How wide should the net be cast?

The net should be cast based on college teams he has the potential to play, how far away from home he’s willing to go to college and what you can afford to have him be seen. You can use who’s contacting him as a guide for his potential. 

MidwestMom,

My son's experience was a very similar breadth to your experience....mid-major D1,s, Ivy, Patriot and D3 schools.  

Bottom line is some interest will disappear over time.  That is reality and it happened many times over to my son.  That is part of the process and you realize either the school is a "reach" or they think they have someone of comparable talent committed already.   You've got a pretty wide net now, and in my son's experience he had more than 5 offers of which he narrowed down to 3 (2 Ivys and a D3) when it came to decision time.   He passed on two D1 mid-majors because he didn't want to compromise on his major, and that was a very difficult thing to do.  But he put himself in a position to make those choices.   

I think you also need to keep in mind that you are dealing with different and overlapping recruiting timetables with D1, Ivy and D3.  In our case, the D1 mid-majors offered before the Ivys and the ivys offered before the D3 schools.   Certainly there were serious discussions at the dinner table about risk/reward and what exactly do you want to get out of your 4 years of college and after.  Discussions like that led to finding out exactly what my son wanted most.  Certainly his major was important, but also playing time was a major factor.   He didn't want to invest his valuable time in college baseball if he wasn't projecting himself as a starter by sophomore year.   He loves the game, but he wasn't willing to be a bench player for 4 years and take away from his studies.

You have a lot of time left in your son's recruitment.   If the schools that are recruiting him are meeting his requirements then why not continue to pursue others like them because you know some will drop off?  I would keep doing what you are doing and not let off the gas for any reason....keep adding interested schools until your son finds that school he really wants.  We kept reaching out to new schools all the time until he verbally committed.   We never stopped and put emphasis on adding additional schools to his list when one dropped off the list.

As always, JMO.

RJM posted:

The net should be cast based on college teams he has the potential to play, how far away from home he’s willing to go to college and what you can afford to have him be seen. You can use who’s contacting him as a guide for his potential. 

+1 This, short and to the point.

Unless your son is a top ranked 2019, pitcher or catcher, many, many programs have yet to offer. 

I also agree with Fenway, it's early in your sons recruitment. 

One important part the journey we tent to forget, is learning to be being patient. 

TPM posted:

RJM posted:

The net should be cast based on college teams he has the potential to play, how far away from home he’s willing to go to college and what you can afford to have him be seen. You can use who’s contacting him as a guide for his potential. 

+1 This, short and to the point.

Unless your son is a top ranked 2019, pitcher or catcher, many, many programs have yet to offer. 

I also agree with Fenway, it's early in your sons recruitment. 

One important part the journey we tent to forget, is learning to be being patient. 

this is all true, but be balanced, if you are looking D1 as you referenced, even low level D1 there are offers going out and being accepted every day. 2019 pitchers do get the earliest action but position players are being actively sought and offered right now...again I am talking programs in the bottom 50% of D1.  My point in saying this is just that being patient is good but don't be naïve and just sit and wait thinking I have lots of time, you don't. The clock is ticking and it is only going to move faster as the calendar moves forward.

RJM nailed it.  My son literally sent out hundreds of emails/text/calls as outlined above far and wide to schools that he had realistic shot at playing for.  We went to visit schools literally coast to coast and as far north as Illinois and Ohio (we are in Texas).  Not only was distance a factor to consider, but how easy or difficult the travel was.  Did you have a 2 hour flight and then a 2+ hour drive?  Could you easily fly to the city of choice?  How long of a drive was "too" long?  What is the budget for travel etc.  In my opinion, those are key factors that the kid and parents have to take into consideration.  Only after doing several of these type trips did we realize the actual restrictions.  It all looks pretty easy on paper.   Don't rule out D2 schools either.  There are some really great baseball programs that also have high academics and as has been documented on here, have really good talent that can compete against the mid-majors. Best of luck to you!

Just to add a twist to this: how "tight" should you be on schools of academic interest? My son has only reached out to schools that match his academic target (as well as baseball of course) -- which means 35-ish D1s and he hasn't contacted D3s yet -- but has received some inbound interest (texts and his coaches being asked about him) from other D1 programs and also a D2 where the baseball is very, very good (better than some of the schools he is targeting), but the academics don't match his threshold. From a pure negotiating standpoint, I can see the argument that the more interest you have, the better, and it can't hurt to get an offer from a Top 100 D1 program. On the other hand, my son is not a hard-nosed negotiator! So should he just politely decline? It makes for a very limited universe of target schools . . .

And in terms of being proactive, I can't imagine him targeting hundreds of schools (not that there is anything wrong with that) because he would feel weird if he didn't really want to go there.

P.S. -- this is exactly the type of situation that was dismissed out of hand in the recent thread about SEC/D1 vs D3!

In regards to High Academics:  it really depends on the  desired field of study.  For some academic pursuits, where you get your undergrad degree doesn't matter a great deal.  My older son went to a mid-major generally average school academically for undergrad, and attended a very elite high academic graduate school.  He is pretty much set for life now...

I'm a big believer in casting a very wide net.  A lot of this, I truly believe, is about making connections that positively impact lives.  You are looking to play for a coach and institution that motivates and inspires you to develop as a man, and as an athlete.  It can take time to discover that coach and that place.

I'm guessing that far too many people take too much of an analytical approach to this.  Yes, find a place where you can get on the field.  Find the right fit academically, socially, and cost wise.  But college can be some of the best years of your life.  If you can go somewhere that you wake up every morning and pinch yourself because you can scarcely believe how lucky you are to be there, is that worth searching for?  

Early on, (after freshman year) my son emailed close to 200 coaches with links to his video at all levels and then explored conversations with coaches who expressed interest out of that. Later, (sophomore and junior year) we turned to the lists of the top 100 programs, looked at where the most serious schools were ranked, and then looked at schools roughy 10 above and 10 below, weighed their academics and locations, and reached out to a few.

Keep in mind, my 2018 plans to major in history, and is NOT a high academic kid, so that allowed him a pretty wide net.

He talked to JUCOs, D2s, D1s and D3s, figuring that he was really looking for the right fit at any level, and that while the JUCO might not be that right fit, they might know coaches at different levels they could suggest, and that worked out for him.

Pull up the programs your son is interested in on the PG committment list for 2019. That more or less tells you how many commitments they do or don't have and give you an idea where they are in that year.

Remember, it's not reported by the program, but players.

3and2Fastball posted:

In regards to High Academics:  it really depends on the  desired field of study.  For some academic pursuits, where you get your undergrad degree doesn't matter a great deal.  My older son went to a mid-major generally average school academically for undergrad, and attended a very elite high academic graduate school.  He is pretty much set for life now...

 

I think this is a very good point - and one that we parents often overlook.  Doesn't mean an Ivy or Stanford degree isn't valuable, but good grades at BigStateU in an undergraduate program can get you to the same place for grad school or career...for less $$.

TPM posted:

Pull up the programs your son is interested in on the PG committment list for 2019. That more or less tells you how many commitments they do or don't have and give you an idea where they are in that year.

Remember, it's not reported by the program, but players.

Good advice here.  And you might also want to look at each school's commitment list from prior years to get a feel for how many commits they take on average and guesstimate how many spots are left for 2019.    

TPM posted:

Pull up the programs your son is interested in on the PG committment list for 2019. That more or less tells you how many commitments they do or don't have and give you an idea where they are in that year.

Remember, it's not reported by the program, but players.

Assuming Midwest Mom's son is including the midwest in his search, checking the PBR Committed list might also be worthwhile.  I noticed that they recently updates their Commitment query to make it easier to search for a particular school with commitments from kids from all states.

PBR really is doing great things.  I used to be a little skeptical about them but after asking around and doing more research I see that they are building something great... I'd like to see them include Games in most of their showcases to take it to the next level, but they are indeed a great resource in "casting your net".

3and2Fastball posted:

PBR really is doing great things.  I used to be a little skeptical about them but after asking around and doing more research I see that they are building something great... I'd like to see them include Games in most of their showcases to take it to the next level, but they are indeed a great resource in "casting your net".

I can't say enough good things about PBR's Future Games which is a one-day showcase followed by three games (all over four days) in Indianapolis every August. It's for uncommitted kids only and is by invitation only.  Helped my son and two other kids on my son's local AAU team who were also invited.  Lots of colleges in attendance.  

Thanks everyone -- as always great perspective.  

3and2 your comments really resonate with me.  My husband played D1 P5 basketball in college -- was recruited by all kinds of schools all over the country.  He chose the best academic school that offered him a full ride because his single mom couldn't afford anything else.  He left sunny California to come to the Midwest where he met me in school (I was Midwest Girl before Midwest Mom).  But that school was my dream school.  My dad, who didn't go to college himself,  took out a second mortgage to send me there.  The gratitude I have for my parents who sacrificed for me to go to my dream school is what drives me.  I pinched myself every day for 4 years. 

Our son has grown up 30 minutes from that school where his parents met, his dad played and where we still go to football, basketball and baseball games.  He's grown up with the kids of our college friends.  He has seen the love we have for our school and that community of people who know us -- and him -- by name.  

My wish for him is that he finds that for himself.  This is a grueling process in which I keep seeing kids commit to schools just so they can play -- I hope they will be happy.  Part of me believes you can be happy anywhere, then I remember that feeling that I had and know it's not the same.

Having the right fit, meeting lifelong friends, discovering who you are as a person, growing into the adult you will become at a place you love and appreciate is phenomenal.  Getting to play in a uniform for that same school? Priceless.

So the moral of the story is don't send your sons to play college ball in the MidWest and expect them to ever come home again.

Just kidding. Great family history there.

JCG posted:

So the moral of the story is don't send your sons to play college ball in the MidWest and expect them to ever come home again.

Just kidding. Great family history there.

We Midwestern girls are hard to leave...

Midwest Mom posted:

JCG posted:

So the moral of the story is don't send your sons to play college ball in the MidWest and expect them to ever come home again.

Just kidding. Great family history there.

We Midwestern girls are hard to leave...

I married  a girl from Oklahoma,  but talked her into moving to Texas where I lived. 18 years later,  no regrets from her.

Texas 2 Sons wrote: "...but talked her into moving to Texas where I lived. 18 years later,  no regrets from her."

That's what I keep telling my son...My 4th gr grandmother & 3 sets of 3rd gr grandparents arrived in Ft Bend Tx in 1829....THE "right gal" has to either be from or become a Texan, since we've been here nearly 200 years! Heritage matters, he's 6th gen Native born. 

And, yes, agree with 3and2...and MidwestMom, start very wide, all levels...and narrow as you progress. Many schools drop off your radar, others are added...The picture becomes clearer, more focused, criteria adjustments made, till you will come up with a pretty good "fit". Spend the time & do all the "homework"...

Too many people use heritage to be provincial and divisive. One hundred fifty years later there are way too many people thinking in terms of “north” and “south” instead of “we.” Too many people believe where they live is better than where you live rather than accepting the best place to live is where someone is happy. 

I'm just joking around with the Midwestern thing.  I love all of the US!  

RJM posted:

Too many people use heritage to be provincial and divisive. One hundred fifty years later there are way too many people thinking in terms of “north” and “south” instead of “we.” Too many people believe where they live is better than where you live rather than accepting the best place to live is where someone is happy. 

I apply that to baseball...dang warm weather states always hogging up the spots on major baseball rosters!!! Grrrr!!

 Midwest Mom,

My mom is a midwest gal who grew up on a farm. My dad met her at a club for army servicemen where she was a dancer.

An engineer with a Yale degree from MA and a USO dancer from MI, got married and settled in NJ after the war.

Strange.

JMO

TPM posted:

 Midwest Mom,

My mom is a midwest gal who grew up on a farm. My dad met her at a club for army servicemen where she was a dancer.

An engineer with a Yale degree from MA and a USO dancer from MI, got married and settled in NJ after the war.

Strange.

JMO

TPM, love your parents' story. Beautiful.