getting noticed at 155lbs?

Well I am not expert. So maybe I should not reply. But he seems like a great candidate for the top academic D3 programs, offering great academics + strong baseball.

It seems like the D3s just kicked into higher gear in the past few weeks so based on my (very) limited experience I would say it isn't too late for that.

Hopefully your son has been to one or more of the academic showcase opportunities, and if not, get him out there. Also college-based camps at D3 academic schools.

There are some excellent threads on HSBBW about D3 and higher academics.

Look at places like Haverford, Johns Hopkins, NESCAC schools (some have August camps), maybe find out about Rhodes College and other top D3aa in the south.
Also less selective but excellent schools like Gettysburg, Diskinson, or the D1 non-schollys in the Patriot League??

He should be emailing with video and calling those coaches.

Sorry if all this is basic info, but I get the feeling that D3 is just gearing up....

My son was 5'11" and 145. 32 ACT. You could see right through him he was so skinny. Coaches call that "upside". Now he is a rising Junior in college and 180lb. He was widely recruited by academic D1 & high D3 when he was in HS. However, you should know that there are 1,000 kids just like your son out there. All of them are smart and all of them can play. You must be proactive by sending out letters and going to the academic camps like Headfirst and Stanford. The Academic schools are just heating up now. HeadFirst is next week. Get those letters going. Sign up for camps. The schools you are targeting can fill their slots without your son, but your son can also BE one of those slots. PM me for more specific info.

I was 6', 135 lb when I signed. I was always worried about my size also in the recruiting process. Don't worry about it. If a coach sees something, He will give your son a chance. Give them something to want and have them forget the size.

Hi L3,
Let me ask you a few questions to try to help answer yours...

What do you believe are the top 3 reasons your boy is not getting much interest?

What type of summer ball did he play and what were the results from a performance standpoint and from an exposure standpoint?

L3,

Your son may not be getting interest because he's looking in the wrong places not becasue of his weight. If he can play, he can play regardless of weight. Nobody asked my son to get on a scale as a prerequisite to play college baseball. They did ask about his grades several hundred times.

I agree with all the posters on this thread. Possibly he should be looking at academic schools (BaseballMomandCEP listed a bunch of great ones) that have good baseball teams rather than colleges that have great baseball teams. Your son has leverage with his academics, my best advice would be to use that "hook" to get recruited.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

L3,
Great advice so far. No one asks Dee Gordon of the Dodgers how much he weighs….The MVP for the Cal Collegiate Summer League All Star game was probably 5’5” and 150lbs.
Have a plan and work the plan. Start a list of 25-30 target schools (you and your son) and research them - find out everything you can about them. First find an academic fit and then work from the baseball side to get to your list of schools. Be realistic as he is likely not going to play for top D1 in Fl. Email the recruiting coach a profile and let them know where your son will be playing. If Fl is like Ca then there are more players than there are roster spots in the state so branch out with your search. Look at Headfirst, Stanford Camp, GPA type events. Remember there is more academic money than athletic money out there. Good Luck!

quote:

Reply

Thanks for all the advice. We are heading to Head First and are doing all the things everyone has suggested, I guess I can't believe schools aren't calling. I'm sure you've all heard this before but he can really play.
Cabbagedad:
He didn't do a summer team because the one we were on last year was a complete rip off and all the families left. He did a wood bat league in FLorida last year and this year where they work out daily and play games three times a week. He felt it was a better regiment and yes he missed out on East Cobb.

One school he was interested in did a camp and it was only skills. The coach wasn't interested. It was a waste of a lot of money going to it and if we had known the format we wouldn't have bothered.

I can't think of 3 reasons why he's not getting much interest. His coaches say it's size. But he grew a bunch in the last 20 months and he will fill out eventually but not in the next 3 months. Thanks again everyone. Good luck to any of you in the process!

We did some high profile tournaments out west with his high school this past season and he was selected to all tournament in both of them. He's the kind of player that you have to see play in a game to know his value.

quote:

Originally posted by L3:
yes he missed out on East Cobb

I can't think of 3 reasons why he's not getting much interest.

They have to see him, to be interested.

quote:

Originally posted by L3:
He's the kind of player that you have to see play in a game to know his value.

Agree with Sultan on this. If you're saying he needs to be seen in person to know his value, why is he not playing in front of college coaches? I haven't had any experience with HeadFirst but I hear that they run a good camp. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Others have also given good advice. Being proactive is the number one thing you can do. Contacting some of the higher academic schools, especially at the D2, D3 and NAIA level could help. College baseball is still baseball. There are a number of quality programs throughout the spectrum.

One of my co-worker's nephew did not play on a summer team. Came down to Virginia to the Head First showcase (a few years back). He is playing now for one of the best (edit: THE best) liberal arts colleges in the country and having a ball. He went to Head First the summer before his senior year.

.



.

quote:

Originally posted by L3:

quote:

Reply

... I guess I can't believe schools aren't calling. I'm sure you've all heard this before but he can really play.
Cabbagedad:
He didn't do a summer team because the one we were on last year was a complete rip off and all the families left. ... and yes he missed out on East Cobb.

One school he was interested in did a camp and it was only skills. The coach wasn't interested.
...I can't think of 3 reasons why he's not getting much interest. His coaches say it's size.
We did some high profile tournaments out west ... He's the kind of player that you have to see play in a game to know his value.

Hey L3,
OK, so he didn't play on a high profile summer team, didn't do East Cobb, didn't do many school camps, only went to high profile camps out west even though he doesn't live out west and is the kind of player that you have to see play to know his value.
You have just listed several reasons (particularly when combined) that may tell you why he is not getting a lot of interest and a clear reason why schools aren't calling.
He will have to be proactive and act quickly. He will likely need to incorporate networking with any coaches or instructors who may be connected and/or are willing to recommend him to schools. I suggest he contact any school he may be interested in that will be at Head First in advance and try to develop dialog ahead of the event so that he has a chance to be on their radar. There is no reason why he cannot contribute to a college program if he plays as you describe but "if you are good, they will find you" only applies to the studs and the lucky. He has to have a good plan and be proactive. Best of luck with Head First and beyond. I would guess that Head First can be a great opportunity but don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Are you heading the Headfirst next week in New York? By my count there will be about 70+ colleges at the camp. Lots of coaches to see your son play. I would follow cabbagedad advice about contacting coaches. If you have any video to send them I would include it. Email needs to come from your son. Also stress academic achievements. This lets the coaches know to look for your son if they have interest. Biggest thing is to be seen. You didn't mention what position(s) he plays?

For what is worth:
At the Headfirst camp last year during one of the seminars they said players are recruited in this order:
LHP
RHP
MIF
CF
C
corner positions


My LHP son was 5' 9" 140# when he went to the Florida Headfirst camp last year. He had a couple of showcases before a groin pull shut him down for the summer. After that showcase he had several DIII recruiting him and he is going to Stevens this Fall. Coach Kristaps saw something he like in the 5'9" player who was not grown yet. He should step on the campus this fall at 5'11" and 160#.


So your son is ahead of the game at least compared to my son. Would suggest that if he is not on a strength program he should start. It would make the weight issue go away somewhat. That helped my son improve his speed and velocity quite a bit also.

Great advice all around here. In terms of him not getting noticed so far, allow me to be blunt: You and your son have to create the opportunities, not wait for them.

As a rising junior my RHP son was at most 5-11 145 lbs. Went to Headfirst that summer, was noticed, and made contact with 6-8 coaches from great academic schools (DI and DIII). I proud to say that he'll be playing for a great DI school next year--now he is a strapping 6-2 and 160 (!) lbs!

good luck!

L3,

I've skimmed through this thread a couple times and I can't figure out what position your son plays? Is he a junior or senior in HS? 6' tall is pretty good size at any position, and I'm assuming that he has plenty of room to fill out? Unless your son's Bat really stands out, there's a pecking order to position players when it comes to recruiting. Pitcher's are generally first, followed by middle infielders, corner infielders & catchers, and outfielders are almost always last...unless their BAT is a big factor! Most importantly, as others have stated on this thread...YOU MUST BE SEEN,and show something when you are! Best of luck to him at the Headfirst Camp.

For those of you who had positive results at Headfirst, I was wondering when you started to get interest from the coaches - - At the camp? The week following camp? Later in the Fall?

Our situation is pretty challenging, and I just wonder at one point we say "this isn't going to happen.". My son is a mere 5'6"/140 lbs. He's not going to be tall. To make it worse, his primary position is catcher. He's definitely a very atypical catcher . . small, very quick, exceptional blocking, great on field leadership/presence/hussle, pitchers love him, but average arm (for a catcher)and waayyy undersized. He also plays center field for his summer team and has the speed/defensive skills for that, but not the power bat.

I think there are places he could play (D3) as his academics are strong (1900SAT, top private school, lots of APs), but the challenge is he wants to study chemical engineering . . .which is offered at almost NO D3 schools with a few exceptions (institutes of technology).

At any rate, my son is targeting the few schools that fit the bill . . .most were at Headfirst. He sent followup emails to each coach. So far, he has only heard back from one, and it wasn't very encouraging, although honest which was appreciated. Basically inviting him to prospect camp while admitting they are talking to a number of other catchers ahead of him. Another coach he spoke with at the camp said "you're on my list, but I need to review all my notes" - - not sure what that may mean.

At any rate, I have three questions from all this:

1. At one point do we determine that the door is closed, and he should just play club?

2. We are looking at some expensive schools in the Patriot league, and we don't need/won't quality for financial aid -- is there any point in communicating that and if so, how do we do so?

3. If your son was recruited through Headfirst (which we loved), how quickly did the process happen after you attended?

4. For the school that said "we have other catchers ahead of you" . . .would it make sense to go to the prospect camp anyway? If so, should he show them what he can do in centerfield instead? Is it good to be versatile or not?

If it matters, I seriously felt that HF went as well as could humanly be possible. My son was able to show his strengths (base stealing, blocking, leadership) and had a high OBP. So, I'm guessing if my son didn't generate interest there . . .we may not generate any period.

If people contact you they will start next week. However, when my son was a Headfirst camper he had quite a lot of coach interaction, and interest, at camp. That's not meant to discourage you. The real action started the second week after camp. There is excellent baseball quality in the Patriot League and I think that those guys, if they have any spots left, would be speaking to you at camp.

I recommend NOT speaking to coaches about your "full payer" situation. One of their jobs is to help recruits figure out a way to "make it work" financially, while their first job is to find recruitable baseball talent. Baseball talent comes first, funding comes last.

The challenge for you is going to be sorting through the fall camp invitations to find the ones that really have some recruiting interest in your son. The best solution there is to have your son pick up the phone and ask. If they don't call you back, you have your answer.

Thanks so much, leftyshortstop. That's very helpful and exactly the type of specific guidance I was seeking. I suspect my son will apply ED to his top academic choice and play club when all is said and done. . .but he's put a lot of effort into the baseball recruiting, and I don't want to close the door too prematurely.

p.s. I appreciate that you don't want to be discouraging, but I sort of felt that if the interest was really there, we would have seen some of it at the camp itself. I just wasn't sure because most of the demonstrated interest I saw there was specifically directed at the pitchers . . .so wasn't quite sure if things might pan out differently for position players. At any rate, we knew this would be a very uphill battle on the face of it . . .but you just don't know unless you try right?

As far as your questions:
1. Not for a while yet. We attended HF in Novemeber 2011. I know of 2012 kid (RHP) that signed with West Virgina in July this year. Was not really generating much interest in Texas for some reason. Not sure why since he is the prototype RHP pitcher (6'3" 190) and went 7 and 1 for a 4A school in suburban Houston. But someone saw him this summer and told the new coach at WV and he came to watch him somewhere and that was it. That is the exception though but it does happen.

2. Did not really talk about aid though we told Coach Aldins that we had to make it financial work compared to going to Texas A&M and playing club ball

3. My son was contacted by Coach Aldins Monday morning by email after the showcase and called Monday night. He told my son on Sunday that he would be contacting right away. After that for about two weeks son was contacted by 6 more schools (only one other who talked to him at the camp said he would call). Only two schools fit academically (Stevens and RPI).

4. Don't know the answer to this one. As long as the expense is not to great I think you would attend and showcase everything. Centerfield does not have to have a power bat but should be very athletic.

I would wait and see. You never know who was watching. Also a lot of the coaches just saw several hundred kids this past week. I think they need a little time to review their notes and prepare to contact people they are interested in.

Anita,

Personally I feel "we have other catchers ahead of you" means they don't have interest. I could be wrong, but it doesn't sound like they were encouraging your son to pursue discussions with them. My son heard that comment many times.

I haven't seen your son play but from the comments you have made, it sounds like an uphill battle to this point with no potential place to land at a 4 year school. If baseball is important to your son he might consider a solid JC to see if he can take it any further. A JC student with good grades should not have a problem transfering to a 4 year school and playing JC ball will open doors for many players by giving them a second chance at the recruiting process.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, somewhereinhouston. I really appreciate it. We just looked at Stevens right after HF. . .I actually really loved it! The views! That's so awesome that your son is going there and gets to play baseball. Unfortunately, as you may have heard, the coach at Harvard (where Coach Aldins worked prior to Stevens) passed away, so he understandably was unable to attend the first session of Headfirst. . .my son was really hoping to meet him.

At any rate, I so appreciate your responses. I will encourage my son to persist at least into mid October . . .and we'll just keep our fingers crossed! It is hard to get everything to line up exactly as you might hope . . .but we knew it would be tough.

CollegeParentNoMore,

That's exactly how I was reading it too . . .

I think the challenge with a junior college is the lack of support for a chemical engineering degree in four years.

Baseball is important to him, but pragmatically speaking I think pursuing his career objectives at a strong academic institution that he likes is equally or more important.

Well, I'm going to just keep my expectations way low, and if anything crops up, it will be a wonderful surprise for which we will be very grateful.

Lack of chemical engineering support is often in the eyes of the beholder and you might be surprised at the level of support at the JC, don't dismiss it w/o checking it first hand, you might be surprised.

i.e. My wife took chem taught by some famous award winning professor at UCB....with 900 other students and her ta spoke very good chinese which didn't help her much. At our local JC you can actually meet with the professor.

Anita, have you looked into Rose Hulman? Phenomenal engineering school with very impressive athletic facilities (D3) and a coach that knows baseball. Son very tempted on a visit there, ended up choosing a D1 offer though.

We have visited Rose Hulman, GoodEye, and I completely agree with your assessment of it! Gorgeous school with actually some of the best athletic facilities we've seen in a school of that size. And we really, really liked the assistant coach who we met there on campus . . .it is definitely in the mix.

CollegeParentNoMore - - You make a great point. I really should look to see if we can match up the core class requirements at a JC with those in an engineering program . . .and if that could work. I just assumed it would not; which could be a big mistake on my part.

L3-

It all depends on your son's playing ability. I don't really think size has a lot to do with why he's not getting looks. I know guys that are 5-11, 155 pounds that committed to schools.

What kind of 60 does he have? Bat speed, throwing velocity, etc?