How to get on the radar of schools from October - March?

The best way to get on the radar screen is play for a travel coach with contacts. You want the coach contacting college coaches to keep an eye out for your son at (name) showcase or tournament. 

Otherwise, email the coaches, express interest in the program and college, include metrics and hope the numbers create interest. Numbers means measurables not batting average. Then hope they come take a look. 

Obviously the first option is a far better avenue to follow. His size is appealing. But there are a lot of baseball players out there.

If he has the grades like you say consider Stanford, Duke, Headfirst camps this summer. Rising Jr. summer was good time to get on the HA Radar's for my son

Just as an FYI, D1 baseball is now in the Quiet Period (10/14/19)- (2/29/20).  That essentially means no off campus contact.  Coaches are spending that time working on player skills, fall ball, winter camp and then after the first, spring practice and getting ready for season.

So if you attend any events,  there will be no D1 college coaches to watch.

I think it's early for most 2022 recruits. I would use this time to continue working on conditioning, hitting and catching skills. Preparing for standarized tests as well. Use this time to begin searching for the RIGHT program based on skills, academics, geography, ability to afford that institution and degree. Don't forget going to college does not mean majoring in baseball!  Send emails out to the recruiting coaches of schools he is interested in. More than likely you might just get an invite to their camp, which isn't always a bad thing, however I suggest prospect camps as they are usually smaller in number, depending on the program, coaches are looking to fill  their roster. And, make plans for hooking up with a reputable travel program for next summer. 

My advice is to concentrate on what I stated above, and NOT how many 2022s have already committed. 

Good luck.

You can check to see if schools your son is interested in have any camps.  May be late for fall camps, but winter camps are coming up in 8 short weeks!

Short Answer: You typically don't get on their radar in that time frame. 

At that point they are mostly worried about preparing for the upcoming season. Combine that with the fact that Nov-Feb is the baseball "offseason" there really aren't a ton of tournaments and showcases to scout out anyway. So sure there will be some opportunities, but save the money and keep him on the path to getting bigger and stronger and start the process again in May (when their seasons are over). People often forget that recruiting is less than half their job, the other half is what lets them keep their job and be able to recruit. 

Most schools have camps in January.

First and foremost, your son is not "behind".  Sure there's a p5 track where 2022 kids have gotten signed, but for the most part as long as you're in the game by summer of rising Junior year you're good.  For a kid with good grades put an emphasis on Headfirst and Showball, those are the two best bangs for the buck next summer.  IMO far ahead of individual school camps (those may have more value fall of Junior year).  As someone suggested earlier get your kid on a strong travel team with a connected coach.  And lastly, over the quiet period have your kid train like a fiend.  Add weight, muscle, strength and flexibility.  Take this time to train like a full-time D1 athlete if that's what he desires to be. 

A vast majority of mid major D1's do not recruit players until the summer before their Senior year.

Hi U2L,

My player is a 2021 C that did not really get attention till this past summer. Interest was from PAC-12, Big West and other west coast D1 divisions so it's not too late for your player by any means.

Folks above have it right.

- Travel team where coach has the ear of college coaches. If the coach can get him invited to Area Code tryouts that's a bonus.

- Keep working on the measurables

- Travel team should go to tournaments were CC are watching. This does not necessarily have to be PG. My player got more attention at the other tournaments then he ever did at a PG event.

- Keep working on hitting. Travel coach will talk him up but in front of CC nothing keeps there attention on a position player like hitting.

Just a comment about Area Code tryouts. It’s loaded with good players. A player can have a quality college exposure recruiting experience while failing to make the team. Just being invited to participate is a plus.

We used those months in sophomore year to go to a couple of camps at target schools, a PG showcase and a PBR showcase.  Those things alone got a good amount of interest and a lot of phone calls going.  If you are targeting schools in the south, I would consider their camps (reach out prior with measurables).

used2lurk posted:

All, 

New poster here but have been lurking for a while. Thank you to all who are active and provide tons of insights to those like me.

I have a 2022 who loves to catch and can play anywhere but MI. He has done one PBR here locally. He is a bigger kid who has some power and have heard from more than one baseball person that he has D1 potential (whatever that means). He is flexible and athletic at 6'3" 185 and is getting measurably faster and stronger now that he is working with a strength and conditioning person here. They are doing a lot of baseball specific movements and are also tracking diet so this should be a big offseason of growth for him. I would be surprised if by the spring he did not have an exit velo in the mid 90's, a 75+ positional velo, pop time in the 2.10 area, and run a 7.2 or better. I am basing those #s off of his measurements from his one PBR and some additional testing post PBR. 

Reading all of the posts here present and past and sort of feeling behind on the recruiting/showcase piece as he is a Minnesota kid. I see on PBR/PG that there are already 45+ catchers committed...I am sure that there are more that are unknown. I am not freaking out but just want to do the things I can to put him in a position to be seen. My kid has the ability to do the HA route with his current course load and testing compared to his HA sister.  When narrowing the schools down that are HA and average D1 there are a bunch of C spots "committed". Schools like Virginia, Rice, Michigan, Indiana, UNC, Texas, and others. 

1. Is there any recommended ways to get on the radar of places that he might want to play at starting this fall/winter/spring or do you just wait until next summer with Headfirst, AZ senior fall classic, and other previously written about camps?

2. I saw the Duke prospect camp while surfing around...it says previous camps have included coaches from the following schools: Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia, etc. Any feedback on that camp or others like it? Any other recommended winter camps/showcases?

3. Should one consider attending a PBR in a southern locale or attend something else?

Sorry, its uncharted territory for us. I have a 2020 daughter who is a D1 committed to a higher academic HockeyEast school. I have the women's hockey world fairly figured out but baseball is a much larger and unknown to me. Thank you all in advance...

 

used2lurk, I'm the father of a '22 catcher as well. 

My son attended the Duke camp this summer. While I didn't attend with him I do know that other schools were present - my son had a fair bit of interaction with the Yale staff, for example. He has not done a Stanford summer camp, but I understand they have other programs present as well. 

We've tried to develop and work a realistic plan for college. It's a challenge, and the noise about commitments and rankings can be a big distraction.

Happy to talk more; send me a PM. Good luck to you and your son!