84 as a HS LHP jr

My 2025 LHP was pretty similar velo as a jr but he stopped growing at 6ft 0-1.   I think a very real issue is that kids start to have injuries at age 16/17 and velo above 85.  All that subtle wear/tear from all that youth baseball starts to become evident and you're now able to mount forces great enough to break things. If I had to do it all over, I would take my kid to Randy Sullivan at the Florida Baseball Armory for an analysis and do whatever he said.  Then I'd do his remote program or go back periodically for a check up.  Read those 2 sentences again.  Unless your kid is a true high level D1 or draft eligible pitcher and will benefit from the exposure of a national or high level regional club team; this will be a MUCH better use of your baseball dollars.

In short, given the current state of college baseball recruiting I think your son (with your help) needs to "get after it" right now.  Let the college coaches decide what is his upside, and where he could potentially fit in a rotation.  He has a recruiting advantage being a LHP...use it.  It took my son 22 months to find the right fit based on what he wanted to get out of college.   Lots of things happened in those 22 months.   Some of it we controlled, and some of it was out of our control.  Luck was part of it.

If you think he is JUCO or HA Ivy candidate then pursue it with everything you got to actually prove it out based on what your son wants to get out of his 4 or more years.  I know from an Ivy recruiting perspective they have (already) identified some high school junior candidates and constantly sifting through others given the challenges of D1 athletics combined with stiff academic requirements.   Lean on your high school, and travel coach to get you started....now.   Of course there are many resources here to assist as well.   Tick tock.

As always, JMO.

(my 2 cents)

#1:Ivy and Juco are worlds apart.......

#2: Go where you are loved, and have an honest chance to play.

#3: Appreciate those that give you real evaluations, then make the best choice you can.

#4: Make sure that your kid finds happiness in the process, otherwise it ain't worth it and he won't do it.

#5: It's a grind, so don't forget to smile! (you'll attract the right people)

If he has the grades and test scores (and you have the $$$), I'd pursue Ivy's or HA D3. Use baseball as a tool for his education.

This may be the first time I’ve seen JuCo and Ivy in the same sentence. Your son isn’t a pro prospect. He is a lefty. Take JuCo off the list and start thinking Ivy and HA D3.

I think we can take more care on how we phrase things here.  I know how JUCO  and HA can come up in the same sentence.  I feel I know exactly where Texaslefty is coming from.  First baseball kid?  probably.  It's hard to know exactly where he fits right?  Physically he will look the part if he is 6ft3+. And he's a lefty. All we are told, when he was young, is how much of an advantage being a lefty is.  But I suspect "84" might really be 80-84.  I know because I do it too. So hence the JUCO thoughts.  D1's aren't sniffing around but you don't know absolutely for sure how it will turn out. So you say maybe he just needs time to develop at a JUCO. But I suspect my kid academically is a lot like your kid. It is probably not a good fit to be at a JUCO no matter what.  And I suspect, with the changes in college baseball, the Ivy's will be getting a lot of "drop down" interest in the years to come and those spots will be even harder to get.  So again, train somewhere where he can optimize his mechanics and stay healthy. Then see how it goes.  My kids team has a few kids where that extra 2-3 inches of growth really changed things for them. But if it is high academic D3, so be it.  He would still be an amazing kid to be able to combine that level of academics and athletics.  And nothing says he can't transfer if he just happens to turn out to be a freshman D3 All-American pitcher.

Fantastic post by @Dadbelly2023! And yes, for a TX prospect with excellent academic record Juco and HA can certainly coexist, and both be viable and realsitic. I would, however, echo @fenwaysouth and consider "getting after it" if ivies are the goal. Given the current landscape, whether warranted or not, theres a growing perception the ivies, patriots, and a few others may represent some degree of refuge from the overrecruiting storm, so supply/demand dynamics may pressure standards (higher) and timing (sooner) before all the chairs are occupied when the proverbial music stops (sooner). Velo and pitchability progress, and then exposure strategy will matter to ultimate success. Yes, as a LEFT handed PITCHER, your window should stretch into next August, but with what Im seeing, that may only be true for half the ivies, and the majority if not all of the patriots. With the changes in college baseball and all the domino and trickle down effects, the standards are moving higher and the window compressing some. And as @nycdad alluded to, be prepared to pay for those safe harbors. The more a TX prospect wants to play in their home state, the more realstic the JUCO route is. Options increase the further away from home theyre willing to venture.

Appreciate the conversation.  @Dadbelly2023 has my situation right on.  It’s a freaking dilemma.  

@GratefulNTXlurker is living in my mind too - refuge from the overrecruiting storm  

just needed to have a conversation to get thoughts out of my head and some clarity   Very much appreciate it  

Just FYI, Ivies don't take transfers, so there won't be any "drop-down" effect there.  Good luck with the process. For HA schools, remember to tell your son to continue taking all his core courses, including four years of lab science and advanced math. Don't drop the foreign languages. He needs to be academically qualified, not just have a high GPA.   Look for January camps at the Ivies this winter break.

Your son is young and still has time to grow and change. In his sophomore year in high school, my son was a kicker for the football team and the second-string third-baseman; now he is a minor-league pitcher. You never know what will happen. Wishing you a fun junior spring!