Asking college coaches questions

Thanks for sharing --- good information.

twotex:

I'd really like to hear what the new coach at BC described as the differences between the DI and DIII lifestyles.

I was thinking the same thing as 3rdG

He said that at BC they start their day at 615 in the weight room, then classes, then study hall, then workouts, etc. Basically baseball/school from 615am to 9pm, and that this type of focus isn't for everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by twotex:
He said that at BC they start their day at 615 in the weight room, then classes, then study hall, then workouts, etc. Basically baseball/school from 615am to 9pm, and that this type of focus isn't for everyone.

They find time to eat in there somewhere, but that is a basic day in the life of a D1 player. Much less baseball for a D3.

This was the same day described to us on our campus visits by NAIA, JUCO's, D2's, and a couple low level D1's. We didn't talk to D3's so I can't speak for them, but it seemed to me they all have the same kind of intensive program in college baseball.

TrueFan28-It is my understanding that the NCAA rules on number and length of practices is different for D1 and D3 (i.e. fewer practices allowed and shorter practice season). I am not up to speed on the details but I believe that is what Birdman was implying.

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Originally posted by TrueFan28:
Birdman why do you have to **** on DIII programs? I have seen alot of DIII programs that work just as hard as DI, DIII schools aren't baseball party schools as you make them sound. There are good kids and very talented kids in all Divisions. There are many reasons and circumstances why players wined up at the different schools, not all players are the high talented studs and can pick were they want to go. Most go to schools were the there is a need for their talent, that could be in any division. And here is a question for all, what is the difference between the Division as you see it?

You are reading way to much into my comment about D3 schools. No bashing of D3 schools on my part. There are many very good baseball players that certainly are quite capably of playing on the D1 level, but choose to play D3 for a variety of reasons. What ever fits the individual best. The fact is there is just much less baseball played on the D3 level. I never said a word about party schools - did I?
Here in NJ we have one of the best and most competitive D3 conferences - NJAC - where a lot of very good baseball players end up. The Northeast in general is loaded with very talented D3 teams, that could give many D1 teams a run for their money. But that doesn't change, D3's just don't play as much baseball due to restrictions in both practice time allowed and the amount of games played.

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Much less baseball for a D3

birdman14, it depends on the D3 and the D1.
When one considers post season tournaments and Regional play, the better D3's will play anywhere from 45 to 55 games. Those in the Northern schools will play them in a highly compacted time frame of March to May. That is more than the Ivy schools. Whether it is "much" less than the majority of D1's depends on how we define "much."
The D3's do play less scheduled games vs D1, 40 vs 56 for sure.
But many of them start lifting day 1 of the Fall season, they have Fall ball to the full extent permitted by NCAA/conference rules which is slightly less than D1, but not a major Fall difference.
On balance,I would estimate D3 to be quite comparable with the Ivy programs for time commitment and quality of baseball life, with more games for the better D3's that usually are in post season play.
It is not the time commitment compared to DI's in the SEC, Big West, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and the top programs outside of those conferences.
When our son talked with players from those conferences during Milb, the biggest difference he described was in the nutritional side and extent and quality of the strength and conditioning side, along with the quality of pitching/level of play.

true,
those numbers sound roughly correct since DI has the uniform start date and D3 does not.
D1 is compacting 56 games into a less time than D3's, except the D3's which start around March 10 or so due to weather.
As I posted before, even the better D3 is less time and less commitment than the better D1's. Our son played and coached at a highly competitive D3 and is now coaching in the Big West at a highly competitive academic school. The differences are noticeable on the baseball, but not the academic side.
If it were not, a program would not be in conformance with the spirit and by-laws for D3. Compared to the D1 process and experience in the Ivy's, better level D3 is similar.

Infielddad:

Thank you for filling me in on the details. I have a son at a mid level D1 school and I was surprised with the amount of time involved and how structured his day actually is. What I was comparing it to, was what some of his friends are experiencing at other D3 or D2 schools (mostly in the Northeast). I may be guilty of being too general in my assumptions.

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have a son at a mid level D1 school and I was surprised with the amount of time involved and how structured his day actually is.

Nope, I don't think you are guilty of anything.
But I think you focused on a major difference, in addition to the difference in training table/nutrition and especially strength/conditioning.
At competitive DI programs, the day is very structured for the player.
At DIII, the player is far more responsible for the structure of their day. Baseball/coaching staff does not structure the day, but baseball and being responsive to the coaching requirements is a very big part of the player's responsibility to structure their day.
One aspect of our son's experience in college was the baseball team's intramural flag football games. In his senior year, they finished baseball practice/fall game at around 9pm. Showered and headed to the football field. They had an 11:30pm championship game against a team made up mostly from 5th year accounting students, 99% of whom had competed on the DIII nationally ranked football team the year before as seniors(baseball team won for the first time in his 4 years.)
I don't think that will/would happen at the DI level, but it was a part of that college experience(baseball team in flag football games) he loved.

Spoke with a DII coach, they also play flag football in fall. He sets up fall practice for "captains" practice before he can get involved.
The day is structured as far as workouts and mandatory study hall for all freshman.
He sets up "fun" indoor competition during the winter months as well.

A nice thing was that the baseball players get to pick classes early so they can have morning classes, (if possible depending on major) so that minimal classes are missed for games, practice, travel time.
Also, they do there best to dorm baseball players together.

Out of my league here but speaking to a former D1 player who is now on the coaching side, D3 programs are usually much less $$$ funded and that drives the amount of time coaches have to stay involved and drive the players too. Quality of baseball can be just as high but commitment of player needs to be more self driven and that can be a challenge for a freshman away from home for the first time. Not a knock on D3, just an added awareness factor for those going that route.

My son plays at a NAIA in California and his first day of workouts was the second week of school.Fourth week added practice. His day starts at 6:15am w/workouts,then classes,then practice which ends around 7pm.Very structured day for athletes with rigorous academics. Fallball on weekend.

I know someone whose daughter was playing softball at a DIII. They brought in new coach who expected the players to emphasize softball more than the previous coach. His daughter quit.

My impression from what I've read and heard is that there's a lot of variability in different DIII programs and expectations of time commitment. Prospective players should ask questions!

If a walk-on makes a team. Is there a chance player would receive scholarship money for the next season? What do you think the protocol is with the coach on scholarship money for the next season?

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Originally posted by badballer:
If a walk-on makes a team. Is there a chance player would receive scholarship money for the next season? What do you think the protocol is with the coach on scholarship money for the next season?

There is always a possibility.

If your son has a great fall, he can plant the seed and ask at that point so the coach can plan for the next year before he allocates all the money he has available. Then again, after the spring season, he should get the formal notification if he is going to get anything.

Obviously the more valuable he is to the team, the bigger the possibility.