of Technology (a division of the Penn State System)- great LD support, got an education and a trade (HVACs) and he was able to play ball too. Might be another place to research and not as costly. Another one at a JUCO in New Jersey, but I don't recall the name.


Lackawanna College in PA is also a JUCO with baseball. Private but not crazy costs if I recall...

Hope this helps get your research started.

quote:

Originally posted by BaseballmomandCEP:
Heartb -

You are doing all the right things! I agree that baseball is an awesome motivator for all of our guys to continue to do well in school, or to step up more if they are not meeting their potential.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the the advice.

quote:

My hope was that baseball would be his incentive to stay in school for four more years to get that education.

hartbreakerr,

We have known many kids (baseball players) who have had ADD.

I know several kids with degrees because of the importance of baseball in their lives. If baseball helps your son get an education, more power to him.

They don't care so much about why he has a degree. If baseball was the reason, that is good enough.

Best of luck

quote:

Originally posted by PGStaff:

quote:

My hope was that baseball would be his incentive to stay in school for four more years to get that education.

hartbreakerr,

We have known many kids (baseball players) who have had ADD.

I know several kids with degrees because of the importance of baseball in their lives. If baseball helps your son get an education, more power to him.

They don't care so much about why he has a degree. If baseball was the reason, that is good enough.

Best of luck

I have been down this road with my two son's. The first one was not diagnosed with ADD until after his sophomore year of college. We got him help (medication and academic support). He wanted to stay at the University that he was at and play baseball.

With support, he was able to succeed both on the baseball field and in the classroom. Baseball was a HUGE motivating factor. He wanted to play baseball and was happy at the university that he was at. It wasn't untill HE DECIDED TO SUCCEED that he became a student.

My youngest took almost 3+ years to figure out what it took to succeed in the classroom. In spite of all the academic and medical efforts he didn't care enough to do what needed to succeed.

He was lucky enough to get a job where they told him that they had a "career opportunity" that he wanted if he got his college degree. This was enough motivation along with realization that he could not handle more than 4 classes at a time for him to find success. He has yet to graduate, but we believe that he will make it through in 5.5 years (better than not making it through).

As a parent; my advice is find a place where they will succeed. If this means that he doesn't play baseball his first or even second year, that is OK. He needs to be prepared to be a student. Playing baseball is a privlege. When he decides to succeed, he will but for him to put baseball ahead of school he may enjoy the experience but it will likely be very short lived.

hartbreakerr, Hi and welcome to this forum.

Sounds like your son will have lots of options to deal with in the baseball arena, he certainly has the physical characteristics any pitching coach is looking for! I would like to point out one big thing you need to look for at any school program you look at, ACADEMIC ADVISOR. Many of the good D1 programs have these people but not many have advisors for baseball only. They are usually split between two or three other sports plus baseball. The one I have experience with has a baseball only advisor but they have very high academic standards to get in. I agree with other posts in that you must ensure the school has a program that can help your son with ADD learning.

While JUCO may seem appealing, they usually have very little to offer for academic advisors because of the expense. Also, many juco's are community colleges with most students commuting back and forth from home so it may be difficult to hook up with a good study partner or group.

While it may be easier to get into a juco, I believe the larger 4 year programs are going to be able to offer more in the way of academic assistance to your son. They usually have better pitching coaches too, which is also something I would be looking for in any school.

MLB may also appear like a solution, but I would use extreme caution in this area. MiLB baseball is a very hard grind for a kid after 3 years of college much more so for a kid (17, 18, or 19) coming out of HS. I believe a consistent pitching coach at the college level for three or more years is a much better option for young pitchers. You will MOST LIKELY not have the same pitching coach over three years in MiLB. The only thing else I want say on this is that there are three pitchers I know who played with or against my son that went pro out of HS the year my son went to college that are no longer playing. All three were drafted in the first two rounds of the draft in 2008. Pitchers can and do make it out of HS, but I believe the odds are against them!

Certainly wishing you and your son the best of luck!!

Hartbreakerr,

Everything AL MA 08 said makes perfect sense.

There is no substitute for the academic support systems in place at the major conference D1's: academic advising, mandatory study hall, daily monitoring of attendance and grades, weekly meetings with the advisor, study skills workshops, academic centers with writing and math tutors standing by, weekly tutoring in whatever subjects the athlete requires.

You don't want your son attending any school, JUCO or D1, where the academic support consists of little more than head-of-the-line privileges at registration and a study room set aside in a corner of the library.

I advise total commitment to the goal of getting your son academically qualified for a school that has the kind of academic support AL MA 08 described.

Somebody on this site (might have been RJM, but I'm not sure) once made a pithy observation about baseball dads who, when presented with a son who is batting .250 and has a C in math, will spend money on a hitting coach instead of a tutor. With your son's athletic gifts and academic challenges, you do not want to be that dad.

Because your son stands out so dramatically on the ball field, you might not need to spend as much on exposure as other parents. However, you might need to spend more on academic help than other parents. Adjust your plan in recognition of this fact.

Work with your son's high school to get whatever help and accommodations they can provide, then be prepared to spend as much on tutors or other outside help as you would have spent on pitching lessons and travel ball.

One final piece of advice: once a young man reaches 6' 7", the half inches no longer matter.

Best wishes,

quote:

One final piece of advice: once a young man reaches 6' 7", the half inches no longer matter.

.

Does the same hold true for old men and their waistlines?



.

Wow,

Reading the original post is like reading about my own son. 6'-5" with same adhd problems. We have got him tutoring for SAT and ACT, working weekly with his teachers, etc. On top of all that, he missed 2 seasons due to TJ surgery and is only now begining to hit 80 as a Junior.

Nevertheless he still studies every night, works out with core work, flat grounds, bullpens, long toss evervy day in pursuit of his dream.

His Mon and Me are very proud that despite these challenges he keeps at it. Hopefully he will find a spot somewhere after graduating.

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:

One final piece of advice: once a young man reaches 6' 7", the half inches no longer matter.

It depends upon which direction you are referring.

quote:

Originally posted by Swampboy:
One final piece of advice: once a young man reaches 6' 7", the half inches no longer matter.

Best wishes,

Your advice is truly welcomed. I throw in the 1/2" mainly because he's still growing. My brother is 6'10" and my son still has peach fuzz on his face and just starting to get armpit hair! Lol His pediatrician predicts he'll grow another inch or 2.

It's true that he gets a lot of attention because of his size, but the 1st question out of the coach's mouth is "how are your grades?" He just took the SAT's for the 1st time, so we'll see what that looks like and go from there. He's also enrolled in a SAT prep course.

I'm sure every little guy dreams of the major leagues, and believe me, that would be awesome. But, I know what the odds are of making it - so that's why I am pushing for a college degree.

I'm positive that the right program and guidence, he will blossom in college. I just want to make sure that he gets that and is not lost in the shuffle.

Thank you again everyone for the advice and well wishes. You never know - you may just seem him someday in MLB.

quote:

While it may be easier to get into a juco, I believe the larger 4 year programs are going to be able to offer more in the way of academic assistance to your son. They usually have better pitching coaches too, which is also something I would be looking for in any school.

1. One reason JC's exist is to help underachieving HS students prepare for a 4 year school, I don't think academic assistance is an issue as JC's offer classes to prepare students for the introductory classes taught at 4 year schools. i.e. I think Cal math classes start with calculus, if your kid is at the algerbra level it won't matter how good the assistance is he won't make it at Cal, whereas the JC may not have much one-on-one assistance, it does have algerbra classes designed to prepare the student for calculus.


2. I don't think you can generalize about college divisions and coaching, all that really matters is that whatever school your son picks has a good pitching coach that is interested in haveing your son on his team. Ive seen and heard about numerous D1 coaches that were terrible.

I might also add a kid with a poor academic record might be well advised to take a red shirt year to get the academics lined up to maximize his transfer options.

Whether your son is at a JC or 4 year school its incumbant upon him to understand the classes he needs to take to transfer and/or graduate.

Just one thing to add to the words of wisdom.

Not only is baseball a great motivator, the exercise can be very helpful in "treating" the ADHD. One of the reasons I would like to see my son play baseball in college is so he gets the exercise and has the structure that baseball brings.

Update: 

 

We DID go to the Perfect Game tournament last August and had a blast.  It's definitely an experience that I would recommend to juniors & seniors.

 

My son worked hard during his senior year, keeping a 3.75 GPA.  This brought his cumulative GPA up enough to get through the NCAA Clearinghouse.  His SAT scores were not high enough, but his ACT score was great. 

 

He decided to work on his grades and pitching over the winter, instead of playing basketball.  This seemed to pay off for him as he will be graduating in about a week, and has been accepted to play Division 2 baseball at Flagler college in St. Augustine, FL.

 

Thank you to all those who offered advice, encouragement, and even some criticism.  This is a great site.  I'm a little sad about his high school baseball coming to an end, but I am so looking forward to seeing him move forward toward a college degree and still get to play the game he loves.

Congrats and all the best

Congratulations. I know a young man going to Flagler, He is finishing up his sophomore year. He did not go to Flagler for baseball, so I do not have any info on that front, but I know he loves the school.

congrats to your son! (& you too)

and

congrats to this websites members. 

 

it is refreshing to so many informative & helpful comments...

Don't you just love success stories!

 

Congrats to you and your son! 

Great to hear a nice outcome to your story! Good Luck!

Congrats!

So happy to hear this! 

When my son was in his freshman or sophomore year of high school, he came to us and told us that he thought he had a medical problem. Inability to focus in the classroom, disorganization, and a chronic inability to wake up in the morning were all bothering him and causing him to suffer in school. He told us that some others at school had shown the same symptoms, and that they'd gone on medication that seemed to really help.

 

HIs grades through middle school had been good, but they'd been declining since he'd started high school. We attributed much of his difficulty to adolescence and the growing number of interests competing for his attention.However, it didn't take long in an interview with his physician to conclude that he suffered from the classic symptoms of a form of ADD.

 

Once medicated, the improvement we saw was remarkable; and, fortunately, it turned out to be a medication that he could live with for quite some time without experiencing unwanted side effects. He stayed on it throughout college, and it gave him sufficient ability to focus that he succeeded in the classroom quite well.

 

Without the diagnosis and proper medication, I'm pretty sure that he would've been unable to follow his chosen path. It made all the difference in the world.

 

(By the way, many drugs used to combat various ADD disorders are banned by the NCAA. However, if properly diagnosed, prescribed, and documented with the university, an exception will be made.)