College "needs"

Fungo -
It is the reality that we parents and players "cannot change a college's need (to recruit a specific position)".... that probably makes us so fanatical to find those areas where we feel some semblance of control (at least in our imperfect minds ), like playing exposure with showcase/travel ball, training instructors, etc. The recruiting process leaves parents feeling pretty helpless 'cause the colleges really have most of the marbles in this game.

It's difficult to help a 17 or 18 year old player understand that one of the most important aspects of the recruiting process is "fit". The place you always dreamed of may not need your particular talents. Travel ball and showcases can not only help the player be seen by more colleges, it can also help expand the players "dream schools".
With that said, the new recruiting rules will make on campus camps more and more important for players aspiring to play in college.
Analyzing a school's needs is a whole lot easier today with access to player signings, current statistics and rosters on the we.b.

Agree with it's outahere. It is all about "fit". Truthfully, how many kids would be happy with bragging rights to a school where they can't get off the bench. Go where they need and wan t you- the "fit' could happen at a place you didn't grow up dreaming about.

Fungo,
You always come up with the posts that require lots of thought!
One needs to do homework to acurately access the needs of the school of one's "dreams". Changing our expectations helps to eliminate much added stress in the process.
Many years ago my son was asked to play in a tournament for a high profile team. He had turned down invitations to other teams that weekend. Many of the other coaches from the other teams had told my son he would have lots of playing time, he was needed to get them to the championship rounds. But he wanted to be part of the ELITE team, the DREAM team. My son did not realize there were so many RHP (I guess everyone wanted on the team) and played about 3 innings the entire weekend. He was miserable even though the team won and got a beautiful trophy.
On the way home my son mentioned to me that he had not asked the right questions when invited, he would have rather played on a team where he would have played and lost rather than sit on the bench and won. That trophy went straight in the closet when he got home. I think that this experience taught him to be a little more realistic during the recruiting process.
In this case, he made the DREAM team because he was a good pitcher, but he realized"the right fit" was far more important.

baseballs50

My son had the opposite experience-- between his JR and SR HS years he played on a elite team in his region but they did not travel extensively. He got a call to play on a "SUPER ELITE" team for a national championship. The event he was invited to also took place the same time his local team was playing in major tournament regionally. With no assurances from the "SUPER ELITE" team for playing time he chose to remain home where he was the starting centerfielder and leading hitter on the team. He felt he owed it to his team and coaches AND he knew where he stood with playing time

AS luck would have it his local team comes out of the losers bracket to win it all , he goes 8 for 11 with 4 home runs in the last three games and he wins the Tounrament MVP.

Yes the phone rang before he got home that night and many times after he got home

It if funny how things works

TRhit

We all need to understand that before the proliferation and perceived importance of showcases, 'select' travel teams, scouting services, etc., the amount of players receiving scholarships was the same as it is now. The same players would be getting the scholarship money no matter what the 'popular culture' of amateur baseball dictates as the desired method of 'marketing'. That being said, a time will come when the 'marketing' is different than it is today, and those of us who are active in this forum now will perhaps have obselete notions of the entire recruiting/showcasing/drafting process. The bottom line is there are several methods for obtaining the scholarships and roster spots that are out there, and showcasing is not the only method. The only thing that is a guarantee is that talent plays the biggest role in the entire process.

grateful

Yes the number of scholarship spots are the same but the players getting the chance to vie for thise spots has increased and if you do the right things you might land a scholarship whereas ten years ago you might not have

TRhit

TR,
There ya go, our stories are perfect examples of doing one's homework before you make a decision.
Advice from these lessons, when one is longing for the desire to play on a top 25 college team, determine the teams needs, how you will fit in talent wise and into the general scheme of things over the next 3-4 years.
You want to be a sitter or a player?

One of the best pieces of advice my son got here was to "go where you are wanted". As well regarded as he was in his own little corner of the universe, he discovered that there are so many well regarded players that it is easy to be overlooked.

Patience, flexibility and a positive attitude were important attributes while figuring out where he was wanted and where he wanted to be.

Geaux Cajuns!!

Many parents & kids get caught up in the "D-I or none" merry go round. Keep in mind that there are thousands of fabulous schools for kids that ARE NOT D-I affiliated.

If D-I is the only thing you'll accept you could possibly be setting yourself up for quite a letdown. Many times a smaller school with a great program is a much better "fit" for a player than a large one where you might be "just another player". Everyone on scholarship is a star from somewhere, put a bunch of them on one team and many kids are destined for disappointment, especially if they were a "big fish in a small pond".

Great advice in here, go where you are wanted, where you have a realistic chance to play as a freshman (nobody goes to college with the intention of redshirting) and where you would still like to stay academically and socially if baseball ended for you tomorrow.

www.leaguelineup.com/sdprospects

Fungo,
Good post. The 85 to 86 RHP won't fill the need of the school you mentioned (although I'd say a 90 mph lefty is more of a wish for most schools), but he may fill the need of another school. Showcasing gives that pitcher a bit better chance to get the attention of a school that wants him. The player then has to decide if he is going to go to the school that wants him or the school he wants. Most kids would be thrilled just to have the choice.

Great, Great thread Fungo! Just to add my two cents, you are so correct. My son is 6'4" LHP, 15 years old, throws 81-84 now, has been to Perfect Game, Area Code Goodwill Series in Australia, and has a handful of invitations to Team One, and Top Gun and that doesn't mean squat. Projectability, sure. Guarantees? No way. All the Top-25 D1 schools look great, but they can pick and choose the best of the best. After all, that is why they have been successful programs over the years. Funny, I really think they don't have to recruit, what successful High School kid wouldn't want to attend Fullerton, Rice, Stanford? Come on. I think they choose us, we don't choose them. Like CADad says, "most kids would be thrilled just to have a choice". I have seen many many kids who I thought were super ball players not even get a nibble, it is all about the colleges needs and what they want. And if it is a great fit so be it. Anyway, Fungo, again super thread, keep it up.

My son is 16 and has been playing on travel and premier teams since he was 9, and I have told him from the start that I don't think you can reallt pick and chose what college or pro team you are going to play for, if at all. the best you can do is hope you get into the right situation at the right time. You still have to do your homework and research so you can get as much exposure to be in that right situation, but, I think luck has a lot to do with it. There is a lot of talent that never got anywhere because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fungo
Once again you seem to put everything in the right perspective. We may need to consider donating to the Fungo account, just kidding.

At our last team meeting,planning schedule etc. etc. I brought up the subject of being realistic as to where our team should play in regards to schools that would most likely be most interested in seeing our guys.
I quickly found out that the people involved weren't being very realistic about there sons abilities or the schools that will call.(only one had heard of this site)
Reality,or the lack of it is something I have witnessed first hand this winter at camps after talking with several parents. Unfortunately I think there sons are of the same mind set.

I have taken some great advice from a parent at one of the camps about getting my son to read on the site. He didn't enjoy reading on here as I do, so now I print articles that I think are important and leave them on his desk to be treated like homework. It seems to be working

The information on this site is incredible. We were wandering in the dark about a lot of recruiting issues and what takes place. The experience and wisdom of those who have gone before us has helped calm us down a bit and enjoy the process. It's also helped keep things in perspective with our son. He's aware that schools send out sometimes over 1,000 letters or questionaires over a year. But you never know where he will end up when it's all over. So he responds to every request for information. He also likes to call the coaches and talk with them over the phone and e-mail. He gets to know them and vice versa. We've seen him mature a lot in the past 5 months.

The healthiest choice might not be the powerhouse school or it might be the big one.

I know that we are researching the possible schools as much as the coaches seem to be researching my kid.

Asking the proper questions now and being informed can save a lot of heartache later on. Self honesty is must in our house.

If my son is honest with himself and listens to his gut and his heart of hearts, after his research, he will be happy and do well in life.

The possibilities of a bright future are currently the motivating driving forces behind all of son's hard work and study with baseball, school, and college exams.

We tell him that he will never know where he will go in life unless he works very hard and gives it 110%. Then no matter where he ends up, he will know that he did his best and never have regrets or wonder, "What if?"

In the meantime, we're going to sit back and enjoy the show.

lhpmom,
You are definetly on the right track.
Most of all, everyone of you, ENJOY, because it goes so quickly and you don't want to miss a minute of it! Best of luck!