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When you guys say stats are inflated by teams playing against private schools, be careful. There are some stacked private schools out there that play in very competitive conferences. The top rated high schools in the nation, American Heritage in Florida, Don Bosco Prep in NJ, Bishop Gorman in LV, Crespi Carmelite and Orange Lutheran in SOCAL, Brophy Prep in AZ, St Paul IV in Virginia, Calvert Hall in Maryland and Catholic leagues from California to New York have very competitive leagues and non conference foes. With players on those teams, stats matter a bit more than your average school. Don Bosco had over 10 players commit to D-I...and not all of it was what they did in the summer. They play a tough schedule and attract a lot of scouts to their games.
Well put. Here in Texas, Second Baptist in Houston, Houston Christian School, Prestonwood Christian in Dallas, Argyle Liberty, and a few other larger private schools compete well not only against other strong private school programs, but also against many public schools. In addition, they have had many players receive offers from top D1 programs and be drafted, oftentimes in upper rounds.
A few examples:
* Aaron Thompson,a LHP from Second Baptist High School, was the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins and also received a scholarship to Texas A&M
* Nino Leyja, a SS from Houston Christian, was drafted in the 15th round by the Oakland A's this year
* Liberty Christian SS Carson Blair was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball draft in June and received a scholarship to Tulane
* In 2007, at least three Prestonwood Christian players had outstanding achievements: Jordan Swagerty was named to the USA Junior Olympic Baseball Team, Hunter Hill was selected in the 38th round by the Texas Rangers, and Cameron Rupp received a scholarship to the Univ. of Texas and was selected in the 43th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates
That said, for every outstanding private school program in America, there are probably 10-20 mediocre ones. (Believe me, as the parent of a former private school player, I've seen my share!) College recruiters know all about the strong private programs, but when considering a prospect from a weaker program, they most likely are a little more suspect of high batting averages and outstanding statistics. For players from lesser programs, it helps to play on a top summer team, where success on that type of team can add legitimacy to the prospect's worth.