D1's opening this weekend!

^^Great advice Rich!


D1 baseball is open for business.

This is great advice! I have ask many kids after they say where they want to go, if they have ever actually seen the team play.

Remember that not only do you see the school you may want to attend, but you see the other team.

There are way to many kids that commit based only on the conversations they have with the coaches. Or they take their official visits during fall when the teams aren't competing against another team.

Great example today is ODU vs Temple. Both new head coaches at their respective schools. ODU has Finwood and Temple has Wheeler. Many of you probably remember him from W&M or Richmond.

Everybody have a great BASEBALL day!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by PIS:
Some local D'3s have already been playing for a couple of weeks. Most D1's open this weekend.

If you are a high school player or the parent of one, I'd suggest you begin going to a ton of games.

Do your research. Self evaluate. I love talking to dad's (and mom's) that insist their child can play at Miami (I'll be at there home opener tonight!!!) yet they've never seen a D1 game.

Within a few hours drive of anywhere in the state of Virginia you can see every level of college baseball. Use your time wisely.

Rich
www.playinschool.com

This is the second time I've heard the term self evaluate. How do you combine self evaluation with the other term used regularly, projection? Is an example of self evaluation something similar to being a high school player between junior and senior year that either gets calls or doesn't beginning on July 1st?

Go Dawgs -

Self evaluation vs projection.... interesting juxtaposition, but both are very important.

The athlete needs to do research. Talk to college players. Watch college games. Check out campuses. Etc, etc. Then ask them selves can I handle the day to day grind associated with it? Can I handle being on the road in a hotel with curfew while my hall mates are at a frat party with the hottest girls ever seen? Can I turn a double play with a 6ft 4in 220lb guy that runs a 6.8 bearing down on me? That is self evaluation.

The college coaches need to look at the kid and then look into their crystal ball to determine if that 15-17 year old will become an impact player as a 20 year old. That is projection.

And, if a player does not know if their phone will ring on July 1st, then its not going to. Lots of recruiting and lots conversations take place well prior to July 1.

Rich
www.playinschool.com

Thanks. When I hear self evaluation my mind goes directly to talent level. Comparing talent of a 16 year old to that of an 18 to 22 year oldcollegiate player might cause you to self evaluate harshly uless you factor in projection . You are spot on with what goes on prior to July 1. There should be visits, weekly calls (by prospective athlete) or emails from those schools that are interested which should play a large role in the self evaluation...with respect to ability. Thanks again for clarifying.

This is certainly good advice with respect to athletic recruiting. Seing how you might match your talents at each of the various levels of NCAA competition is a key first step for the prospective student athlete.

The critical question for a prospective student athlete to ask themselves is "Would I like to attend this school even if I were not playing baseball?" While "fit" on the field is important, there are a number of other variables that may play a bigger role in making a decision on post secondary education. Depth and breath of academics, the career placement record of the school and strenth of the alumni network are some of the other important things to consider.