head first baseball showcases

Honor Roll is Headfirst's showcase targeted to "high academic" schools. Ivy Leagues and other smaller and private universities and colleges are the focus. You may see William & Mary or UVa at the VA showcase, but that's about all I remember of major to mid-major programs.

We went to the "Richmond" showcase last August and it was packed with kids from all over the country. The reputation of this event is extremely high. I say "Richmond" in quotes, though, because the location is actually about 40 miles north of town up I-95, closer to the Fort A.P. Hill exit. The Virginia Sports Complex is new and struggling to attract events, but the facilities are great and will serve you well if you go.

I would emphasize that your son should be a high grades/high SAT's kind of guy if you were going to fly from Chicago to Va for this and have it be worthwhile.

Just looked at the list of whos whos and Norte Dame, Virginia, Emory, and almost all the Ivys including Emory and Gerogetown will be there. That is what immediatly caught my eye.
Midlo-What was the level of competition like? Were there some studs there? I herd that the coaches were on the field with the players. However, did they play games at this showcase?

Talent was mixed. I didn't see anyone BAD, but there were obviously some that weren't up to the par of others. Yes, they played showcase games, i.e., all batters start on 1-1 counts, 4-5 batters per inning.

My son attended both the Richmond camp and the Jupiter, Florida camp in November. He thought the talent level was noticeably higher at Jupiter. (I didn't attend Richmond, but did go to Jupiter and was impressed with the level of play.) Good opportunities to interact with the college coaches. Midlo Dad is absolutely correct that many of the schools have high academic standards.

I can't speak to the VA showcase, but my son and his friend went to the Headfirst Showcases in Jupiter in the falls of their junior and senior years and they were their favorite showcases--although they both really enjoyed several others they went to such as PG WWB, Arizona, etc.

The staff at Headfirst is talented, dedicated, personable, and truly interested in helping the players succeed. The camp is very well organized and the staff works incredibly hard to be sure everyone feels well-treated. The college coaches talk about their schools, the recruiting process, and college baseball in breaks between games and other activities (BP,etc.) The college coaches both coach and observe the games. They obviously can't be in all places at once as several games are going on at once, but they try hard I think to see many of the players; obviously if they are already interested in recruiting a player they will be sure to observe one of that player's games.

My son is now a pitcher at Stanford and his friend is on the team at a NESCAC school in Massachusetts. They both had other offers via Headfirst and a tough time deciding on their ultimate path. It is both a learning and a solid recruiting experience. Hope that helps.

My son too attended a Headfirst event in Jupiter and I found it to be very worth the cost. Coaches coaching, plenty of interaction between players and coaches, and 4 simulated games in 2 days..top academic schools of all divisions..since attending, my son who is in his junior year now, has maintened email and mail contact with 6 of the schools that were in attendance there as well as receiving contact from other top academic institutions who weren't there but obviously must go after the same caliber academic/athletes as those in attendance. Been to manny PG and WWBA events and they're top notch but if your son is looking at an academic fit as well it would be hard to go wrong attending a Headfirst Showcase