Is it hard to play college ball coming from a small private HS

you are a little young yet. They have a timeline on this website. Since you are in the east one webster on here runs collegeselect showcases on your side of the country. The webster name on here is THRIT. There are other showcase events, your junior year is the most important year to get noticed, although we had a scout get us involved when our son was a soph. Start from the first of this website and get educated better yet get your parents involved. I did all the leg work for our son. Perfect Game people are also top notch very helpfull. They have all the showcases on this website. Our son graduated college in 2005, played in college world series, played three years in minor leagues, good luck and God Bless, also we were from a small town.

The answer to your question is absolutely not. The size of your high school need not be a hindrance to you.

A few things to consider:

Your high school experience is but a fraction of your baseball experience in any given year. For this reason, you should try to join the best summer/fall team you can. By "best" I mean one that plays high quality opponents in settings where college recruiters will have an opportunity to see you play. I'd also hope that the coaches of that team have a strong track record of developing their players and are committed to their players' best interest.

Assume responsibility for your development as a player and as a student. Recognize that it's hard work on a consistent basis that separates players from spectators, and it becomes increasingly important as you climb the baseball ladder.

The fact that you're on this website and paying attention to the steps it'll take to help you accomplish your goals speaks volumes about your eventual ability to play beyond high school; regardless of your high school's size.

Best of luck to you!

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Originally posted by shortstop:
you are a little young yet. They have a timeline on this website. Since you are in the east one webster on here runs collegeselect showcases on your side of the country. The webster name on here is THRIT. There are other showcase events, your junior year is the most important year to get noticed, although we had a scout get us involved when our son was a soph. Start from the first of this website and get educated better yet get your parents involved. I did all the leg work for our son. Perfect Game people are also top notch very helpfull. They have all the showcases on this website. Our son graduated college in 2005, played in college world series, played three years in minor leagues, good luck and God Bless, also we were from a small town.

This is a good post but just one clarification, the webster's screen name is TRHIT.

My son plays at a school smaller than yours. They have two former players starting at DI schools. Their talent and hard work got them there.

Never to young to start, go to college camps!
Play summer ball far as i know not many kids are seen playing high schoolball unless they have already been seen playing or are the "top guns". My son started ( getting seen in 8th grade) now just above average player he is seen and on the "list" to be seen.
Got an e mail other day from a college, it says :

quote:

I hope your season is going well. Even though its been difficult to recruit off campus during our current season we still are making plans to see you play. We are also excited about seeing you play this summer. Most of our recruiting will be done during the summer months.

I look forward to our continued contact and I hope you will continue to follow our season on ****.com

Sincerely,
Coach H

It may be a chain letter sent to alot kids but he is on the list. This letter proves to you tho, that you can still make it go out be seen don't wait for them to come see you!

SH, please see www.leaguelineup.com/virginiacardinals for one option available to you.

If you wish to pursue it, you would need to contact me for tryout information, probably around the first of August, aiming towards fall and next summer.

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Originally posted by SHBASEBALL:
I am a freshman and go to a small private HS with about 500 kids. I am currently the starting catcher for our varsity team and hit about .300 . Although I'm only a freshman I tried to research on how the college recruiting works. I have the talent and commitment but I have doubts that coming from a small private school I won't get seen? Will it be harder to get noticed coming from a small school?

Your batting average isn't important. High school stats vary base on quality of competition. You will be judged on your tools (hitting, speed and arm) not stats. No college my son was interested in playing for ever visited his high school games at a large classfication school. Exposure comes from playing for the right summer program. As a freshman you've come to the right place at the right time to get an excellent education on getting to college ball. Pay attention. Good luck.

I have watched kids from small high schools, both public & private continue playing at the D1 level. In some instances I have noticed that it helped the players because it made them look like a MLB vetran playing against little boys.

IMO, the best way to evaluate high school talent is to watch the kids play three or four times during good Summer League competition. The problem is that all kids don't play for or against great summer league competition so it's very difficult to evaluate their skills.

I see kids every year that get signed to very strong D1 programs that don't play on great high school or summer league programs. The college coach simply signs the kid because he looks good in a uniform.

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IMO, the best way to evaluate high school talent is to watch the kids play three or four times during good Summer League competition. The problem is that all kids don't play for or against great summer league competition so it's very difficult to evaluate their skills.

cbg - I have to disagree on this. It is not difficult to see who the better players even when playing against lessor competition. The only people I have seen 'fooled' by the level of competition are parents and fans that have never been exposed to higher level players. You said it yourself, the better players really stand out. You can't fake size, speed and arm strength....

The small high school player needs to get out and play summer ball and showcases, just like the big school player. Nobody recruits anymore off of high school play...At a showcase, nobody knows you're a small school guy.

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Originally posted by Hawk19:

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IMO, the best way to evaluate high school talent is to watch the kids play three or four times during good Summer League competition. The problem is that all kids don't play for or against great summer league competition so it's very difficult to evaluate their skills.

cbg - I have to disagree on this. It is not difficult to see who the better players even when playing against lessor competition. The only people I have seen 'fooled' by the level of competition are parents and fans that have never been exposed to higher level players. You said it yourself, the better players really stand out. You can't fake size, speed and arm strength....

The small high school player needs to get out and play summer ball and showcases, just like the big school player. Nobody recruits anymore off of high school play...At a showcase, nobody knows you're a small school guy.

I watched a kid get signed to a top 15 NAIA program off what he did at a small christian high school. The kid was not a great player but the head coach told me that the kid was 6'4" & 205 and really looked good in a uniform. I beg to differ with your opinion because I see it happen every year.

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Nobody recruits anymore off of high school play

They sure do in the Bay Area in CA. In the WCAL, one of the best private school leagues, as well as in the EBAL, one of the very best public school leagues, players get recruited by major colleges and scouted intensively.
One long time poster on this site can verify this as his son signed an NLI to a Pac 10 school and their HS team last year, ranked #1 in the nation, had something like 10 players sign NLI's or get drafted, or both.
The current starting shortstop at Stanford was also a 2nd round pick of the Rays in 2010. His HS games were packed. He never played travel ball.

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I watched a kid get signed to a top 15 NAIA program off what he did at a small christian high school. The kid was not a great player but the head coach told me that the kid was 6'4" & 205 and really looked good in a uniform. I beg to differ with your opinion because I see it happen every year.

I didn't disagree that a coach might recruit someone that 'looked good in a uniform' although I think the statement insinuates that the coach can't judge talent. (Maybe he sees potential that you don't...)

What I disagree with is your statement that you can't tell who the better players are unless they are playing against their peers...

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They sure do in the Bay Area in CA.

OK...one kid, rated 124 in the nation by PG who played his HS ball practically in Stanford's backyard...how does that relate to the OP at a small school hitting .300 (which is pretty anemic in small HS baseball)??

I'm familiar with the WVCL and Mitty. We used to live in the Bay Area and my son played travel with a couple of the current Mitty players. This is not your typical league...

I made a mistake of saying 'nobody'...I should have said 'rarely does anyone get recruited based on HS play only. Most players need to showcase...'

Same school as the kid playing shortstop for Stanford,..small DIII school in CCS with less than 500 students, and the players from there would include the younger brother of the Stanford shortstop who is also there as a recruited baseball player (an All State HS QB), one kid just assigned to the San Jose Giants high A franchise out of UCSB, one in the Dodger organization via UCLA/UC Davis, one just retired from the Jays organization out of UCSB and a number of players in DI and DIII programs, along with 2 on the current HS roster who are both highly recruited.
Nearly every one of these is a 2 sport HS athlete and to my knowledge, few have played travel baseball. Most do attend the Stanford Camp but not all.
I think the OP indicated he is a freshman. I don't know specifics on how that translates with talent. To me a freshman catcher in a varsity program who is hitting .300 can be a pretty nice reflection of a young player with upside. I assume the comment on "anemic" may have overlooked the freshman aspect.
To my recall, none of the above players I have referenced played varsity as a freshman.
Perhaps it is me but nearly every post I read on this site about college recruiting is "travel ball and showcases." I fully recognize that view proliferates and is likely to become even more pervasive for parents.
Part of the issue is talent. I love the OP as a freshman varsity catcher trying to obtain information about his future. Who knows how good he might be in 2 years? Who knows how connected his HS coach might be?
I love it that we have a HS freshman seeking information on his potential options. My view is he should have all of them. Seems to work quite well for the number of 2 sport players from one small HS in the middle of CCS, surrounded by WCAL and EBAL programs.

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I love it that we have a HS freshman seeking information on his potential options. My view is he should have all of them. Seems to work quite well for the number of 2 sport players from one small HS in the middle of CCS, surrounded by WCAL and EBAL programs.

I agree completely. I'm not questioning that there is talent at the small schools. Just the opposite. My son plays at the smallest of the small HS classifications. He plays two sports. He'll be playing baseball in college but never played on a travel team past 14u...he did do some showcases, camps and PG events....

However, I think the advice the OP needs is to not depend on just HS if he wants to play at the next level. He needs to showcase, at the least...

And you admit that 'most attend the Stanford camp'...

College camps? Usually a donation to the program. If the coach is really interested, they will send an assistant to see your kid play over the summer. If the schedules don't work, the interested coach will invite the true recruit without worrying about the check. Typically, there is one showcase in a region which is invitation only and has the reputation of drawing interested coaches...those are the only events worth the cost of admission.

It's hard to play college ball no matter what size school you attend. Also at a large school you might not even be playing.

To answer your question, it absolutely does not matter. Son is a senior and his graduating class will be 36 kids. He garnered D-1 attention and a baseball scholly through travel ball, PG showcases, camps, and hardwork on the field and in the classroom. You've received great advice here. Get you skills in order, find a great travel team, have you ability assessed (PG is a great source)and enjoy the ride. Before Junior year, maybe right after Soph, get you list of colleges and go visit and attend some camps. Follow the script on this website, it works.

OK, I guess I'm being punished for saying a small school player won't get any attention if he just relies on HS ball....

Yesterday, at a game in a small town in the middle of nowhere, there is a guy in the stands with a radar gun and a notebook scouting my son...Introduced himself after the game, gave my son a package to fill out and left...

Still think you need to showcase but maybe the old saying has some truth to it...If you're good, they will find you...

Hawk19,
That is a pretty nice story.
If that is punishment, here is hoping you get a lot more.
Maybe we can suggest a balance: the bigger and better the talent, the more likely a player will be found.
Move down from that level of talent, and current recruiting probably involves additional exposure through a showcase, college All Star type camp, travel baseball, or some combination, or a HS coach with credibility who can open doors.

Hawk, that is some great news! Obviously it can happen, but it is rare! Schools that already have a reputation for turning out D1 players will be visited. If there is a stud player that has been seen at a showcase on your team, there will likely be a recruiter or two visit. But otherwise, it is rare in these parts.

We've had several players from our high school recruited to play in college over the past four years and every one of them was seen first on a showcase team. My son (currently pitching D1) was never seen playing on his high school team even though he had the most appearances his last two years.

You can absolutely play college ball coming from a small school...but don't rely on your high school playing to get seen. You can rely on the old saying "if you are good they will find you" but there is a reason so many here say this statement is false.

Thanks for the encouragement but I still think something is going on just to make me look 'bad'.... but in a good way.

Open up the local paper this morning and, to my total surprise, there was a very nice article on my son about how well he's doing playing 1A baseball...

http://azstarnet.com/sports/ar...0d-03d45fd02982.html

Very Nice Hawk19, It's hard for anyone to overlook a .587 Average, or that ERA!

Sounds like a fun season! Enjoy!