I need a little advice from those that have been through it

I would be honest and direct and tell the D2 coach about the D1 interest.

Most will say that that would turn the D2 guy off. Oh, well...on to the next one.

You have to do what is in your SON'S best interest.

After all, the coaches do what is in their best interests.

quote:

Is there a courteous way you can slow the process with the one coach without turning him completely off?

Yes there is a way. The D2 Coach is used to competing for players with good programs. He will understand when he is told he is competing with those schools and know what to say. There is a good possiblity he will be able to understanably slow down the process, close to your pace. There still plenty of time to have choices.

Lining up 3 or 4 open choices at the same time is sort of like juggling chainsaws, though. One may hit the ground first. Good luck.

Michael'sDad -
Unfortunately there are two opposing objectives during recruiting, the player and parents who want enough time to receive all offers before they make a decision and coaches that want to snap up players quickly and finalize their rosters! There is no perfect solution. The only thing I can say is when the college offering is the one your son wants to go to and financially it is affordable, say Yes! Then, don't look back.

That's why it is important to "do the homework" in advance. Know the environment your son wants to spend 4-5 years in(close to home or far away; city or rural setting; large or small campus; etc.). Know the cost of schools and what you must have in academic & baseball aid to make it affordable. Know as much as you can about the baseball program & coaches. And most important, know how serious the interest being shown is by asking coaches those direct questions. The last is the toughest, but while coaches may not be willing to lay out their whole strategy, most of the ones we talked with were very direct when asked. They recruit every year, so don't be afraid to have you son ask the hard questions. Then, armed with all this information, IMO, take the first offer that fits. Then, be happy, celebrate, and start planning for college! DON'T make yourself nuts wondering about if you're jumping too soon or waiting too long. There are no crystal balls in recruiting. Oh, and do your best to turn a deaf ear to friends who will be there to second guess your son's choice. Good Luck!

RHP is giving good advice. Our plan was to take 5 visits, way the options and pick a school. Well, there wasn't time. Schools want you to visit right now, commit right now, actually started calling telling with news that all the scholly money is gone, before you visit. The D2 might wait, but maybe not.

you can apply to all the schools you want. it doesnt commit you to anything nor does taking a visit.

Great previous advice. When my son was being recruited out of HS we did a fun project together that really made him think and also made a visualy comparisions of competeing schools.

First we sat down and determined what was important as far as college was concerned, both Athletically and Academically. We then matrixed a chart the had an X and Y axis and did a with schools on one axis and issues on the other. Using a rating scale of 1-5 he would grade each school he was in contact with. In the end you may have 10 schools on the list, or just two, but bottom line he will get a visual sense of what everyone has to offer. We approached this as a game board, it was not the gospel, not the end of the world if it fell apart, and he added issues on to the chart as he went along. He embraced the idea knowing that he was going to make his choice based on smart planning. I enjoyed it because I could understand where his thought process was as far as schoool choice, and I also enjoyed watching the development of the decision making process.

BTW, When all was said and done his #1 school on the chart was not chosen

Good advice. An important factor is honesty, on all sides.
Be honest with all coaches, whether it is D1,D2,D3. There is nothing wrong in letting them know they also have competition.

My statement below may sound strange coming from the parent of a D1 player whose program has been in numerous NCAA post season tournaments, CWS tournaments and I have posted this before....
The best opportunity for a player not always lies in the opportunity to play for a better well known school than a lesser known school. It always was son's desire to play with a top program, just like most I would assume. What we want and what we get is not always the same. And as some will tell you, what you get and what you wanted is not always the same either. This is the mystery to finding the balance in recruiting.

Don't get me wrong, as far as we are concerned and son is concerned he is at the best place he found for a meaningful fit for him for baseball and academics. He is one of the lucky ones, truely happy at this time with everything, though very down at times when he felt like the bottom was falling out.

Don't let your son's final choice be based upon a schools conference, NCAA playoff's, NCAA tourney team, without exploring all options that each has to offer, even the one with the better scholarship opportunity. Let it be where he feels most comfortable with the level of play he will be able to participate in and do well academically and socially.

JMO.

quote:

Don't let your son's final choice be based upon a schools conference, NCAA playoff's, NCAA tourney team, without exploring all options that each has to offer, even the one with the better scholarship opportunity. Let it be where he feels most comfortable with the level of play he will be able to participate in and do well academically.

Very good advice. Take an afternoon and watch scrimmages at each school, if possible. Can the player see himself matching up? Is he way over his head? Is there enough of a challenge without getting bored, not forcing him to improve and work to potential?

A thoughtful player can answer those questions first hand, knowing his first choice.

I've posted this before, but since middle school we made visiting college campuses a part of our summer travels. No matter where baseball took us, there was usually a major campus somewhere close by. Sometimes it was a formal tour, but many times just a drive through. But it was great to see the many variations in campus atmospheres and it was very helpful for son to put a "face to the name" when deciding what type of college environment and baseball program he was looking for. As many have said, sometime there just isn't time to wait for Official visits before making your decision.

Sounds like you son is a good player. Look no further for advice:

Send him to Wake Forest!

If you would really like one person's perspective, send me a PM and we can speak on the telephone on my family's experience.

MJM

Michael’s dad,
Good advice. Dad04 mentioned a word --- OPTIONS. Options are a key part of the recruiting cycle for both the player and the baseball coach. It gets a little tricky but you want as many options as possible so your son can make the best choice. The baseball coaches like options too. You should know your son is not the only player they are recruiting. So how do you do keep options open without losing them? Keep the dialogue open with all the coaches and like TPM and BeenthereIL says, be honest and ask them to be honest. If everyone lays all their cards on the table everyone can make the best decision. I also agree with PHP05Parent that once your son makes his decision and commits to a college, there is no looking back.
Best of Luck. (I mean Best of Planning)
Fungo

When It comes down to it, think playing time. Is it worth going to a well known school and sitting on the bench all year with 10 other freshmen, when your son could go to a lesser known but still a quality program and PLAY EVERY DAY????
When it comes down to it, make sure your son does what's best for him and his family.

Just to present another side to "go where you will play" ... that is very good advice, but also remember there are 4 years of college eligibility.

There are many parents on this board whose sons have had disappointing freshman seasons, or at least didn't get the playing time they hoped for and worked for, but as the player matured and improved, the playing time increased. Not always the case, but something to think about. A school where the player will be a starter as a freshman MAY be an excellent choice, OR it may not be as strong a program as that player could compete on a year or two later.

To all, thank you for your comments. I do appreciate them as this is just so confusing. I've been trying to prepare for this time for several years but now it is just so overwhelming trying to balance finances, playing time, development potential, trying to gage the true interest level, and not close any doors too soon. We plan to make several unofficial visits in the next few weeks - maybe we can better judge the true interest level of some of the schools then and pick up some more information to be buried under.

Baseballdad1228; My son would be elated to go to Wake (although I'd probably go broke trying to pay for it) as there are two players already committed to Wake that he knows. Ryan Semeniuk, incoming FR OF, played fall & summer ball with my son and David Mailman, rising HS Senior OF, played on the State Games team with him this summer. Unfortunately Wake appears to be loaded with Catchers so I don't believe there would be a place for him.

Watch out with statement loaded with catchers. School my son is going to attend this fall had 2 sr. catchers 1 jr. catcher and a soph. catcher. My son would be one of 2 freshman catchers. As of today with the draft and academic issues there are now 3 freshman catchers

I agree with allaboutbaseball. Understand where your son fits because catchers are like pitchers. Every college has many and each will have a different role. My son's college had five catchers with 2 being nothing but bullpen catchers (never played in a game), a primary catcher (caught 2 games a weekend and usually caught the mid-week game) a secondary catcher (caught 1 game per weekened) and a backup/bullpen catcher that would assume the role as the secondary catcher in case of injury. Two would always travel with the team and at at times three would go. On trips the off catchers(s) would catch the pens and warm up the pitchers.
Fungo

If baseball is very important as it was to us, I looked at who you got to pitch against or play against.
Offers to be a regular starter are intreging but what really matters is the competition especially for a pitcher. If you go to a very strong team you may not get off the bench for a couple years so you have to be careful to select a team that you will get atleast some opportunity to play.