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Before getting into my first post, I just wanted to thank you all -- this is such an amazing forum, filled with help and humor! I think we'll need a bit of both!

My son, a 2016 RHP/3B, has gone about college bb recruiting backwards (applied for schools before figuring out the bb angle), and now needs advice on how to assess fit for bb in the schools he's been admitted to. 

Stats are 6'2", 190 lbs (he's still growing); high 70s-low 80s fb, throws 2-seam, curve, changeup, and is starting to put a cutter into his rotation. Great at locating pitches & putting movement on the ball; less impressive velo. We're hoping he gets some additional velo this season as he's bigger & stronger, but haven't seen the gun yet. He played on a travel team until HS; coach wants the boys playing for HS in the summer, so that's what he's done.

He's been fortunate enough to be accepted to 5 great LACs (2 Liberty, 2 Centennial, and 1 NWC school). He's visiting one of the Centennials late this week, and will meet with the coach, but it's not likely he could meet the other LL & CC coaches in person, given that he would have to travel from the west coast (he's an IB diploma kid, so prepping for May exams). 

Son realizes he'd be a walk on, since rosters are likely filled, but doesn't know how best to figure out where he might have the best shot at playing. Some schools have as few as 25 rostered; some have nearly double that. What should he be looking for? And doing? What could his HS coach do?

Another question -- when he visits the school this week, should he expect to throw for the coach? I cannot for the life of me figure out whether that's allowed or not. 

All advice and counsel is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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IMO, the main factors in your son's ability to make one of these teams are roster size and ranking. A 25 man roster would make it more likely that the coach has his incoming freshman class pretty well set. A 50 man roster would leave room for walk-ons (and probably a JV team). Your son will need more time in the fall to audition for the coach than the recruited guys. Regarding ranking, obviously the better teams will be more difficult to make. I don't know of a ranking systems that includes every DIII baseball team, but he can check conference rankings over the past few years, and compare the conferences if any of the teams play each other out of conference. I would recommend that your son send video that included a radar gun to the coaches before visiting. Then they'll have something to go by when he talks to them about his chances of playing. As you've probably read here, some coaches can mislead kids during these conversations, but many will be straight with him. Unfortunately, he can't hope for much better than that at this late date. Good luck.

Regarding throwing for the school, that isn't allowed in DI or DIII.

Welcome to the site.  My son is a 2016 RHP who will be attending a Centennial conf school in the fall.  He was recruited by several of them but was only serious about one (of the ones who recruited) and that's where he applied ED.  I did look at many of the conference rosters though and PG commits for this year and last.  His school is losing 12 (I think) Seniors this year to graduation and the coach was very up front about what he was looking for (total of 12-13 players with 5 of them pitchers) and according to 2016 the email/text list for recruits that he is on has 13 players.  That would keep their roster right about where they have been the last few years with little room for walk-ons.  

With that said - I have watched several of his schools games this season online and checked the stats and many of this year's freshman are playing and playing a lot.  Starting in infield, DHing, starting pitching.  What you've read here about the coaches playing those that will help them win is true so there is nothing to stop HC (at any of the CC schools) from taking another player if your son could contribute.  Several of the other CC schools I looked at had a lot more players listed on the roster as well - so it seems like some of them don't have set limits.  

Mid-writing this I realized that a RHP from our HS was at a CC school this year and is pitching so I checked that roster quickly.  They have 40 players listed with numbers on their online roster and 5 more without numbers.  I noticed that several of the other CC schools had similar sized rosters.  

Have you looked at the rosters for the schools and then checked PG to see how many players think they are "committed".  You can do some calculations on how many players they usually carry, how many they lose this year and how many players "committed" which usually means they applied ED with coaches support and think they have a roster spot in the spring.   

I don't have any experience with what you're describing, but I will jump in to say that, even leaving baseball out of the equation,  I understand how difficult it is to make this decision.    My eldest earned an IB diploma, and holy crud, while other seniors were coasting through second semester of senior year he was working his tail off.  It was not a fun.  So how do you visit east coast colleges, play HS ball, do your IB project and study for IB exams?  That won't be easy.   But even considering all that, I don't know how a kid decides to attend a college all the way across the country without at least one visit.  That seems like a risky proposition that could lead to a bad outcome.   I think he needs to do whatever is necessary to visit the 1-2 schools he most wants to attend.  Sounds like he's going east to see one school already. Add on, if at all possible.  If not, skip a couple days of school and go again.  He can do his IB work on the plane and at the hotel - that's more important than being in class at this point.  As for baseball, meet coaches, look for the best match possible, but secondary to figuring out where he's going to thrive academically.  If you can take in some games your son should be able to figure out if he is a legit player at that level.  I'm guessing that the level of play you'll see close to home in the NWC is at least on par with the 2 eastern conferences.

 

Last edited by JCG

KKBBAAL

Congrats on your first post and your son's interest in college baseball.  Your son has made this decision based on academics so I'd start there...which one offers the best future based on his major.  I know I'm preaching to the choir but somebody has to say it.  After that, I'd look at the pitching staffs for the schools your son is most interested in.  Who has pitchers graduating with significant innings?  How many pitchers do they use over the course of their season?  How did these schools place within their respective conference?  Those data points should give you an idea of what the challenges will be so he goes into this with eyes wide open.  Remember it is just data, and your son will have to try out, make it, and continue to develop.  Good luck!

kkbball posted:

Before getting into my first post, I just wanted to thank you all -- this is such an amazing forum, filled with help and humor! I think we'll need a bit of both!

My son, a 2016 RHP/3B, has gone about college bb recruiting backwards (applied for schools before figuring out the bb angle), and now needs advice on how to assess fit for bb in the schools he's been admitted to. 

Stats are 6'2", 190 lbs (he's still growing); high 70s-low 80s fb, throws 2-seam, curve, changeup, and is starting to put a cutter into his rotation. Great at locating pitches & putting movement on the ball; less impressive velo. We're hoping he gets some additional velo this season as he's bigger & stronger, but haven't seen the gun yet. He played on a travel team until HS; coach wants the boys playing for HS in the summer, so that's what he's done.

He's been fortunate enough to be accepted to 5 great LACs (2 Liberty, 2 Centennial, and 1 NWC school). He's visiting one of the Centennials late this week, and will meet with the coach, but it's not likely he could meet the other LL & CC coaches in person, given that he would have to travel from the west coast (he's an IB diploma kid, so prepping for May exams). 

Son realizes he'd be a walk on, since rosters are likely filled, but doesn't know how best to figure out where he might have the best shot at playing. Some schools have as few as 25 rostered; some have nearly double that. What should he be looking for? And doing? What could his HS coach do?

Another question -- when he visits the school this week, should he expect to throw for the coach? I cannot for the life of me figure out whether that's allowed or not. 

All advice and counsel is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Congrats to your son for being accepted to 5 great LAC's.   If these are really schools he wants to go to, that should be a top consideration and if he hasn't already, he should prioritize them (outside of baseball) from most desirable to least desirable and then consider the baseball angle.   Or, maybe that just doesn't matter and baseball is the one factor that determines his priorities???  If the latter is the case, then choosing the one with the best opportunity and a good way to do that is not just what the coach might say by taking a close look at the teams roster and and try and evaluate those who are in the positions your son plays in.  Look at the stats and see where there might be an opportunity to fit in.  Then when you son has some idea about that, he can discuss that better when interviewing with the coaches.  You son should provide his own stats and a short recruiting video for the coach to review (particularly if the coach(s) haven't had the opportunity to actually see your son play).  If the HS coach has any connections to the college HC's, you son should ask the HS coach if he could make some calls and recommendations.  If the HS coach doesn't have such connections, then son might ask for a letter of recommendation that he can send to or take to the college coachs for when he sits down and talks with them.

Last edited by Truman

My son was an all conference pitcher in the Centennial.  Your post is interesting in that, at my son's school no walk on achieved appreciable playing time during his four years there.  HOWEVER, every team runs out of pitching every season and at least half of the pitching staff increased their velocity appreciably during their careers at school.  Some, including my son, are completely different pitchers (my son was recruited as a shortstop) by the time they are Juniors.  Your sons numbers are already at the borderline of effectiveness, so my sense is you can have a good outcome if you manage it correctly.  I would recommend that you reach out quickly to the coaches, play summer ball after graduation, and make sure they see your son play this summer.  Study the rosters well and know who is graduating.

I know a lot about this conference, so feel free to PM me with more specific questions.

This response disregards academics which I believe should come first. Look at this year's roster and stats. Check off the seniors. How many pitchers are returning. Check next year's  returning starters against their stats and usage. Chances are four starters and eight relievers will get the bulk of the innings.

See if you can find out behind the scene how pitchers are handled. Are they overworked or used with caution. What is the reputation of the pitching coach. You want your son to improve.

Pitching in college is much more challenging than high school. I was recruited as an outfielder. But I was used as a lefty situational reliever for two years. The pitching coach commented I must have been stoled blind in high school. He couldn't believe a lefty had such a lame move to first. My response regarding high school, "What baserunners?"

He laughed then made me run poles for a wise ass remark. The net is it wasn't until college that I learned how to hold runners. I was fortunate to have a coach who could instruct.

Wow! Thank you all so much! 

You've given us some great direction, and I especially appreciate the guidance around roster/stats research. 

I did a quick check on PG, and 1 CC team is showing 9 commits (including 4 pitchers) and all the others are onesie-twosie. Very interesting!

And JCG, I really appreciate the IB perspective. My DD got hers a few years ago, but wasn't balancing such a time-consuming sport with it. We have visited all of the campuses, but unfortunately, coaches weren't on campus when we were last summer. 

DS did a great job picking the schools he applied for, so we're pretty comfortable that he's got schools with strong academic fit. Baseball fit would be a tipping point among good choices.

We're meeting with DS' HS coach (who used to be an asst. coach at a D3 school out here) tomorrow -- hopefully, he can shed some light, too. 

And RJM, loved the "what baserunners?" story! 

We'll do some additional roster-snooping, and I'll let you know what we find out. 

It sounds like you may be looking at the school my 2016 will be attending this fall based on the PG numbers you listed.  We spent 2 days there in Sept and my wife and I met with the coaching staff both days.  I've also watched 4-5 games (or parts of them) online this spring.  Shoot me a PM if you have any questions (and let me know what school that is if you are comfortable).  2016 has a list with more than 9 players on it.  

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