Here's One of Interest ??

No names...but sounds familiar...
The Grand Poohpah & founder of this wonderful site, Bob, compiled several very good articles on over recruiting that are of interest...

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/over-recruiting.htm

For everything else, here's the link to great stuff

http://www.hsbaseballweb.com/players_parents.htm

Think we have been through this before.

Coach Merc,
It's time you noticed recruiting can have absolutely no rhyme or reason for us parents. Must have a method to all this madness

Glad we were here and did a ton of homework... It just amazes me when this continues to happen.

Coach Merc,

The colleges that stockpile are pretty easy to identify.

There are also many others - that over recruit - perhaps not to the same extent - but they have a variety of tricks up their sleeve that are effective in getting the sample size to their school the first year.

Once they do - the player is behind the eight ball - so to speak.

Its a nasty business - and some schools are much nastier about it than others.

Great Info. \
I found most of the coaches overstock slightly knowing some would not play.
One school told us right up front they over stock and were waiting to see who signed pro deals. The schools were generally upfront.
What was a surprise was having to make the roster and the travel roster. We were unaware of this. When 40+ guys showed up for tryouts he was suprised but I can understand they need the bodies for various reasons.
I don't think alot of guys know this. I am not sure if this is the case at all schools. Most coaches I delt with were very up front.

Is that "up front" if you ask the right question or is it included in unsolicited information?

Getting the prospect to the campus is goal number one.

There are many very clever techinques used to do this.

Once they are there - and you can lock them up - you go to the next one.

I would advise any parent to be wary of blending scenarios that involve "Out of state waivers".

It is the primary area of abuse IMO. Alot of leeway and wiggle room still allowed - and you can get hacked to pieces if you arent well prepared.

I believe most told me they usually sign about 45 players and expect to lose some through the draft and academic issues.
The #1 school my son was interested in would not make an offer until the dust settled. When it started to get late in the season they ran out of scholarship money and had oversigned LHP JUCOs. They offered hima walk on or to set him up in a JUCO so they could follow him. They were straight forward and I appreciated that. I didn't have a clue about this.
We fortunately had good alternatives and would have stayed out a year so my son could work if we had to. We were not in a hurry and had some great JUCOs as backups.
We were also surprised that we had to get accepted into the school prior to a written offer. We knew the scholarship amounts but had to apply and get accepted first.

Itsinthegame,

I assume you're talking about the "Out-of-state tuition waiver?" I'm not properly initiated, I suppose...can you explain to me what the abuse is? Feel free to send me a PM.

Thanks

I will send you a PM this evening.

It is because of "stockpiling" and those disingenuous "hope" and other scholarship programs in some states that the NCAA doesn't care about baseball and their 11.7 scholarship limits and won't do anything about it. (Doesn't matter who complains!)

itsinthegame, send me a PM with your thoughts on this also, if you could

It's particularly sad to me that you read some of the message boards dedicated to the baseball programs of schools like the one described here and all of the posters act as though it's the most natural thing in the world that players are asked to leave on a regular basis to make room for the next wave. No matter that they've ridden the bench for as long as they've been there during a particularly precious time of their baseball careers. No matter that freshmen come in and are surprized to learn that there are about as many junior college transfers ahead of them as there are freshmen in their recruiting class.

In my opinion, there's a pretty severe human toll being exacted here that's unnecessary, but the people associated with these programs at all levels of involvement and interest seem to simply shrug their shoulders at the "debris" and delight in the next crop's "studs of the moment" who will undoubtedly get them to the Promised Land.

Kellerdad and kb,

I will try to get some time this evening to send you both a PM. If not - I will definitely send it to you tomorrow.

Prepster,
You are definetly one of my most favorite posters who always gets the point across but I am not really understanding your post.

We have had so many discussions regarding large rosters and should in no way be taken lightly in conversation. I don't think that anyone here takes it lightly, just very hard for some of us to comprehend.

Prepster,
I happen to agree with you but at the same time I think we (parents and players) are forced to understand and cope with the situation. After all it is the coach and the college administration, and possibly some influential boosters, not the parents and players that dictate the “win at all cost” policy and create the fields of “dead soldiers” as they go forward. We parents need to accept the responsibility to research the programs and advise our sons before they sign. After they sign then it becomes the responsibility of our sons to work hard to make it work. No one likes it, but if a university chooses to overstock, then so be it. We have to educate ourselves and work through it.
Fungo

Sorry to confuse, TPM.

Put differently, I think "stockpiling" has become such a way of life for a handful of programs that it's become an accepted practice; so accepted that those associated with the program overlook (or simply don't care about) the fact that players are routinely wasting 1 or 2 precious years of playing time. So often, the players and their families are so "star struck" when they're recruited that they overlook the fact the coaches are sitting down once (sometimes twice) a year with players who've preceded them to tell them that they're cutting their scholarship or that they're likely not going to get any playing time if they stay.

Freshmen at these programs often come in with scant knowledge of the fact that there might be as many junior college transfers as freshmen in the recruited class; and guess who tends to get the playing time?

Many associated with these programs will say that this is the way it "has to be" in order to consistently get to the top of the collegiate ranks. Perhaps it is. I just happen to be one who thinks it's a shame that it's done at the expense of a number of players' important college years, and that that's considered "okay" by many who lead and support those programs.

As usual, Fungo, I couldn't agree more.

Prepster,
Gotcha now and I agree with you 100%.

And so do many fine ethical college coaches who used to adhere to that practice of beginning with large fall rosters then cutting away until it was mandated that rosters be in compliance with no more than 35 by spring!

Many still contine and seem to get away with it, year after year. As long as the NCAA does not interfere with the fall, they will continue.
I just think it is just plain laziness on the part of the coaches. We'll get the best we can, then see who shows up and who doesn't, then just cut away.
JMO.