grades

Depends how low. First question every coach asks is what are your grades.For the most part if he can't into the college with his grades they won't be interested.  Unless the kid is a top stud the school is not going to bend the rules to get the admitted.

Grades matter! Most coaches will stay away from kids with low grades. What good is he if he can't stay eligible. Maybe if he was throwing 95 they would figure ouf a way. 

Do him a favor, get help with his study habits and improving his grades. JMHO!

The NCAA has a sliding scale.....the lower the GPA, the higher the SAT/ACT score needs to be (and the converse....the lower the test scores, the higher the required GPA). Also, I believe  there have been some recent changes to core course requirements and minimum GPA in the last year. A quick Google search can give you the sliding scale chart.

 

That is the minimum to play a NCAA sport in college.  Colleges will have their own set of admission standards. 

 

That being said, I know of some less-than-stellar students playing ball in college.

 

Additionally, once you get into college, you need to be able to stay eligible to continue to play ball in college. 

 

You and your son, with the help of the guidance counselor if necessary, may want to do some research to target colleges that have high acceptance rates, accepts students where your son falls somewhere in the 25-75% range, or consider JUCO programs with baseball.  Remember, all schools, even the Ivy's, accept students that fall "in the lower quartile".   

If he's having trouble passing HS how is he going to pass college ESP. With added time devoted to practicing/traveling? 

Look into summer program/class that teaches study skills.

Thanks for the info guys.  He Never fails a class... His grades are around 75 ( 69 and below is failing in our district) I Will let him read what you all posted though...

A college coach once told me they prefer players to have at least a 3.0. Then with the possibility the time consumed playing baseball could drop their GPA a full point to 2.0 they don't become an academic concern. The lower a high school GPA is, the more concern there is the kid can handle baseball and college academics. His best route out of high school may be to look at JuCos. But at the JuCo he will still have to prove he can handle college.

Starting with 2016 recruits, the minimum grade point average to play as a freshman is 2.3 with the sliding scale. The 2.0 might get you a scholarship but no chance of playing.

 

The coaches my son has talked to, have all indicated they are looking for kids with 3.5 or higher. One D2 school he is talking to there average for incoming freshman is a 3.9 and a 29 on the ACT. The 2015 baseball recruits are 3.8 and 28.

 

Thanks for all the reply's. He finished his sophomore year with 3gpa, He's just having trouble in algbr2 & Physics this year.Oh well, If he wants it bad enough he'll have to work a little harder.

The reason I was asking about this. Is that he starting to get invite to D1 and D2 schools.He's junior and will be the go to guy this year at a 6A school in Texas.

Thanks everyone.... That's how baseball goes

These are averages.  So, for every player that is higher than the average, the coach can elect to choose a player 'less than average', within a school's guidelines. 

 

... as it has been posted on this board so many times, the higher the pitcher's mph, the lower the grades can be.  On the other hand, good position players seem to be a dime a dozen.  Colleges have a wide pool to select from so position player's grades better be on par - or better - so that the coach can recruit some of those higher mph-er pitchers! 

He will want to improve it, and the High School coach is dead on. He is now 1 semester through junior year and running out of time. Depending on your school district in Texas a 74 -76 grade could be a D or could be a C which will translate to a 1.0 at worst or at best a 2.0. He needs to understand schools have options especially for P that sit mid 80"s and top out high 80"s. The D3's we talked to would not touch anyone below a 3.5 so that avenue is closed off, he is leaving himself fewer options.

Best of luck.

Sometimes I get the impression board members believe all D3s to be expensive, high academic colleges requiring a 3.5 GPA. There are a lot of state university schools that are D3s. They are sub campuses of the main university. They do not require a 3.5 GPAs. An example would be University of Southern Maine. It's a D3 that's part of the University of Maine system. They have an excellent team. Theyve won D3 national championships. They've sent players to the pros.

that was indeed my perception thanks for clarification

Salisbury State in MD is another good example.  Good school, great baseball program. Not terribly difficult to get into.

And the D3baseball.com Top 25 is littered with them. 

That's where I was going next. Four of the top seven from last year are state universities.

 

Wisconsin-Whitewater

Southern Maine

Cortland State (NY)

Salisbury (Md)

 

The penn st. regional system is mostly D3's. And many Pitt regional's as well.

Look at the Allegenny Mountain Collegiate Conference.
http://www.amcconf.org

If you can get into one of the schools in a conference, most likely you can get in others. D3's like to match up in conferences with schools that have similar missions and addmission profiles.

The older brother of a former teammate of my son's is the example I always look to about grades.  During the time that they were teammates, the older brother was a senior in high school.  As a senior RHP in Texas, he was sitting low 90s and hit 95 regularly in games.  He only had 2 college offers and they were both low level D1s. He went to a large HS that is not considered academically strong.  The coaches told his parents that his 2.8/4.0 GPA was too low, and that they would have to spend significant resources ensuring that he stay eligible.  The mom specifically told me that one coach said point blank that he had other kids that threw that hard that made better grades.

 

This kid was drafted by the Blue Jays in the SECOND round and only had 2 low D1 offers because he did not do well in his high school classes.

Bad grades followed him to pro ball. They minimized his bargaining power for the signing bonus. He couldn't say, "I'd rather go to college than sign for that."

A former ROY & Cy Young award winner told a group of boys to strive to get good grades, because they show scouts & coaches that you are coachable.

This post's brevity belies its significance.

 

Grades that hinder college admission create a "double whammy" for players who are thinking about playing professionally straight out of high school. It's axiomatic that a  professional club is going to exploit every dimension it can to limit the amount of dollars they have to fork over to sign a player. The high school player who's closed himself out of a college option will find himself being offered much less to sign than if he has a strong college option, as well.

The replies posted here are outstanding.  Grades matter.  Test scores matter.  Baseball skills matter.  Character matters.  etc...

 

A 2016 can still improve on all fronts.  A "C" or below on a transcript may preclude some schools, regardless of mph.  But demonstrating improvement in grades and test scores, particularly as a student's curriculum gets tougher tells a very positive story to Admissions and to the Baseball Staff.  And a student who does that and throws 87 mph now will have a place to play.

I have a question? As American parents, yes! we care about our children and we work hard to keep them competitive to the world around us... yet the import of other men, from other countries, especially the Dominican Republic and now Cuba, what are their grade scores in regards to this double standard? People, understand that education today is as close as your nearest computer! in these countries where is this technology? And how are these men, brighter than our kids?

 

There is an interesting question hidden in all of that ...  um... verbiage.

 

How many kids from the Dominican try to get baseball scholarships to US universities? 

 

I would assume that the number is quite low, as my understanding has been that those players are trying to get noticed by professional baseball, not schools.  I'd be interested to know if I was wrong, but I don't think it would necessarily be a bad thing.  Regardless of the percentage, I'm sure it's far below the overall percentage of foreign students at any top US college or university.  It's also likely to be below the percentage of foreign students in many other athletic programs, for example soccer.

By the way, in Florida, I deliver the food, milk, and produce, these men need.. arriving to our country to develop in size and strength! Let's not talk about education, I am a witness! All I am saying is as a American my child loves this game!

WE are loyal Americans! good, bad, or indifferent...As a father with a young man with talent, my only purpose is to teach him how to spell the United States of America in everything he does... is this a crime?

We have trained in Muay Thai, Capoeira, Tae Kwon Do, Ju JIt Su, MMA, at 216 lbs. blk; brn, blue belt, with size, power, agility, what chance do you have?  This is our work x 5 State Championships Documented...History! As he grows, his nickname is the "BIG CAT",versed in Fighting for my COUNTRY!

Well, okay then.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your boy, and best of luck to you both.

JCG - 

 

In response to your question regarding kids from the DR pursuing baseball in American colleges I'd say the number is very low.  It is not to say there is not a desire.  Those kids love baseball.  This could/should be its own thread.  But the short version is that the education level of an overwhelming majority of the population limits their chance.  Add to that the poverty that comes with being a 3rd world country.  

 

I had an opportunity to work with a group of boys that play with Jose Cano last year.  I know at least 1 is playing JUCO here in the states.  He not only had english language skills, but was in a private school.  It was very apparent that his family was on a much different level than most.  

 

There are a few good documentaries and books that cover this subject if you are interested in learning more.

 

I hope to get back down soon.  Its sad seeing how people live. But the island is beautiful.

 

Rich

www.PlayInSchool.com

Your son does not have to have a very high GPA to get a coaches attention. But he does have to show the commitment towards working hard on the field and in the classroom.  it doesn't matter what position he plays unless he is a top ranked player in his class, he is narrowing down his opportunities by not getting better grades. There is a sliding scale for GPA and test scores, but you wont get into a better school with a better baseball program if either is below the standards of acceptance.  

 

Also keep in mind that it is not the coach who accepts you, its the school, and he will pass that transcript to the appropriate person for advice before an offer happens.

If your son is having issues with those classes let him go seek out tutoring or help. Dont high schools have mentoring programs for academics? When son was in school the seniors got service hours for tutoring?

 

Dominicans and Cubans are trained to be baseball players, not college students.  You do not have to worry about these players taking scholarships away. You do have to worry about these players taking jobs (baseball) away from your kids. Not that they are better, but they have much different motivation than american players do, and that changes the game dramatically.

 

Mexican and Puerto Rican players do attend american schools.  There is a whole bunch of players on sons team who where born in mexico and attended schools in the US. They usually go back to mexico to play the game professionally.

 

Not sure how this topic got off track, but back to the topic, grades are important.

 

Our Varsity Baseball Team Practices 5 days a week! As a leader you do not miss practice? 2:40 school is out, with tutoring... we pick him up at 3:30 travel 5 miles to his baseball field, practice starts at 3:45, they practice until 7pm, We go home! it takes us 30 min., bathe, dinner, homework, my childs time clock, effort is different from your average student! he also trains in Capoiera on Tues., and Muay Thai on Thurs., We work for a living! and manage his future!

 

Your point is?

Yes grades are important...understand how many young men possess 5 State Championships in the State of Florida...BIG STATE! with his schedule? I cannot wait to meet all of you!

 

What does that have to do with Dominicans and Cubans and their grades?

I've never heard of high school players missing practice unless there was a serious personal issue. I don't see a schedule that's much different from the typical high school player who is concerned about his grades. Wait until college ball if you want to see your son tight for time. My son's high school team practiced from 2:45 to 5;30 or 6:00. Players were typically on the field by 2:30. I believe most parents work for a living and look out for their kid's future. 

 

To borrow the words of TPM, your point is?

AT 216 lbs. pitching 90mph, hitting 400 + We have trained and worked to Compete! I hope we cross paths! Welcome to how we fight!

What schools have interest in your 2016?