Is my son a good candidate for recruiting?

Cast the net wide. PG showcase will get him a honest third party evaluation. His academic grades will take him far. Keep them up!

What are the current evils saying? Needs to get a list and email/reach out. All levels. Most camp invites are money grabs. Find ways to distinguish between interest or money grab. Ask about specifics they saw and likes.

Keep using this site and researching. Lot's great info and plenty of schools out there looking for tall, lanky RHP's. 

Good luck!

It sounds to me that you are executing your plan perfectly.  Get him the exposure you are talking about and see where the interest lies.  Maybe there are D1's out there who like him.  Maybe all the interest will come from the D3 level - who knows?

Recruiting is one simple formula - talent plus exposure.  Missing either piece will end your son's baseball career at the high school level.  If he has the intense desire to play at the next level then he can find a baseball and academic home where he will be happy. 

I would not try and guess intentions from any of the coaches who have contacted your son and would not try and divine things from  e-mails/letters.  Who knows if they are just sending a form letter to your son or if there is genuine interest?  Call the coach directly and ask him what he thinks.  Ask him what he needs to do to improve.  Ask him if he is aware of other opportunities if he is not presently recruiting your son's position.  This is no time to be bashful!  Some members here insist that the player contact the coach which is fine.  I believe the parent has every right to talk to the coach as well and some disagree with me on that.  When my grandson is ready for recruiting (he is eleven and it will be my second time through this recruiting thing), you can bet I'll be talking to the coaches to hear directly what their opinion is. 

From what you've posted, it sounds like the talent is there.  I would indeed be hopeful!  Welcome to the hsbbweb! 

Thanks for the feedback! He is going to a smaller D1 prospect camp this weekend so I am hopeful to see how he stacks up. I was not as encouraging with him on the D1 route because I assumed they would only be looking for pitchers throwing high 80's. He isn't there yet. I think he has great potential though because he has really dedicated himself this off season with the workouts and velocity program. 

The last feedback we got from a college was pretty positive I thought. Hard to understand how they explain things. I told my son to take it to his pitching coach and ask him to "decode". He was told they liked his presence on the mound and his delivery. Other than that it was hieroglyphics to me. LOL. 

The last thing they mentioned is potential with room to grow and strengthen. So that could be good or bad?

If they asked for his summer schedule does that mean they will really come watch? And how do you know who will be in attendance at a PG showcase event? I read somewhere that if he has a school he is targeting he should make sure to walk up to them at a showcase and introduce himself again and have a conversation with them. How would we know if they are there?

Just a warning, I am the parent of a 2020, but here are my thoughts. You have to both know what your goals are for college.  I'm a firm believer that if the kid wants it, and has a modicum of talent, and is willing to travel anywhere and pay anything then there is a college baseball team spot for him. 

So, your son wants to be on a college baseball team....but does he expect to be in the starting lineup as a freshman?  Many D2 schools are private schools that can be upwards of 20K a year...does that fit into your budget?  How far from home is he willing to travel? Does he expect to get out of college debt free, or with loans to pay back?  He has impressive grades, are you thinking Ivy league?  That is a special kind of showcase, have you looked into those? What does he want his major to be...if it's teaching he can go almost anywhere, but if it is bio-nuclear physics then that limits his college choices further.  Was he a late bloomer, does he have MLB aspirations, will that 86mph get up into the 90's, if so maybe he doesn't want to be in a 4 year school?  There are SOOO many variables in choosing a college, make sure you lock down any you know now and exclude some colleges based on them.

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

I think he wants to play as a starter but he is very much aware of that not being a possibility upfront. Unfortunately we live in a small town and athletic play time is often based on who you know and not how well you perform. He has faced much adversity over the course of his years in sports and no matter what sport it was, he has always had to "earn" that play time. So I think that is another reason why D2. He would love D1, but I think he is smart enough to realize that is a harder target and D2 is more of a fit for him athletically. 

We have mentioned D3 to him because of the academics, but financially that would be harder on us as parents since they don't offer any money athletically and typical teenager, he wants to feel "validated" by getting some type of athletic monetary award.

You and your son are doing all the right things based on your post.   Keep up the good work, and continue to be skeptical as that will come in handy later on  ;-).  There is a lot of information out there and HSBBWeb is a great place to get the real skinny about all your questions.   Your son should continue to focus on his academics as that can open many doors or at least differentiate him among other recruits/candidates.  As a parent, I'd dive into learning as much as possible about the various schools and how they typically recruit or their recruiting requirements.  There are a lot of differences out there.   Trust me, I learned the hard way many years ago.

To pile onto to CACO3GIRL's comments....knowing what you want to get out of college or after college is a huge deal....professional baseball player or professional engineer.   This can help your son with the choices that may present themselves during his recruitment.  These are huge choices for a young man, and not always easy.  You've come to the right place.

Good luck!  As always, JMO.

hopefulmom posted:

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

I think he wants to play as a starter but he is very much aware of that not being a possibility upfront. Unfortunately we live in a small town and athletic play time is often based on who you know and not how well you perform. He has faced much adversity over the course of his years in sports and no matter what sport it was, he has always had to "earn" that play time. So I think that is another reason why D2. He would love D1, but I think he is smart enough to realize that is a harder target and D2 is more of a fit for him athletically. 

We have mentioned D3 to him because of the academics, but financially that would be harder on us as parents since they don't offer any money athletically and typical teenager, he wants to feel "validated" by getting some type of athletic monetary award.

I'm sure you have done the math BUT in case you haven't here it is. The average baseball player isn't on scholarship, and if they are it is usually 25%. D1 only has 11.7, and D2 only has 9 to cover the ENTIRE team, and many times the academic money and athletic money can't be combined so the coach only allows academic money to be used.  This frees up the athletic money for kids who don't qualify for any academic money.  Does that make sense?  If you were a coach would you give a 4.0 student ANY athletic money when you know you have a 2.3GPA kid in the wings, plus the academic money covers 80-100% of the school cost and the athletic money would only cover 25%?

 A D3 could be the best fit due to an academic scholarship at a well known school. Also you have 13 NAIA schools near you that can offer 12 scholarships.  I'm unclear on their rules of academic and athletic money combining, but still, it could be a great option for your son. My best advice is to draw a 6 hour circle around your house and list all the colleges in that circle.  Then  isolate them for who has pre-med, then look if they are D1/D2/D3/NAIA and go from there.

Makes sense. And we were told that with his academics, he might be more desirable because the coach could try and get more academic money for him and save the athletic money for someone else. 

We are trying to respectfully talk with him about this because he has worked really hard on both fronts and I understand his need to be "validated". To me as a parent, academic validation is just fine! To a 17 year old, he thinks the athletic validation is better... 

Another quick question: Because he just started pitching again after a 5 year hiatus, is that a positive for a coach or would they see that as a negative? The reason he took a break was to focus on the mental aspect of the game more. He is very bright and tends to overthink things and he came to the realization that he wasn't mentally ready for the pressures of pitching at that time. 

Since he has reentered as a pitcher, he is totally a different kid and his composure is great. I am definitely impressed with him on that development.

First off Im going to send you a DM as I am in Chicagoland and maybe able to provide some advice...

One thing that has been missed so far, throw out the notion of D1, D2, D3, etc.  Right now he should be worried about a school that is a fit for him, not what division they play in.  There are some D3 schools that can beat up on D1 schools and there are some D3 schools that can be beat by your local Little League team.  

The division does not always designate how good a program is.  It all has to do with funding and how much the school wants to spend on its sports programs and what NCAA rules they want to be tied to.  Yes D1 schools are typically better because they are bigger and spend more money on sports.  But there are some pretty good D2 and D3 schools out there and they maybe better suited for your son.

After this past year I am a firm believer that there is a place in college for any kid that wants to play.  I happen to know of 2 kids whose only goal was to play in college.  Neither of them had any plus tools.  Both found homes.  One at a D3, the other at an NAIA school.  Neither of these are strong programs and the student at the D3 school will probably never see playing time with the Varsity team, but he gets to say he is playing in college.

At this point 84 puts your son on the low end of what most D1 schools will be looking for.  Most of the guys I know from this area, who have a few years of pitching experience, and sit around 84 ended up at D2/D3/NAIA programs.  

If you are just starting your recruiting journey your a tad behind but not so far behind that you can't recover.  At this point your son should have been reaching out to a very wide net of schools providing information on himself for them.  A quick email with an athletic resume and a video link should have been sent.  From this you will be able to judge who may or may not have interest.  Those that do have interest will be wanting to find a way to see your son in a showcase or game this summer.  If your son is not at that stage right now he will need to start busting his butt to get to that stage.  There is lots of information on this website to help you figure out what to do.  Search the website for information and post specific questions to the group.  You will get lots of help if you ask questions.

Good Luck.

hopefulmom posted:

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

Not to shoot down any hopes, but the part I highlighted is a MAJOR factor in this story if you ask me.  Baseball, the classes required to be a surgeon...and the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week don't work together very well.  As you said, things could change....but others here will tell you also that it's just a tough journey to try to take.  I had a friend whose son was a 34 ACT and a 4.0....probably the brightest kid I had ever met.  Went to an SEC on a real nice baseball scholarship...with plans to be a pharmacist.  Well, evidently the teachers who teach classes that get you to being a pharmacist don't get many athletes in their classes...because they refused to cooperate.  Refused to the point that he had to make a decision...baseball...or change his phamacist plans.  He chose baseball...and is now in the White Sox organization...so it's working out so far 

Back to baseball...6'0, 165 RHP...is almost exactly where my son was during his junior year....BUT he was 87-88.  He ended p at a D1, but wasn't heavily recruited.  I would say that the fact that your son has had contact and replies from HC's is a good thing...usually if the HC is involved, they're fairly serious in looking at a kid.  At this point keep contacting the schools he's interested in.  I think if your son gets to 85-86 this spring/summer, things will take a pretty good jump as far as attention.   Good luck

hopefulmom posted:

 

Another quick question: Because he just started pitching again after a 5 year hiatus, is that a positive for a coach or would they see that as a negative? The reason he took a break was to focus on the mental aspect of the game more. He is very bright and tends to overthink things and he came to the realization that he wasn't mentally ready for the pressures of pitching at that time. 

I don't think there is a direct answer to this question.  College coaches look at a lot of different things. Depending what they see when they see your son pitch in person they may think, "eh, now I know why he didn't pitch"  others may look and say, "i think i have a diamond in the rough here and i have an open spot so lets give him a try".

To begin with velocity is king.  If he can get his FB up to high 80's and sit mid 80's he will have a better chance they hitting 84 and sitting low 80s.  Once he hits a velocity range the coach is looking for they will then start to look at his approach to pitching and technique.  This is where they will make the judgement on his lack of pitching experience.  Each coach will have a different philosophy on this.  I happen to know an ex-SEC HC.  He would never recruit a kid from the midwest as he believes they lack experience due to the short playing season.  I also talked with a PC from a different SEC school once.  They go after the kids from the midwest as they fell they have more left in them due to the short playing season.

All very interesting information. At the very least, you have instilled some hope in me that this isn't a no win situation. I want to be the supportive mom but also want to guide him to make the best choice and be realistic about those choices. 

He does email the coaches of the programs that he is interested in, but it hasn't been 30 schools. It's been about 12. He doesn't have a live video yet to link, but hoping the PG showcase will provide us with one we can use. He was filmed during a D2 prospect camp by the pitching coach and he said he would share it with us but was having difficulty sending it as of late. 

Thanks for all the comments! 

Buckeye 2015 posted:

hopefulmom posted:

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

Not to shoot down any hopes, but the part I highlighted is a MAJOR factor in this story if you ask me.  Baseball, the classes required to be a surgeon...and the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week don't work together very well. 

Good point Buckeye.  I use this example often, but it demonstrates the time commitment a college athlete needs to make...

I ran track in college.  We had 2+ hours of practice a day.  This was the required team practice.  This does not include any training time, locker room time, etc.  If you needed to see a trainer prior to practice (more common then you think) add another hour onto the practice time.  The training is busy so it takes a little time to get to a trainer and then you need to complete your treatment.  You are now at 15 hours of commitment a week.  But practice does not include weight room time.  This is on your own, so add another hour in each day.  Now we are at 20 hours a week.  But wait, practice did not include specialty workouts.  I was a HighJumper/LongJumper/TripleJumper/Decathlete.  So I need to add another 5 hours per week in to work with my speciality coaches.  Now we are at 30 hours of commitment a week and we have not gotten to competition.  Unless you are at one of the top SEC/B1G schools you are not flying anywhere.  Its bus city for you.  If your lucky you only have a couple hour bus ride to your competition.  For us the normal bus ride was about 2 hours each way.  Now we are at 34 hours and its time for the meet to start.  Track meets last a long time, usually in the 8 to 10 hour range, but we will adjust for baseball, so lets say 4 hours for a double header.  We are sitting at 36 hours of time commitment just to play baseball.  Now add in the school work.  In season most athletes take 12 credits.  Thats the minimum allowed by the NCAA to stay eligible.  Figure 2 hours of out of class work for every hour of in class work, so your school commitment is 36 hours in season.  Your total time commitment is 72 hours between academics and athletics in season.  Out of season you are looking at about 15 to 20 hours of athletic commitment, but you are taking 18 credits to make up for the lower in season class load.  Which means about 69 to 74 hours of total time commitment. 

The above also does not take in other mandatory events.  Things like mandatory study tables, NCAA mandated education or school sponsored athlete seminars and talks.

Also, you need to factor in the Profs.  Most of them are understanding of athletes and will work with them on any missed assignments or tests while they are out of class.  But you will always run into a few who wont.  Even after intervention from the ADs office.  Most programs know who these Profs are and will help the athletes avoid them if they can.

hopefulmom posted:

All very interesting information. At the very least, you have instilled some hope in me that this isn't a no win situation. I want to be the supportive mom but also want to guide him to make the best choice and be realistic about those choices. 

He does email the coaches of the programs that he is interested in, but it hasn't been 30 schools. It's been about 12. He doesn't have a live video yet to link, but hoping the PG showcase will provide us with one we can use. He was filmed during a D2 prospect camp by the pitching coach and he said he would share it with us but was having difficulty sending it as of late. 

Thanks for all the comments! 

12 coaches is way too small of a sample, unless they have specifically told him he is the number 1 guy on their recruiting depth chart.  My guess is at least half, if not 3/4, of them are just showing passing interest.  Keeping an eye on him just in case their other recruits back out.

I would not rely on anyone other then yourself to do any of the recruiting.  Including putting together videos or contacting coaches.  You, and more specifically your son, need to take the lead when it comes to this stuff.  There was just a thread a few weeks back about someone who expected others do do some of this stuff for them and they never produced.  

Here is my suggestion.  Shoot a recruiting video.  There is a specific format that it needs to be in. For a pitcher you are going to want to shoot a bull pen session with a radar gun visible.  Throw about 10 fastballs, 5 change ups and 5 breaking balls from the wind up.  Repeat for the set position.  Set cameras up behind the pitcher, behind the catcher and one looking directly at the pitcher from the side.  When he is in the set position the camera should be looking at his face side, not his back side.  The radar gun can be shown in the view from behind the catcher.  If you are good at video editing you can splice the radar gun readings into the lower portion of the frame for each pitch.  If not, just showing it from behind the catcher is good.

The video should be no longer then 1.5 minutes in length.  It is ok to cut the video to show "rapid fire" pitches, but make sure you see the whole pitch including the wind up and coming set.  Its also ok to film a bunch of pitches and pick out the best ones.  The video should not contain any graphics other then an intro screen with your sons info on it.  Keep the intro clean.  Name, HS, travel program, grad year, height, weight, pitch velo, phone number and email address (your son's not yours).  Also, no music, special effects, folks yelling about how great of a pitch that was, etc.

Thanks! I have tried using our GoPro to take video of him during games and also in bullpen sessions and I wasn't sure what was usable or not. I will retry this weekend. thanks!

Go Pro is perfect....heck, you can make a pretty good video from an iphone these days.  If you don't have access to a radar gun, don't worry about it....it's not necessary if you have verified measurables from a a showcase that you can include. 

my experience with a daughter non athlete,  her grades were similar to your son's  with lower act  and she was offered 25 to 50%  in scholarship money.   she got a 4.0 1st semester in college and now I'm only playing about 30% of the listed price at an out of state college.       One of my son's friends a 2021 just commited this week to a div 1 pwr 5 team and he had multiple 90% offers from all top teams.   He is throwing 85-86  but of course only a freshman.  

hopefulmom posted:

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

I think he wants to play as a starter but he is very much aware of that not being a possibility upfront. Unfortunately we live in a small town and athletic play time is often based on who you know and not how well you perform. He has faced much adversity over the course of his years in sports and no matter what sport it was, he has always had to "earn" that play time. So I think that is another reason why D2. He would love D1, but I think he is smart enough to realize that is a harder target and D2 is more of a fit for him athletically. 

We have mentioned D3 to him because of the academics, but financially that would be harder on us as parents since they don't offer any money athletically and typical teenager, he wants to feel "validated" by getting some type of athletic monetary award.

Sounds like you and son are taking all the right steps... except maybe a few of the thought processes. 

He needs to get over the "validation by athletic offer" thing.  I understand.  Most HS athletes have some degree of that thought process.  The fact is that, unless he is a top recruit, he is far more likely to get a significant chunk of college paid for via his academic standing than by baseball scholarship money.  Currently, as a strong academic kid with decent but not exceptional measurables, he is a good candidate for D3, which of course offers no athletic $.  This is not to say that he won't be recruited by those schools.  He should find validation by a coach saying "we want you and this is where we see you fitting".  And don't count out D3's and NAIA's from a cost standpoint.  D3's typically have plenty of academic $ buckets and NAIA's have all sorts of buckets to pull from.  In both instances, costs can end up very similar to local state schools even though the initial price tag is much higher.

Also, be aware that he will ALWAYS face adversity and have to earn it in college sports.  And don't fall into the "it's who you know and not how well you perform" trap.  Even if there is an element of truth, he should be focused on performing well enough that there is no doubt.  This is just another hurdle.  There will always be hurdles.  It's not what they are, it's how well you jump them.

Oh I agree. He had one travel coach who wouldn't even let him throw a bullpen because he didn't "tryout" to be a pitcher for the team. This coach really ruined his confidence level that summer. It was bad. Last year he gets a coach who instills all kinds of confidence in him and allows him to try things and have some range and he thrived. So I am not making the excuse that it's "who you know" but unfortunately, our small town has proven that. He is well aware that hard work will pay off and coaches are validating that hard work by at least taking the time to talk to him when he gets in front of them at the college camps he has gone to.

Hopefulmom.....I just saw you're in Illinois.  Fortunately PBR in Illinois is very good and very well connected with the other Midwest states.  The PBR event your son is attending next month should get him plenty of attention from the schools you're interested in if he can be in that 83-85 range. 

hopefulmom posted:

Oh I agree. He had one travel coach who wouldn't even let him throw a bullpen because he didn't "tryout" to be a pitcher for the team. This coach really ruined his confidence level that summer. It was bad. Last year he gets a coach who instills all kinds of confidence in him and allows him to try things and have some range and he thrived. So I am not making the excuse that it's "who you know" but unfortunately, our small town has proven that. He is well aware that hard work will pay off and coaches are validating that hard work by at least taking the time to talk to him when he gets in front of them at the college camps he has gone to.

 

That's good.  Part of my point on that, though, is for him to take the next step.  Don't allow the coach who isn't going to instill confidence to deter him.  He needs to drive his own confidence level and not let anything shake it.  There are tons of college coaches out there who are not going to be "groomers" by any stretch.  The player will have to be mentally tough and produce his own self-confidence and motivation no matter how much a coach may even try to tear him down.  

hopefulmom posted:

We have mentioned D3 to him because of the academics, but financially that would be harder on us as parents since they don't offer any money athletically and typical teenager, he wants to feel "validated" by getting some type of athletic monetary award.

hopefulmom, yes, you are absolutely doing the right things for your son. One area that I strongly encourage you to put more work into is the higher academic D3s in your region. Many of these schools offer tremendous "need-based" financial aid, even to middle-class families. My advice to any student looking at colleges is to never assume that you can't afford the school until you've at least spoken with their financial aid office. As an example, almost half of the undergrads at the University of Chicago receive need-based grants, and the average amount is $44,000.

The link below is a map with pins for all D3 baseball schools.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/...767658876953&z=7

Appreciate that. thanks!

So quick update and question. My son just forwarded an email to me that he just received from a D2 college that he has been in touch with via email only. He did throw in front of them at a college camp back in September. The coach emailed him to congratulate him on his ACT score (I guess my son emailed him that info?) and said they would add the information to their board. Also asked about his velocity program he has been attending in the off season and if he could send him any new updates on performance or evaluations from other camps he might have attended since they last saw him. Is that common? To ask for evaluations from other camps?

MidAtlanticDad posted:

hopefulmom posted:

We have mentioned D3 to him because of the academics, but financially that would be harder on us as parents since they don't offer any money athletically and typical teenager, he wants to feel "validated" by getting some type of athletic monetary award.

hopefulmom, yes, you are absolutely doing the right things for your son. One area that I strongly encourage you to put more work into is the higher academic D3s in your region. Many of these schools offer tremendous "need-based" financial aid, even to middle-class families. My advice to any student looking at colleges is to never assume that you can't afford the school until you've at least spoken with their financial aid office. As an example, almost half of the undergrads at the University of Chicago receive need-based grants, and the average amount is $44,000.

The link below is a map with pins for all D3 baseball schools.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/...767658876953&z=7

Agreed, there is actual hidden money in many of the colleges across the US.  While researching a local NAIA school I was floored at the price tag.  I was also shocked that the "estimation" of yearly tuition went down the more questions I answered.  For example, which county I lived in, which religion I was, if my child had a parent that had been in the military or police force...etc. 

hopefulmom posted:

So quick update and question. My son just forwarded an email to me that he just received from a D2 college that he has been in touch with via email only. He did throw in front of them at a college camp back in September. The coach emailed him to congratulate him on his ACT score (I guess my son emailed him that info?) and said they would add the information to their board. Also asked about his velocity program he has been attending in the off season and if he could send him any new updates on performance or evaluations from other camps he might have attended since they last saw him. Is that common? To ask for evaluations from other camps?

It is the sort of specific dialog you look for to determine if they are actually engaged and tracking the player.  It's a good thing.  They are probably asking for evals from other camps because he is a P that has recent velo increases and has potential for more so they want to track the most recent info along with any other helpful peripheral commentary.  This is great dialog that your son will want to maintain.  The premise of this particular dialog and likelihood for it to continue certainly seems to hinge largely on continued velo increase.  

Makes sense. Thanks!

hopefulmom posted:

So quick update and question. My son just forwarded an email to me that he just received from a D2 college that he has been in touch with via email only. He did throw in front of them at a college camp back in September. The coach emailed him to congratulate him on his ACT score (I guess my son emailed him that info?) and said they would add the information to their board. Also asked about his velocity program he has been attending in the off season and if he could send him any new updates on performance or evaluations from other camps he might have attended since they last saw him. Is that common? To ask for evaluations from other camps?

Absolutely....and that kind of contact is a great thing.  Make sure your son lets them know about the showcases he's attending next month.  The sooner he lets them know, the better the chance that maybe the coach will attend (if he isn't already planning to).  Either way, those numbers will be "current".  You can give them whatever info you have now, but make sure you tell them that you'll also forward the information / measurables that you get at the upcoming camps too.

Do not be scared off by the sticker price of a college. It’s like cars. No one pays sticker price. Do some research online. Find out what the typical student is paying to attend. 

I just looked up an expensive northeast academic. The average student is paying 17K less than list price. 41% of students are receiving an average of 36K off list price.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget this line about paying for a son’s college ...

A friend’s son got accepted to a NESCAC. When the financial offer came the friend said, “Damn, for profession I put musician, not magician.” At the time he had an older kid in a private university grad school.

Fall of Jr. year my son started receiving In-State tuition price.  He is an engineering major & started co-oping Spring Semester & every other semester since. Consequently, had to play summer ball in OH near the campus because one summer he was on Co-op & the next he was taking classes.  His Driver License needed renewal somewhere in this mix & he became an OH resident.  Works for us, as his Scholarship was 4 years & the Engineering Degree is a 5 year program.  As an aside, this would also bring up good dialog to make sure your Scholarship is a true dollar amount and not just a percentage of total out of pocket costs.

Buckeye 2015 posted:

hopefulmom posted:

So quick update and question. My son just forwarded an email to me that he just received from a D2 college that he has been in touch with via email only. He did throw in front of them at a college camp back in September. The coach emailed him to congratulate him on his ACT score (I guess my son emailed him that info?) and said they would add the information to their board. Also asked about his velocity program he has been attending in the off season and if he could send him any new updates on performance or evaluations from other camps he might have attended since they last saw him. Is that common? To ask for evaluations from other camps?

Absolutely....and that kind of contact is a great thing.  Make sure your son lets them know about the showcases he's attending next month.  The sooner he lets them know, the better the chance that maybe the coach will attend (if he isn't already planning to).  Either way, those numbers will be "current".  You can give them whatever info you have now, but make sure you tell them that you'll also forward the information / measurables that you get at the upcoming camps too.

To add to this, I would say that even if the coach, or his staff cannot attend, they may ask a friend/fellow coach that will be attending to check him out.  

I never thought about that. My son did tell the one coach about upcoming showcases he has scheduled and coach told him good luck and to make sure he lets them know how he does but their schedule will have started by then and they are traveling out of state that weekend. Which made me wonder who if any will be at this showcase since most school seasons have started by mid February?

Buckeye 2015 posted:

hopefulmom posted:

Not looking at Ivy League. He is wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon. But we all know that can be subject to change. He is a late bloomer because he just in the last year and a half started pitching again after not pitching for over 5 years. So in our opinion, he has more of a "fresh arm" that can be developed more. We have a 6 hour drive time window for school options and without going into further detail as to why, that is not going to change. We are aware of the cost of D2 schools and with his grades, he should qualify for "some" academic awards. We are hoping to try and fund his education for 4 years and then he will offset the rest with student loans while he completes his pre-med degree if that remains.

Not to shoot down any hopes, but the part I highlighted is a MAJOR factor in this story if you ask me.  Baseball, the classes required to be a surgeon...and the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week don't work together very well.  As you said, things could change....but others here will tell you also that it's just a tough journey to try to take.  I had a friend whose son was a 34 ACT and a 4.0....probably the brightest kid I had ever met.  Went to an SEC on a real nice baseball scholarship...with plans to be a pharmacist.  Well, evidently the teachers who teach classes that get you to being a pharmacist don't get many athletes in their classes...because they refused to cooperate.  Refused to the point that he had to make a decision...baseball...or change his phamacist plans.  He chose baseball...and is now in the White Sox organization...so it's working out so far 

Back to baseball...6'0, 165 RHP...is almost exactly where my son was during his junior year....BUT he was 87-88.  He ended p at a D1, but wasn't heavily recruited.  I would say that the fact that your son has had contact and replies from HC's is a good thing...usually if the HC is involved, they're fairly serious in looking at a kid.  At this point keep contacting the schools he's interested in.  I think if your son gets to 85-86 this spring/summer, things will take a pretty good jump as far as attention.   Good luck

I will concur with Buckeye on this.  My son was discouraged from being a bio major (maybe pre-med) at a D1 school.  Basically HC said the class load and baseball will be difficult if not impossible to balance.  Many labs are in the evening, professors frown on athletes missing class or make up tests.  Your son has some time to decide.  D3 emphasize academics thus athletic requirements are less.

hopefulmom posted:

All very interesting information. At the very least, you have instilled some hope in me that this isn't a no win situation. I want to be the supportive mom but also want to guide him to make the best choice and be realistic about those choices. 

He does email the coaches of the programs that he is interested in, but it hasn't been 30 schools. It's been about 12. He doesn't have a live video yet to link, but hoping the PG showcase will provide us with one we can use. He was filmed during a D2 prospect camp by the pitching coach and he said he would share it with us but was having difficulty sending it as of late. 

Thanks for all the comments! 

You don’t have to wait for PG for video. Shot ours with an iPhone and sons coach offering advice and whoever son could get to catch him. Got a D2 offer based on the video and a phone call without ever meeting coach or visiting school. 

Keep an eye on his arm. Sounds like he's been throwing full throttle for months... 

Iowamom23 posted:

hopefulmom posted:

All very interesting information. At the very least, you have instilled some hope in me that this isn't a no win situation. I want to be the supportive mom but also want to guide him to make the best choice and be realistic about those choices. 

He does email the coaches of the programs that he is interested in, but it hasn't been 30 schools. It's been about 12. He doesn't have a live video yet to link, but hoping the PG showcase will provide us with one we can use. He was filmed during a D2 prospect camp by the pitching coach and he said he would share it with us but was having difficulty sending it as of late. 

Thanks for all the comments! 

You don’t have to wait for PG for video. Shot ours with an iPhone and sons coach offering advice and whoever son could get to catch him. Got a D2 offer based on the video and a phone call without ever meeting coach or visiting school. 

Concur with Iowa Mom, using the Iphone worked great.  You're able to edit for good swings and good fielding.  Plus, the video from PBR and PG events can be hit or miss, but if it's good it can be supplemental video to be inclueded in follow up emails.

We hired one of our better instructors who throws good BP and hits good fungos, and had access to a facility which offered the best space for hitting and fielding.  We picked an unpopular time at his facility so we could get an hour and take a ton of video.    

It's easy to upload video into Windows Media Player or Apple Video (?), and you can teach yourself how to use the editing tools (easy).  Then you're able to take addiditonal video throughout his recruiting, upload to YouTube, then he can attach in emails.

Also just another voice chiming in that if you son wants to be pre-med as he currently thinks, then D3 may be a very good fit academically as there will be more flexibility for him to be able to take required classes and labs.  Not all D1 programs want or will even allow pre med majors.

To add a little about the college majors for baseball players.  I couldn't imagine trying to complete pre-med, engineering, etc.  I spoke to one of my son's teammates regarding his major, and he said, "I'm dumb, so I'm taking xxxx!"  Most of the guys on my son's team take the same major, and it is the major that the aforementioned player takes.  I don't think it is because they are all dumb, but rather, because of the time commitment, willingness of professors at good schools to work with the players, etc.  

Ryan is majoring in Accounting, and it has been an adjustment for sure.  He did great during summer school, because all he had to do was take 2 classes and train.  Once the Fall started, he had workouts at 6 AM, Classes, Practice, Study Hall, Weekly Academic Progress Meetings with the Advisors, etc.  There is just very little time for help. So if your son is taking a hard class for them, Ryan's hard class was Calc II this Fall, it can be very difficult to utilize the resources that other students may have time for.