Advice for clueless dad

Ok, first, a "tumble" from .540 to .420 isn't much of a tumble. One time my son was all upset when, as a 12 year old, he went 1-3...his coach said "Son, if you go 1-3 for the rest of your life, I'll be at your Hall of Fame induction."

Now for the more serious stuff. Failing a class isn't the end of the world, but it should be taken seriously. It is certainly not too late to achieve his goals (assuming his goal is to play baseball in college). Has he taken the ACT or SAT? He needs to focus on those and be prepared for those, because qualifying is based on a sliding scale (higher the ACT score, the lower GPA needed to qualify, and vice versa). You haven't said what kind of school he wants to get into and what his overall GPA is. Some kids blow off a class because they don't like the teacher, don't do the work, get a D, but get As in all other classes and end up in law school...oh wait, I have probably said too much

In other words, take a DEEP breath, and don't presume that because you read people here talking about "deals" that are made when a kid is a sophomore, or just starting as a junior, or as a 6th grader, that you're behind. You aren't.

The realities are that virtually noone gets a full ride on baseball. Academics are what makes up the difference between what you get for baseball and the rest of the tuition. If you can be good enough at academics, you might not need baseball money at all, and if you can play, that might make you even more attractive to the coach. Academics are going to be even more important if the new rules stand, so that should be the message you give to your son. Don't give up, work harder on calculus than on hitting the changeup to right field, and everything will be just fine.

He just took his SAT on Saturday so we don't know what kind of scores he has there. I don't really know what his GPA is. I've only just discovered he was struggling with two or three of his classes a couple weeks ago and I'm just now trying to come to terms with it.

I'm not sure what kind of college he'd hoped to attend. Whatever kind, he's convinced he's no longer eligible. How many different kinds of colleges are there? Yesterday he was saying that if any colleges were interested in him he should have already gotten letters from them. Is this true?

First, I bet he is still going to be eligible, presuming his overall GPA isn't 0.00 (to use the Animal House phrase). However, a really low GPA might mean that he can't get admitted to some of the more selective private schools. This is the time to look at the various college guides and see which ones admit students with your son's GPA and SAT profile. I don't know if the SAT offers it, but the ACT offered that you could get your score even earlier if you paid extra. We did it because we couldn't stand the waiting!

Second, the HS season is NOT where the coaches see players. After all, that is when their teams are playing. The key time for him is going to be this summer coming up. If he is playing summer ball and can get to a couple of showcases, particularly a Perfect Game one, his name will get out there.

He can't get called by any coaches until July 1, and DON'T make a big deal out of that day. My son didn't get any calls on July 1...or 2.....or 3 (you get the point) and he will be playing college baseball for a D1 school next year.

Another thing you can do is be proactive, if there are schools that he wants to attend, then have him write those coaches. You might be surprised at the responses. Good luck, it's a rollercoaster ride, but it's a fun one!

Check with his guidance counselor. In many school districts if a student gets a D or lower on a final grade the opportunity exists to retake the class online over the summer and whatever grade he achieves (assuming it is better) will replace the lower or failing grade.

quote:

by 123: he was saying that if any colleges were interested in him he should have already gotten letters from them. Is this true?

depends ... how many intro letters has he sent to college coaches he's interested in playing for?
never mind, I think I know ..

suggest a glance at the info section & recruiting guidline here - parents section/recruiting timeline

next, contact TRhit (Tom at College Select) as he is familiar with your area & can provide more specific insight

finally, I have no clue if your son can get into college, I don't even know him ...

but it's not lookin' good that you couldn't g'estimate your son's gpa ..
it's something that many colleges are kinda fussy about during the application process - AND
one of the first 2 questions any college coach will ask.

also of importance is the fact that ncaa hs CORE COURSE requirements must be met & cleared by the ncaa clearinghouse - it's one of the places his guidance counselor recommended you had your SAT scores sent to, right?

welcome to the board & good luck, tho you are behind, there is alot of help here

quote:

Originally posted by strike123:
I don't really know what his GPA is. I've only just discovered he was struggling with two or three of his classes a couple weeks ago and I'm just now trying to come to terms with it.

I'm not sure what kind of college he'd hoped to attend. Whatever kind, he's convinced he's no longer eligible. How many different kinds of colleges are there? Yesterday he was saying that if any colleges were interested in him he should have already gotten letters from them. Is this true?

I realize that you most likely are not familiar with the baseball recruiting process and that's ok.
I don't get the part about not being familiar with his GPA. Regardless of being a HS athlete or not, how does a parent NOT know what their child's GPA in HS is?

You need to find out asap what courses he has been taking, college prep or general? Was the math he failed necessary to graduate and go to college (general math vs. algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.

Bad year from .546 to .420? Some players would be more than happy with that drop.

I wish you and your son luck, but for parents reading this, any level, there are many things involved that get you there, not just good baseball stats or being the team stud.

One of the good programs we have here in NY is the SUNY system (State University of New York). You can find out about their schools at www.suny.edu.
Many of the Community Colleges have some type of open admissions program. In our area we have SUNY Orange (Orange County Community College. If you are an Orange County, NY resident and graduate from HS they will accept you. Once you take the placement exams they may place you into remedial English or Math Courses that may, or may not count towards graduation. The students can mature and get their gades up and possibly transfer into a 4 year school that they may not have qualified for coming out of HS.

Many of these schools in NY have D2 Junior College Baseball. Some are very competitive. Some have scholarship money available for sports. The student will have to maintain grades to get on, and stay on the team.

Doesn't hurt to contact those schools and baseball coaches. Keep your options open.

By the way SUNY Orange Colts won their Regional Championships again this year. Go OCCC!

JUCO might be a good route for your son. Some very strong baseball in JUCO. And the grades would be less of an impediment. Hopefully you can help your son use this experience to gain motivation academically.

123

Perhaps this will give you some solace---my own son was a poor HS student , 2.2 GPA who saw the light in the fall of his senior year when he could not get into the college he wanted and which had a full scholarship waiting for him---it kicked him right in the teeth---he worked harder showed improvement in the final 6 months---it didn't up the GPA but showed he could he do it if he wanted---he ended up at a major Division I program in the southwest where he played regularly and graduated with a 2.7 GPA and his degree in Hotel Management and Tourism

What I am saying is that it is not over until its over--your son just needs to buckle down--one bad grade doesn't kill you---also I would ask the guidance counselor to keep you informed regularly of his progress in the classroom so you can nip a problem in the bud if needed.

A few questions:

Has he registered with the Clearinghuse yet ? You want to make sure he has all the needed core classes.

What is his overall GPA?

Get the SAT score as quickly as you can --if it is low you want him to take it again as quickly as possible---perhaps even take a SAT prep course over the summer if needed

If you would like to talk about the options/alternatives he has at this point please feel free to touch base with me


Tom Rizzi
TRhit@msn.com
800-782-3672

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
JUCO might be a good route for your son.

Please pardon my ignorance, but what is JUCO? Is this an abbreviation for junior college? What is a junior college?

Correct. A junior college offers freshman and sophomore level courses, and awards only associates degrees. To get a bachelors degree, the students transfer to a four year college after completing their first two years at the JUCO.

quote:

Originally posted by Bee>:

suggest a glance at the info section & recruiting guidline here - parents section/recruiting timeline

Bee,

Thanks for the reference. I've printed out the recruiting timeline and will study it over my days off. After a brief look its painfully obvious that we've really dropped the ball so far. My boy only just sent his first contact letters last week and has yet to take his SAT's. Last Saturday was only a practice SAT as I recently found out.

I never realized how important GPA is in the recruiting process--never payed attention to it. His, according to my wife, was about 2.5 at the end of last year. I don't know what it is now but will definitely find out.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom R:

Many of the Community Colleges have some type of open admissions program.

Our local Community College (Cayuga County) doesn't have a baseball program. Many of the locals feel this is a shame because we live in a "Baseball" town.

The college my son is currently interested in is a SUNY college (Cortland). I need to talk to him and find out why he's reallly interested in going there. I know that his best friend Mike (varsity pitcher) has chosen that school and suspect this may be influencing his thoughts and feelings about Cortland. I saw a letter he wrote last week, addressed to the coach there. I just found out this evening that he never sent it.

Thanks for the advice. Some of the guys here at work just told me that the Onondaga Community College has a baseball program. It's something I can look into.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
123


Has he registered with the Clearinghuse yet ? You want to make sure he has all the needed core classes.

What is his overall GPA?

Get the SAT score as quickly as you can --if it is low you want him to take it again as quickly as possible---perhaps even take a SAT prep course over the summer if needed

If you would like to talk about the options/alternatives he has at this point please feel free to touch base with me

TRhit

He's not registered with NCAA clearinghouse as far as I know, hasn't taken the SAT's yet, and by the end of this year his GPA will probably be around 2.0 according to my wife who recently spoke with the guidance counselor.

Also, thanks for the invitation. I may take you up on this if I need to. I appreciate your input.

Talk with his counselor. My son's counselor had a chart which predicted the range in score my son would receive on the SAT and ACT tests, based on his performance on the PSAT and PLAN tests sophomore year. This will help you get an idea of what schools he could attend. Go to SUNY's and other schools' websites and click on "Admissions" or "Prospective Students." Oftentimes, the school will give a median score or 25-75% range for its SAT's and ACT's and you can see how your son measures up against the competition. Unless he tests really well, you will probably want to pay for private tutoring or a test preparation class leading up to the ACT/SAT. The school counselor can advise regarding a tutor or prep class.

Regarding your son's letters to college coaches, he may need a little oversight from you so he will follow through on the plan. Oftentimes, boys that age need a bit of prodding.

Best wishes as you get up to speed!

Some kids just take a bit longer to "get" the academic part of the equation. I would suggest that your son stop feeling helpless and decide on what his vision of the future is. This is grown up stuff so don't expect it's going to happen overnight. If he really wants to play at the next level then he has to take charge: contact some college coaches, sign up for a showcase, see if there are any college camps and resolve to improve the math grade. I don't think you're all that far behind. But your son needs to start working. It will certainly help if he can show an improvement in his grades next year. Even if he cannot bring his GPA up tremendously, any incremental improvement shows he's trying. We got almost weekly progress reports at one point during our son's junior and part of senior year. It kept us in the loop and let the school know we were serious. Just don't let him get down on his baseball AND school...there is always a new day ahead! Good luck and keep posting

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:

I don't get the part about not being familiar with his GPA. Regardless of being a HS athlete or not, how does a parent NOT know what their child's GPA in HS is?

I'm not going to excuse myself for my ignorance as this won't help my son achieve his goals. I will, however, offer a brief explanation. First, I myself didn't realize how important a GPA is with regard to getting into college. I myself didn't have any trouble getting accepted into any college and I don't even know what my GPA was. In fact, I was a general ed student who went to vo-tech in high school. Then again, I never applied to any good colleges, just those that were local.

Also, I have another, younger son who will begin high school next year. He is also a baseball player and seems to have more natural talent than his big brother. But, he is autistic. Even so, we truly believe that with the right support and preparation, he may also be able to play ball at the college level. I don't think this has ever been done, and I know that he will have many mountains to climb in order to get there. This year we have had to focus very heavily on getting him the support and services he needs to help him succeed through highschool and beyond. Meanwhile, I was counting on my neuro-typical kids to make good decisions about their education on there own.

I didn't pay enough attention. I should've realized that the intense amount of practice being required by this new coach, as well as the pressure he puts on his players to perform (he's like the "Bobby Knight" of baseball) would impact my son's desire to stay on top of his school work. The coach seems to have singled out my son and one other player on the team and ridden them very hard. He's usually angry with them and points out every mistake. He even called my kid a F...in retard in the dugout for asking what he must've thought was a stupid question. On another occasion he openly blamed him for a loss in front of the team. This season has definitely been an emotional roller coaster ride for him, and I can understand that his grades and self-esteem have suffered. We'll get this straightened out together.

quote:

Bad year from .546 to .420? Some players would be more than happy with that drop.

Actually, todays paper indicates a .409 average. Even worse than I thought. I'm sure that my son feels that he needs to make up for his poor grades by improving his performance on the field. Thus, he's probably being too uptight at the plate. I'll make sure he understands that it's not his stats he needs to worry about right now, but his academics. I bet he'll start hitting again soon after.

Thanks, Tiger Paw Mom, for your kind words of encouragement.

123, you're right -- he's probably pressing at the plate. Try to keep it all positive. Sounds like he's under some unbelievable pressure.

The coach sounds like a moron and a jerk. It's truly sad that guys like him are given authority and influence over teenage boys. A pathetic excuse for a coach.

Thanks for sharing...there's a lesson in this: Parents need to spend more time becoming conversant with son's GPA than his batting average.

The good news is there's some time left, but it will be tough to resurrect 3 years of GPA in 1-2 semesters. Depending on his/your aspirations/expectations for a college, he may have dug himself a pretty big hole.

There's GREAT advice in this thread...I'd strongly recommend taking up TRhit's invite to call him directly.

S123,
I have noticed that you are a writer and have 4 children, one autistic.

Sometimes we jump to conclusions too quickly when we don't understand why parents are not too involved with all that goes on in their children's lives.

You must have a full plate.

My suggestion would be for you to take some time to read all of the recruting information on this website to better understand the process and what is involved to better help your son to understand (you might want to share wiht him as well).

Good luck.

I also never knew my son's GPA. I asked him once in 5 years if he had his home work done after a 4 day weekend tournament. I did read his report cards but as long as he did well I was leaving him alone.
Some kids need guidance and others resent it. We were always thyere to help but he never asked. We didn't allow him to go to parties until he was a senior and there was little involvement with girls other than as friends.
What you have to hope for is your son figures it out that there is more than just BB to worry about. Yes he may need your advice about how important it is to have a good school record past BB. The days of working for a company for life are long gone and you may switch jobs several times during your life time.

Just wanted to thank everyone who replied to my post for their input and advice. I've learned a good deal about the recruiting process and college. There's still a lot of work to do on our end but at least we've got a good start. Thank you all.

Dave