Are we Headfirst / High Academic material?

To answer the question in your topic title, yes.  Very definitely yes.

And good for your son for what sounds like a pretty mature outlook on this whole thing.

Just based on his grades I'd say the short answer is yes.  And many of these schools no longer require ACT/SAT scores for submission so even if his test score does not improve that much it may no matter (depending on the school he targets - the list of schools that don't require test scores is growing).  I couldn't say if you should be targeting high academic D1 or D3 schools based on what you posted.  I can say that a RHP with that velo and those grades would draw a lot of interest at Headfirst (assuming he also pitched well).

Joe: 3.8 GPA (unweighed) is very good.  Practice ACT scores good, has he considered SAT? (some kids do better on one versus the other, though I think the format of the SAT just changed). 3 MPH more on fastball will help if RHP and PO.

Definitely HF material as there is a breadth of coaches there all geography all levels.  I echo JB's comment on picking the best school he can, and to play baseball there. Heard the comment on more than one occasion in my son's recruiting journey that it is a 40 year decision/ commitment, not a 4 year. (degrees are worth more at certain places versus others).

Assuming he's a Junior, he's in line with my son's numbers (maybe a little behind academically and a little ahead athletically, based just on what you've shared here) when he started the recruiting process last summer.  Mine got a substantial amount of interest from DIII academics, and ended up committing to ED at Macalester in the fall.

IMO, if academics are his first priority, he should have lots of places to choose from where he'll get a great education and have the opportunity to play if he wants to do so.  

Money may be the bigger issue depending on your situation, though at the best academic schools, aid tends to be need-blind and the schools committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated need. Even though my son also got merit aid, it seemed that merit aid was generally more widely available at the schools just a notch below the top tier, since those schools are competing to nab the students who will actually bring the school test score averages up going forward.

As of now he is not planning on taking SAT.  For the most part its ACT around here.  I want to say my wife (who is in education) looked into the SAT vs ACT thing and felt he was actually more suited for ACT but I could be wrong.  This is more her area of expertise.

Right now he is a two way player.  Has a good bat and decent bat speed.  The guys who run his program, a respected program her in the midwest, feel that he would probably go to school as a PO but are not also discounting the ability to play a position as well if that opportunity should arise.   He has decent speed, not sure what his current 60 is.  

justbaseball, I happen to agree that he has a good mature outlook on this.  Which is good as I am seeing many many kids (2017s) just getting caught up in the fact that they want to play college ball anywhere they can.  I would like to see him play, but it needs to be what he wants and the right opportunity.  

JOES87, you seem to be on the right track with your son who seems similar to mine except mine is a catcher. My sons plan was always to use baseball as a way of getting into the best school academically as possible. Target the schools you have interest in and find out where they will be as far as showcases. We did not do HF but I have heard nothing  but good things about it and kind of wish we had. I can tell you that we did Stanford which in itself was an excellent camp and where the college coach saw my son play. He has an offer but it's pending a SAT subject test score he just took.  As far as which test, my son took both, first the SAT's and then the ACT for the heck of it. After a couple of tries on the SAT he scored a 2090. He scored a 33 on his first try on the ACT's and really did not study for it. So if I were to offer advice it would be to take both, it really couldn't hurt so why not.

Good luck

Short answer: yes, he's got the right background.  I echo standball's comments about taking both SAT and ACT, but I'd wait to see what his next ACT score is.  If he nails the 33+ you're looking for, my understanding is that, along with the grades you mention in a rigorous academic program,  should take care of the academic side of the equation.  No need to take the SAT.  Then it'll come down to baseball ability.  Headfirst helped my son (and should help your's)  get more exposure, assuming you do the legwork by sending emails and otherwise contacting the schools your son is interested in ahead of time.  It's well run, and the coaches are available for your son to meet.

joes87 posted:

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Anyway Im starting to think we should look into the high academic course for him.  He is currently saying that the school he goes to will win out over playing baseball.   He is concerned about going to a "good school" and if the baseball opportunity is there he will play, but he is not interested in playing ball for a lower academic school.  

Yes, based upon your son's comments, desires and results.  Furthermore, he can increase his high academic school options significantly by scoring higher on the ACT, keeping a high GPA, and developing his baseball tools.  There are all kinds of high academic options out there.  This board is full of them with all kinds of different situations and goals.  Sometimes the toughest part is figuring out which one fits your son. 

Good luck! 

All thanks for the info. 

Yes, as all have said, high academic material.

28 ACT throwing 88mph is certainly in the Ivy / Patriot conversation in my experience.  28 ACT throwing 83mph is in the strong, but not the highest, D3 academic discussion.

If you haven't already, getting a vetted schools list together (schools where your 2017 could make the Spring roster and could be admitted...can include some stretch schools...) and beginning to message those schools now is important for your 2017.  Cast a wide net at this stage particularly since the Summer 2016 mph and Spring ACT score are unknown.

There's been a lot of posts this week about D3 commitments.  Some great schools.  The details of each player's journey, including their academic and athletic stats, will give you a good idea of what those schools are looking for.  Good luck!

Choosing the school first is a great choice.  I would also say that once you start to narrow down your schools, look at each schools academic scholarship requirements and determine if you need to re-take the ACT or SAT tests to get an academic scholarship (free money is the best kind).   Also, there is an app out there called scholly (I have no benefit from mentioning the app and we are using it now).  The app was developed by a former college student and it helps find thousand of scholarships possibilities.  There are scholarships out there for left handed people, you wear glasses - one for you too, or even from Burger King ($50k).  Good luck at Head First, we had a great experience there.

Agree with Branson. Assuming normal progression, academics under control and no character issues, he is already within the range of some fine, fine colleges. So, time to start creating lists.

You can help him (and the family's sanity) by beginning to think about the specific type of school he would like: big, little, south, north, city, rural. Talk openly about potential majors and use that in your learning (recognize that most kids change their initial choices).

Look at your finances. Most of the top tier academic schools don't have merit scholarships, but most have fine FA for middle class families (leaving for the school to determine middle class). If your not getting FA, look closely at how many kids you need to get through school and recognize that for those top tier schools, the cost of over 60k per year - for most people full pay means cuts in life styles and reducing savings towards retirement.

Whenever the family is near a college, go visit and check it out -'the field, the gym, the library, the food service; try to find the "center" of the campus (wherever the kids hang out). If you can get him to do so, have him seek out the coach (just ask anyone where his office is) and introduce himself. Have an envelope with his scores and transcript ready to leave behind. If he buys off on that, don't go with him; let him stumble through this part of the process alone. Recognize that they will like some colleges for what you think are crazy reasons, and vice versa, but there's lots of colleges out there and his academics have crossed the bar for most.

Then overlay that onto the quality of baseball he'd prefer- CWS type schools, league championship type schools (e.g., Ivy), more relaxed, less relaxed, etc., and you'll have a large box within which to let him decide. 

Always have open and frank and realistic discussions; lots of heart ache can be avoided.

The earlier a good realistic list is created, the less pressure the family will be under and the more you can create a better exposure list of showcases/camps, whatever.

Congrats, the kid is in a good spot with lots of potential options open.

Echo all said above.  Relating to student athletes and making sure you find a school that's a good fit for you as a student first.

Just ran into a friend whose son was a top '14 football player and 34 ACT kid.  He was late to the recruiting process because his parents thought he was so good, a good college would find him.  Eventually, he was lucky to find an opportunity at Davidson. The family and player were excited.

This family and kid didn't visit many colleges to figure out what might be a good fit.  

The kid is into the 3rd semester; a new player showed up and took his starting position. He went from being a player in demand to just another student.  He was miserable, his parents had to force him back onto the plane to get back to school the past two semesters.  

Fortunately the kid has performed academically and will likely succeed transferring to another top school to finish college. Hopefully he'll enjoy his college experience the last two years.  

Just another student-athlete story......