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12 replies

Decisions, Decisions...

PopTimePopTime500+ posts
Though it may seem a little early for a kid to be really close to making a decision with regards to picking a DIII school, a request from one of the schools coaches that my son apply Early Decision so that he "knows I have you locked up and can stop recruiting at your position" is sort of forcing us to make an early choice. We are kind of surprised that he didn't garner much interest from the higher divisions but I guess that's the way it goes with lots of folks.
Anyway, unless some other schools come out of the woodwork in the next 1 1/2 months (E.D. deadline is Nov. 15), my son has narrowed things down to three schools. The choices are so diverse I thought some might find it interesting. These are three schools whose coaches have told my son "We REALLY want you and need you here, blah blah blah." My son has visited all three schools multiple times and likes the campuses and coaches a great deal. See if any of you have any advice/opinions to give. School #1 is a very exclusive school in the Liberty League, had an off year last year but won the conference the year before I believe. The coach is young, passionate and energetic and has been in contact with my son since last July. My son needed the "support" of the baseball coach but the Admissions Dept. says if my son's first quarter grades are in line with those already on his transcript then they will accept him. Tuition (not including room, board, fees, ect..) $32,000. School #2 is also a very nice school in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. They had a .500 conference record last season and an overall losing record. Coach is basically the same personality as the coach above and has not tried to hide the fact that his team is in dire need of a catcher in the fall of 2007. My son really likes this coach as well. Tuition about $24,000. School #3 is a state school in the Little East Conference, (son says this is a big deal, a strong DIII conference). They had a 19-18 record last season which was this very young coach's first season as a head coach. Though we didn't think we were going to like the campus, or be impressed with the baseball program before we visited, we were pleasantly surprised by both. My son could attend this school tuition free because of something called the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship which is given to students who do well on certain standardized tests (MCAS) in Massachusetts.
My son is a little torn, no, a lot torn about where to attend. There wouldn't be that much urgency if it wasn't for that pressure to apply ED from school #1. What do you all think?
Creative Thought Matters
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M MaBBmom10+ posts
I empathize with your problem as we had a similar situation last year. As a fellow New Englander, I wanted to make sure that you were aware that the John & Abigail Adams award covers only "tuition" at the state school my son was recruited by the actual tuition amounted to about $1,000....so really just a drop in the bucket as all the other fees add up to around 14,000. That being said, every little bit does help! But I do know some who thought they were getting a free ride through their MCAS scores.
Sorry, I have no magic solution to your dilemma. We told our son to follow his gut instinct. He ended up telling Coach #1 that he wasn't able to give him the committment he wanted at that time, based solely on academics. If it was a only a baseball decision it would have been school #1 in a heartbeat! The coach was understanding and told him that if things did not work out and he ended up there he would still hope to see him come out for the team...just no guarantees.
Good luck with your son's decision during this exciting time!
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Poptime,
I do not know a lot about D3 recruitng time frames so I will not get into that part.

If it doesn't feel right, then don't do anything. There's plenty of time left, in fact he has his whole senior year.

You may not understand this, someday you will, when yor son finds the right fit, it becomes clearer.

I may be wrong, but just seems your son hasn't found the right place yet.
D dominick100+ posts
Cost/money is a personal decision only. Aside from that, as far as recruiting goes, DIII is much different from DI. Everybody is technically a walk-on at DIII, but obviously if a coach at a solid academic school is pushing for you, that is about as much a committment that you can get from a DIII. ED is very important at DIII. I would say that it is sort of or roughly the equivilant of NLI at the DI level. Good luck.
rz1rz15,000+ posts
With the baseball teams all having positive marks.....Pose these questions to your son and yourself

Academically what is the best choice for your son?

Where is his best social fit?

Where is the best financial fit keeping in mind that there may be other siblings in the picture down the road.

In this case I feel that baseball will be a winner regardless of where he goes. Maybe it's time to put that on the back burner and look at the other issues.
Last edited by rz1
D dominick100+ posts
Every school is different, and generalities are of limited help. However, I do not believe that DIII coaches, at any sport, keep their fingers crossed and hope that people show up. The only method by which they can assure themselves of a certain stable of players, and players at positions they need, is through ED. I do not think that this is just a sales pitch when a coach asks for ED from a prospective player. I know there are coaches and others who have direct experience in this, and I would be curious to hear what they say.
PopTimePopTime500+ posts
I've made it very clear to my son that money is not an issue, and I didn't mean to make it sound as if it is. I was just pointing out the diversity of choices. In fact, and my son doesn't know this, I'm hoping he chooses School #1 and its high price tag because of its outstanding academic reputation. I don't care if I have to get 3 more jobs to pay for it, he's my last kid so dang the torpedoes! Does anyone think I should tell him my preference? I'd rather he make this decision on his own.
B baseballtoday100+ posts
you should tell your son. his decision will factor in what he thinks what you can or cannot pay for or what might be YOUR choice. it's human nature.

to allow him to make the best choice for himself he needs all the information available to make a truly informed choice. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving your opinion about School #1. It's not as if you've never given an opinion before. Smile

You would hate to come back years later and hear "Dad, why didnt you tell me that back then".

There's a great line from Adam Sandler when he yells "I could have used that information YESTERDAY".
Last edited by baseballtoday
rz1rz15,000+ posts
PopTime,

I'm sure he would respect your opinion and it sounds like you have a good enough relationship that you will respect his. Would you rather have him hear only the opinion of others without you chimming in? I feel it is a parent obligation because of our wisdom Wink, past experiences, and concern for his future that you put your 2 cents in.
Last edited by rz1

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