College Prospect Camps

If you know what schools are on your list - look for camps sponsored by those schools. Write letters to the coach, email, call, go visit a game and go to their camp.

Best in Virginia.

Southern Maryland Baseball Camp.

Perfect game is always good to go to.

Blue Gray Classic in North Carolina is one of the better Blue Gray events.

TPX has some events in this area.

I am sure there are many others.

Sully, In my opinion, I would go to the Southern Maryland Baseball Camp in June. It's a 3-Day Camp in June. I think it runs June 21-23 this year. It will be run at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, MD. I took my son there when he was 14 and getting ready to enter High School. I not to get exposure of course but to let him get a taste for showcases and being looked at by scouts. I had no idea that there would be so many scouts there, over 50 scouts from all over the nation, schools big and small. Skip Bertman retired LSU Head Coach is the guest speaker each year and he speaks to the players each morning as a group. My son had an incredible time over the three day period and I had a blast watching from my lawn chair on the hill each day. Definately the best bang for my buck. Here is the link for the Camp Site. Enjoy and Good Luck.

http://somdbaseball.com/

As far as why we pay so much for the Showcases, I'm not sure but we keep doing it because that's where the players will have there best chance of being seen.

baseballclearinghouse.net offers great events across Virginia. They give written evaluations from pro scouts, run a skills combine and do high defintion video of your child during the event. The price is really fair for what you recieve. You also will be part of their database with a profile page designed just for your son that is free for all College Coaches and Pro Scouts to see.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to be proactive and let the coaches of the schools that you are interested in know where you are going to be.

Also not a bad idea to give them a way to see you on film before you show up at these events. This way they know to actually look for you.

There is always tons of talent at those events listed above. Keeping your fingers crossed that you will do something to separate yourself could be a shot in the dark. If they know to look for you so that they can focus on your swing, footwork, etc....that is a different story.

I'd be happy to help you with your sons personal recruiting video. Feel free to email or call with questions as opposed to having a back and forth conversation over a message board. A 2 minute phone call is much more productive.

Rich Prado

Play In School
College Recruiting Videos
804.852.8468
www.playinschool.com

Thanks guys. Looks like the Southern Maryland Camp is a good one. Question is how many kids are there.

Looks like if I send my son to 3-5 camps a year, join Perfect game, then send him to a Perfect Game event, have him rated by Baseball Clearinghouse, have a video done, and have him play on a competitive Summer/Fall travel team, he'll need to get a full ride somewhere in order for me to even come close to breaking even.

I like Best in VA for kids who are looking more at the D-3 level.

Kids aiming D-1 should husband their money for PG events.

Unfortunately reports I've heard out of Blue-Gray events indicate that you should save your money there. I think they may have been more helpful in the era before PG grew so big, but for some years now the value just hasn't been there.

As for camps sponsored by particular schools, I view these as more your opportunity to look at the school and its program than vice versa. UVA runs some of the very best camp events you'll find anywhere, but only a handful of players have actually been discovered at these events. Other schools do attend, however, so you can get opportunities. Though again, IMHO that's not a realistic expectation for the camps and probably not the best reason to be considering them.

I would suggest you go to college camps in the summer before and the fall of your junior year, as a means of helping you decide which schools, or which types of schools, fit you best. But pick carefully and pick only a few, or else you'll break the budget. Besides, most of the time it's better to be out there playing.

BIV enters its 25th yearas one of the nation's oldest showcase experiences.

Featuring a time-honored and rigorous 4.5 day format, a 5:1 prospect to instructor ratio, and an instructional staff across all levels of collegiate baseball (JuCo, NAIA, NCAA I, II, III), BIV is designed for highly committed players who aspire to improve and be recruited for attitude and ability.

Through the years, the success of the BIV is grounded in a highly organized and comprehensive format complimented by an outstanding instructional staff.

2010 Sessions
BIV Session I July 16-2-
BIV Session II July 23-27

www.vabaseballcamps.com

I have heard several college coaches say that if you do not have a skill(s) to showcase then you would be better off spending your money attending college prospect camps.

Once your student finds a college that he likes (whether D1, D2, or D3) go to all the camps that that school has to offer and stay engaged with that college.

quote:

Originally posted by mathews41:
I have heard several college coaches say that if you do not have a skill(s) to showcase then you would be better off spending your money attending college prospect camps.

Once your student finds a college that he likes (whether D1, D2, or D3) go to all the camps that that school has to offer and stay engaged with that college.

Mathews - I assume that you are saying go to college camps. College camps are great if you have decided you would like to attend that particular school, or if the coach has shown an interest in you. Often times there are less players than at a showcase.

I think you maybe confused as to what a showcase is - Essentially you are playing to display your skills to many college coaches/scouts in one venue.

I have never heard a Coach say "Hey, if you have no skill, come play here." Now, what they may say is come pay the $$ here and attend the camp, but certainly if a player does not have a skill, he will not be playing in college.

Nope, No confusion. Been to both (camps and showcases). Just answering the original question which was "is it worth it to go to College "Prospect" Camps."

So my appologies for not being clear...but I meant to say unless you have a certifable showcase skill your best bet is to go to a showcase camp at the school that interests you the most and then go agaian and again and again. I have heard this.

So my answer to the original question is... Yes it is worth it to go to College "Prospect" Camps.

quote:

Originally posted by mathews41:
I have heard several college coaches say that if you do not have a skill(s) to showcase then you would be better off spending your money attending college prospect camps.

I think what mathews41 is saying is that certain players are better off being seen playing rather then going through the "assembly line" style of a showcase. Often, they lack one of the 5 tools -- such as a poor 60 -- but the are very good players and may have superior skills in areas not tested in typical showcase. This player may have more success in the smaller setting of a college camp.
My son had a teammate on his summer team who was a middle infielder and lacked running speed. But he was unbelievable at turning a double play as a 2B. He went to some local showcases where my son was seen and recruited. He didn't get a sniff. Only when he went to camps in the fall did he start to get looks and signed a NLI in November.

I guess I do not know what you mean by a "certifiable" showcase skill. If you do not have a skill that is recognizable, then perhaps you should not be looking to play ball in college. Otherwise you are just wasting your money, no matter how many times you pay $250 to the same college.

quote: Once your student finds a college that he likes (whether D1, D2, or D3) go to all the camps that that school has to offer and stay engaged with that college.


A D1 college? if you do not have a skill? I just disagree with this advise - you would be wasting your money. Going to the same college over and over and over and still not getting recognition, should tell you something. Stop going and maybe change your expectations.

quote:

Often, they lack one of the 5 tools -- such as a poor 60 -- but the are very good players and may have superior skills in areas not tested in typical showcase.

Birdman,

I think I know what you mean, but just about every player that ever lived is lacking at least one of the 5 tools. Most anyone who would have a high grade in at least 3 tools, sometimes just two tools, would be a Pro prospect.

Typical showcase, at least a good one, would show running ability (not just 60 time), Fielding ability, throwing abilty, hitting ability and power (the 5 tools). Then they will also play in at least a couple games. Those would be the areas "tested" at a "good" typical showcase. I'm all for college camps, but what do they test for there, regarding ability, that would be any different?

We prefer seeing a player at a showcase event and also seeing him compete in games that are meaningful against high level talent. Fortunately, we have that opportunity more often than not. The two together (Showcase and Meaningful Games) can show some things that either one by itself might miss.

However, I can only think of one reason why a college coach would say, if you do not have a skill, you would be better off spending your money attending a college camp.

I would have to agree with others who say, if you do not have a skill, why spend money trying to impress people who are looking for skills?

PG - I am pretty sure we are actually in agreement -- it is just in how it is being said. You know the type of player I am referring to, the one who just does not showcase well. Then in the game he gets one or 2 ground balls hit to him. But really he is a very good player. Nothing against what you do and although my son never attended a PG showcase, you guys are the best out there. IMHO I feel some college camps have the ability to offer more individual attention.

My apologies for running late on this response, been traveling today.

PG Showcase does put on a first class event (been to one and will probably go again).

My answer was directed towards answering the original question which was and I quote "is it worth it to go to College "Prospect" Camps?" Again I stand by my original response and say yes.

But GreenMonstah you are correct your expectations should be on par with your capabilities.

We did all of the above during our recruiting years -- PG events, showcase camps, college prospect camps, playing on a high-level summer/fall travel team. IMHO, they're all good at delivering whatever it is that you're looking to get out of them -- but they don't all deliver the same results.

PG tourneys (like WWBA in the summer and fall) are great for high-level players to be seen by D-I programs, and are great for the players to showcase their skills, competitiveness, hustle, emotions, game savvy, etc., in a competitive game environment against other high-level teams. PG showcases and other similar showcases like the D1/Draftable and Area Code showcases are great for high-level players to also get seen in a comparison environment one-on-one against other high-level players in a pro-style workout testing their tools.

College showcase camps are good (again, IMHO) for two things: for HS freshmen and sophomores to get a flavor for how the showcase process works, and for them to get on the radar screen of those schools that they're interested in; and for HS juniors to get to know a given school and its coaches and facilities once they've narrowed their search to a list of only a few remaining schools that they're interested in. As Midlo Dad indicated, I can only think of one time in three years that we went to college showcase camps where we saw a kid who wasn't already being recruited by that school get the attention of the coaching staff and be actively pursued from the camp.

Broader-based showcase camps like Best In Virginia are great for players who may not be at the highest level to nonetheless showcase what they can do in both workout and game situation formats. BIV has most of the D-III schools in Virginia scouting/coaching every year, along with many D-II, D-III and NAIA schools from all over the east coast and a few in the midwest and south as well; it's a great place for a plyer who simply wants to play in college but not necessarily at the highest NCAA levels, anywhere from New York through North Carolina, to be seen and show what they can do in a week of very intense baseball.

So there's clearly something to choose from for every opportunity that you want to explore. But you also need to be realistic -- most of us, by the time our kids are in their early years of HS, probably have a reasonable idea as to whether or not they're going to be high-level D-I players, or if they'll be mid-major, D-II, D-III, JuCo, NAIA, etc., players. As the coaches always tell you, there's probably a place for everyone who wants to play college ball to do so -- it's just a matter of finding the right fit (which includes the right competitive NCAA level) and being realistic about the player's chances of succeeding at that school. So if your kid is probably a pretty good D-III candidate (athletically and/or academically), but either isn't interested or might not be qualified (again, athletically or academically) to play at a higher level, it's probably not a good spend of your money to attend lots of showcase camps at D-I schools or chase recruiters around the PG circuit all summer and fall. On the other hand, if your player is getting attention from a few high-level schools, and he's interested athletically and academically in those schools, then by all means the prospect camps at those schools might be a great way to get to know the coaches, facilities and school in a much more intimate way.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought I'd share our perspectives given that some of you are now going through (or even just beginning) the process we went through over the last 3-4 years. And trust me, it all works out in the end -- my son is now playing at a school where he's very happy academically, socially and baseball-wise. So if you do the work the right way, it all pays off. Good luck...