My son is a RHP Class of 2017 recruit. While he really wanted a D1 Ivy, he's fielding a number of different D3 offers/overtures. At this point, he's narrowed his list down to four schools and I'm wondering if anybody here has any insight into the different programs at Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts. Thanks in advance.
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Those are some really, really good schools, so congrats to your son if he ends up at any one of them.
Have you read this very recent thread on Pomoma?
http://community.hsbaseballweb...17#38181284597847617
Tufts and Wash U have been discussed fairly recently as well. Try using advanced search and limiting it to last 2-3 years. Can't recall anything on Emory lately but they've been very successful.
Has your son really thought through going a long way from home for college? It's not for everyone. Three of his four choices are "away." They're all great options. Does his major make a difference in his choice?
Tufts would be the safe choice in terms of distance. Casey is an excellent coach. From the stands he appears difficult. Players I've talked with said he has the player's backs.
First off, welcome to the site.
Second, as JCG has already pointed out, those are all great academic programs, with consistently strong baseball teams. If your son hasn't visited the schools, he should. He'll likely get a gut feel and move on from there.
Third, RJM has repeated an often offered take on Coach Casey. "Difficult" is one of the milder pejoratives I've heard used about Casey (though I would love more specifics on what Casey does that makes him appear to be difficult. The phrase "acquired taste" has also been used on this site for Casey, as well as "old school." )
What's your son's academic interest? Pomona looks like the odd school in this list; Wash U, Emory, and Tufts are similarly sized and, if I understand correctly from what I've read about them, largely focused on pre-professional programs. Pomona, of course, is a shining example of a great liberal arts college, with the advantages of the best weather of the four, and immediate proximity to the other Claremont Colleges. The Pomona/Amherst thread JCG refers to will give you a lot of insight into Pomona's strengths.
And, yes, congrats on those options! Quite a feat. Have the coaches offered to have admissions pre-read your son's transcript and scores?
As far as Emory, I've known Coach T at Emory for 10+ years. There just can't be a better guy to play for. He's a legend in the Atlanta area for being a great person as well as coach and there are thousands of young players who look up to him, after going to his summer camps. Emory is also a fantastic school obviously (I went there for grad school) and opens a lot of doors.
Thanks for all the feedback. He's going to be visiting the three farther flung schools in the next month and yes to the admissions pre-reads. He liked Casey. We are a little leery of committing to one school in the absence of any sense of the finances but it sounds like that's what you do: apply ED. Also not sure how it would work if an Ivy circled back late in the process. And it sounds like transferring (which I'm personally not a fan of) would require not playing for a year.
You can ask for a pre-read from financial aid from at least some of these schools. And in our limited experience the online calculators gave a pretty good approximation. As for what happens if he commits and then an Ivy circles back, well I guess that depends on you and your son.
My son 2017 has been in a similar situation, although I don't think he is quite as strong from an academic comparison to really have considered the Ivy schools. At that is a relief to me since the chances of any financial aid is remote from the Ivy schools, and there is no way we could have afforded it otherwise.
In our case, we are not going to do an ED application, and I wonder if you should in this situation. From what I have read here on this forum and elsewhere, you should do ED only if it is your son's dream school and fit. The fact that he is still exploring these four schools and still has a hope for an Ivy school to emerge suggests that he/you are not sure. We are in the same bind for the D3--those only become possible if there is substantial financial aid-but at least not going ED means you can keep your options open and see if one can come up with a better package. And there are some coaches in D1 who do fill some late spots next Spring, so if that is still a dream of his, not going ED keeps that as an option as well.
Interesting take, Backstop. Just based on a few stories I have heard here your strategy sounds like it could work great but also could be risky, if we're talking specifically about the high academic, very highly selective schools mentioned in the OP. Yes, not going ED gives you more options in April and allows you to shop or even negotiate for better financial aid. But OTOH, from stories here and from talking to coaches at high academic D3's it appears that their intent is fill their recruiting class via ED. So a kid who applies RD may not have a roster slot available come April, though maybe if he's enough of a stud coach will find a slot somehow.
Just MHO and those who've been to the rodeo more often may have a much more informed opinion.
Applying without admissions support at any of schools makes them all a crapshoot as well, even for a great student. So I don't think we can avoid it without losing coach support and a guaranteed spot on the roster.
In terms of ranking based on the quality of baseball and coaching alone, how would you all rank Tufts, Emory, Wash U and Pomona? Is one head and shoulders above the others?
rally posted:In terms of ranking based on the quality of baseball and coaching alone, how would you all rank Tufts, Emory, Wash U and Pomona? Is one head and shoulders above the others?
I don't see how any one person would have enough direct experience to answer that one. But just from this thread and the recent Pomona-Amherst thread, the head coaches at Pomona and Emory seem to be highly regarded. Wash U has been on our radar. As you probably know the coach is new and also seems to be well-regarded. As RJM points out Casey is a little more controversial. If you do some digging here you'll find that one of our users is bitter about his son's experience there -- but some players are bitter about their experience at pretty much every program, I suspect.
The most important bit of wisdom I've picked up here is that your son should choose the school where he would be most happy to remain should he be unable to ever step onto the baseball field. I think this advice is true at all levels, but even more true when talking about these kinds of colleges.
Does anyone have an opinion on these three conferences and quality of baseball? University Athletic Assoc, Centennial, NESCAC. Most of the interest in my grandson is coming from these three. I know the answer might be depends on the school but is one conference considered better than the others? Any pros and cons?
rally posted:My son is a RHP Class of 2017 recruit. While he really wanted a D1 Ivy, he's fielding a number of different D3 offers/overtures. At this point, he's narrowed his list down to four schools and I'm wondering if anybody here has any insight into the different programs at Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts. Thanks in advance.
Rally,
My two cents would be to pick the school based on what he wants to do after college baseball among the schools that have offered. There is still time to field additional offers, however many college coaches have shown their hands with whom they want most. You've told us which colleges your son wants, but you haven't shared which colleges want him.
Whether or not to roll the dice with ED vs RD is a major decision among these schools given their very competitive admissions.
Good luck with it!
Rally, my 2016 is headed to Tufts next Tuesday ... considered an Ivy, and a couple more NESCAC schools as well as University of Chicago, Wash U and Amherst. PM me if you want. Fenwaysouth is the resident expert.
fenwaysouth posted:rally posted:My son is a RHP Class of 2017 recruit. While he really wanted a D1 Ivy, he's fielding a number of different D3 offers/overtures. At this point, he's narrowed his list down to four schools and I'm wondering if anybody here has any insight into the different programs at Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts. Thanks in advance.
Rally,
My two cents would be to pick the school based on what he wants to do after college baseball among the schools that have offered. There is still time to field additional offers, however many college coaches have shown their hands with whom they want most. You've told us which colleges your son wants, but you haven't shared which colleges want him.
Whether or not to roll the dice with ED vs RD is a major decision among these schools given their very competitive admissions.
Good luck with it!
Sorry, thought that was assumed. The schools all say they want him. I suppose there is nothing written in stone but they're talking, having him come for a hosted visit, running his transcript/scores through admissions, and identifying him as a high level recruit. We've narrowed down the list because he doesn't want rural, small schools or mediocre baseball.
We tried to keep an open mind about mediocre baseball. Like I said, the academic match is more important; it's what you're paying for. But in terms of baseball, my 2017 will be playing next year for a team that has traditionally done poorly in their league. But -- new coach + new athletic facility + lots of success in other sports = my son thinks he will be part of the group that turns the program around. If so, that could be more satisfying than joining a program that is already on top.
Wash U, has a reasonably new coach. The old AD btought him on after letting a 30 win coach go. He wanted to compete yearly at t n e national level and he did not think the old coach ciuld get them there. So he brought in a very good coach from the WIAC. The WIAC is one of the better d3 conferences. The WIAC is made up of mostly larger state schools in Wisconsin.
That AD has moved on to Illinois. So far the new coach has done well with the old coaches recruits. Pretty soon we will see how he does with his own.
One of my sons friend was recruited by Wash U. 6 years ago. Either the coach was not willing to support him through admissions or the coach could not. It was one of the deals, if you get in on your own you have a roster spot. He didnot get in.
Youngest considered Wash U. But not as a college athlete. Pre read had him getting in, but he eventualy decided on Big state school.
Helen, I think you answered your own question. It's about the school. The only thing I'd want to point out is that the UAA schools are pretty far flung, especially for a D3 conference. Lots of travel time. That can make a student's life a little more difficult.
Rally,
I agree with JCG. Academic match is most important among these schools, so what does he want to major in? That is where I'd start.
Beyond that I'd pick the school that you feel he has the best chance of playing, starting and making a contribution to the program. Here is my thought process....I'm willing to bet your kid is going to be a lot like many of our kids on this website. He probably was one of the better high school players in the area (possibly the region), and on his travel team. He is a shining star. He always played, or got the ball on the mound in big situations. He stood out not only for his academic talents but also his baseball talent. Well, there are a lot of these kids like your son and they are playing college baseball at D1 mid-major, and all D3 levels right now. Your son will have to find a way to separate himself from other older more established players who have already adjusted to the rigors of high academic schools, developed physically and are only focused on getting playing time . I've known quite a few high academic baseball players who have walked away from the sport because they were not getting playing time. If someone thinks I'm full of crap with these statements, please tell me. There is a trade-off that I think everybody should consider. What is the value of playing time to your son at the expense of his grades and future profession? Who wants to be on a team putting in countless hours only to not find the field? I'm not being flippant....I'm being dead serious. Think about it. When I hear someone say they don't want to play mediocre baseball, I think they aren't necessarily aware of how hard it is to earn playing time and they possibly have not seen a lot of D1 mid-major or D3 college games. Frankly, many of them can be very mediocre but it doesn't matter because he isn't going to school to become a professional baseball player. He is doing it because he (possibly) loves the game. I realize you are a new poster, and I hope you understand what I'm saying. Good luck!
Rally, stay within two hours drive of your home. Do you have a pro scout evaluation?
Bob
Fenway, I get what you are saying and mostly agree but I think you are assuming that my son is arrogant or unrealistic because I said he doesn't want to play for a mediocre program. I actually have enormous respect for his poise, clear thinking, lack of ego, and dedication. I think you are being dismissive of athletes on the site who are able to get to this level at all when you conjecture about them in a dismissive way. He doesn't want to be the big fish coming in. He's not conceited. But not all D3 programs take it all as seriously or run things as well as others. He wants a program that will test his mettle, with a training regimen and coaching that challenges and helps him grow. He wants a school that plays more games, has a good trainer, great pitching coach, good mound and facilities. He wants playing time and will work for it.
rally posted:In terms of ranking based on the quality of baseball and coaching alone, how would you all rank Tufts, Emory, Wash U and Pomona? Is one head and shoulders above the others?
I can't speak about any of the other schools, but as a Wash U grad who loosely tries to keep up, it appears that Wash U has committed to make its sports programs match the excellence of its academic programs. They've won national championships in six sports over the last decade, and they recently replaced a pretty successful baseball coach, presumably because they want baseball also to be a national D3 power.
(Glad they didn't have that attitude toward sports when I played and the press box was adorned with the not-at-all intimidating tag line "Francis Field: Home of Scholar-Athletes": I'd have never made the team.)
And lots of NYC kids on campus there. He'll feel right at home.
JCG posted:Helen, I think you answered your own question. It's about the school. The only thing I'd want to point out is that the UAA schools are pretty far flung, especially for a D3 conference. Lots of travel time. That can make a student's life a little more difficult.
Just to amplify what JCG posted: UAA conference is far flung, but the vast bulk of their conference games are played during spring break in Florida, where everyone in the conference, except Chicago, gathers for what amounts to a League Championship round robin. Wash U, Emory, and Case Western have dominated the past five years. The rest of each team's games are against more local competition with teams from OTHER conferences.
And as far as wanting a program that will challenge your son, as you already seem to have figured out, all four of the programs you listed in your OP take things very seriously.
rally posted:Fenway, I get what you are saying and mostly agree but I think you are assuming that my son is arrogant or unrealistic because I said he doesn't want to play for a mediocre program. I actually have enormous respect for his poise, clear thinking, lack of ego, and dedication. I think you are being dismissive of athletes on the site who are able to get to this level at all when you conjecture about them in a dismissive way. He doesn't want to be the big fish coming in. He's not conceited. But not all D3 programs take it all as seriously or run things as well as others. He wants a program that will test his mettle, with a training regimen and coaching that challenges and helps him grow. He wants a school that plays more games, has a good trainer, great pitching coach, good mound and facilities. He wants playing time and will work for it.
Rally, if you look at Fenways posts over the years you'll find tons of valuable experiences, insight, honesty, and objectivity. He's been around with multiple sons playing at elite schools. He gets it; I don't think he was being dismissive or suggesting your son was arrogant or unrealistic.
Very friendly and objective site here; everybody is trying to help. Your son has some great opportunities in front of him. Good luck with the journey.
Gov posted:rally posted:Fenway, I get what you are saying and mostly agree but I think you are assuming that my son is arrogant or unrealistic because I said he doesn't want to play for a mediocre program. I actually have enormous respect for his poise, clear thinking, lack of ego, and dedication. I think you are being dismissive of athletes on the site who are able to get to this level at all when you conjecture about them in a dismissive way. He doesn't want to be the big fish coming in. He's not conceited. But not all D3 programs take it all as seriously or run things as well as others. He wants a program that will test his mettle, with a training regimen and coaching that challenges and helps him grow. He wants a school that plays more games, has a good trainer, great pitching coach, good mound and facilities. He wants playing time and will work for it.
Rally, if you look at Fenways posts over the years you'll find tons of valuable experiences, insight, honesty, and objectivity. He's been around with multiple sons playing at elite schools. He gets it; I don't think he was being dismissive or suggesting your son was arrogant or unrealistic.
Very friendly and objective site here; everybody is trying to help. Your son has some great opportunities in front of him. Good luck with the journey.
Want to second this sentiment.
The thing I think you need to realize is how very competitive college baseball is and how much attrition there is among the players. This includes many D3 teams. I think that's mostly what's behind Fenway's advice. When you're talking programs at the top of the food chain, including the top of the D3 food chain, you're talking about a level of competition unlike anything high school has to offer. Being in a top program, whether D1 or D3, can be a really great experience, if you are good enough to be or become a significant contributor within that program. If you're not, then not so much. It can be a lot of pain for very little gain. That kind of thing can sap a guy's desire pretty quickly -- especially when he starts to add up all the stuff he has to forgo in order to devote himself to college athletics. Given some probability of it not working out as planned, it really is important to love the school independently of baseball.
If you want to maximize your chances of the baseball part working out, it's also important to choose the right baseball program. The big thing here is knowing where you stack up relative to the likely competition. It's starts with brutal honesty with yourself. But you also need to be direct but polite with any coach who is trying to recruit you.
How does the coach really see you fitting in? To find that out, you may need to ask some pointed questions. And you need to listen closely. You need to listen not just for what you want to hear, but also for things you don't want to hear. You say all these coaches want your son. How upfront have they been about where they see him fitting in? How many other pitchers are they looking to bring in? Are they prepared to say now? Or are they leaving that vague?
Another good thing to do is take a good hard look at rosters going back several years. Follow the trajectories of players through the program. That will give you a sense of things like how much attrition there is in the program, or how frequently freshmen are given the opportunity to play a significant role.
You know that a coach really and truly wants you when, and only when, you earn a significant place on the depth chart. Everything else until then is just a flirtation.
College coaches can be sort of like used car salesmen. And you very much have to take a buyer beware approach toward them.
Good luck and enjoy the ride!
JCG posted:Interesting take, Backstop. Just based on a few stories I have heard here your strategy sounds like it could work great but also could be risky, if we're talking specifically about the high academic, very highly selective schools mentioned in the OP. Yes, not going ED gives you more options in April and allows you to shop or even negotiate for better financial aid. But OTOH, from stories here and from talking to coaches at high academic D3's it appears that their intent is fill their recruiting class via ED. So a kid who applies RD may not have a roster slot available come April, though maybe if he's enough of a stud coach will find a slot somehow.
Just MHO and those who've been to the rodeo more often may have a much more informed opinion.
Nobody earns a D3 roster spot in the admissions office. Nobody loses one in the admissions office either. The only place those are won or lost is on the field. Consider two kids, both recruited, one applies ED, one applies RD, both get in, both show up for fall tryouts. The kid who is more game ready, more competitive, more of a stud, is going to play over the other kid, no matter through which path the two were admitted.
rally posted:Fenway, I get what you are saying and mostly agree but I think you are assuming that my son is arrogant or unrealistic because I said he doesn't want to play for a mediocre program. I actually have enormous respect for his poise, clear thinking, lack of ego, and dedication. I think you are being dismissive of athletes on the site who are able to get to this level at all when you conjecture about them in a dismissive way. He doesn't want to be the big fish coming in. He's not conceited. But not all D3 programs take it all as seriously or run things as well as others. He wants a program that will test his mettle, with a training regimen and coaching that challenges and helps him grow. He wants a school that plays more games, has a good trainer, great pitching coach, good mound and facilities. He wants playing time and will work for it.
I really do hope you understand what I'm saying. You're right I know nothing about your son other than what you shared, however I do know a lot about the ins and outs of high academic baseball. I've worked with many (30+) folks privately over the years go through exactly what you are going through. High academic baseball can be difficult in ways you are not familiar with yet. I'm just trying to bring that out for you as my time at HSBBWeb is dwindling. Your son sounds like a good young man with a great head on his shoulders. Best of luck to your son whichever of these great schools he choses.
Great perspective Slugger. I am already starting to feel the pressure of D3 coaches suggesting ED for my son. While that may help my son's standing with the coach in terms of showing a firm commitment to the school, it still does not mean that after ED, the coach cannot find other players that might be stronger at his position and reduce his roster and playing opportunists. Like you said, Fall tryouts of Freshman year are still a long ways off and it will always come down to playing ability at that time.
The whole process of dealing with the D3's is really eye opening. The high academic ones are especially challenging because you add in the whole question of admission without coach influence, then if admitted, get into the financial assistance factor. There are some lesser academic D3's that are interested in my son, but it makes no sense to consider ED for them. Unfortunately, this is going to be a really stressful process over the next few months.
Not sure which Ivy's you are referring to but SOME (note some) of them have a 10% rule of thumb - you pay 10% of your income (not sure if it is gross or net) PLUS room and board. I.E. $100,000 income, tuition would be $10,000 PLUS room/board/books/personal expenses. Do not rule any Ivy's out because of finances. Look on their financial section of their websites and you will find this info. It is a little known fact.
Beware of all risks/rewards associated with ED.
Rally: you asked what happens if S applies ED to a D3 and an Ivy circles back? One huge downside of ED is that you have made a binding comittment (absent some narrow legal excuses or simply ignoring the harm it causes your HS) and the player is off the market if accepted. (And may be off the market while waiting a decision.)
One advantage of ED in D3 is the coach has some ability to get recruits through admissions (some coaches have lots of weight, some have little and its your job to define that) which he loses in the RD round.
The trouble with D3 recruiting is the uncertainty and lack of a binding comittment until acceptance of the applicant. Moreover, as other posters have noted, no D3 player has a guaranteed roster spot - and rosters can have way too many players (I saw a D3 game at Catholic University a few years back and CU had over 50 players warming up before the game).
As a last point, I will continue to bang this drum: if a kid is recruited for an Ivy, absent an offer from Stanford, TAKE THE OFFER; who cares that baseball isn't the best, the weather sucks, coaching can be uneven, rosters are small, and fewer games are played? First, a kid can make it to proball from an Ivy. Second, since the overwhelming probabilities are that a kid will work a "normal" job for longer then he will play baseball, head to a college which is a job machine - especially a high paying job machine. (I think in another thread a poster mentioned jobs paying 30 - 50k for players with degrees; in the Ivy League those starting salaries approach six figures - for kids with an undergraduate degree.). The Ivy colleges are job machines - and have really good financial aid to truly middle class families with low assets.
I am not an expert, my son is not applying to the very top D3 academics. That being said he has been actively recruited by some very serious D3 schools, with admission standards where he is below the average for the general class. He has been told in each case his grades and course load are solid and well balanced, admission will not be an issue.I don't know if this constitutes a walk through or not but it has been the response for him.
He is over 3.0 and over 1000 on the 2 part SAT, certainly not a superstar in the class room but far better then his old man was!
I can't imagine any coach who is established at his school can't get a bunch of "good" but not great kids who might be below standard pushed into the school.
Old School, My son was in a similar boat. 29 ACT and 3.5 GPA with many Honors and AP classes. All the coaches of his target schools said he would not need the coaches assistance with admittance. All they asked was he apply early action. It showed interest on the school and put him in line for merit aid earlier than RD.
Really depends on the school. The OP asked about Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts.
These kinds of schools turn down thousands of very highly qualified students every year. Unless you're one of those students who gets into every college he applies to, if you REALLY want to go to a particular school, and a coach can walk you through, that's the only way to guarantee that you'll be admitted.
JCG posted:Really depends on the school. The OP asked about Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts.
These kinds of schools turn down thousands of very highly qualified students every year. Unless you're one of those students who gets into every college he applies to, if you REALLY want to go to a particular school, and a coach can walk you through, that's the only way to guarantee that you'll be admitted.
Yes for some young men the only chance is if the Coach walks them through. For some that is not enough even. But coaches pretty quickly learn what type of students they can get admitted. They also do not want to get a stud admitted if he is in over his academically, because if the kid cannot make grades he will not play.
Thank you for all the feedback! Even with excellent grades and scores, without a coach pushing you through admissions it's too scary to apply RD though we'd really like to be able to figure in finances/scholarships as part of the equation. We're going to ask for financial aid pre reads wherever we can along with the academic reads that are happening. My son's school has very few APs and doesn't weight GPA. All classes are honors classes and he took as many APs as are offered. I could never have done as well as him but in the scheme of all these schools, an unweighted 3.8 (incredibly) is run of the mill. Ack. It will all work out and these are good problems to have.
JCG posted:Really depends on the school. The OP asked about Wash. U., Pomona, Emory, Tufts.
These kinds of schools turn down thousands of very highly qualified students every year. Unless you're one of those students who gets into every college he applies to, if you REALLY want to go to a particular school, and a coach can walk you through, that's the only way to guarantee that you'll be admitted.
I feel like very few students get into every school they apply too. Classmate of our 2016 was a top student here at our high school, perfect ACT, lots of extra activities - she's going to Brown and starts this weekend. She was denied by Tufts. If she couldn't get in to Tufts I don't know who the heck they are accepting. And now that I think of it, I know another 2016 who was an excellent student, track star, top high school in our area - also accepted at an Ivy school (but decided to go somewhere else) - wait listed at Tufts. I wouldn't want to be a baseball player hoping to get through regular admissions there and my bet would be the coach is trying to get his top guys through ED.
SluggerDad posted:JCG posted:Interesting take, Backstop. Just based on a few stories I have heard here your strategy sounds like it could work great but also could be risky, if we're talking specifically about the high academic, very highly selective schools mentioned in the OP. Yes, not going ED gives you more options in April and allows you to shop or even negotiate for better financial aid. But OTOH, from stories here and from talking to coaches at high academic D3's it appears that their intent is fill their recruiting class via ED. So a kid who applies RD may not have a roster slot available come April, though maybe if he's enough of a stud coach will find a slot somehow.
Just MHO and those who've been to the rodeo more often may have a much more informed opinion.
Nobody earns a D3 roster spot in the admissions office. Nobody loses one in the admissions office either. The only place those are won or lost is on the field. Consider two kids, both recruited, one applies ED, one applies RD, both get in, both show up for fall tryouts. The kid who is more game ready, more competitive, more of a stud, is going to play over the other kid, no matter through which path the two were admitted.
Chances are the kid asked to apply ED and the coach walked his application through admissions is a preferred prospect. But he has to maintain that status when he hits the field.
I know kids who got the "if you get accepted (regular application) you're on the team." Each year they were beaten out by new, incoming preferred prospects. They sat on the bench until they gave it up.
This doesn't mean a kid can't be a non preferred prospect and end up being a starter. But from what I've seen and heard it's not the norm. I say this from talking to D3 kids and dads. It's not my level of experience.
For reference, YRMV.....
2016 visited his schools on his list, decided to do ED to Tufts. without saying too much.... I will paraphrase what he was told... " as soon as you hit the submit button, text me...."
Financially think of the best case scenario ....
particulars 6'4 200 RHP 87-88 weighted GPA 4.5 .... unweighted 4.0 ACT 34 ..... 5 AP's 3 qualified at Tufts. others in the running to one degree to another...... University of Chiraq..... Wash U, Emory, Williams, Middlebury, Mercer, Vanderbilt, Brown and Penn
RJM posted:SluggerDad posted:JCG posted:Interesting take, Backstop. Just based on a few stories I have heard here your strategy sounds like it could work great but also could be risky, if we're talking specifically about the high academic, very highly selective schools mentioned in the OP. Yes, not going ED gives you more options in April and allows you to shop or even negotiate for better financial aid. But OTOH, from stories here and from talking to coaches at high academic D3's it appears that their intent is fill their recruiting class via ED. So a kid who applies RD may not have a roster slot available come April, though maybe if he's enough of a stud coach will find a slot somehow.
Just MHO and those who've been to the rodeo more often may have a much more informed opinion.
Nobody earns a D3 roster spot in the admissions office. Nobody loses one in the admissions office either. The only place those are won or lost is on the field. Consider two kids, both recruited, one applies ED, one applies RD, both get in, both show up for fall tryouts. The kid who is more game ready, more competitive, more of a stud, is going to play over the other kid, no matter through which path the two were admitted.
Chances are the kid asked to apply ED and the coach walked his application through admissions is a preferred prospect. But he has to maintain that status when he hits the field.
I know kids who got the "if you get accepted (regular application) you're on the team." Each year they were beaten out by new, incoming preferred prospects. They sat on the bench until they gave it up.
This doesn't mean a kid can't be a non preferred prospect and end up being a starter. But from what I've seen and heard it's not the norm. I say this from talking to D3 kids and dads. It's not my level of experience.
I know of a kid who was WAIT LISTED via RD who ended up making the team and pitching significant innings at his very, very selective school. He was in touch with the coach throughout the process, but it was unclear whether he would end up at that school until sometime after May 1st.
I know of a kid who applied ED to the very same school, thinking he was being "recruited to play short stop" -- that's how his dad put it. In fact, the kid chose that school over my son's school, because he thought he was being handed the short stop job at said school. At my son's school, according to the dad, the coach was too vague and they got the sense that he was at best being offered a chance to compete for a job -- which is almost certainly true at my son's school.
The kid did make the team at his school, but he got a total of 9 PA for the year. Nothing at all was handed to him. Fact is, all D3 players, no matter how they get into the school, are, in effect, walk-ons who need to be prepared to compete with all comers. Don't count on being a "preferred recruit" to win you a roster spot and especially not a starting position.
