finding perfect fit

My son, also a 2016, started by deciding where he fit athletically (also mostly d3), and then made a list of the schools that fit his academic profile and looked like good fits at a surface level.  Then we found a showcase to get in front of as many coaches from those schools as possible and started reaching out to pretty much everyone on the list.

He started with something like 60 schools, ruled out a few for various reasons, initially contacted maybe 30-40, and over time that's been pared back to maybe 12-15 where there's been some level of mutual interest shown as of right now. At the moment, it seems to be working out reasonably well.

I'd also add that he's received a fair amount of contact from schools not on the original "big" list he created, mostly from schools that aren't on his radar for one reason or another, so it's not like you really have to go the extent he did with the number of schools, but if there are places you're interested in going, you definitely want to reach out to them first, because they're probably not all going to find you on their own.

Hi Aspiring: Welcome to the site. Each person's journey is different. Let me give you a little the process/structure of my 2015. The main components/subsets of recruiting I see is the GEOGRAPHIC/ACADEMIC(major and fit)/BASEBALL subsets.

For some geographic means distance from home, others it's about weather, still others it's about size of school's enrollment.

In the academic setting you'll ask yourself what the likelihood you'll be admitted based on college boards and GPA. If you are interested in a specialized field, does that school offer the major? How good is the school reputation of job placement for its alumni?

Baseball subset as you would imagine, tries to match your ability with the level of play (baseball reputation/record) of the schools you are looking at. Also though they may leave before you graduate, how well are you connecting with the coaches?  Will the schools have openings for your position of your graduation year?

My son's recruiting was different from many in that he had the high academic piece (GPA/SAT's), where he could get admitted into most schools as a non-athlete. The question was how high his baseball ability would take him. He made the decision that he wanted to pursue the high academic schools.

Early on in the recruiting he attended showcases that could give him a rating on the measurables. After researching schools, he then targeted showcases that had huge numbers of college coach attendees on his list. Then he went to a few school camps.  (He had been in touch with many through e-mail). Geographically, he started to limit search to New England, Mid-Atlantic and as far south as DC. He started focusing on a number of schools from same conferences - Ivy, Patriot, and late in process began looking at NESCACs. As other posters mentioned GO TO GAMES of the schools which interest you--great advice! Do you feel you can play at the level you see? We would watch the arm strength of the fielders and speed of the pitching. We would watch which schools would value son's tools.

Communication increased from some schools where they wanted to see him play the summer before his junior year. Received a few offers/interest early on that didn't fit academically or geographically. Some schools whittled out of the process as they had selected other recruits or were not ready (schools even in same conference had different timetables) or didn't respond. Also have to consider which school you like best, in an event that you would not have baseball (hate to think of - injury perhaps). Son committed when one of his top two schools offered, which was by far the best ACADEMIC, BASEBALL (coaches, plans for son/style of play) and Geographic fit. Process accelerated for school he committed, once a highly ranked baseball program offered. Good luck to you! It's a process where luck plays a role..especially in the timing piece. You will find much more info as you research past threads on this site.

Sorry..communication increased when they would see 2015 play summer before his senior (not junior) year.

Welcome aspiring,  great advise/info by others so far.  I'm going to take this a different direction. 

Tell us more about where you are at in the process now.  What are your career goals?  What major?  GPA?  How big is your target school list that you need to narrow?  Have you been playing with a good summer program?  If so, what feedback/direction are you getting from them?  How much interest from the D3's and D2's?  Offers?  What position do you play?  What are your measurables?  Are you being realistic about schools in regard to budget?  Are any of the schools who showed interest on top of your list for any reason other than that they showed interest?  What is your plan for the fall in regards to getting in front of schools?

Every player has a unique set of circumstances, so it may be better if we try to help you with yours than tell you about ours.  

Thank you so much for offering to invest in my situation....here's a basic bio on me and where I'm at right now. 

I'm still undecided on what I want to become, and thus what I want to study, but I'm thinking of majoring in Communications. I play primarily middle infield, but can play anywhere. I start at 2b for my HS team and play club ball with a great club team...I'm 5'7" 140, 3.2 gpa and 28 act. I have a d2 who's communicated with my coach that they would let me sign this fall even, though I have some concerns about what my role would be and the atmosphere at this school which I plan on delving into. I have a few d3s I've either visited or will visit this fall who've communicated that I could become a part of their program....this fall I had a really special opportunity to play on fall team at local colleges against college teams and tour schools/meet coaches etc. I'm curious to see what's to come for me, and just exploring what options I may have and considering everything right now.

Thank you!

OK, great... just a few more... what is your 60 time and throwing velo?  Do you anticipate going to a school in your general geographic region?

79 mph across infield and 7.1 60 time, yes I'm mostly looking at schools in the Mid-West

Considering you are a rising senior, it is good that you are looking mostly close to home.  At this stage, it would be extremely difficult to make many school visits that are spread out geographically.  At the same time, having that general major will keep more options open for you.

Most players aspiring to play at the college level have more obstacles in front of them than they may realize.  So you have done well coming here to identify those so you can attack them with some foresight.  Some of yours will be as follows... your measurables are decent but don't stand out.  Most schools would prefer having stronger arms, particularly on the left side of the IF.  And, many of the competitive schools who get plenty of kids with stronger arms will move their second best SS over to play 2B.  And most of the better schools who will be willing to play a smaller player would prefer a 60 time of under 7.  You mentioned you can play anywhere so OF is part of the equation.  Generally, colleges will prefer a bigger OF, again, unless you are sub 7 speed.  Regarding academics, your grades are decent enough to get you into most schools and you will get some academic $$ but not a whole lot (depending on the school).  If there is any way to bump that GPA up closer to 3.5, this will afford more academic $$ and thus open even more doors (assuming money is at least a bit of a factor).  It would also serve you well to try to knock a few tenths off your 60 and move your velo up a tick.  Of course, your bat will be a BIG factor regardless.

So, all of this said, you will need to be proactive in your recruiting efforts and not wait to see who is interested.  It's great that there is some interest but take note that there are no firm offers on the table.  Don't assume that this interest will result in offers.  Keep pursuing options until you are placed.  Keep researching, exploring, visiting, reaching out to coaches until you have found a home.  Keep using your club coaches and any other resources that can help.  Read the timeline stated here in the recruiting section.  Technically, you are late in the process.  But don't get too freaked out - you are certainly not alone.  I'd bet that most players don't find a home on the ideal timeframe.  That has certainly been the case with most of the players I coach or follow as well as my son.  I think you have accurately identified that your target is D2, D3 or NAIA and their timeframe is certainly later than D1. 

You mentioned you have concerns about your role for a school who is "willing to let you sign".  Based on those words, your concerns may be merited. Ideally, you find a school who "wants you there" instead of letting you come.  But, again, things don't always happen in an ideal manner.  Sounds like your fall opportunities are good.  Just don't put all of your eggs in one basket.  Remember that this is your last fall to get things done so continue to attack from all angles, not assuming that playing for that fall team will result in a good match.  Try to get to the point where you have a solid offer or two from schools that may be on your "B" list while you heavily pursue your "A" list schools.  It sounds like you are being realistic with your targets from a baseball standpoint.  Make sure you also factor in what a good fit would be academically, socially, geographically.  Do you crave the "big school" feel or will you benefit more academically from the smaller class size and better attention and resources of the small school?  Do you need to be near a big city or near home? So many things to factor in. 

There is tons to learn here.  Read all of the recruiting guidelines.  Search past threads on any given topic.  Continue to ask any questions.  Ask about specific schools.

Best wishes and keep us informed with your search.

I can write volumes on this subject; but I will be brief. Most young people knowledge about colleges are limited to; schools in their immediate area, where there parents went to school and the top 25+ that are on ESPN all the time.  This only scratches the surface.

I approach fit from the perspective of going to school for an education, where you will grow as a person and then and only after you address these elements from an athletic prospective. Someone pointed out to us that you will be person far longer than you will be a baseball player. Do everything you can to become a productive happy person and if baseball is part of that equation great.

I would start with what kind of education experience do you want. What do you think you want to study? I would strongly recommend that you don’t be too limited such that if you learn that this course of study is not for you that you can not change.

One of the most important decisions that you will make is what size school do you want to attend. When my son was looking at colleges we met with the admissions director at one school that asked my son one question which truly shaped his future. He asked my son about his favorite and least favorite classes during his senior year in high school.  My son told him that he hated his calculus class (he was good at math) and loved his senior English class (which was not his strongest subject). He then asked him why? His response was the math teacher expected him to learn through the book while the English teacher taught through discussion and challenging him through give and take dialogue. He then asked him where the teachers of those classes went to college. He indicated that the calculus teacher had gone to a very large state university and the English teacher had gone to a smaller well respected liberal arts college. At this point my son realized he would be better suited at a smaller school where he was not one of hundreds in a lecture hall but one of a few in an environment of give and take.

The next area that I would focus on was what do you want your college experience to be outside of the classroom. What is important to you? Do you need an active social life potentially with fraternities and sororities? Do like city life or do you crave a quieter environment? Do you have activities that you like to do with your free time (my son loved to play golf)?

Does the weather impact your decision. My son grew up in California; he was used to wearing shorts all year long. During the recruiting process he went to a very cold weather school which fit his academic profile and talked with the coaches. He was used to be on the baseball field nearly all year and learned that they did all of their work indoors until at least mid-late March. He knew that this was not for him.

How does logistics impact your thinking. It is not uncommon for most kids to aspire to go to schools in their own area. Yet if you want to play baseball that may not be possible. My son wanted to play baseball in California. The competition to play at a very academic school in California were so limited that he knew that he needed to explore opportunities outside of the state.  Once he realized that there is no difference between a 5-hour flight versus a 5-hour drive to get home his horizons and options grew. While this may not be an option for everyone it is a perspective that you may need to explore if playing baseball in college is part of your plan.

Finding a school that is the right fit can not be done from home. You have to get out and “kick the tires.” You can do all the research that you can to come up with schools that may fit your criteria but finding one that is the right fit takes time. My advice is to visit as many schools as you can. If you are in a new area try to at a minimum drive through the campus. Go on as many college tours that you can, eat in the dining hall, visit a sporting event, do everything that you can to learn what the college experience might be like. As you do this make a list of things you liked and things that you did not like. The more that you do this you will learn what appeals to you and with time you will be better prepared to make a good decision.

As to baseball; others will give you lots of insight. I take a bigger picture approach. Go to a practice and watch the players. It won’t take long to be able to tell if you can compete on the field. No matter where you go; you will have to compete. Playing time is earned; however, the college experience goes beyond playing. The kids on your team become your “brothers,” if you fit in and find joy in the experience you will have a great fit and grow through your college experience.

Great responses so I can't  really add much other than make a "T Chart" and list the schools across the top and important issues down the side and rank them. 1-10, it will help you analyze how the various options look, you can do this in excel and weight some of the categories, and it will give you a numerical number and will help you solidify what is important to you or not. Most importantly:

1. Go where you are loved. (or they have a plan for you)

2. Go where you have an opportunity to play.

3. Go where you will be happy if baseball does not pan out for some reason.

Good luck! 

You'll get thousands of great suggestions on this website because thousands have gone through what you want to do.  Everybody's perspective is different which is really what makes HSBBWeb such a great place.  

Listen and read the suggestions, but come to your own conclusions because eventually you will be the one making this huge life decision, paying tuition, and finding a career after college.  I was fortunate to play a college sport for 4 years, and I wouldn't have traded it for anything.  I still play 3 times a week into my early 50s.   My oldest son feels the same way after playing college baseball for 4 years and recently graduating.  However, college athletics and even professional athletics is temporary for everyone.  My best advice is to think far beyond athletics and consider the school that is going to help you succeed academically and financially first and then consider college athletics in the short term.

Best of luck!