College Camps

Completely agree with roothog and here is what I put on the thread that got said panties in a wad.  I don't think my panties got in a wad but you never know.  I need to do laundry.

 

As for the camp issue - it's not some magical fairy place where everything works out.  You get out of it what you put into it and that takes education on your part.  Like others have said if you have D3 talent then why would you want to go to a D1 camp to get recruited.  First and foremost a camp is there to help the team make money to pay for assistant coaches.  Once you understand that then you should be prepared.  Second a camp is there to instruct on how to play better.  That's why they are teaching you things instead of showcasing.  Whether it's a one, two or three day camp it's about teaching.  Third is if you have the talent to play at their level they will notice and get interested.  After that it's still up to you - player - to keep their interest.

 

This summer I went to South Carolina's 3 day camp because my best friend's son was attending it.  The son doesn't have D1 talent (he's a sophomore now) and probably never will but it was good because he learned a lot and it confirmed a lot of what he was already being taught.  Hearing the same thing from college coaches seems to help kids understand what they are being taught in HS or travel actually works.  There were some coaches from smaller schools there so it was possible he could have developed some interest (he didn't but it was possible).  

 

Out of the 100 some kids there maybe 2 or 3 could make the roster for SC but all 100 some kids got good instruction if they listened.  Was the camp a waste of money?  Depends - if you went in thinking you were going to get a scholarship on the spot then yeah it was a waste.  If you went in thinking "hey I can get better and maybe make an impression" then no it wasn't a waste of money.

 

Quick story - there was one kid who looked to be a rising junior or senior and he was built pretty good.  His first BP at bat he goes opposite field and hits it off the wall.  Best hit of the three days.  Found out he was a freshman.  Guess who got special treatment next three days?  During the two games they had everyone started with a 1 - 1 count and three of his at bats ended in walks.  They told him to stay in there and hit.  They didn't do that for anyone else.  No idea if they are going to follow that kid but he made an impression and they wanted to see him.

 

You're crazy if you think camps are a waste of time and money.  It's up to you to know what you're getting into and how to spend your money.

I can give a pretty good example of what I'm talking about. We were at an SEC prospect camp. I was sitting first row behind the third base dugout and could hear all the conversations. Twice, during camp games, the PC and RC walked into the dugout and introduced themselves to lefty pitchers. It was obvious there had been no previous contact in either case. Both were 2016's and this was in late July.The second went much like the first, so I'll describe what happened to the first guy. After he comes off the mound, PC comes over and talks to him. Tells him they are impressed. He calls over the RC, who asks if he's looked at the campus and asks if he's been offered by any schools. They then walk him over to meet the HC. After about five minutes, the HC calls over the teams junior closer and says, "Hey take______down to the locker room and show him around."  One week later, this kid shows up on their committed list. The second kid had basically the same experience, though I haven't seen that he's committed. Both threw in the 86mph range, by the way, but had decent stuff.

 

I'll note another. U of Northern Colorado mentions on their website that 19 of the 35 kids on their current roster attended at least their camps. Maybe invited, maybe not.

I guess my perspective would be what are you trying to accomplish at the camp?  Are you going for instruction or exposure?  If you are at the recruitment stage, I would say stick to camps that are schools that you have a sincere interest in or the ones that have a sincere interest in you. If a coach reaches out to you and tells you that he saw you at another venue and would like to see you again or have other coaches on the staff see you, then by all means get to this camp!  Once they have you on campus, they can talk with you and even offer you no matter what year you are. If you are just blindly picking a camp to go to and you are hoping someone will "see" you, then you better have something special to show or you will be disappointed. I think people make the recruiting process a lot more difficult than it should be. The best advice I read on this site was to find out from a neutral source what level your kid can play. Start narrowing down schools that are on that level and go visit some of the campuses. Once you have an idea, reach out to the coaches and ask could you come for a visit. They will meet and talk with you. Most will ask for your schedule. Get it to them.  Then, you have to perform when they show up to watch.

I think it depends a lot on the expectation the kid (more so the parent) goes in with.  

If it is to get some instruction from a higher level coach and get some field time in a competitive atmosphere, then it can be great and great fun.  If they go in expecting to have the coaches tell them how great they are and get offered on the spot, prepared to be disappointed.  

My only exception with them is I have seen where it is presented as "you will be seen by coaching staff members from...." andy they list 20 schools.  Half of the reps showing up a volunteer student/coaches.  It is sold as a recruitment thing, but, it is not.  It is first and foremost a fund raiser for the schools program and that is fine and needed.  Just don't mislead.  

A friends son started playing travel ball and started getting a bunch of invites to college camps.  They were just form letters sent out.  The parents took this to mean these schools were "looking at" their son.  I tried to explain, gently, that when you signed up for the team you could opt in or out to being on mailing lists for tourneys that did that.  We opted out, they did not.  I asked if they really thought a scout from Brown Univ., Arizona, UCF and a couple smaller schools were at a tourney in a little town in the middle of October with so-so teams?  Maybe.  But I saw not one radar gun or anyone flying any school colors.  They came to find out there were just form letters to school baseball camps.  They were a bit gullible but the camps were presented a bit differently than how they really are.  Just saying, if a school is really interested in a player he is probably not going to have to pay them (whatever the amount, $75--$300) for them to see him up close.   Parents and players just need to be aware of what the camp is before they go. 

Once they are clear and want to do it, have fun, bust your butt, learn and listen the best you can....and leave with a t-shirt!!

the most important thing is TALENT. This is where so many get disappointed. The kid's talent level just doesn't match the school's need. You may have D1 talent, but the school you love may not have a need at your position. This can also lead to disappointment and angst.

My son did a college camp last month at a school that was on his short list.  He let them know ahead of time, that this was a school he was interested in.  After the camp:  Nothing.  Was it a waste of money? No, now we know they are not interested in him and he can move on.  Kind of like going on a job interview.

My son went to quite a few D1 Camps. He did not get any D1 interest from these camps. But many of these camps had RC's and Asst coaches form other levels. I know that several of these coaches contacted my son and started recruiting conversations. Some of them were quite productive.

So when choosing a camp it would be nice to know if coaches from other levels are going to be there. 

He did go to one where there was no other coaches, and there was no interest. Coach did yell at the RC who was running the pitchers out to get my son out of the bull pen and out onto the mound because the RC kept skipping him. But again no interest after that,