D3 Letters To Compete

Are you talking about an official NCAA "celebratory signing form" that the school sent them? I've never heard of a D3 letter to compete.

Never heard of it, and, a search on HSBBW turns up nothing, either.  For that matter, neither does a google search.  Sounds like what MidAtlanticDad said.

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

Are you talking about an official NCAA "celebratory signing form" that the school sent them? I've never heard of a D3 letter to compete.

Yup. Same thing.

It appears meaningless to me. It appears to be nothing but a paper that provides the appearance of official for signing day at schools.

https://www.nsr-inc.com/scouti...ment-letter-to-sign/

By the way, a kid at our high school got six garbage innings senior year. He never came to the plate. He pinch ran a few times. The team did win its conference, go deep into districts and place twelve players in some level of college ball. He was kept on JV junior year due to the depth of varsity talent.

He played Legion in the summer (mostly varsity bench and JV players in our area). He left his losing record HA D3 on the all time leader board in most pitching and hitting categories. On his best days he cracked 80 on the mound. But he could knock the zit off a gnat. While losing D3 teams are less likely to facing opposing team aces the kid left with a .300+ career batting average. He played in a conference posters here have recognized as competitive.

Just to add on...

It's two different kids, two different high schools and two different D3 programs. The common thread is that they play for the same travel team.

The person who told me about it has this theory: Guy who runs the travel program has friends who are volunteer assistants at the D3s. The thought is that he called his friends and got the kids the intent to competes because it's good for his program as a selling point. ("Hey, play for me and I will get your kid in college baseball!") And, it's good for the school - no commitment and you get tuition from kids who would normally not attend that school. And, it's good for the kids and parents because they get to say they are going to play college baseball.

If these are not strong D3 programs, they may be happy to get those kids. Those kinds of programs aren't turning many kids away. If they're private schools, the coaches may have (unofficial?) quotas to bring in paying customers. Just like most other schools, they'll set a roster size and fill it with the best players who showed up for fall ball. But in the case of non-HA low level D3 programs, I don't think those schools usually have the volume of recruits to be making many cuts in the fall. At least that's my experience.

Our high school had D3 athletes signing a copy of a NLI with the name blurred out. It’s not as if you can see the name of the college in the signing picture.  The kids wear their college hat. Our high school had its share of D1 athletes. But it looks good for the high school to have a hundred kids lined up at tables across the room.

@MidAtlanticDad posted:

If these are not strong D3 programs, they may be happy to get those kids. Those kinds of programs aren't turning many kids away. If they're private schools, the coaches may have (unofficial?) quotas to bring in paying customers. Just like most other schools, they'll set a roster size and fill it with the best players who showed up for fall ball. But in the case of non-HA low level D3 programs, I don't think those schools usually have the volume of recruits to be making many cuts in the fall. At least that's my experience.

I know a kid who played at a LA* D3. The kid knew he was going to work for his father in four years. He wanted to say he played college ball. The kid practiced, then sat for four years at a program our high school team would have beaten.

* low academic, pay to stay

Never heard of a "letter to compete".  Your friends theory is great conjecture, and probably not far from the truth.

So, my son was one of those kids who signed a blank piece of paper.  His D1 school offers no athletic scholarships, everything is verbal until an early admission letter is received in early December.   The high school setup a media day just for my son and the local newspaper did a story.  My son was petrified and annoyed at the attention of signing a blank piece of paper.   He did it none the less.   When it comes down to it, I'm not sure it really mattered if he was signing a blank piece of paper or the Magna Carta.  What mattered (in my mind) was that the school and family were celebrating an accomplishment....one of theirs was going to pursue a field of study he loves and play a sport he loves in college.

Certainly, my son's magnet high school was wanting to raise their profile in the community that their students can get into one of the better engineering programs in the world just as the travel program wanted to raise their competitive profile in Francis' example.  Sounds like business 101 to me.   Call it a "letter to compete" or a blank piece of paper, what matters is how it makes the participants feel.

JMO.

True story: I went to a D3 with a not strong baseball program. Keep in mind I was a freshman in 1980. There was no travel ball back then. It was Little League, some form of summer ball, maybe, and High School ball.

Fall freshman year, I see a posting for a baseball meeting. (No internet in 1980. This was a piece of paper on a bulletin board.)

Even though I wasn't any good, I had time to kill and went to the meeting out of curiosity.

The only question they asked me was my height and weight. No one asked me what position I played. No one asked me if I played in High School. Seriously, just "what's your height and weight."

Then the coach went into detail on all the mandatory fund raising that we were required to participate in as members of the team. He closed with "We will fund raise for the next 5 months and we will hit the fields in the spring."

I never went back to another meeting because I wasn't going to fund raise and I knew that I would only embarrass myself on the field in the spring anyway.

But I always wondered if everyone in the room that day automatically made the team?

Again, it was a school not known for sports and certainly not known for baseball. They practiced and played in a public park. But it was and still is a D3 baseball program.

there is an underlying theme on here by many that is all college players should be celebrated but then when you break it down it really means scholarships players should be celebrated because it is all about the money...if you don't get any money you aren't really successful. i don't agree with it but i don't see it as being an intentional thing. The truth is many posters on here who are only familiar with the D1 level and so forth have a very limited experience with D3 it if any at all. I see it consistently with HS age parents locally as well, i kind of find it humorous at time and irritating at others.

if you really truly understand money the cost of college and the savings of a baseball scholarship is a pretty much not even a blip on the radar screen.

Francis - I concur with above comments...likely a marketing type move.  These days the majority of top players know there is no NLI at D3.

Sons HS and Club program had a ceremony to acknowledge all the players advancing to play in college.  The D3 players signed a celebratory letter at the same time and table with their peers opting D1 signed their NLI. It was a nice ceremony with photos and all. Son knew there was no such thing as an NLI type letter at D3. He chose HA D3 over several mid D1's because of the unique opportunity to attend a top school and a chance to be on the field right away.

@Francis7 posted:

True story: I went to a D3 with a not strong baseball program. Keep in mind I was a freshman in 1980. There was no travel ball back then. It was Little League, some form of summer ball, maybe, and High School ball.

Fall freshman year, I see a posting for a baseball meeting. (No internet in 1980. This was a piece of paper on a bulletin board.)

Even though I wasn't any good, I had time to kill and went to the meeting out of curiosity.

The only question they asked me was my height and weight. No one asked me what position I played. No one asked me if I played in High School. Seriously, just "what's your height and weight."

Then the coach went into detail on all the mandatory fund raising that we were required to participate in as members of the team. He closed with "We will fund raise for the next 5 months and we will hit the fields in the spring."

I never went back to another meeting because I wasn't going to fund raise and I knew that I would only embarrass myself on the field in the spring anyway.

But I always wondered if everyone in the room that day automatically made the team?

Again, it was a school not known for sports and certainly not known for baseball. They practiced and played in a public park. But it was and still is a D3 baseball program.

When someone who played there tells someone else they played college ball that person will visualize the college baseball they see on tv and say “wow.”

A good friend of mine tried for two years to walk on for a team that went to the CWS and came in 4th. He never made it past fall ball before giving up after soph year. But in his home state when he tells people he played college ball with X, Y and Z people know those other names and that they went to the CWS. People are wowed.

I cringe because one year in summer ball a couple of my college summer teammates from that school mocked my friend when he started against us. They couldn’t remember his name. He was just a guy they remembered hammering in fall ball. He didn’t make it through the second inning. I’ve never told him what these guys said about him.

@old_school posted:

there is an underlying theme on here by many that is all college players should be celebrated but then when you break it down it really means scholarships players should be celebrated because it is all about the money...if you don't get any money you aren't really successful. i don't agree with it but i don't see it as being an intentional thing. The truth is many posters on here who are only familiar with the D1 level and so forth have a very limited experience with D3 it if any at all. I see it consistently with HS age parents locally as well, i kind of find it humorous at time and irritating at others.

if you really truly understand money the cost of college and the savings of a baseball scholarship is a pretty much not even a blip on the radar screen.

If a kid isn’t a pro prospect he should be choosing the best college he can afford regardless of division level. There’s no doubt athletes sacrifice time to their sport. But when it’s all over a kid should be able to say overall he enjoyed college (educationally, athletically, and socially).

@old_school posted:

there is an underlying theme on here by many that is all college players should be celebrated but then when you break it down it really means scholarships players should be celebrated because it is all about the money...if you don't get any money you aren't really successful. i don't agree with it but i don't see it as being an intentional thing. The truth is many posters on here who are only familiar with the D1 level and so forth have a very limited experience with D3 it if any at all. I see it consistently with HS age parents locally as well, i kind of find it humorous at time and irritating at others.

if you really truly understand money the cost of college and the savings of a baseball scholarship is a pretty much not even a blip on the radar screen.

I would like to address your last paragraph. As a blanket statement it is true more than not. But it doesn’t apply across the board. I’m well acquainted with your (regional) bias against JuCos. But in my area JuCos play great baseball and many of them offer full scholarships (up to 24 per year if fully funded). Full scholarship being defined as tuition, fees, room & board, and sometimes books. In these cases a family can send their son to his first 2 years of college for next to nothing. And he plays for those 2 years instead of sitting. Those are 2 huge benefits - one being financial and the other being developmental. Two years of college at a minimal cost makes a significant difference in the overall amount spent on a degree. Two years of playing (as a freshman & sophomore) makes a significant difference in the ability of any player to compete for playing time at the 4 year school he advances to. Both benefits are huge but not enough consideration is given to the financial one.

@RJM posted:

When someone who played there tells someone else they played college ball that person will visualize the college baseball they see on tv and say “wow.”

It's very possible.

And, people always embellish.

We have two dads in town who will tell you that they both played D1 baseball at a high level. Tell you proudly and often!

They must not realize there's an internet?

One played mid level D1, was cut senior year, pitched one inning freshman year and was a mop up guy sophomore and junior year- allowing 80+ hits in 60 innings pitched.

The other didn't play D1 but played D2 at a college that shares a state name with a D1 school. He was a back up catcher to the back up catcher for 3 years and maybe had 6 at bats in 3 years. He also was cut senior year.

But, when they talk about their college experience, you would think they were David Price and Buster Posey.

@Francis7 posted:

It's very possible.

And, people always embellish.

We have two dads in town who will tell you that they both played D1 baseball at a high level. Tell you proudly and often!

They must not realize there's an internet?

One played mid level D1, was cut senior year, pitched one inning freshman year and was a mop up guy sophomore and junior year- allowing 80+ hits in 60 innings pitched.

The other didn't play D1 but played D2 at a college that shares a state name with a D1 school. He was a back up catcher to the back up catcher for 3 years and maybe had 6 at bats in 3 years. He also was cut senior year.

But, when they talk about their college experience, you would think they were David Price and Buster Posey.

I added a story about a friend to that post.

My kid did not receive a letter just a lot of F2F and texts of what they can do to get his ED application through. He passed the admission pre-read so they did not have use their limited help cards, band or whatever the indicator was. They showed their commitment/love to him by getting the kid to play in a relatively local collegiate woodbat league before he starts school. Kid also has been in contact with the other coaches to discuss training and provided video of his swings.  They made no guarantees on merit aid, but the COA will be significantly less than an Ivy. A bunch of the kid's friends and former team mates are going  D3, not sure if they are LA and I am not sure how much real opportunity they will get.  Yes it could be a admission drive but it gets them to go to college!!! Regarding the signing, my kid's school staged an event and he and the other kids (several D1s) fake signed an attendance sheet as it is really only to provide social media content for the school and parents.

A few months back I wondered why there weren't a ton of published commits to Ivy and HA schools. Now as my 2023 is in the process I see why. It seems pretty nerve wracking to have to sit and wait on the official acceptance letter.

You folks might not be aware but in our neck of the ocean the NLI/BSP signings are special. They're at a luau on a wide expanse of beach near the Banzai Pipeline and include everyone going anywhere, playing any sport. The signings are held at dawn and the signees wear tuxes or gowns but are barefoot because of all the sand. Terns and petrels and wedge-tailed shearwaters wheel across the sky, their cries sometimes muted by waves crashing in the background.

A robe-draped kahuna blows a big conch shell, the signal for all to gather by the imu pit. Typical luau food: steamed pig, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon, pork lau lau, poi, haupia, and an 8 oz carton of POG. It's pretty good, even at breakfast.

A huge portable screen displays live TV coverage, where each kid gets their one minute of fame. They're given a massive Elmer's display board facsimile of their letter -- like those huge checks  you see at fund raisers and golf tournaments. At the top of the board is a kid's head shot, with a king's or queen's crown superimposed on them.  The kids sign their boards with brand new big fat Sharpies that are later donated to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the Odd Fellows Temple.

After the signings the kids gather for a blessing from the kahuna. Public school kids sit on the left, private school kids on the right. The D1 kids sit in front, D2s in 2nd row, and each year the D3s and NAIA kids alternate between the 3rd and 4th rows. Two of my sons sat in the third row, and one in the fourth row.  Two out of three isn't bad. I'm not sure why but JUCO kids are always in the last row.  However, any kid who makes All State First Team, or All Conference First team during their junior year or earlier can sit anywhere they want.

After the blessing some of the attendees go ahead and surf. It's a great event, though parking is a hassle.

Here are some pics:

Kahuna blowing conch                    seabird wheeling across sky

sunrise

Luau seating

big screen projection

Imu pit                                                    

D1 athletes after ceremony. Note seating assignment

post blessing surfing

tough parking

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

A few months back I wondered why there weren't a ton of published commits to Ivy and HA schools. Now as my 2023 is in the process I see why. It seems pretty nerve wracking to have to sit and wait on the official acceptance letter.

@TerribleBPthrower - Welcome to the funhouse!   Without a doubt the most nerve wracking 6-weeks of my son's 20 month recruiting period was the time between ED application and ED acceptance.  My wife and I drank quite a bit of wine during this period.   Typically, I'm very fussy about my wine, but I didn't care at all during this time as long as the wine glass was full.  I've forgotten a lot of things during his recruitment but I've never forgotten how those 6-weeks felt.  Best of luck with that TBPT, and I hope you handle it better than I did.

BTW...Every couple weeks my son's HC would reach out.  On one occasion he asked my son about his cap & cleat sizes.   A couple weeks later he asked if my son wanted to room with a teammate or not.  Those were nice gestures and seemed to calm a lot of nerves.

Best of luck!

Smoke- as they say in the side of the woods where I grew up, "That's wicked cool".

I am an balanced mixture of envy and anger with Smoke's last post.

@2022NYC posted:

I am an balanced mixture of envy and anger with Smoke's last post.

I am just astounded by the magnitude of the whole production - which to me is equal parts really cool and borderline absurd. Talk about regional differences! Only Smoke could come up with this one. His posts are always some of the most unique and interesting of any on this board - but this one takes the cake.

@fenwaysouth posted:

@TerribleBPthrower - Welcome to the funhouse!   Without a doubt the most nerve wracking 6-weeks of my son's 20 month recruiting period was the time between ED application and ED acceptance.  My wife and I drank quite a bit of wine during this period.   Typically, I'm very fussy about my wine, but I didn't care at all during this time as long as the wine glass was full.  I've forgotten a lot of things during his recruitment but I've never forgotten how those 6-weeks felt.  Best of luck with that TBPT, and I hope you handle it better than I did.

BTW...Every couple weeks my son's HC would reach out.  On one occasion he asked my son about his cap & cleat sizes.   A couple weeks later he asked if my son wanted to room with a teammate or not.  Those were nice gestures and seemed to calm a lot of nerves.

Best of luck!

I'm there right with ya Fenway.

@adbono posted:

I would like to address your last paragraph. As a blanket statement it is true more than not. But it doesn’t apply across the board. I’m well acquainted with your (regional) bias against JuCos. But in my area JuCos play great baseball and many of them offer full scholarships (up to 24 per year if fully funded). Full scholarship being defined as tuition, fees, room & board, and sometimes books. In these cases a family can send their son to his first 2 years of college for next to nothing. And he plays for those 2 years instead of sitting. Those are 2 huge benefits - one being financial and the other being developmental. Two years of college at a minimal cost makes a significant difference in the overall amount spent on a degree. Two years of playing (as a freshman & sophomore) makes a significant difference in the ability of any player to compete for playing time at the 4 year school he advances to. Both benefits are huge but not enough consideration is given to the financial one.

certainly not here to argue JUCO route with you, your comment on those financials on face value seems correct.

I just have a different view point on money, the real cost of opportunity, the relevance of a scholarship and what can be leveraged from the whole baseball experience. Granted if you are a "pro" prospect that could be different but i am very certain what I would define as a prospect is a much smaller number then what some others would define as one.

My son was told by a lower tier D1 RC  "If you don't want to play professional baseball, you shouldn't be here."  It was a somewhat incongruous statement, since they have a single player drafted most years. But I've come to believe that mindset permeates D1 programs, and when you take that into consideration, it explains a lot of what is said here about D1 recruiting and the essential difference between that and all other divisions -- though it should be noted that there are plenty of D2, D3, Juco, and NAIA players who have the same ambitions, even if the odds weigh heavily against them.  But despite that,  I think most players in those divisions know they are not going pro.  So why are they there?  To get an education is the obvious answer, but I don't think it's the correct one.  The correct answer is that they want to keep playing competitive baseball as long as they can, and playing in college is the best way to do that. It's why a whole boatload of graduates of our local Juco have played or are currently playing at D2 and NAIA schools that nobody here has ever heard of.

I have huge respect for these grinder-type kids. They are the ones who persevere and do whatever it takes to keep playing for as long as they can, and when the playing days are over, they are also usually the ones who will benefit in everything they do going forward due to these traits they refined over the years playing ball.

Every journey is different, and I understand why some need to go different directions, but it always brings a smile to my face to see a kid overcoming obstacles to keep playing the game.

I had a long response which I just deleted and will only respond to your doubt about what can be leveraged from the whole baseball experience. I could offer a lot of examples of what I have seen the whole baseball experience do for boys of all ages. But I will stick to what the baseball experience has done for me.                         My Mom made me aware of baseball when I was a child. She took me to games, taught me how to throw, and taught me how to appreciate the game. Mom was an amazing athlete and was able to catch my bullpens even after I began throwing over 90 mph. Her and my Dad got to see me live my baseball dream for a long time and there were some very special moments along the way. I have written before that my Mom has been the most influential person in my life and we had a bond over baseball that lasted until the day she died. During her last 5 years Alzheimer’s robbed her of her brilliant mind but her eyes would always light up when she could remember a story about baseball.               As a player I learned two important life lessons from my baseball journey. I learned how to compete for things that I want, and I learned how to persevere. That has served me better than anything I ever learned in a classroom.                          When I had my own children I coached all of them when they began to play baseball. I brought the game to my kids the same way my Mom brought it to me. I coached close to 30 seasons of my kids’ baseball as they were growing up. Two of my boys became very good players and I spent countless hours helping them get good. When I went thru a nasty divorce (and there was an attempt to alienate my kids from me) baseball was the glue that held my relationship together with 2 of my boys until they could see the truth - which was a number of years btw. During the toughest of times baseball was a life raft that kept me tethered to my kids. Travel ball summers, practices, lessons, etc. were all ways to spend time with my kids. My coaching was necessary so I could control the tournament schedule. Games had to held on weekends that I had possession of my children or they weren’t available. Baseball took on even more importance to me during those years. As my kids got older and my experience grew I turned into a good pitching coach - and began working with area kids. During HS years I watched almost every game my kids played, only missing a few on long road trips. Both my baseball playing kids were recruited and I guided them thru that process. An arm injury ended my middle sons career before he ever got to pitch in a game at UTD but he still loves the game. My youngest son provided some of the more memorable baseball moments of my life. In fall of 2018 he was a freshman batting for a starting position at an Okla Juco. Our Texas JuCo went up to play them and for the first time ever I was in one dugout and my son was in the other one. Kinda surreal. He played like a man that day and it was a proud moment for Dad. The proudest moment however was a few months later when I saw him raise a National Championship trophy and celebrate with his teammates.                         So, how do you put a value on the things I have described? A bond with a parent. A bond with your children. A lifetime of memories with a common theme. Lifelong friendships. Team reunions. Once in a lifetime moments. Baseball is the circle of life for me. It’s worth every penny of money and every minute of time that I put into it - and I get great satisfaction out of paying forward what I can. That’s what I have gotten out of the whole thing.                

@adbono posted:

           So, how do you put a value on the things I have described? A bond with a parent. A bond with your children. A lifetime of memories with a common theme. Lifelong friendships. Team reunions. Once in a lifetime moments. Baseball is the circle of life for me. It’s worth every penny of money and every minute of time that I put into it - and I get great satisfaction out of paying forward what I can. That’s what I have gotten out of the whole thing.                

boiled down to this for clarity of thread...yes I totally agree. That is why the value of baseball $'s is close irrelevant IMO

I do realize for some it is a huge investment but ultimately across a lifetime of reasonable success I feel like it becomes pretty small amount. If you find those things your described in D1, D1 or JUCO you have won...which is why the entire conversation how or why D3 guys sign blanks forms or NLI at a HS school signing day and/or if the merits of D3 are worthy of them participating is just kind of faulty topic IMO.

Adbono,  é fantastico!

(that’s Italian for “pretty good”)

This thread may win the cake for the some of the funniest and most sentimental posts I've read on here. @smokeminside I'm a little disappointed that there are no Hawaiian coots in your story but I suppose they don't swoop in a manner befitting the circumstances. And @adbono, I agree that what we sometimes lose in our discussions of signing and recruiting and launch angle...etc...is the preciousness of time spent with our players and the plethora of lessons learned not just on the field but in the in between times. Not to mention the incredible lifelong relationships between father/son, mother/son, coach/player and teammate/teammate that are generated and enhanced because of baseball. IMHO, if you've had a chance to be on a baseball journey with your son, it's already a win.

@smokeminside posted:

Adbono,  é fantastico!

(that’s Italian for “pretty good”)

Thanks, dude!

(that’s Hawaiian for “thanks dude”)

Reading this thread, it's kinda funny how  the kid fall into most of the topics

• Goes to a mid-major D1, where not many get drafted
• No scholarship money, so signed a fake NLI school mailed to him
• Costs a ton of money, which I complain about, but in the grand scheme, is insignificant
• Based on feedback, might have the chance to play at the next level
• He's loving every minute of it, except maybe the homework part

BTW, the proper acronym for the fake NLI is BSP.  Blank Sheet of Paper.

Ես շատ տպավորված!

Also, from teenage world: my youngest didn't realize that an NLI, a REAL one, actually means something tangible.  He thought they were just as fake as his BSP was. I'm trying to protect him so I haven't told him.  Love that kid.

@PTWood posted:

This thread may win the cake for the some of the funniest and most sentimental posts I've read on here. @smokeminside I'm a little disappointed that there are no Hawaiian coots in your story but I suppose they don't swoop in a manner befitting the circumstances. And @adbono, I agree that what we sometimes lose in our discussions of signing and recruiting and launch angle...etc...is the preciousness of time spent with our players and the plethora of lessons learned not just on the field but in the in between times. Not to mention the incredible lifelong relationships between father/son, mother/son, coach/player and teammate/teammate that are generated and enhanced because of baseball. IMHO, if you've had a chance to be on a baseball journey with your son, it's already a win.

My daughter was the plugger who became a very gold athlete as a teen after growing. She was noticeable, but not dominant in softball as a preteen. Her younger brother was the it kid in every sport from day one. Due to a five year gap in their ages I spent a lot of time with my daughter and sports before he started playing.

Due to this connection and time spent together I feel I understood my daughter better than a lot of fathers. Fifteen years later I still get sentimental thinking about a phone call after her first college away game. She said when she got on the bus she thought of all the rides we did together going to and from travel games and all the conversations we had.

@JCG posted:

My son was told by a lower tier D1 RC  "If you don't want to play professional baseball, you shouldn't be here."  It was a somewhat incongruous statement, since they have a single player drafted most years. But I've come to believe that mindset permeates D1 programs, and when you take that into consideration, it explains a lot of what is said here about D1 recruiting and the essential difference between that and all other divisions -- though it should be noted that there are plenty of D2, D3, Juco, and NAIA players who have the same ambitions, even if the odds weigh heavily against them.  But despite that,  I think most players in those divisions know they are not going pro.  So why are they there?  To get an education is the obvious answer, but I don't think it's the correct one.  The correct answer is that they want to keep playing competitive baseball as long as they can, and playing in college is the best way to do that. It's why a whole boatload of graduates of our local Juco have played or are currently playing at D2 and NAIA schools that nobody here has ever heard of.

When I think of the guys my 2017 played with over the years, the ones who went early in the draft and/or rocketed through MiLB are fun to talk about, but the guys whose stories really resonate with me are more this:   A guy I'll call D was at his third HS when he became one of my son's teammates. He had gotten himself into a few scrapes the way some kids do, and his parents may have been school shopping just a bit.  If you met the kid you would like him, and I know his coaches and teammates respected him because he worked as hard as anyone, even though he sat more than he played.  I was a little surprised when he went to play at the local Juco. But he did, and he had a similar role there to what he did in HS. And now he's at it again at an NAIA, contributing but not starring or even starting, getting ready to play his CoVid bonus year.  I have not talked to his parents in years, and have no idea of the cost-benefit equation of all this education, but I'm just impressed by the love of baseball that keeps that kid on the field while so many others with so much more talent have moved on with their lives.  And he's not alone; I can think of a bunch of guys very much like him. One played Juco, then D2, then D1, and is doing a bonus CoVid year as a D2 grad student. He just wants to play as long as he can.

I think that's a theme you'll see with D3 players too, HA or not HA. There are parents amongst us here whose kids have put in four years of hard work and gotten only a few innings of work or at-bats in return. But they keep plugging for the love of the game and their teammates.

Sorry for the thread drift, but that's what threads do.

I enjoyed that post. An old scout once told me, you don’t choose baseball…..baseball chooses you.” As I have gotten older I have realized that statement is true in so many ways!