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Dont Panic / Its still early

CM Coach May1,000+ posts
Congrats on all the 09's that will sing NLI's and to all the players that already have their decision made.

To those that have not made a decision or do not have a school knocking down your door I say relax!

Many of the players that have gone on to play college baseball from our program have been guys that got their opportunity during their sr year in hs. Just last year two sr's made their visits during our season and it all worked out great. One will be starting as a freshman at a power house D3 here in NC.

Have your son make out a list of the schools he is interested in attending and playing baseball at. Give this list to his hs coach and have him contact those schools. You yourself should contact these schools and tell them you are interested in attending and playing baseball at their school.

At least here in NC most of the recruiting for D3 JUCO and several D2 programs is done during the sr year of hs. Some players will even get D1 offers during the sr year of baseball. If anyone does not have a coach or a person they can rely on then there are other ways to get someone to place a call for you outside of you or your parent.

Pro scouts in the area. Assoc Scouts in your area. Summer baseball coaches. Showcase coaches. You can call someone that has seen your son play and get their opinion on your sons ability and then ask them if they would be willing to make a call for him. Heck you can call me and I will see if I know someone that has seen your son play. There are camps you can attend at these schools in order for them to see your son first hand. And the hs season is a great time for these schools if they are close to get out and see your son play.

Dont panic. Have a game plan. I made the calls for these young men. I knew they could play at the schools I contacted. It can happen and it will happen just have a game plan and do not panic. If your son has a true desire to play at the next level there is a place for him. I have never had a player in my entire hs coaching career that wanted to play at the college level not play at the college level. Good luck.
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I iheartbb1,000+ posts
Remember, the "Regular" signing period for baseball and some other sports is April 8 - August 1, 2009.

I was speaking with the recruiting coordinator at older son's school last weekend (got to see son pitch intra-squad Big Grin)

I asked if they had any time to see prospects play in the spring. He surprised me by saying that he actually is able to get to a lot of hs and jc games in the spring. For instance, our league plays games on MWF - the college games are Tu,Fri, Sat, Sun.

We hear so often that "Thers's no money left in the spring"...not true. Of course there are a lot of variables in different parts of the country, etc.



Work hard through the winter to prepare yourself for your season, physically, mentally, and academically. It only takes one coach to see something in you.
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
Good advice given thus far.

Do not let the psychology of early signing detour you or get you down in any way. What do I mean by that? Do not assume that kids who have early-signed will necessarily end up being better ball players in the long run.

I have told the story of Jeff before but I will keep telling it because it is motivational and instructive. Jeff was 5'6" tall, lhp who threw in the very low 80's. He assumed he had no shot to play in college so he signed up for the Air Force in March of his senior year - the only year he made varsity in high school. He was used as a bullpen pitcher and had the good fortune to be left handed in a year in which our hs program had no left handers. Later in the year, our high school team took off and went deep in the State playoffs. All of a sudden, Jeff's phone started to ring. He had several schools calling and making him offers. He tried to get out of his Air Force committment but it was too late.

A) Don't assume anything B) Keep your nose to the grindstone C) Do not wait for the phone to ring D) Remain positive and hopeful at all times E) Watch the movie Rudy. If a non-talent like Rudy can get on the field at Notre Dame, then a well-motivated and positive individual can find a baseball program that will fullfill his wildest dreams. Now get busy and keep dreaming Smile
PU Pop Up Hitter dad1,000+ posts
Coach May, very encouraging post. We have received several camp invites to large schools in our area, however I see no point letting son attend due to son's academics. Does this make sense? What larger school is going to go to the trouble to get a clearance for a low academic achiever? If son isn't worried, I won't and judging by others examples there is plenty of time. I have yet to hear of X's son with 2.5 and 900 SAT being accepted to a large program.
CM Coach May1,000+ posts
I just got off the phone with a college coach. "Coach we are looking for 09 arms and a mif. What can you tell me about kids still out there?" I am telling you and its a fact do not panic. There are alot of opportunities that open up during the sr year. There are alot of opportunities that open up after the first semester of college. A poster sent me a pm and a you tube video. I called a college coach. He is waiting for a phone number from this poster so he can personally call her back and invite her son for a visit. Dont sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Dont think for one minute that your not good enough because the system for some reason overlooked your son. There are coaches out there that are trying to find you. Let them!
fillsfanfillsfan1,000+ posts
PUHD,
I know of a kid with worse grades who had trouble getting into schools thru his senior year. Graduated without a commitment. He had a very good summer season and was ready to go to a Juco in September.
Similar to what Coach May stated, an SEC coach called his summer coach looking for a SS since his SS recruit and incumbent SS were both drafted and signed.
This kid is now at an SEC school he did not sign with until sometime in July.

So like others have said, you never know.
C curveball07100+ posts
Keep positive everybody! Lots of opportunities out there. I wish all high school coaches were like Coach May but they are not. Make those calls if your hs coach won't, write those emails, make your son finish those college applications for your target schools. We set a deadline for our son - couldn't leave the house until they were all done. We also monitored the emails and email responses. I sat my chair by the computer and helped him finish the applications. We had a plan B if baseball didn't work out.Thankfully we got the call in the spring from his D2 of choice!

I remember our high school counselors telling us (the parents) during a senior parent assembly, "Your kids for some reason will want to self sabotage themselves this year. It's your job to keep them on track. They are excited about leaving home but also kinda nervous about leaving the comfort zone." They said they'd seen top students all of a sudden flunk tests at the end of the year - self sabotage!

Pop Up Hitter Dad - finally a positive comment about your son - "a cannon for an arm". Let's hear more of those!
Last edited by curveball07
CPLZCPLZ1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by powertoallfields:
What would you say the latest a Division I College would sign a Senior?


From personal experience...

There are a number of signings for several weeks after the MLB draft in June. The signings go into July. My sons college does not participate in the NLI, so there was no official record of his commmitment. The day after the MLB draft he recieved several calls from very high profile schools that had obviously lost recruits to the draft, but had never contacted him or shown interest previously.
Last edited by CPLZ
B Brickhouse100+ posts
Curveball07 - I hear what you are saying about kids wanting to self sabotage themselves. My son is a Senior who has a college deal and is a National Honor Society member. Now, all of the sudden in his Senior year, he seems distracted. At what time, if any, should I expect him to grow out of this phase and hopefully be the focused student/athlete he used to be?
C curveball07100+ posts
Brickhouse - Sounds like your son has done a great job in high school with both athletics and academics. The distraction or "senoritis" is very common and I hate to tell you - may last all year!

Just try to keep him on track a little but maybe give him a break and let him have some fun this year. You will know if he is having some major problems with grades but I bet he won't. Can he take a lighter load in the spring? I bet he will have a terrific senior year in baseball as the pressure will be off.

He will definitely have his hands full next year and you will see that "focused student/athlete" return!

powertoallfields - a lot of us whose kids did not sign in the fall know how you feel. It is hard seeing lots of people sign and getting tons of calls from coaches. Just remember what your focus is and what schools your son is interested in. Keep working hard!

Also, finding that "fit" and all that entails is so much more important than signing that NLI in the fall. So many of my son's baseball friends are not playing this sophomore year for one reason or another. One sophomore friend is now at his third school trying to find that good fit!
DE Double Eagle100+ posts
I was shocked when after working so hard for so many years, my son seemed to become so distracted from his goals, last fall. As far away as he sometimes seemed, the driven student/athlete was still in there. I think the uncertaintly of what the next year offers brings a sort of paralysis to many high school seniors. When the school choice fell into place his study habits became very lax. It is very hard to push them to study, when they know the next school is already in place.

He worked hard all year on preparing for baseball, and when the season began he was very focused. There were times when being 17 and wanting to be with friends, especially a certain female friend took precedent over everything, even working out. It was hard to bite my tongue, but I knew that prompts from me held little chance against the 17 year old male brain.

It is freshman year now and all reports are that he is working very hard, both in school and in preparation for the baseball season.
I found when I decided to let his time management be his concern and not mine, I enjoyed the months up to his leaving for college. In retrospect he juggled it pretty well,but it was very hard for me to sit by quietly.
B BobbleheadDoll5,000+ posts
Poer my son signed 3 weeks before classes started and received a large BB and academic scholarship. Don't let anyone tell you that thlate in there is no money late in the year.
The NLI was sent after a few days of negotiating the amount by purolator and we had to scramble to get our documents ready.
Our 1st choice fell apart at the last minute so we put the 2nd choice on the front burner.
06catcherdad06catcherdad1,000+ posts
I haven't logged on in a while, so only saw this thread today. Coach May makes a great point about it still being very early. On Wednesday, we hosted a reception for all of the high school players from Sacramento and surrounding communities who were signing their NLI in November. We searched far and wide and could only come up with twelve players, which is actually more than most years. We were able to assemble all but one of those student athletes together to sign their NLI and honor them as a group. After we'd finished and the crowd was visiting, I got into a conversation with the parents of one of the boys who'd just signed. I asked them if they realized what a rare honor it was for their son to be afforded such a great opportunity at this point, and they candidly said they didn't know much about the whole process. I then asked them how many high school seniors there are playing baseball in our high school section. We came up with an estimate of approximately 500 class of '09 players.....and twelve signed early.

The point of the story above is that very few players have the opportunity to sign early. Many very capable players receive scholarship offers during the spring of their senior year, and more still during the summer right after they've graduated. Colleges lose players to the draft or other reasons that they couldn't always foresee, and they sometimes have needs later than would be ideal, and that turns into opportunities for high school players who don't give up and who stay focused on their ultimate goal.

It's never too late.
DE Double Eagle100+ posts
Brickhouse-- You hit the nail on the head. The opportunities available are due to the fact that they were so diligent up to this point. How, with the finish line in sight, can they be so easily distracted? I don't know the answer, only that it has happened to many student/athletes, not just our sons. It will work out, their work ethic is something that they have developed, it does not disappear, just goes on vacation for a little while.
CPLZCPLZ1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
It puzzles me why anyone would sign early unless the college was their absolute favourite with an unbeatable offer.


Ever hear the expression, a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush?

When schools make offers, they don't leave them on the table ad infinitum.

We each have different risk tolerances. Bypassing offers and not signing early in favor of holding out for something better is a risk only each individual can weigh. Priorities also differ. Where one may be to sign before his senior season so that he can just play and enjoy, another may not care and think the JUCO route in his back pocket is enough insurance.

Questioning motives that involve risk assesment lacks the requisite, "mile in the others moccasins".
Last edited by CPLZ
H Homerun041,000+ posts
What also is a factor is the better players most often are who everyone is looking at early and the top schools are in the race of wrapping up those prospects.

Schools do understand that they are in competition for the prospects and put a time frame on the offers and will move on if they sense there is a lack of interest.

That being said, openings to come up if the top school does not over recruit and have to back fill for those who drop out for one reason or another (grades, not being a good citizen, financial, draft, going the JC route, etc.) and there are openings that crop up late, some times the last week before school starts or in late fall.

Also there is a pecking order of what the highly desired schools don't get, the next phase of schools start getting their picks, and then if a prospect is not picked up, the next set of schools start to get their men, and so on. That does not mean a prospect will not commit to a mid-major or even a lower perceived school because he knows he will not play at a top school, but a prospect may be able to find a place to play, it may not be at the level (DI, DII, etc) that they originally thought or it may not be in the state they originally thought, but somewhere if you look hard enough and are willing to go where you are wanted vs where you want, you most probably be able to find a place to hang your hat, if you have the skills and they have the need.
Last edited by Homerun04
B BobbleheadDoll5,000+ posts
I always looked at the recruiting process as a one time in your life experience. I was in no hurry to see it come to an end. I believed there were a lot of D1 colleges both JC and 4 year that my son would love to spend his BB time at. We had also said that if we didn't get the right offer my son would work for a year and do some showcases which he had never done.
Location was the main crieria, money was a big deal to us as was the quality of education. I just saw that there were lots of birds in the bush and was determined to to take the 1st offers that came. Once you sign the fun stops. No more chats with coaches and investigating colleges. We had more fun than I can tell you going through the process. I made some great friends with coaches but once you chose they stop talking to you. I learned a lot about college recruiting from some of them. I like most people here love talking BB and what could be better than talking to coaches of D1 colleges.
In negotiating anything , unless you are prepared to lose you probably won't get the best deal. I just get the impression people are way too anxious about signing.
In my business deadlines come and deadlines go.
Last edited by BobbleheadDoll
CM Coach May1,000+ posts
Powertoallfields I just saw your question. My son's roomate was picked up by his school after he was seen playing Legion baseball the summer after he graduated from hs last this year. He has some offers from smaller schools but was waiting to see what popped up. The kid has done very very well. The year before they signed a pitcher in July and school starts in August.

Many players will get picked up before the sr year starts but during the school year and many more during the sr year of hs baseball. And many by D1 schools. Some guys bust out bigtime their sr year. Some guys dont play varsity until their jr year , play other sports , dont go to showcase events , dont star as jrs and then have great sr years. It happens all the time.

My point is panic will not solve anything. Worrying will not either. Have a game plan. We all know that many roster spots will open up after the first semester due to alot of reasons at college programs. These schools become desperate to fill immediate needs in their programs. And think about this. The top guys that have signed are not going to be getting any of the attention from the college coaches. All of their attention will be on the guys that ARE available.

It all comes down to how bad does the kid really want to play in college. And are you going to do what you need to do or sit back and wait to see what happens?
P powertoallfields1,000+ posts
quote:
Originally posted by Coach May:
Powertoallfields I just saw your question. My son's roomate was picked up by his school after he was seen playing Legion baseball the summer after he graduated from hs last this year. He has some offers from smaller schools but was waiting to see what popped up. The kid has done very very well. The year before they signed a pitcher in July and school starts in August.

Many players will get picked up before the sr year starts but during the school year and many more during the sr year of hs baseball. And many by D1 schools. Some guys bust out bigtime their sr year. Some guys dont play varsity until their jr year , play other sports , dont go to showcase events , dont star as jrs and then have great sr years. It happens all the time.

My point is panic will not solve anything. Worrying will not either. Have a game plan. We all know that many roster spots will open up after the first semester due to alot of reasons at college programs. These schools become desperate to fill immediate needs in their programs. And think about this. The top guys that have signed are not going to be getting any of the attention from the college coaches. All of their attention will be on the guys that ARE available.

It all comes down to how bad does the kid really want to play in college. And are you going to do what you need to do or sit back and wait to see what happens?




Okay, Coach! Thanks, for the encouragement! He's a hard worker and really wants to play college ball, so we'll see what happens.
PU Pop Up Hitter dad1,000+ posts
YoungGunDad, in my son's case his glass is almost empty.

Bobblehead, if I recall you had the son that had his act together and was easy to work with, not to mention a very good ballplayer. Evidently you must have a way to interact with these coaches, most of what I've heard on this site is the coaches absolutely do not want to speak to parents. From my limited exposure to these people at showcases, games, they would talk to you about baseball in general but not your kid. After having school after school drop by the wayside, I can only assume his grades were the stopper. No one has said otherwise.

I've heard many say to work with HS coach, that is not an option for us, he is only concerned about what happens to his son on the team. I really cannot say whether or not anyone has requested info from his HS coach, last time I asked him, the answer was no. I also question whether he would be on his side when it comes to fielding questions.
fanofgamefanofgame5,000+ posts
Pop Up Hitter Dad,

what happened to the JUCO out of state that he was going to visit? I am going to be really honest with you, and you are one of those guys that can take honesty and not get ruffled, If your son is struggling acadmically the way you describe, and he has the problems you have talked about why are you even thinking about schools contacting him? if he is struggling in HS, there is not too many coaches that are going to deal with that at a four year university.Just take a deep breath, your son needs to step up and work harder or college ball is going to be a struggle. There are many kids on my sons JC team that struggle and they do not have offers and some are on their third year.Its a grind, even at a JC. good luck, hope your cup fills up and your son also.
PU Pop Up Hitter dad1,000+ posts
fanofgame, forgot to mention out of state JUCO is keeping in contact with him. He is interested in going to this school they are supposed to be a school that makes ballplayers into students. So question of the day is this. Should he take the offer and commit and if larger school ponies up, go there instead? I know you can commit to both a Junior and D2 at the same time. I'm not a person who likes to go back on word, yes I know this is son's word here. What does HSBBWEB folks think about this? Let son decide at this time? I realize we want him to make choice of course. Out of state school is affordable. Personally I'm hoping for something closer to home so we can watch his games.
K Kjay10+ posts
powertoallfields:

My son had several offers to sign early from D1, D2, D3, JUCO and NAIA schools. Most of his HS teammates signed early. He decided to wait because of a specific major he wanted to take was not offered by most of the schools, and none of them felt right. He continued to get interest and a few offers through the winter as a result of a camp and a showcase he attended (not all are money makers if you pick the right ones). I think not signing early actually helped him focus his senior year. Also his team got some very good press which helped raise his visibility as he was the last unsigned player. Ultimately, during summer ball on a high profile team he was contacted by 5 or 6 D1 schools who did have baseball money left and he signed with one of them in July (who had his major). It was actually easier for him to be choosy in the summer since the schools looking at him had limited options, and they had to make good offers quickly because of that. He ended up at a top 40 D1 school where he really felt wanted and who showed that with the $ they offered.

He also found out he will be starting this spring, so apparently they really did have a need at his position. He liked the coaches the best out of all the coaches he talked to and they have followed through this fall with what they told him during the recruiting phase.

Waiting also gave him to time to visit more schools, watch their level of play, and figure out where he might be able to play. I am convinced that if he had signed early at one of the schools he was luke-warm about and didn't offer his major, he would have regretted it after the way his spring season went. He did get pressure to sign from his teammates, other coaches and his HS coaches, which I thought was a little odd. The other thing that helped him wait was an independent evaluation of his playing level from some pro scouts who have known him for a while.

All of these things I mentioned we had seen here on the HSBBW and tried to use. They proved to be 100% accurate. You see it mentioned on here a lot, but the advice was invaluable when your son is choosing a college to play baseball at. Thanks to all who participate in this forum and took the time to respond personally.
CPLZCPLZ1,000+ posts
Kjay,
Welcome to the HSBBW, glad to you have you participating.

Great breakdown of the analysis of your needs and desires and how it related to your experience. Although the ranking of priorities differs individualy, yours was truly a good example of making the "fit" the top priority and how you accomplished your goals.

Good luck to your son!
Last edited by CPLZ
TPMTPMHSBaseballweb Member since 2003
Your son got benched from basketball, was it due to grades? That should be an eye opener for him.If so good for that coach.

I say take what's offered, if this is where your son wants to go and it is affordable to you, he has to start somewhere, and going to a school that emphasizes making baseball players into students is a good choice. I am not sure about signing at a JUCO and then having another JUCO choice.

You stated that you would like him to be closer so you can watch him play, this is NOT about you. The parent that is willing to let go is the one who is doing a great justice to their child. Ours had options to stay close to home, but he went 700 miles away, because that is where he felt that he would mature and grow as a man, without us watching a game every weekend. You'll survive. Maybe that is what your son needs.

As far as the recruiting process, we were glad it was over because son was glad it was over, we didn't spend as much time talking to college coaches and becoming their friends, this was a job left up to son. Most people are not as involved and IMO shouldn't be but that is a personal decision. Coaches that appear to be YOUR friend are trying to use that influence on your son to committ. That was happening with one school and it was sooooo obvious. One coach tried to work on us to get son to stay in state. I am sure he could care less about us, it was son he was interested in.

Remember this is the early signing period, this is not the one and only. Most here have not signed, now it's up to you to make a plan to be seen or heard through contact with coaches, many opportunities become available. Don't sit back and rely on HS baseball for that opportunity. Now is the time to spend the money, unsigned senior showcases, college camps, videos in the mail. And this should be a project between you and your son, if he needs direction, not the parent alone.


Great post kjay and also a big welcome. It is so much better to take your time than to rush into a decision when one is NOT sure. Often times those that sign early tansfer out and that is not a great option anymore. I respect the fact that he placed the importance of education over just settling for early signing. Way to go!
Last edited by TPM
ClevelandDadClevelandDadHSBBWeb Administrator
quote:
Originally posted by Kjay:
powertoallfields:

My son had several offers to sign early from D1, D2, D3, JUCO and NAIA schools. Most of his HS teammates signed early. He decided to wait because of a specific major he wanted to take was not offered by most of the schools, and none of them felt right. He continued to get interest and a few offers through the winter as a result of a camp and a showcase he attended (not all are money makers if you pick the right ones). I think not signing early actually helped him focus his senior year. Also his team got some very good press which helped raise his visibility as he was the last unsigned player. Ultimately, during summer ball on a high profile team he was contacted by 5 or 6 D1 schools who did have baseball money left and he signed with one of them in July (who had his major). It was actually easier for him to be choosy in the summer since the schools looking at him had limited options, and they had to make good offers quickly because of that. He ended up at a top 40 D1 school where he really felt wanted and who showed that with the $ they offered.

He also found out he will be starting this spring, so apparently they really did have a need at his position. He liked the coaches the best out of all the coaches he talked to and they have followed through this fall with what they told him during the recruiting phase.

Waiting also gave him to time to visit more schools, watch their level of play, and figure out where he might be able to play. I am convinced that if he had signed early at one of the schools he was luke-warm about and didn't offer his major, he would have regretted it after the way his spring season went. He did get pressure to sign from his teammates, other coaches and his HS coaches, which I thought was a little odd. The other thing that helped him wait was an independent evaluation of his playing level from some pro scouts who have known him for a while.

All of these things I mentioned we had seen here on the HSBBW and tried to use. They proved to be 100% accurate. You see it mentioned on here a lot, but the advice was invaluable when your son is choosing a college to play baseball at. Thanks to all who participate in this forum and took the time to respond personally.

Kjay - welcome to the hsbbweb! This is one of the great posts I have seen here on the hsbbweb. It shows that there is no exact formula to this and that decisions are highly personal. People should not allow others to control their decision-making process nor should they allow them to control their mood. Each family has to come up with a plan that is best for them and then execute that plan. Your young man has set himself up for success.
PU Pop Up Hitter dad1,000+ posts
Good post Kjay and welcome to our world. My son is a bit unsure of what he wants to do, he seems to be thinking big leagues first, something else second. If he can get his pop ups to go over the fence he'd have it made, hah.

TPM, school has not benched him, dad is. My rule is no grade below C, now am I being unreasonable or what. Son has some scouts on their radar and both like him, one even told him to call him if he needed help. My thought is to wait longer for son to decide what major to go for. But if he decides to take the first offer, we'll stand behind him.
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