How do you know...

mofireman,

The answer I received here in these forums when my son was about the age your son is now, was:

"You will know based on which level of coaches/recruiters are interested in your son."

That advice seemed to play out quite accurately in my son's case.

For the DI-level players, if they receive exposure at national showcases like Perfect Game or top national travel teams, the players may start hearing from DI coaches, unsolicited. For most other players, "which level of coaches/recruiters are interested in your son" may mean "in response to the player making the first contact, followed by the coach seeing the player in person". That is, most DII, NAIA, and DIII players will need to initiate contact with schools they are interested in.

I'll give an example of my son, who only attended one regional showcase while in HS and ended up pitching for a small DIII college. We started learning about the recruiting process a little late, but he attended a small regional Perfect Game showcase in February of his junior year. From comparing him at that showcase to better known players who had ratings already, we thought that he had the potential to play college baseball, but was probably a DIII player or marginal DII.

After that showcase, son narrowed down his college choices and pursued contact with one DIII, attended early summer camps at two DII's, and also played in a Fall HS league at his "dream/stretch school" in-state DI, though he didn't expect to get recruited there.

The DIII was very interested in son and actively recruited him, as did another DIII at which my son had not initiated contact but one of their coaches' brothers had seen him play since freshman year. Both DII's showed "mild interest"...they wanted him to hit the weight room in senior year, and saw him as a potential recruited walk-on or $500-$1,000 token scholarship offer. The DI really liked his "pitcher's build" but frankly indicated that at his junior year velocity, he was not a prospect for them, which my son already knew.

Honestly, I was amazed at how consistently the responses seemed to fit the level my son ended up playing in college. I'm sure this doesn't hold true for every player, but it was accurate in this case.

I'm definitely not saying "Just wait and see who contacts your son, then you'll know". Unless he's a top DI recruit or draft prospect, your son may not receive ANY recruiting calls or letters without taking the initiative. Get him out into venues where he can compete with other college-bound players, and where college coaches can see him play.

I hope you will also receive responses from parents whose sons played at higher levels than mine.

Best wishes,

Julie

MN-Mom: Thanks so much for your story. It really does help to hear others experiences to put things into perspective. Lots of good tips throughout your post that we will be able to refer back to as we proceed down the road of unsuredness. LOL.

Thanks.

Phone cannot bounce off your walls until after July 1 following his junior year--- and even then the schools can only call once a week

And let me tell the basketball calls are worse--we used to get calls after 11 AM from basketball schools

Mofireman:

Your question is one that more parents need to ask and really examine honestly. Looking back, one thing that I wish I had done for my son was to take him to several local schools ranging from national D1, good regional D2 programs, the two local D3 programs and a JUCO program and watched fall practice. I would have made the point of contacting the recruiting director and found out when practice was occuring and made and introduction. My purpose would be only to learn. I had not seen a college practice until my son had already decided where he was going. He was always too busy. But in retrospect, you and your son can learn alot by watching fall practice. After a few, you will have far more prospective and will be on the way of understanding where your son will find the best "baseball fit."

Your son is not that far off from being an incoming freshman. Watch practice, find out who the freshmen are, then ask yourself the question; will I be able to compete with these guys in another year? Watch enough practice, you will start to see what level is appropriate.

Good luck!

Excellent idea, ILVBB!!

All good suggestions - Here are a few more...

Don't assume the colleges are beating the brush looking for your son. The coaches are busy and can focus only on a few of the better known players. Look at the HSBB website and have your son come up with a letter giving them a little info, and asking for an invite to Junior Day.

Look at rosters of the local colleges, including the JC's. Note height, weight, gpa, SAT scores, etc. Does your son match any of them?

Did other players in your league move on the college? Which ones? How are they doing? That should also give you some idea. How big are the 3rd basemen? What did they accomplish in high school? (Awards, stats, etc.)

In my opinion, you should go to the college camps over Christmas and Summer and have your son work with the coaches. Pick only schools which you have determined your son will "fit." Then have him ask them if they agree whether he could play there.

Good luck!

From a players perspective,no dont worry at all

I hadnt recieved as much as a letter my junior season,and I also missed some primary recruiting/showcase time of the year with a serious injury.

Summer after junior year,I attending practically everything until we had no more money to commit to it.Still have a few showcases or camps Im about to go to

This past summer,right before my senior year started 1 week ago,I got a letter from a d1,a call from a juco,and several other letters/emails from other schools at all levels.Even got invited to a few more camps.I am about as average as average can get. 5``10,180lbs.Good hitter,but nothing scouts rave about(no lighttower power),I dont throw 85+.My 60 is now around 7.2-7.3........yet now I am starting to see some interest

Dont lose hope,and keep your son working hard.Thats all you can do,and hope things turn out well.

quote:

how/when do you know if/what level your son can play at in college?

Initially, the coaches will, then the player.

Thank you all for the great input and taking the time to share your thoughts/experiences. All of this is helpful.

ILVBB: That is the second time I've been advised to go and visit some Fall practices to watch some teams at different levels!! That's wonderful advice...thanks! We will certainly try and find some time to do that.

Bit of an update...Just yesterday we went to an individual workout in the KC area for a coach who has a college prep team that has a really good Fall schedule. Son was asked and has agreed to play for this team this Fall and we're hoping he can get some valuable game time and contribute every day! Team plays a tough Fall schedule against other competitive college and college prep programs and the emphasis during the Fall is exposure and improvement.

Thanks again for all of the tips and advice. All of it will be utilized.

One comment about the notion of levels of baseball - it is not as simple as the best players (the "A Players") go to the D1, the next best (the "B players") go to the D2s and the third best (the "C Players" end up at the D3 level.

One thing I have observed is that at any given level you will find players and teams that would be able to compete just fine playing at another level.

Kids transfer between levels - even from D3 to D1. Kids make it to the pros from all levels - in the recent pro draft, players were selected from all three levels. The highest D3 players were taken in the 8th round. NAIA schools also have players taken.

As for teams, there are numerous fine D2 teams that would be competitive at the D1 level and who win games head to head against D1 teams. As one example, where a friend of mine played, Armstrong Atlantic has a .623 winning percentage vs. NCAA DI teams over the last 25 years with more than 150 wins.

There are also D3 teams who beat both D2 and D1 teams head to head.

Yes, you will find that, in general, the average D1 player, is better than the average D2 player, who in turn is better that the average D3 player. But there are good (and bad) baseball teams and players to be found at every level. It is important not to over-simplify this into a D1 > D2 > D3 kind of equation.

To me, the important thing is finding a school where you will develop as a baseball player - and where you will develop as a student.

08

08dad,

that was a good post and I agree 100%.

quote:

To me, the important thing is finding a school where you will develop as a baseball player - and where you will develop as a student.

To me that means , find a program where you will play, not ride the pine.

quote:

For those who may have been in the same situation with your son, how/when do you know if/what level your son can play at in college? Are we to assume that if he was DI DII or even DIII material that he probably would have already been contacted by someone or not?

Attending college games at various levels is very helpful.

Whether you should be worried about whether or not you should have been contacted by now really depends on your particular situation. If your son has already attended a number of showcase events w/o generating interest at this point then you "may" have the answer don't want to hear at this time. However, many D2 schools in my area recruit almost exclusivly from the JCs and get many d1 transfers. Thus our local D2 coaches don't invest much time recruiting HS players. So its possible/likely for a projectable D2 level player to not hear a word from any D2 school during his HS years.

Players can significantly develop skill-wise at your son's age. If you haven't gotten the calls hoped for by his senior year its time to consider a JC, which will give you a better perspective on where your son stands and broader exposer to many more college coaches. Its also possible during the JC experience that your son will turnout or develop into a better prospect and he'll garner more attention at that time.

As an aside, at the JC level the information about particular D1, D2, D3 programs and coaches is 10x better and more realistic then at the HS level. A player can get a better handle on which 4 year school/program/coach is right for them.

Good luck.

btw don't underestimate the level of play at D2, go see some games.

08dad,
You got it right. If you can play you can play. The school my son will be attending is a DIII that is like 66-23 against DII competion.He was recruited by all 3 levels plus NAIA.Find a school that you will get an education that plays great baseball as a bonus and you have it made.

08DAD has it right. People have this thing that D11-D11 don't have quality players and that is totally wrong. There are some very average players playing D1.
Futurecatcher gave you good advice, He says he is average and he is getting attention from all levels including D1. Don't limit yourself by the myth that surrounds the levels. The only reason my son wanted D1 was to play against the great schools like Florida State and USC. Some of the best pitchers I know went D11. Ryan Schlect played for Mt Olive a D11 and is now in the MiLB doing very well. He played D1 and only got 9 ins and was smart enough to leave.Keep working hard . BB is a developmental game and hopefully you get better and better.
MNMOM also gave good advice in saying that you have to contact schools you are interested in. You have to show interest and then they will notice you.

My son plays 3B as well. Remember that teams don't need a bunch of 3rd basemen sitting around. When determining schools to contact, look at their rosters. If they have a FR and a Junior playing 3B and several young infielders, you might want to consider other schools. My son is playing lower tier DI. He was recruited by major DII, smaller DIs and some very good JUCOs. Some of the schools that really liked his bat, just didn't have a place for him when considering their needs. If you want to know his stats to see how your son might compare, just PM me. He also attended a couple of PG showcases.

I will say unless he is a very, very good baseball player or just gets very lucky and has the game of his life in the right place at the right time, you need to start the process of contacting coaches and you need to start now.

Missouri State has a couple of showcases this fall and I have heard that they are well attended by college coaches. That might be something your son should consider attending. Good Luck to him.

Hit,
I agree with nearly everything you have posted, except the thoughts about playing the same position in college that is played in high school.
Certainly, there are some players that are targeted for catcher, 1B and 3B. Most, however, are not.
For most players, their very best chance of playing early in college is being versatile. The more positions you can play, the more chances you will get.
Additionally, because the college game is so much faster and advanced, many players need to be moved to new positions either to take advantage of skills that can excel in that type of game or to compensate when they might get exposed.
When players and their parents are looking at colleges, it can be a very difficult task if they limit themselves to their high school position, unless it is clear the limitations of foot speed, being left handed, etc. will apply at that next level.

mofireman - Thank you for starting this thread, the responses are outstanding. I'm in the same the same boat as you just a different lake.

I agree with what I'm hearing here about JUCO also. My son playes MI and went to a "showcase" last fall with mostly JUCO coaches in attendance. I was very impressed with what they had to say but make no mistake about it, they want quality players with sights on education. Some have very good programs by having player advisors assigned to assist in picking the appropriate courses for further advancement/transfers and to help avoid the unguided student from taking all easy classes just so they can play.

Between the practice visits, letters of introduction, attending college games at varied levels, college camps and playing ball, we will have a very busy but enjoyable next couple of years.

I have a question I curious about, PG showcases have a interesting method of identifying the level of the player during the showcase attended. How do you get invited to a PG showcase? Does a HS coach send the recommendation or who?

Are there other showcases that provide similiar information that would be useful in using to share with coaches?

Roll-it-up,

Just go to perfectgame.org and request an invite to one of the showcases you would like to attend. There are just a few showcases that PG hosts that require a true "invite" or recomendation, PG National and Pre-draft come to mind.

The PG events are first rate and well worth the cost if you have a talented player.

The information is primarily for your benefit to get a feel for how your Son's skill sets stack up. You may wish to share the info with potential college recruiters, but they will usually want to see you in action first and foremost and may use the PG rating to validate the opinion they formulate by actually watching your Son play or viewing video of your Son playing.

There is no better venue than East Cobb or Jupiter playing in the WWBA Championship series.

mofireman, don't forget to register with the NCAA eligibilty center online. Do it asap so you don't waste time pursuing schools your son may not be academically qualified to attend.