d3's

I would go to the D3baseball.com message boards and dig around there for some information. La Roche was in the D3 CWS last week. 

I agree with BOF. What type of info are you looking for? 

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the programs or coaches? Also,  if "over recuiting" takes place there. 

I have kind of changed my opinion on "over recruiting" particularly at the D3 level where there are no roster limits. Go watch and see games at the schools you are interested in, and if you think you can as good or better than the guys you see on the field then who cares? The concept of over recruiting at the D3 level is very different than the D1 level where you may lose a scholarship, at the D3 level it is solely whether you can earn a spot on the travel squad. If you think you can, then go for it, if not, then go someplace where you think you can compete, or a place where they develop players on the non travel squad. La Roche was at the D3 CWS, and while I did not see them play they were literally one out away from going to the championship series so they probably have some pretty good players on that squad. 

Over recruiting is a tough thing looking in from the outside. Unless you know the program well, it is tough to say. You can look at the size of the roster, but that does not tell you how many players were recruited. 

I agree with BOF, son watched every team that was recruiting him play. He narrowed down the schools and picked from that list. 

I am always hesitant to talk about coaches, without knowing a recruit well. I cannot judge wether he will be right for a young man or not. As far as honesty goes, unless I have personal experience with a coach, I would again be very hesitant to share anything I received, second hand.

I can tell you this, in general, there is little over recruiting in The NCAC, there rosters are usually in the 30's. But that does not mean all the players see the field much in their 4 years. 

The coach from La Roche also runs a team in the WPEBL and gets to know players from Western PA,  does some recruiting from this league.  I know a couple of players from his team all had good things to say.  I also know a couple of player from W & J,  loved the coach and the team.  Competitive, also recruits from Western PA, but if good will play.  I never heard a bad word about him from players.   Look at what you son wants to major in and is it worth spending the money.  W & J has an incredible turf field,  La Roche just updated their field.  Both are small campuses.

Thank you guys

pa2017 posted:

Just wondering if anyone has experience with the programs or coaches? Also,  if "over recuiting" takes place there. 

I wouldn't call it over recruiting,  I'd call it stockpiling talent.  At he D3 level  with no roster limits and no  athletic scholarships to hand out,  there is a little downside to giving  all comers a fair shot. And there is little downside to keeping as many players as you can usefully get in reps of for.  Though I don't doesn't mean that they will all play. Probably most won't. Bus you give players a chance to prove themselves to you. And you never let your starters enjoy a sense of entitlement. Not all D3 programs operate the same way I'm sure. But if you want to be a highly competitive D3 you can run your program in a pretty cutthroat fashion. But from the coaches point of view  it's not really over recruiting it's just stockpiling talent  with no real downside.

Are all of you saying that the "roster list" on the college websites are not a complete list of players?  They only list the players that travel?  From my research looking at the stats, looks like all or most of the players get a chance.  Some less than others...AB's for starters 140+ and lower range for other players could be 12, 20, 46 etc.  For us that is not bad especially for a Freshman.  Better than completely sitting the bench and NEVER getting to see the field the entire season.  Just curious if what I read on the college sites is a complete listing of roster.  Thanks!

RKBH,

in most cases, the roster list is not a complete list.  It does not account for fall cuts, players relegated to JV where applicable, players asked to redshirt to develop another year physically or recover from injury, players who become academically ineligible or quit, seeing they won't get playing time, etc.  For a lot of schools, these numbers are significant.

Also, even those that get 6, 12, 20, 40 AB's need to know that a big part of the coach staff's job is to bring players in who are better.  So, it's not like HS where there is likely growth and progression.  If you are not an impact player your first year or two, there is a strong chance you will be bumped or relegated to a college career on the bench.  This is not always the case but a reality far more often than the bulk of "good" HS players realize.

So, message to you, having read a little about your son, is he just needs to keep working his butt off to be the best player he can and be prepared to compete hard and expect challenge after challenge along the way.

Regardless of how many are on the roster 18-20 players will receive reasonable playing time over the course of the season. A D3 player can't be concerned with how many players are on the roster. He can only control his talent level and accurately assess where he fits on the roster.

If the size of the roster is a concern the player may not be looking at the right program. Whether a kid is player 21 or 51 chances are he's doing a lot of sitting. Player 21 may have some potential for the future. But a lot of new recruits will arrive each following season.

If the coach is real interested in a player chances are he's going to walk the application through admissions. Otherwise, it's a crap shoot for the player.

A friend of my son was told if he gets accepted he's on the team. It was a top academic. He sat for four years. It was the right college academically so it didn't matter. But a lot of kids will quit before sitting for four years. This kid constantly believed next year would be his year. 

I just looked at the Randolph Macon College roster since that is the school I am familiar with on your list. R-MC  did quite well this past season.  Keewartson played with or against 10 of the 2016 rostered players over the years.  School has a long history, and a strong rivalry with nearby Hampden-Sydney College.  

Nice new field.  Ashland is a darling town.  The train makes easy transportation to east coast cities.

RJM - I am wondering if coaches "talk" to the players and explain to them in advance they are not "top" on the list and IF they work hard they may get playing time but no promises.  Otherwise, why on earth would a player sit for 4 years if all he wants is play baseball AND get a good education.  Why not just skip the baseball part?  Do these college coaches just string these kids along?  Psychologically this must affect the student athletes.  I cannot imagine looking someone in the eye every day knowing I am not being upfront with them...how do these coaches do this?  Are they that withdrawn, they do not see what they are doing to these kids?  This goes for any level of any sport - college, high school or local team.  One more thing - I understand at the professional level you may sit but you are getting PAID to sit.  College, yes you are getting scholarship, but at D3 you would get academic scholarship with or without baseball.  Looking forward to your reply.

RKBH,

There are as many different coaches as ships at sea. Some coaches may tell a kid his chances are slim. Others maybe not. That goes to all levels not just D3. In RJM's case maybe the coach was up front, and the kid thought he could over come the odds. 

Many players stay and stay part of the team , even though the odds may be against them. Many have built up relationships, with teammates. Many like being part of the team. Heck believe it or not they may even like the coach, god forbid. At D3 most are playing or part of the team because they love the game. If they quit, they are probably quitting their last opportunity to play baseball. Many find that hard to do. And if you are still making grades, why not. Hope springs eternal.

From talking with my son and former travel teammates what I hear from them is coaches are optimistically honest. Some players are guilty of selective hearing.  They hear they have a chance. They don't hear odds are against them.

It's the same thing I gathered from dads whose kids went into a college baseball situation against the odds. They only heard the part where they would get a shot.

I understand all of these points, thanks!  I just want to make sure IF my son does get a spot on a roster that he understands how hard he is going to have to work to keep that spot and there is always someone waiting in the wings to take it from him.  I do understand that some kids just love to be part of the team.    We are looking at colleges FIRST and then baseball.  If the baseball works out fine, if not, that is fine also. I do see how easy it is to get wrapped up in the hype of a coach showing interest.  I know in the coming weeks I will have MORE questions.  Thanks again to everyone for all of the advice!!

Here is another question - Can you give tips on what questions to ask in order to get a direct answer from a college coach in reference to the potential of a recruit?    Part of me is wondering if all of this work is worth it, especially at the D3 level where my son would get an academic scholarship with baseball or not.  But we will march on...and see where this road take us!!

When our 2016 visited his D3 school we sat and met with the full coaching staff around a table - 2016, my wife and I.  It was an open conversation and it continued after 2016 left with his player host for the weekend.  We asked the HC where 2016 fell on their recruiting board, did he think 2016 would have a chance to contribute as a freshman based on what they had seen, support for freshman with academics, how the scheduling worked with practice and workouts, how they pick their roomates, etc, etc.  We also got a detailed overview of what the "deal" was - meaning HC would support 2016 through admissions, 2016 would have a spring roster spot and in exchange 2016 would apply Early Decision 1.  

There is a detailed list of questions to ask here on this board and I printed it out and we reviewed in the car on the way to the school.  Many of them are D1 specific and we excluded them but we used a lot of what was there.  I'd love to be able to say 2016 asked them all but he was a work in progress and a lot was left to us (parents).  In our case we had the opportunity to ask.   

RKBH posted:

Here is another question - Can you give tips on what questions to ask in order to get a direct answer from a college coach in reference to the potential of a recruit?    Part of me is wondering if all of this work is worth it, especially at the D3 level where my son would get an academic scholarship with baseball or not.  But we will march on...and see where this road take us!!

RKBH - Yes and no, I think some questions are universal but I don't think you are going to get the following answer...."we see Johnny starting at 2nd base next year".  This is going to be somewhat difficult because most D3 coaches don't know exactly what freshmen or transfer talent is going to available in the Fall until the first tryout or practice.  Put yourself in their shoes.  For some of the high academic D3s, it is a little different as the freshmen recruit is required to apply Early Decision to get the coaches support and help the recruit through very selective Admissions.  Those coaches have a little better idea with some recruits because there has been a quid pro quo "deal" struck between Coach and recruit.....I will apply ED if you help me get in through Admissions.  Typically those coaches have some skin in the game and may have an idea about where they see the recruit fitting in, but probably will not share that information.

It is best to march on and figure out if this is a path that is worthwhile for your son.  College baseball at any level requires a large time commitment, and it varies by the program.  Rarely does a college baseball freshmen understand in advance how much time and commitment is needed for baseball.  Academic scholarships can be awesome in the right situation, but they also require due diligence.  For example, most schools will offer academic money to their top 10% of incoming students if they apply ED.  Some people don't like to apply ED, because it limits their application and financial aid choices.  That academic money can be used as a lure to bring him into an academic program that may not challenge your son.   These are a few of the things that we learned along the way.  If your son is seriously considering college baseball and could be considered for academic scholarship there are many, many choices out there in the college baseball universe.  The folks at HSBBWeb can help guide you but your son has to see these opportunities for himself and decide.  As always JMO.

Good luck!

RKBH posted:

Here is another question - Can you give tips on what questions to ask in order to get a direct answer from a college coach in reference to the potential of a recruit?    

The D3 coach probably doesn't know. He doesn't know who all is coming in, and if he's seen your son, it's probably only once or twice or on video.

However, your son can rely on his own eyes. Have him watch some of the fall practices. He'll know how he stacks up and whether he can hang with the guys at the front of that pack.

Thank you so much.  I will look for that list.  We have a very nice D3 school interested in my son or at least I think...coach has seen him THREE times...at the 2nd camp, he told my son he was the MVP of the camp and every time a great play was made he asked the other coaches "who is that kid" and they would say my son's name...YET, the interaction has not been consistent.  He always responds right away when my son e-mails or sends him a "note in the snail mail"...I think we are ready to move on and forget this school.  While it is a perfect fit academically and financially obviously this coach is unsure of my son for some reason.   The coach is the nicest coach I think we have EVER met.   I am not sure what else my son needs to do to get this coach to tell him he wants him??  OR is it because it is a D3, they do not really tell you they are interested until Aug/Sept??? 

One more thing - can you explain "tryouts" in the fall?  I thought if they recruited you, you were on the team??? 

Last item before I sign off for the day - I am so opposed to all of these "pay showcases"...it just shows me that if you have money, you can attend showcases and that is not necessarily giving the best talent their "turn"...I would LOVE to start a Non-Profit (true Non-Profit) for inner city or low income baseball players to come to a tournament - they would have to try out to be a part of it and have the academics - show proof of it via high school transcript.  Have college coaches come out of the goodness of their hearts (if this is possible)...and watch these kids and maybe discover a couple who are really good players.  We cannot rely on high school coaches for this...and travel teams may be too expensive for these players.   I will get off my soap box for now....

RKBH posted:

One more thing - can you explain "tryouts" in the fall?  I thought if they recruited you, you were on the team??? 

Only scholarship athletes in higher divisions are truly guaranteed roster spots because the NCAA requires schools to count them against roster limits.

In D3, there are not such enforceable guarantees. Some D3 schools do quite a bit of weeding out in the fall.   I've seen as many as 63 players on a D3 fall roster, and I've heard of D3's with more than 100 players at tryouts. Many of the players cut or relegated to JV squads that play only a few games had enough pre-matriculation communication with the coach to believe they were recruited. That's why I say D3 baseball breaks just as many hearts as D1 baseball, but it does it later, after the players arrive on campus. 

RKBH posted:

Here is another question - Can you give tips on what questions to ask in order to get a direct answer from a college coach in reference to the potential of a recruit?    Part of me is wondering if all of this work is worth it, especially at the D3 level where my son would get an academic scholarship with baseball or not.  But we will march on...and see where this road take us!

Here is a short list of questions that comes off my website. Good luck - Coach P

WWW.BaseballPrep.org

  PROSPECT RECRUITING and EVALUATION PROGRAM®

Questions to Ask the College Coach on an Official Visit

• What’s the status of the remaining team?       The remaining eligibility of players at your position.

• Where do you fit on the coaches recruiting list?       A good coach will not give you false hope, he will give you a honest evaluation of the situation.

• What are you chances of playing time as a freshman, sophomore etc.? The coaches view of your role.

• What is the potential scholarship, grant, gift aid that you can receive? If you are at the negotiation point, get the package in writing.

• What are the general practice / conditioning / season schedule? It must fit your academic program.

• Ask about the red shirt policy at the school. In case of injury, you don’t want to jeopardize your scholarship or team standing.

• What are the coaches’ goals in the next 4 years and where do you fit in those goals.

RKBH posted:

.... While it is a perfect fit academically and financially obviously this coach is unsure of my son for some reason.  

.....The coach is the nicest coach I think we have EVER met.  

......I am not sure what else my son needs to do to get this coach to tell him he wants him??  OR is it because it is a D3, they do not really tell you they are interested until Aug/Sept??? 

So, if it is perfect fit academically and financially, don't cross them off the list.  All coaches are the nicest coaches during the recruiting phase.  You need to dig deeper to figure out more about the baseball program and the coach.  If the baseball program is as good as the academics and financial offering then you may have a winner right in front of you.

So, it is early for D3 recruiting.  It will heat up in a few weeks, as D3 coaches look at many recruits at many showcases.  I'd like to know what your son has done or said to show his interest in this specific college baseball program in question.  Does the Coach know your son is interested?  Don't expect the Coach to be the one who can only make the first move or overture.  If this is as good a situation as you've described your son should be trying to contact the Coach directly or through a high school, travel or legion coach.  Waiting for things to happen in never a good idea in college baseball recruiting.  Engage this coach, but also continue to reach out to other programs would be my advice. 

Good luck!

I believe you can read more into the interest and pursuit the coach displays than the questions you ask. There isn't a question they haven't heard. The coaches give stock answers. The most important thing is if the coach wants the player to apply ED and wants to walk his application through admissions. Those are the players he genuinely wants on his team.

RKBH posted:

One more thing - can you explain "tryouts" in the fall?  I thought if they recruited you, you were on the team??? 

That, I would think, depends a LOT on the school and the coach.  An extreme example is my son's school. 

 At my son's school last year there were somewhere around 30 guys on the "incoming" list -- most were frosh, but a fair number were transfers.      All were to some degree or other recruited, from what my son was able to gather from conversations with teammates.    4 of the 30 were clearly  STAR recruits -- including the one frosh position player who ended up on the varsity, a D1 drop down who had played in the Big Ten for three years,  and two JC transfers.   The rest were being given a chance to compete for scarce roster spots.  

About 40% of the incoming were eventually cut after fall tryouts.  Both incoming frosh and incoming transfers were cut.  Some returning players were also cut.  Mostly the cut returners were  the previous year's JV players, but also some returning varsity players were cut. 

This program is perhaps unusual in its approach.  I would call it cut throat in the extreme.   I very much doubt that MOST D3 programs operate in such a extremely cut throat manner.  But I haven't taken a survey. 

The school can get away with this partly because while it  is selective, it is not  highly selective.   It's not the sort of place with a single digit acceptance rate -- like some of its league rivals.  More like a 40% rate.  Consequently, it can cast a wider net for student athletes than competitor schools with a single digit acceptance rate.  

It  seems to be part  of the  baseball coaches strategy for building a consistently winning program to exploit this fact by bringing in a LOT of guys every year.  

Part of the reason that they can get away with this is the fact that there are  only 9 D3 programs in all of California.  Think about that.  That's roughly  360 total roster spots in all of California at the D3 level.   If a quarter of them go to frosh, that means just 90 D3 roster spots a year for incoming frosh.   This school's program is perhaps the most consistently strong D3 program of the 9.   So LOTS of guys want to play there.    And lots of guys do come, thinking they will get a chance to play.  But  many end up not playing,  That causes lots of disgruntlement. 

I don't think many other programs are run quite this way.   It's a pretty unique set of circumstances that enables these coaches to get away with this very cut-throat  approach.  

Even so,  I doubt that it's always true in general, even at the D3 level,   that "if you are recruited, you are on the roster."    You are on the roster if you show up in the fall,  game ready and  earn a place on the roster.  Until then,  nothing is definite. 

RKBH posted:

Last item before I sign off for the day - I am so opposed to all of these "pay showcases"...it just shows me that if you have money, you can attend showcases and that is not necessarily giving the best talent their "turn"...I would LOVE to start a Non-Profit (true Non-Profit) for inner city or low income baseball players to come to a tournament - they would have to try out to be a part of it and have the academics - show proof of it via high school transcript.  Have college coaches come out of the goodness of their hearts (if this is possible)...and watch these kids and maybe discover a couple who are really good players.  We cannot rely on high school coaches for this...and travel teams may be too expensive for these players.   I will get off my soap box for now....

RKBH - The recruiting model has shifted over the years.  Long ago, RC's would travel all over the place to HS's, legion tourneys, local tourneys, etc. to watch individual players they heard about.  Now, it is far more efficient and productive for RC's to target the best events with large groups of the best players that match their criteria.  It also gives the players the opportunity to be seen by a much larger audience of schools/RC's in a shorter period of time than they would have back in the day.  Really, most players' mindsets back in the day was "I hope somebody finds me".  Now, they can largely eliminate that big question of "am I good enough?".  Keep in mind, the window in which a player is "recruitable" is typically quite narrow.  Time matters.  The initial fee of a big showcase is significant but how much would you pay to go to several of individual school camps to be seen by those school RC's?  Some do get left behind due to costs.  However, there are organizations who sponsor low income players (i.e. MLB Urban Youth Academy) and there are those such as PGStaff who offer up a way for those players to attend some of these events if they are good enough and willing to seek out these opportunities.

More opportunities would be great and your thought is a good one.  Coaches will come if they know there are good players to be seen.  As I mentioned, you may want to check out MLB Urban Youth Academy and their efforts.

For your son, if he is set on staying within a few hours of home and has specific academic priorities, it may make more sense to just focus on the lesser expensive school-specific events.  

RKBH posted:

Thank you so much.  I will look for that list.  We have a very nice D3 school interested in my son or at least I think...coach has seen him THREE times...at the 2nd camp, he told my son he was the MVP of the camp and every time a great play was made he asked the other coaches "who is that kid" and they would say my son's name...YET, the interaction has not been consistent.  He always responds right away when my son e-mails or sends him a "note in the snail mail"...I think we are ready to move on and forget this school.  While it is a perfect fit academically and financially obviously this coach is unsure of my son for some reason.   The coach is the nicest coach I think we have EVER met.   I am not sure what else my son needs to do to get this coach to tell him he wants him??  OR is it because it is a D3, they do not really tell you they are interested until Aug/Sept??? 

I saw a lot of these "final" decisions made in Sept last year - so you have some time before you may get an official offer to come to campus and meet the coaches at that school.  That's how it worked for 2016 and several of his teammates who are all "committed" to D3 schools and intend to play baseball.  However, there was one local player here who had himself listed as committed on PG at 2016s school very early in the year - like the first time we looked.  So it was clear that he at least thought he had HC at that D3 school committed to walk him through admissions. 

As indicated in one of the responses above I would not write this school off if it's such a good fit in the other categories.  These coaches are building their list of potential recruits and ranking them.  Your son could be first on the list for his position and they just haven't started outreach yet to set things up (it's not like D1 where offers are typically accepted early).   He should continue to reach out and express interest.  When it happens it will happen quickly and you'll be able to tell the difference from the content and tone of coach's communication.  Typically he'll be asked to come to campus, meet with the coaches, go to class, tour campus, perhaps stay over - and that's where they'll tell you the deal.  That's what happened with the players I know who are playing D3 this fall - the "offer" was presented to them at the school during a visit.    

As far as spots on the team, playing time, etc - my 2016 expects to be on the roster but not because he's guaranteed a spot, its because he's expecting to pitch well enough to earn a spot.  He's expecting it's going to be tough but he's (we've) also seen one very long intra-squad scrimmage (when we visited), several games online and one double header on campus so he has a good handle on what the current pitchers were throwing and how he compares.   His team also lost 13 players to graduation so it was a good year to be a recruit.

One other note because I've seen this question a few times on other threads.  2016's HC has tweeted from two recent big tournaments/recruiting events - one in GA and one in NJ so these D3 coaches are out there and they are watching.  They aren't just waiting until Headfirst.  

This is all very top of mind for me as we just went through it.  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. 

Does the Coach know your son is interested?  Don't expect the Coach to be the one who can only make the first move or overture.  If this is as good a situation as you've described your son should be trying to contact the Coach directly or through a high school, travel or legion coach.  Waiting for things to happen in never a good idea in college baseball recruiting.  Engage this coach, but also continue to reach out to other programs would be my advice. 

Yes, he definitely knows my son is interested...I could PM and tell you everything my son has done.  Way over and above the norm, I am sure.

BOF posted:

I have kind of changed my opinion on "over recruiting" particularly at the D3 level where there are no roster limits. Go watch and see games at the schools you are interested in, and if you think you can as good or better than the guys you see on the field then who cares? The concept of over recruiting at the D3 level is very different than the D1 level where you may lose a scholarship, at the D3 level it is solely whether you can earn a spot on the travel squad. If you think you can, then go for it, if not, then go someplace where you think you can compete, or a place where they develop players on the non travel squad. La Roche was at the D3 CWS, and while I did not see them play they were literally one out away from going to the championship series so they probably have some pretty good players on that squad. 

Can someone enlighten me on the term Travel Squad.  Not sure if this means their standard baseball roster or something special.

2ndMarDiv posted:

BOF posted:

I have kind of changed my opinion on "over recruiting" particularly at the D3 level where there are no roster limits. Go watch and see games at the schools you are interested in, and if you think you can as good or better than the guys you see on the field then who cares? The concept of over recruiting at the D3 level is very different than the D1 level where you may lose a scholarship, at the D3 level it is solely whether you can earn a spot on the travel squad. If you think you can, then go for it, if not, then go someplace where you think you can compete, or a place where they develop players on the non travel squad. La Roche was at the D3 CWS, and while I did not see them play they were literally one out away from going to the championship series so they probably have some pretty good players on that squad. 

Can someone enlighten me on the term Travel Squad.  Not sure if this means their standard baseball roster or something special.

Fair number of guys suit up for home games, who don't get taken on away games.  Some leagues restrict the number of players who can be taken on away games.   My son's school, for example, takes 25 guys on the two spring trips each year.   Varsity roster is usually 32.   The guys on the Varsity squad, who did not travel,   got very little playing time, even during home games.  They practice and work out hard.  And have to get themselves ready just in case.  They do take the entire varsity squad usually when they travel more locally.   JV guys don't travel at all at his school, unless they are are called up to replace an injured player.  Heck, they don't even suit up for home games, though they are asked to "work" home games.

2ndMarDiv posted:

Can someone enlighten me on the term Travel Squad.  Not sure if this means their standard baseball roster or something special.

It didn't apply at the D2 university my son played for - with only 28 on the roster they took everyone on road trips, but at the JuCo he attended to prior to that they had 35 or so on the roster.  The school bus only had 28 seats so 25 players and three coaches on road trips.  26 if it was local and one of the coaches decided to drive separately.

RKBH posted:

RJM - I am wondering if coaches "talk" to the players and explain to them in advance they are not "top" on the list and IF they work hard they may get playing time but no promises.  Otherwise, why on earth would a player sit for 4 years if all he wants is play baseball AND get a good education.  Why not just skip the baseball part?  Do these college coaches just string these kids along?  Psychologically this must affect the student athletes.  I cannot imagine looking someone in the eye every day knowing I am not being upfront with them...how do these coaches do this?  Are they that withdrawn, they do not see what they are doing to these kids?  This goes for any level of any sport - college, high school or local team.  One more thing - I understand at the professional level you may sit but you are getting PAID to sit.  College, yes you are getting scholarship, but at D3 you would get academic scholarship with or without baseball.  Looking forward to your reply.

RKBH,

Many college coaches, at every level, are coaching 35 or so players, not one.  They coach their players to be their best as an individual player and as a team and teammate.  They coach them to be their best and then put 9 into the starting line up who's best give the "team" the very best chance of winning.  Stated differently, not all "bests" are the same in college baseball. Not all players are willing to be coached to be their best.

Many college coaches  also "coach" our son's to be  students and members of the student body who strive to excel in each, just as they do on the baseball field. 

As parents, we too often, I think, view  college baseball in a rather myopic way, which makes sense, to a point, because it is our son. Where it does not make sense and we, as parents, need to give it up, is because our son is part of a team. Our son needs to make a choice including being committed to his team and teammates.  Our son needs to make the choice to be a  better player tomorrow than he was today and to do all of the hard work, each day, to get there (in the weight room, early work, late work, and during practice.)

For the most part, a college coach who puts one, or a few players, in front of the rest loses 35 or so.  Coaches are coaching 35 players to be better today than each was yesterday. College teams are often comprised of groups of 5-7 players pulling the team one direction, 5-7 pulling in the opposite, with the tug of war between success or failure as a team being where those 25 who are being tugged end up-are they focused on success as a "team" or focused on "me" and "failure" as a team, too often a very talented one.  I am confident a fair number of college players either don't see these dynamics which start anew every college season, reject it, or fight against that type of coaching. Good college coaches at every level know this dynamic and coach through it every year.  Longer term records tell a very good story of which coaches are successful with the mental dynamics of making 35 individuals focus on the team and team dynamics which lead to winning.

Personally, I wonder about the  percentage of parents who ever get this dynamic, or care about it.

As to why not  skip the baseball part, I just read an article today in which a player I posted about earlier this college baseball season was quoted.  The player "earned" his first regular starting role on his team in about the 10th game... of his senior season.  They just won the D3 CWS.  Here is a cut and paste of the rewards on "why not quit the baseball part":

"The entire starting lineup was composed of seniors. Only one was from Texas, outfielder Andrew Waters from Houston. And he didn't get into the lineup until the 10th game, when the regular right fielder went down with an injury. Did Waters take advantage of his big break?

Let's see, his first weekend as a regular, he went 10 for 12, an insane .833 batting average, with two homers, two triples and four doubles, good for a 2.000 slugging percentage. He also made two diving catches in the outfield. He was named National Division III Player of the Week. It would have taken Wile E. Coyote's entire arsenal of TNT (he seemed to have a lot in Roadrunner cartoons) to get him out of the lineup after that. He wound up batting .421 for the season and drove in the winning runs in the World Series final.

"I haven't been an everyday player until my senior year in college. This year has been incredible for me. In my life, being with these guys and being able to win it, and be a part of it … means the world to me," Waters said.

Infield Dad - thanks for the insight.  An interesting way to view this subject...appreciate your post!!  Thanks.

Thank you to everyone for your posts....this site has been wonderful for me.  Son going to the PBR event in Rochester, NY on Sunday - will keep you posted on how he does and what the experience is like.  Our first time going to an event like this.

RJM posted:

I believe you can read more into the interest and pursuit the coach displays than the questions you ask. There isn't a question they haven't heard. The coaches give stock answers. The most important thing is if the coach wants the player to apply ED and wants to walk his application through admissions. Those are the players he genuinely wants on his team.

In D1 they have the NLI which kind of seals the deal. Last year many D3 adopted a similar letter. As a college coach I used it last year on the kids I wanted to secure. It is not binding on either part put is shows coaches intent and gets some media coverage. You might want to ask the coach if you can sign one, it's called the Celebratory Signing Form.

Ozone - thanks so much...I appreciate all of the insight the people on this site give to me and everyone else who posts here.