D3 Recruiting Advice Please

It sounds as if your son visited the schools already. If so, did he get an opportunity to speak with the coach? I think the next step is face-to-face with the coach at the schools you consider to be the most viable, on the range of factors, academics, baseball, etc. I say this you because you hope to get some information regarding the talent the coach projects, in other words, is he viewed as a potential starter, or will have an opportunity to make the team. Since admission does not appear to be an issue, for you it's about likeability, both ways. Remember, there is no guarantees at DIII, for coaches and players. Coaches cut recruits and players decide not to play. Just my two cents, if you like the school, go where you are wanted. Good luck.

MTBaseballDad,

Let me be the first to welcome you to HSBBW! I can only assume you have posted here because you see the invaluable advise and knowledge of many folks on here who have "been there and done that". LOL. This site is a true God-send to any parent of a player on any level who is looking for direction, guidance, instruction, and encouragment.

As I read your post it came across to me that your son is a remarkable young man and has taking care of "business", i.e. academics, etc. to help him be recruitable at the next level. I have read it over and over on here about how important grades are and never realized how important they are until younggunson begin applying. His grades WILL determine how much academic money he can receive, especially in D3.

I can appreciate your sons loyalty to his Legion team. It says a lot about his character. However, let me encourage you to talk to him that he is now at a time that his future is at a point that needs focus and attention. I am most certain that his legion coach would understand and hopefully encourage him missing a few selected games to attend a campus visit or tryout. The incredible source of DVD's today is an awesome tool to be able to send video's of son to coaches. My son just used one and the coach was calling him within 15min to make an offer. It works! Especially if it falls into the hands of a coach looking for a player like your son.

There is a sample baseball resume here on HSBBW that a player can "revise" to his own liking. I suggest your son fill this out and send with each DVD he sends out.

Good luck!

Dominick & YoungGunDad:

Thank you for your replies. No, Dominick, we have not had an opportunity to meet any coaches on our campus visits. I understand your suggestion for a face-to-face with coaches but we are along way from the schools - travel is a real problem living in MT. I have encouraged my son to call the coaches but he is a bit shy and is more comfortable with e-mails at this point - I'll keep trying to encourage him.

YGD - Around Febrary I spend hours on the 'net researching showcases and filling out a calendar. I then compared this to the Legion schedule to look for opportunities. There were a few but they would have entailed alot of difficult travel. We discussed the possibilities and decided to just stick with sending videos and making contacts with coaches.

While I’ve tried to push my son when necessary, I’m also a believer in letting him have time to just be a kid. I want him to enjoy his Legion season – which is very important to him and involves plenty of time commitment – and also have time to do things with his non-baseball friends.

There is a chance we could make the Northwest Top Prospect Games in Bellevue August 22-23 but that will follow the first week of football practice and to dash off for a weekend of baseball and get back to football practice on However, Monday would be exhausting.

Perhaps not attending a showcase will cost us some opportunities. But in the end I feel my son will likely pick a school for his own reasons and if he has to prove himself to the coach as a relatively unknown commodity I think he has the work ethic, confidence and talent to succeed.

However, if there is anything else anyone would suggest to help making him less of an unknown commodity, I'm all ears.

Since there are no BB scholarships at a D111, why would you attend showcases ? Spend time and money for what ?
It has been my understanding that it is a cattle call at D111s where large numbers of players show up and the best players as the coach sees it, make the team. Isn't it more about education at these colleges?
I would be inclined to send emails and DVDs than spend time and money on showcases. I am not sure why you limit your search to D111 ?

Bobblehead - My son has researched plenty of schools. But after researching schools in the states surrounding Montana it just happened that the D3's were the ones that fit my son's criteria. He likes the idea of a smaller school and also wants a school that is an easy one-way plane trip home. Developing a close relationship with the coach was another factor. Maximizing the possibility of playing time was another.

Montana is a relative baseball "backwater". Few Montana kids go D1 without taking the JC route. I have encouraged my son to consider spending four years somewhere and have a great college experience, on and off the field. D3 seems to fit that bill.

Thanks for your thoughts.

quote:

It has been my understanding that it is a cattle call at D111s where large numbers of players show up and the best players as the coach sees it, make the team.

BobbleheadDoll,

My son played for a DIII college in Minnesota. From what I observed, DIII coaches DO recruit players, and DO want to see them play before they arrive on campus. The head coach who my son ended up playing for asked him what camps and showcases he would attend, so that he could watch him there in addition to attending HS games, and the coach also was interested in his profile at Perfect Game for the event he had already attended.

The initial experience of competing for a spot on the team varies greatly from one DIII to another. At some DIII's with weaker programs, there may be no players cut. 25 or 30 show up for tryouts and they all make the roster, though that doesn't guarantee them any playing time.

At other DIII programs, there may be many more players at tryouts than there are roster spots. In those cases, if the coach has not recruited a player before tryouts, it becomes more difficult for that player to demonstrate enough in a few hours or a few days to convince the coach that he should make the roster before a recruited player.

The conference that MTBaseballDad is asking about includes at least a couple of those very competitive DIII teams:

• St. Thomas tops the MIAC and has won the NCAA DIII national championship (CWS) in 2001 and 2009, and has been very competitive nationally in the years between, with a record of 342 Wins and 112 Losses over the past 10 years.
  
• St. Olaf is second in the MIAC, also nationally known with a W-L record of 284-131 the past 10 years.
  
• The nearby UMAC DIII conference in Minnesota, where my son played, is topped by perennial nationally-ranked St. Scholastica, with a 365-70 record over the past 10 years.
  

A player who just shows up at tryouts and hopes to make the team at a DIII program like that (or any of the teams in the MIAC conference which MTBaseballDad asked about) is probably at a serious disadvantage compared to a player who the coach has seen play. He may be overlooked in tryouts because of the number of recruited players - or perhaps more importantly, he may be trying out for the top team in the conference when he could have made the team that ranks is the middle of the conference.

It makes a lot of sense to me that the coach MTBaseballDad mentioned would want to see his son play, but would not typically travel from MN to MT to see him play - hence the question about showcases.

Julie

MTBaseballDad,

Feel free to let me know if I can try to help you with specific questions about the MIAC conference.

Julie

Thanks Julie. We have researched several MIAC schools and were able to visit all of them except Gustavus and Augsburg over Christmas break. My son attended Macalester coach Matt Parrington's Christmas camp.

One thing I should mention - my son has specific academic interests that weed out many of the D3's but he remains interested in Macalester and sent a DVD to Coach Parrington. I know Macalester has not been terribly competitive but they have a beautiful new athletic center that caught my son's eye.

He is also interested in St. Thomas but has not had any luck getting replies to e-mails as yet.

The D3's he is interested in Washington are Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound.

Let me know if you have any insights into Macalester and/or St. Thomas.

I have a lot of first-hand experience with D3 baseball and can confirm virtually everything MN-Mom posted here. I'll add this:

As you didn't tell us what position(s) you son plays, please examine the stats of returning underclassmen who play your son's position(s) at schools holding his interest.

If he is, for example, clearly only a first baseman or catcher AND there is dominant freshman or sophomore already in that position at that school, it will be very hard to earn playing time.

By the way, Julie, your point is exactly what I fear. Not attending any showcases and showing up on campus as a relative unknown and then going unnoticed in fall tryouts. After all, a new student - especially one from out of state - is dealing with huge life changes that could easily affect their play on the field.

But (as stated before) attending showcases when you live in MT is not easy with all the travel time.

Like most folks on this site I'm just trying to soak up as much info as possible and make good decisions. Deciding whether or not to attend a showcase is one of those.

A good DVD will show a coach what he needs to see and as in all divisions you will compete for playing time.
We never attended any showcases and relied on DVD and emails. We did get asked by a few coaches if we were attending a showcase but we said no. We had a few that wanted to see my son in person but we had some great offers without that.
I have heard that as many as 60-70 guys show up at D111 tryouts. Many the coach has never seen before. It appears that the academics are more important to MTB and reading between the lines I think he is right in focusing on that. BB seems to be secondary to him.

"BB seems to be secondary to him."

Very true Bobblehead. Priority One is to get my son a great education. If that is at the expense of baseball, so be it, although that would be very disappointing to my son.

Thanks to everyone for the great opinions.

quote:

Let me know if you have any insights into Macalester and/or St. Thomas.

MTBaseballDad,

Both are great schools and very well respected in our region academically. As you know from your visits, the campuses are only about a mile or two apart in St. Paul. Both are expensive, with St. Thomas around $38K/year and Macalester at $46K.

My younger son (musician not baseball player, 06 HS grad) toured the St. Thomas campus and visited/auditioned with the head of his intended dept. (guitar). It is a beautiful campus with very stately old buildings, beautiful trees, very pretty in Fall and Spring, very cold in winter - but you're from Montana so your son is used to that! I haven't specifically toured Macalester but have known parents whose children attended both colleges and spoke very highly of the academics and campus environment.

You mentioned that your son did not hear back from St. Thomas's baseball program and I guess that doesn't surprise me. Their program is so well known that it is easy for them to find the top student-athlete DIII prospects in our state and region. So they may not spend much time assessing recruits who they have to travel further to see.

I have not met Coach Parrington of Macalester but I have heard good things about him through others (coaches and parents). Before becoming a coach, Parrington played 4 years and acted as an assistant coach under a very successful DII head coach who I'm more familiar with - great man, great coach - so Parrington probably learned from an excellent example.

Regarding the strength of the baseball program, Macalester's .500 record in a very strong DIII conference is their best finish in several years. I could see where there might be a good chance for your son to get playing time there if he is a solid college prospect, and the program may be on an upswing.

Hope some of that helps.

Julie

Bobble

Sometimes I wonder if you have any idea what is a showcase is all about and the purpose it serves---

re: D-III

01---they can see you in game action---you cannot show that on a DVD

02--- if they like the player the coach can be a huge help in getting you admitted in many schools---we have a few kids going D-III who played with us in the fall-- many have great $$$ situations (Academics and Grants) and we have a few you have full $$ situations---without the coaches seeing them in action these situations would not come to fruition

03-- we play in a tournament in PA every year during the September dead period--great competition--great event-- D-III programs all over the place to watch the games-- plus,pulling into the parking lot for game one and coaches are getting out of their cars just as you do( the parking by its nature makes this happen---"Hey Riz wassup ?? I see you have so and aso on your roster. What game is he pitching?Where you hitting so and so in your lineup? How is so and so doing so far this season? We will be at all the games? If we like waht we see can you inroduce us to he and his parents after the game?" I walki into the field talking with them--how good is that !!!

This is why the showcase/tournament aspect is better than DVD---they see the real thing---a DVD will only pique their interest and get to come and see him in person and in action. DVDS don't show personality and heart---they give you one on one with parents nor how they act in the stands

I like it our way--

I think I understand the difference. I was referring to showcases not tournaments. My son played in tournaments all over the US and Canada. Had lots of interest from those tournaments . Played in Long Island Tournament and had pro interest and his largest scholarship offer from a D11 in CT. Also played in PA tournaments. All these were included in his team fees. Started 2 games in the NY State Connie Mack Qualifier including the championship game. We were the best team there.
I have so many guys I know who have played in showcases including Jupiter, Area Codes etc. Now that college is over my son was better off. I could give you a detailed list of guys who showcased and didn't graduate because they got caught up in BB. I have one who has been to the show and passed on college and is now after 5-6 years on the edge of being cut.
Our coaches helped place our players through years of contacts they have. BB was secondary to us but if it was really important we might have showcased very selectively. MTB is not looking for a Major BB program and in my opinion it would be a waste of time and money. My advice was for him.
My DVD were real game action against high quality teams. I was surprised that several coaches knew some of the players.

mtbaseballdad........

it's important that your son show interest in their school.......and so the visits that he's made already are a good thing. continue on that path and visit more schools, preferably this summer before school starts and he gets too busy.

start now making a list of the schools that he is interested in and their application deadlines.....see if any of these have early action applications. you may notice that if some have fall deadlines for admissions and scholarships, his timetable needs to be moved up....and he should be in contact with the coach sooner rather than later. what some d3 student athletes will do is to apply to 10 - 14 schools and then make their decisions by the end of April after they've reviewed the acceptances, the sports situation, financial aid awards, etc.

keep moving forward and be assertive in contacting the schools.

Be happy to talk with you via PM on the Pacific Northwest schools. My son looked at some of them as a part of his search - and I have made visits to several of the others with my daughter so could answer non baseball questions there...

quote:

My son played in tournaments all over the US and Canada. Had lots of interest from those showcases . Played in Long Island Tournament and had pro interest and his largest scholarship offer from a D11 in CT. Also played in PA tournaments. All these were included in his team fees. Started 2 games in the NY State Connie Mack Qualifier including the championship game. We were the best team there.
I have so many guys I know who have played in showcases including Jupiter, Area Codes etc. Now that college is over my son was better off. I could give you a detailed list of guys who showcased and didn't graduate because they got caught up in BB. I have one who has been to the show and passed on college and is now after 5-6 years on the edge of being cut.

The point of all this remains a mystery to me.

Rob, I think BHD and I agree, there are several reasons not to showcase, save the $$$ for school. There are kids who like baseball but are realistic enough to realize it won't be their future career and there are others who do the motions but will never apply themselves (lazy). If we had to do it all over again, no Area Code, etc. Just play ball somewhere even local ball.

Baseball for some can no longer be a fun sport when you are constantly under a microscope.

Rob thanks for pointing out my error. They were tournaments all covered by team fees. The point is that spending money on showcases for D111 seems a waste of money especially for pitchers. We relied on DVDs and emails followed up by phone calls. We generated interest from all levels of D1 4 year and D1 JCs.
People are convinced they have to do the showcase route when it just isn't the case. A properly run campaign using DVDs/web sites can generate interest. The truth is coaches are interested in guys who demonstrate that they can play and stay eligible. They really don't care where the info comes from. Like any marketing effort you will get a % that won't respond without some extra prodding. If that college is important to you chase it down until you hit a dead end. I pushed 1 coach who actually took 3 months to look at the video. He finally looked at it and I got the call back with an offer. He was a pitching guy who PG knows very well. A top D1 JC. In the end we deecided we wanted a 4 year program
No real mystery here.

I sat down with my son last night and tried to see if there was still a showcase we could attend this summer. Remember, we live in MT and going to any showcase involves driving 900 miles or buying plane tickets.

The only possible window is the August 22-23 PG Top Prospect SC in Bellevue but that will be a Saturday after the 1st week of football practice (two-a-days). If we went to the SC it would be a very tired boy that would be trying to run, hit, throw, etc. after a week of exhaustive practice in what will likely be very hot conditions.

The more I think about this the more I am inclined to just let my son enjoy his already very busy summer. He'll apply to whatever D3 schools make his final list and see what he can do to make the team when he shows up in the Fall of 2010.

In the meantime he'll continue to e-mail coaches on a continuing basis and try to work up the courage to make some phone calls as well. Perhaps we'll try to make another visit to one or two if we can during the school year or attend a Christmas camp if one of them is offered.

Another idea I have. Montana has exactly three college baseball programs - two JC's and D2 Montana State-Billings. My son has no interest in these prgrams as they fall short academically. But if he happens to draw interest from any of these it occurred to me he could be honest with the coach, thank him for the interest, and then ask the coach to contact one of the D3 coaches to pass along a professional opinion.

quote:

Another idea I have. Montana has exactly three college baseball programs - two JC's and D2 Montana State-Billings. My son has no interest in these programs as they fall short academically. But if he happens to draw interest from any of these it occurred to me he could be honest with the coach, thank him for the interest, and then ask the coach to contact one of the D3 coaches to pass along a professional opinion.

I am not sure that is a good option.

Also I made all the calls to the colleges. I know there are people here who will not agree with that but it worked well. My guy played several sports and all the coaches were more than willing to talk to me. The school he eventually signed with, the coach asked if he could talk to my son. He gave me his cell and my son called. The coach only wanted to see if he was really interested in the college. The coach called me and made an initial offer. I rejected it. Then the coach asked for 2 weeks to find some money. He called with a sweetened offer which we were happy with. Most coaches are very nice to talk to. They also understand how shy/nrevous HS kids can be.
Once you get your list go after them and stop worrying about what coaches will say or do. If you have to make the calls. I actually missed that when it was all over. I called every coach and thanked them for their interest after my son signed. D111 is a little different without the NLI to sign.

MTB,
Welcome to the HSBBW from the parent of a former DIII player who is, for the most part, an inactive occasional reader.
It sure sounds to me like you and your son have some very great schools identified. Now the idea is to create an opportunity where he gets a great education and an opportunity in baseball.
Some things for DIII to keep in mind:
1. Most coaches won't truly start recruiting until October and maybe even later than that. They don't want to use resources until the pool of available talent is impacted and better identified by the NLI process. As a result, this is a great time for your son to keep in regular contact.
2. Unless your son is applying ED or early action, he has until April of 2010 to make his choice. He has the same time period to get in front of coaches. Knowing that, there may be some opportunities after basketball next February when the snow will still be on the ground in MT.
3. Because he is a multi sport player, he may well have upside when he focuses only on baseball. That is what happened with ours. When he stopped football and played baseball only, he improved drastically. That is something to sell in your son.
4. What about having your Legion coach(or other Legion coaches) call the college coaches or provide something your son can provide to the college coaches?
5. As with the Minnesota schools, those in the NW are also one at a very high level(PLU) and one more toward the middle of the pack.
While it is silent now, here is a link to DIII baseball and to the message boards. Lot's of good information.
http://www.d3baseball.com/

6. Also, I would pm with 08Dad per his invitation. Krakatoa might also be a good resource as he got his son recruited from Korea.
7. The schools you have mentioned are unlikely to have cattle call tryouts for 3 reasons: they are not that large, the tuition is up there, and the freshman class is usually selected for diversityof interests and baseball is a small one. Our son attended Trinity U in Tx. In 2003, they had a about 35 kids show up unannounced to tryout.
The coach kept everyone for the entire Fall to provide the opportunity to earn a spot. Other than that year, most years were in the 15 to 20 range.
8. If your son is a good player, he is going to find a spot. DIII coaches want to win and they want good players, who are good kids, who work hard in the classroom and on the field.
I will be back in MT on Wednesday. It is the State where I was born. A fews years back the Montana Standard did a very nice article on Rob Johnson(now with the Mariners) and our son when they played against each other in Milb. Small world in baseball.
Please keep us informed about your son. This is a site that Bob H put together, and Julie continues, in order to help players like your son and to answer questions of the type you are asking.

One option - and it may be impossible given football - is the Arizona Fall Classic.

http://www.azfallclassic.com/

He would want to go to the Senior event - October 15th - 18th. Tons of coaches from all over the west come to this event. There are representatives from JC, D1, D2, D3 and NAIA.

http://www.azfallclassic.com/p...8_Senior_College.pdf

Last year Pacific Lutheran, George Fox, Willamette and Lewis and Clark from the NWC all attended.

MTBaseball, your question and replies reveal some insight. Generally, DIIIs are alot like your son. Probably play[ed] 2/3 sports and not completely devoted to full-time baseball or baseball travel teams. I think most of us can agree that you do have to be proactive. That means you have to reach out to some degree, as you have done. Your question is how much. I have known DIII candidates that have quit other sports and have spent the entire Summer and Fall. Others only send around DVDs, as you have seen. Let me suggest that if your son has solid academics, he may want to attend an academic showcase. Such a showcase might be worth the travel/cost.

Thanks "infielddad". A most helpful post.

I have asked (and continue to ask) my son to get his Legion coach to contact the D3 coaches. I will continue to push him to do this.

I especially appreciate your comments regarding D3 recruiting timetables and fall tryouts. My son is a good player and I would not bet against him in a tryout, especially if it is an extended tryout and not just a couple of hours.

What part of MT are you from?

"spent their Summer and Fall attending showcases."
Sorry.

MTB,
I was born and raised in Butte. We left when I was 14. Still have many relatives in Billings and Butte and we will be seeing most all of them this weekend.
I have emailed our son to see if he has any additional ideas/thoughts. He is getting into college coaching and has one year complete as a recruiting coordinator at a DIII.

Don't expect a coach to contact the college coaches for you. Just include the coaches numbers in your resume and encourage the target coaches to call his references. If they are interested, they will. Of course don't include any references that may be detrimental.

Found this thread regarding the MIAC and NWC. Very nice thread.

MN-Mom, Can you give me your insight about the Hamline Pipers baseball program?

I wonder how the "story" ended? Does anyone know?