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Hi All.
I've perused this site for a while now and finally have decided to join and ask for advice. I'm dad to a top notch 2012 RHP/SS - 6'0" 175# . Recently gunned at 84 during the very chilly Notre Dame Fall Prospect camp.
I'm basically looking to get a rundown on what the recruit from our neck of woods needs to concentrate on to get good college attention. I know most of you will stress getting to PG events and getting on a travel team that will make East Cobb and PG events. Great advice for sure, but simply not realistic financially given travel from the Chicago area.
My son plays on a high level well respected travel team and we did compete at CABA in East Cobb last summer. The team director is on top of things and has seven D1 2011's already verbally committed. My guy is on the top of his 2012 list that he is promoting. What else can I be doing to help?

Thanks for any thoughts.
[COLOR:RED][B]baseball is good[/COLOR][/B]
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I am also father of a 2012. With our situation, my son’s travel ball and coach and high school coach helped a lot with following up with various college coaches.

My feel was that several of the Midwest schools were just seriously starting to recruit the 2012 class while the southern schools were already “knee deep” into recruiting the 2012.
That's exactly the point of my post SR42. Reading through this message board makes me feel like we are light years behind in the recruiting process. Seeing all these posts about kids getting dozens of emails on Sept 1 and actually beginning the process of eliminating schools has me a little concerned.

I guess I should have been a little more specific in what I was hoping to find out. No offense shortnquick but I don't think all the answers are in my question. I know we have a good start to the process but there are very few PG type events in our area that garner the attention of a multitude of coaches/scouts.

I was hoping maybe some of the long time baseballers here would have some insight on what Midwest events gather the most scouts, etc.
The PG Midwest Top Prospect and Underclass Showcases are very good events in Iowa as well as the Pitcher/Catcher Showcase.

I am sure you don't have anything to do with your team tournaments but if the team is going down to East Cobb (1 time), it would be more benificial for the players to be at the WWBA Championships rather than the CABA event that they went to. That is nothing against a CABA event. Just with the one trip down there it would have been alot more beneficial to the players.

It does sound like you have covered alot of the important areas of recruiting, what I meant in the last post was at certain point the process is a process and it will be up to your son to continue to perform. Don't think most 2012's have committed so you are behind, they have not.

Last suggestions would be to have him attend the winter camps of any colleges he is interested in. Have him contact college coaches where he is intersted in attending. Ask the travel coach who has 7 2011 DI committs and says he is promoting your 2012 son, what he would like you and your son to do in the process.
Did you send emails to several midwest schools with a video attached? Did you look at your son's favorite schools and see when they are holding camps? Many will be having them over winter break.
PG usually has a pitcher/catcher showcase in February. Actually, I believe that there is a pitcher showcase at Judson College this Sunday.
My best advice is to reach out to several colleges first. Don't try to get discovered.
The least expensive and best bang for your recruiting dollars on the local scene is to make sure your son is invited to either the Stevenson or Plainfield games next summer (talk with your high school coach about these games. He should be able to make sure your son is invited.) Plenty of scouts from colleges across the country go to these games and kids get recruited each year as a result.

Also the Black & Silver and Area Code tryouts (invite only) are two excellent places to be seen locally.

One thing you could be doing now is to try to get a handle on what type of schools would be best suited for your son from a baseball and academic perspective. Get an honest evaluation from someone you trust. I might question going to random college camps without knowing first that they are on your target list.

As you probably know, the summer after your son's junior year is huge and getting on the same trail as the recruiters are on is important so do as much of that as you possibly can.

Illinois kids are highly respected in the baseball recruiting world and end up playing at top baseball and academic schools across the country.

Good luck.
Last edited by igball
Mood:

First thing to do is have a kid with talent. Sounds like you took care of business there.

Next thing is to get an experienced travel coach who knows how to get kids from your area recruited and is interested in your son's success. Sounds like you're solid in that department, too.

Two more things for you to do:
1. Get him the best instruction and conditioning coaching you can. Whatever level of conditioning work your son thinks he is now doing, he needs to re-define "working hard" every semester as he learns how much work his body is capable of performing.

2. Don't let yourself be worried by what anyone else is doing or by who has received offers from where. Your son sounds like he's right where he needs to be as the featured pitcher on a proven travel team. As long as he keeps working harder and harder and lets his travel coach put him in the right situations, his time will come. Enjoy more. Worry less. (Easier said than done).

Best wishes. Please keep this thread updated when good things start happening.
Last edited by Swampboy
Mood

First things first---where do you want to attend college? this is a key factor in where you spend your money to be seen in events (tournaments/showcases/camps).

We have had players from Canada, Wisconsin, Illinois, Montana, Missouri join us ( we are in the Northeast) join us for events because they wanted to be seen by programs in our region.
Mood,

My son was a ss/rhp pitcher in high school too. Now he's playing ss in college. He was recruited by some D1 schools as a pitcher and others as a two way guy but the school he's at recruited him to play ss.

Overall he would rather play everyday and he's fine with the decision. Frankly I know he could still pitch where he's at since he was 88-90 in high school and knows how to pitch but at a certain level there is no chance to play both ss and pitch- it just doesn't happen.

It's serious business at the college level and you have to leave the past behind.
Update from the Judson pitcher showcase. Mood kid threw well. Very crowded event. So hard to compare the kids. Don't know how the scouts keep track. I'm sure many are there to specifically see a few kids and the others are just looking to see who's coming close to 90 on the gun. But really tough to judge 100 kids on 12 pitches.

Had a call last night from College Prospects of America claiming he hit 82 yesterday and wanted to come sell the program. We're not looking to shell out more $$ for a recruiting service but the guy had some good things to say.

Anyone heard anything about this group?
Last edited by mood for baseball
quote:
Originally posted by LWN Dad:
Mood,

Coming up this winter will be the Cangelosi College Development Camp. 2 weekends in January last year, about 40 D1 schools there. This was on either Saturday or Sunday of each weekend, so Basketball should not interfere. This was a quality experience for my 2012 and was highly recommended here when I asked about it last year.


Thanks LWN. I'll keep an eye out for that.
Last edited by mood for baseball
quote:
Originally posted by mood for baseball:


Had a call last night from College Prospects of America claiming he hit 82 yesterday and wanted to come sell the program. ...but the guy had some good things to say.

Anyone heard anything about this group?


What sort of good things did the rep have to say?
Get him in front of the coaches of where he wants to go to school. If they have a camp or hitting clinic, get him there. The face to face exposure is invaluable. They get to know him personally, and determine it there is a fit in their program for him. A lot of it has to do with what they are looking for. My son attended a one day clinic, swung the bat very well and the interested started. Before we knew it he was offered a verbal offer - which was very good!

Also, send emails to the coach who is in charge of recruiting. This should be an introductory email. It should include a brief resume of your son and his interest in attending that particular university.

Good luck and keep swinging.
Lefty
quote:
Originally posted by CPLZ:
quote:
Originally posted by mood for baseball:


Had a call last night from College Prospects of America claiming he hit 82 yesterday and wanted to come sell the program. ...but the guy had some good things to say.

Anyone heard anything about this group?


What sort of good things did the rep have to say?


Liked his form and thought hitting 82 now - months before his junior season will equate to mid 80s by the time this important summer rolls around. liked his grades 4.3/5.0 which is a key element.

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