Would like to hear anyone's experiences at VA Div 1 schools. Thanks.
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Not a son, but all sorts of Cardinals alumni now. UVA, VT, Radford, Longwood, VMI and W&M guys already matriculated, plus additional guys going to JMU in the future.
But geez, you're asking us to write you a book. Are there specific points you're trying to compare/contrast?
For most players, the decisions are based on considerations of academic fit, campus life preferences and comfort level, the level of play, playing time opportunity perceptions, and finances. There is no one answer as to which is better. The question to ask is, which is the best fit for this one player?
Was curious about other's experiences as far as recruiting with VA Colleges. Just starting out, was just wanting others to share and learn from them. Thanks.
Murdock,
When I first join this board I used the "hunt and Peck" method reviewing all the forum old posts.....alsoe use dthe search function to search for info on specific schools and or topics....there is already a vast amount of great info on this site....I spent hours and hours reading and learning....If you have specfic questions there is no better place to get help than this site...good luck
If you want your son to get 1st hand experience you may want to look into my Virginia College Bus Tour. We'll be seeing 21 schools in 4 days. Tours of each school given by the coaches from that school. 2 workouts at centrally located colleges.
Here is the link to a forum post with all the details. http://community.hsbaseballweb...ent/2982475077824485
Rich
Originally Posted by Smoltzie29:
Was curious about other's experiences as far as recruiting with VA Colleges. Just starting out, was just wanting others to share and learn from them. Thanks.
Smoltizie29,
We realize you are new. You need to realize it is a tough question to answer without any background info or statement about what you are looking for. The Virginia D1 schools and D3 schools (that I'm familiar) with have a lot to offer. Help us help you by sharing a little more specifics. Thanks.
Just basically trying to get advice on those who have already been through the recruiting process. Things you would have done differently. Things you wish you would have known. How did your son get recruited (travel ball, showcases, etc.) Our son is high school freshman, and wondering what your experiences were along the way to college ball.
Welcome to the High School Baseball Web, Smoltzie.
These message boards are filled with over 10 years of posts about the very information that is of interest to you. Most of us who frequent this site started out exactly like you. We had a high school Freshman who was passionate about the game, and we wanted to bring ourselves up-to-speed sufficiently to serve as a resource to him as he progressed.
Like dad43, we also began by searching and reading...and reading...and reading. The more we searched, the more we discovered information that we thought might be of value down the road. The more we searched, the better, more specific our questions became; as we both came to learn the enduring fundamentals of baseball recruiting and came up short on more specific topics of interest to us.
Given what you have told/asked us, I'd recommend the following: For subjects like the ones you expressed in your last post, I'd focus on this "Recruiting Questions" board. Then, as you begin to learn more about the relative value of showcases, travel ball, etc.; you can begin to refine your knowledge on the "Showcase" and "Summer Team" boards.
As for the Virginia-specific questions, I'd research the "Ask About Colleges" and "Virginia" forums. Between those two, I'd be amazed if you didn't find quite a bit written about every college baseball program in the commonwealth.
Moving away from this website, I think Rich has put you on to a potentially valuable experience through his planned tour of Virginia college programs.
Again, welcome to the site. Like the vast majority of us before you, I think the time you spend here will aid you immensely in discovering the knowledge you seek.
Prepster - thank you! I didn't know that this was so difficult to get responses to. Just needed guidance starting out on a path with a high school freshman who already plays on a college showcase team and has a bright future. I just wanted to hear from other parents of their experiences to college ball and how your player got to that level. I apologize for making this such a broad request. Just wanting to learn and read as we go along this path. Thank you.
You're very welcome, Smoltzie.
As you read through prior threads, you're going to "hear" a great deal from those who have gone before you.I predict that your learning curve is going to be a steep and pleasant one as you spend time here.
Smoltzie -
Don't take offense. The people on this board have a wealth of information. The better information you can give, the better answers they can give.
In general, the state of Virginia offers top notch educational institutions. 2 schools (UVa #1 & W&M #4) were named today as Princeton Reviews "top bang for your buck public schools". Many other schools including those 2 routinely rank on top lists in almost every category. But some don't.
The state of Virginia also happens to boast very competitive baseball at all levels. We have D1 & D3 schools that have played in their respective CWS (UVA & CNU). Teams play in leagues of various levels too.
My College Bus Tour is really meant to give kids a look at a cross section of everything the state has to offer. We'll see public, private, large, medium, small, city, country, beach, mountain, high academic, normal academic, all boys, co-ed, etc, etc.
Keep researching. Go watch games. Try to get on campuses.
Rich
Smoltzie,
Please don't take offense. Nobody is trying to withhold info.
There are 13 D1 baseball programs in Virginia. They play in top conferences (ACC), midmajor conferences (CAA, Atlantic 10, and Big South), and lower tier conferences (MEAC). Academics range from extremely competitive to open admission. They range from very expensive private schools to very affordable state schools. Each attracts different kinds of students and different kinds of players.
There are a couple dozen people here who could write books about their experiences with Virginia D1 programs, but you need to help narrow it down.
It would be best for you to read up on the old threads as Prepster suggests, then come back either with specific questions or with information about your son's academic and baseball situation so folks will have an idea of the kind of information that might be helpful to you.
Regardless of the details of your son's situation, most people here would tell any ninth grader to 1) do as well as possible in the most serious college prep academic program he can handle, 2) play for his high school team and a solid travel program, and 3) start getting serious about conditioning and strength training. That advice may be all he needs for the next year or so.
Best wishes,
And I'll add that it may be a little naive to discount D3's.
While there may be no "athletic" money to dole out I have found that many athletes are good students and end up paying less at private D3 schools then their counter parts receiving 25% athletic scholarships.
Rich
Rich - Ah, something I know about. Yes, oldest son went to a private va college. Got $30k in academic s'ship plus a State Grant ("TAG") so that made tuition lower than going to a public school, so I try to tell everyone NOT to let the sticker price of private schools scare you off. Thanks for all the info so far.
Smoltie -
Good for your son! Must be a good kid.
You'd be shocked how many families I run across chasing baseball money while they dont realize that their kids success in the class room is their ticket to money.
And as far as I can tell, money is money. Does it matter what bucket it comes from?
Rich