is this a good list of high academic/high quality baseball D3 programs?

Depending on what field he is pursuing the mid-Atlantic (MD, VA, PA, DE) has some high academic D3 schools with consistently sound baseball programs.  If you are planning on turning pro they will not get you there often but for academics take a look at:

http://generalssports.com/sports/bsb/index

http://www.hopkinssports.com/s...p-m-basebl-body.html

 

Also here is a discussion of D2 and D3 schools from the HS web some time ago.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...ith-decent-academics

My son went to Trinity in San Antonio.
He played football his first year. As far as I know there are no athletic scholarships.
A 30 ACT is very good.

Some random and quick thoughts:

In the East, I think you would include Tufts, JHU and Trinity, Ct.

Personally, I don't believe Southwestern is a high quality program.  It is coming back from about a decade of decline and has a coach who turned around Hendrix.  I would equate Southwestern with Oxy in baseball at this point.

In the South, personally, I would add Millsaps in Jackson, Miss. over Southwestern (by a pretty good margin for baseball and very close academically.)

The midwest has a number which probably should be included-Schools like DePauw.

Hopefully BishopLeftiesDad will post because he can add  a wealth of information about the middle of the country.

In New England it's the entire NESCAC and most of the NEWMAC. In the PA/MD area look at the schools in the Centennial Conference.

US News and Forbes both rank colleges and universities. It's very straightforward to see which schools they think are the strongest and just one input.

d3baseball.com is a great source and has lists by conference. Some of the best are NESCAC, Centennial, SAA, UAA, Liberty, et.al.  You've highlighted some of these schools already.

The "best" list contains schools your player has interest in, and could play ball, and be admitted.

I've heard good things about Chapman in SoCal.  The campus is stellar.   

RHP -- have also heard good things about Chapman, but apparently the team plays at a public park off campus??

 

----------------------------------------------

 

Smoke - I hear you on the issue you mention with NWC teams. But it seems to me that with your son's stellar academics he should have the ability to get into some of the top schools you mention.  I think any kid who can get into and thrive at MIT, Amherst, Pomona, etc. should select the best academic fit, and not worry quite so much about the baseball team's record.

Chapman plays at Orange Park.  The field itself is more than adequate. There have been a number of West Regionals played at that location.  Chapman went through a very controversial coaching change about 3 years ago.  The longtime coach who had them as one of the top programs in D3 baseball was let go. The program was actually built by Rex Peters, who then went to Davis in 2003 and is now the top assistant at UCLA. ( I have a thread about Rex and his son Jake posted on the site.)

Since the controversy and mid-season change of coaches, the baseball side of things have been a struggle.  They are solid but no longer one of the top baseball programs in the West Region.

Two things to consider:

1) Don't underestimate how good of a player you still need to be in order to be an impact player or even a solid contributor at a "academic school with weaker baseball" - particularly if they play in a strong conference

2) If you are a stud player, don't underestimate the potential value of a degree from a top baseball school, which may be perceived to have "less quality academics", like Linfield, etc.

Best of luck to your son at Stanford Camp!

Smoke,

There are plenty of very good D3's in the fly over states. Some of them are better at Baseball and some Academics. And some both. 

Much of it depends on what your son wants to Major in. My sons profile was very similar to yours. 29 Act but his GPA was not quite as high. He was set on majoring in Chemistry or Math and minoring in Spanish. So we wanted a school that was ACS certified. That knocked some very good Academic schools off of his list. Kenyon for example is an excellent school and usually offers pretty good scholarships depending on your FAFSA, at one point they were offering 100% of need without loans. Don't know if that is still the case, but they did not have the ACS certification and were not known for their sciences. 

So what does your son want to do? Like I mentioned mine wanted to major in a science but was dead set on a liberal arts education. I wont go into much detail but my son really enjoyed OWU and is still glad he chose to go there. It was the experience of a lifetime. 

So from a sciences standpoint I would suggest these schools, in no particular order:

 

 

Depauw, Coach Jake Martin know baseball, very good coach and I was impressed with him. Great school, one of the few that has research opportunities for their undergrads. Only downside is that they have a hard time making school affordable for Upper middle class families. I talked for a long time with one of the financial aid officers, and he admitted that their were not many students at their school in our tax bracket. The parents either made much more than we did or much less. I do know a young man who went there and majored in broadcasting. He is doing very well for himself after graduation and really enjoyed his experience. He did not play on the baseball teams but announced the home games.

 

OWU, they are ACS certified for Chemistry and they have one of the highest regarded biology departments around for a private liberal arts college. When my son enrolled they had a statistic that 90% of their Graduates who CHOSE to go on to Grad school were accepted by their school of choice. Ok that's enough of being a homer from me. I always liked coach Mott, he is a very good recruiter and has put together a very good staff. My son liked playing for him although he could be tough on the players. But he made it clear during the recruiting process that he would be. 

 

Wabash, Get past the fact that it is an all male school. The graduates from Wabash have Alumni ready and willing to support and hire recent graduates. It also is very strong academically. It was my sons first choice up until the very end. The Baseball team has peaks and valleys, they rise to the top of the NCAC occasionally then drop back to the pack. Very good science programs and ACS certified. 

 

Wooster, Listed in the colleges that change lives. Baseball is always at the top of the NCAC, They have just faltered in the regional the last few times they have gone. Schools is very good, they started recruiting son late but he was never interested. There head coach is not everyone's cup of tea. He is pretty old school and players should have a thick skin, but he knows baseball. He will make players better,

 

Rose Hulman, One of the best engineering schools in the country. The team competes in the HCAC, the other schools in this conference are not Academic power houses, but they are. An engineering degree from here means something. Like some of these smaller Academic schools, the campus takes some getting used to. From what I hear the atmosphere can be a bit Geeky. The base ball is usually near the top of the HCAC. The Engineers are usually in the running for the Pool A bid. Not sure they are very often considered for a Pool C.

 

Ohio Northern, Another very Good Engineering school, I know a young man who is matriculating there now. He wanted to come to OWU but OWU only offers a 3+2 in engineering which did not interest the young man.  The head coach has been their for a few years now and has done a great job of turning them around.  

 

If you are not interested in science and lean more to the Arts or english here are some additional schools.

 

Kenyon, I touched on them earlier. It is considered an IVY of the midwest. Many kids come from the east coast, who could not quite make it into an Ivy. I do not think the coach has much of a budget, and kids need to get into the school on their own merit. Some of the recruited kids come on suggestions form other coaches who saw them play. One of my sons close friends just graduated there. Very small rural town not much to do. He enjoyed his experience there. Academics are top notch. 

 

Oberlin, Another school similar to Kenyon, They won the NCAC this year and did quite well in the regional. I am not sure I would expect that every year though. A young man who used to post on this board is at Oberlin, 7steps. He no longer plays baseball, but that is because he has gotten involved in other activities. The reputation academically is very good. it is a hard school to get accepted to. Again the coach does not have any pull for borderline students, the kids need to get in on their own merits. I have been told there is not much support for sports in general from the student population. Many could care less about how well the baseball or football team did.  

 

Washington and Jefferson, They always do well in the Pac and coach Mountain is a very good coach. Academically the school is very good, just did not fit my sons profile. 

 

I am sure I do not have all of them listed. You should also check out the schools in the Centennial Conference. Many good schools Nationally ranked academically. Regionally they do very well in Baseball.

 

That is is for now, I hope you find this helpful. PM me if you want more details on any school in my area. 

 

Thanks for the Props InfieldDad. 

You folks have outdone yourselves!  Now I have almost too much information....but we're at the point in our search where anything seems possible and smoke jr. is trying to embrace that.  Thanks so much for all the help.

Three school's in the MIAC merit consideration in this sort of conversation: Carleton, St. Olaf, and Macalaster.  All are fine schools, and the conference is very solid top to bottom.  They fully embrace the student athlete concept, and in the case of these three teams, are all coached by good folks.

 

You would also do well to consider Grinnell in Iowa.

 

In the mid-Atlantic, Washington & Lee is very good

 

A good overlay is the US News & World Report and the list of schools that participate in the Headfirst Honor roll camps.  

 

Good luck!

 

Smoke,

 

I've gone through this three times.  Here is my thought process and my two cents:

 

1) What does your son want to study and who has the best programs for that study?  Are you shooting for school that is a top tier in that study or is a secondary tier fine based on what is being studied. 

 

2) Determine what your son's academic boundaries are and where it may be possible for him to get merit money.  Typically if he is in the top 25% of an incoming class they will offer academic money.  There will be an upper-echelon of schools that give very little merit money and base their FA on financial need.  Consider those schools too if you feel comfortable with their FA package..

 

3)Does location matter to your family?  Many folks I talk to tell me location does matter. Figure out what is your breaking point from home.  Is it 4 hours, 8 hours? Is cross country acceptable?  If cross country is acceptable factor that into your total out-of-pocket costs that will hit the family budget.

 

4) Research their baseball program.  Coaching stability and their interest in recruiting your son.  Does their baseball program reflect what your son wants to get out it?  Is it a good fit in terms of playing level?  Most people overestimate their son's ability to get on the field, and underestimate the internal competition for playing time.

 

Once you have all this info then begin targeting them with recruiting showcases, travel teams, and camps.  If your travel or high school coach can help you, get them to help you and keep them updated on your plans.  Your son will still be the point person in this effort, but get all the help you can.  HSBBWeb is a great place for that.

 

As always, JMO.  Good luck

 

PS....All the schools you've listed are fine but do they meet YOUR needs?

 

i have an add to Fenway's post. Consider the social and cultural fit of the school. By cultural fit I mean rural versus urban, religious versus non religious. I know kid who transferred based on the lack of comfort they had living in the environment.

Wow Smoke, you have a year in front of you.  I was in your spot one year ago.  People are by nature helpful and they want to help, and because of that, you will be told many things by many people, it will be overwhelming at times and I'm just adding to that now!  I'm not going to say that this is what you should or should not do, but I am going to share the principles that gained clarity over time in my sons journey.  

• You are not making a decision that can't be undone.  This was the most important message I tried to communicate to my son, after seeing him twist, the further we got into the process.  If you aren't happy, transfer, but you have the perspective of understanding what does or does not make you happy or fit in ( culturally, academically, baseball). Even if he doesn't say it, he's probably worried about making the right decision. 
• Don't make a decision based on baseball unless that is going to be your career. Baseball should add flavor to your college experience, but shouldn't be the reason for your college experience unless that will be your career.  For the overwhelming majority of kids, that won't be the case.  
• Don't get hung up on the name alone.  My son ultimately chose one of the schools in your initial list, so don't get me wrong getting in a good school is important.  But, its what goes in your head and what you learn there that will ultimately make you successful, not the name on the diploma.  Find the right school for your son. Reality is that your diploma gets you your first job, its all up to you after that. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you can't do the job, be reliable and get along with people, unless you work for the government. If you think Pitzer is the right place, but it doesn't have the same cache as Amherst or Swarthmore, don't worry about it, you found the right place, that's the mission. 
• Define your No Go Zone know what is and is not acceptable, define the key ingredients of your search, and don't waste your time on schools that fall into the no go zone.  There is nothing wrong with setting the bar for certain standards academically and for baseball.  If your son doesn't want to invest 20-30+ hours a week in a program that wins 4 games a year, that's fine.  Just remember point 2 and don't let it get out of balance in the decision process.  There are plenty of quality academic schools with quality baseball, you and your family have to define what fits into your no go zone.  
• No one else knows what's right for your son and your family you have to be at peace for the right reasons and don't regret it.  

 

Thanks for these latest contributions WLT, Fenway, RJM, and Igotnothing.  I think the hardest thing will be narrowing down these great choices. 

 

A sobering thing (for me, not my son yet) is that he's making noise about wanting to go to UCLA, one of the schools he's actually visited, including a tour of their baseball facility. I haven't had the heart to explain to him yet that even if he's a good enough player, the rosters at the UC's for out of state players are a wasteland.  Maybe he'd love the school so much baseball won't matter, which would be fine, too.  I just need to get used to the idea.

If he likes SoCal have him look at Pitzer




> On Jun 26, 2015, at 4:03 PM, HS Baseball Web <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Familiarize yourself with the policies and aid restrictions of out of state students/tuition in CA. Even in private schools, make sure you look at this carefully upfront.  

 

Fun fact -- in 2015 UCLA received more applications than any other 4-year school in the nation.

Washington University in St. Louis was 34-16 last year.  They are always pretty good on the field.  It is a tremendous school with a tremendous academic reputation.  It is also very expensive from what I hear.  They just hired Pat Bloom who has been a very successful HC at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.  Coach Bloom was 393-175 at U of Wisconsin Stevens Point. 

Denison University in Granville Ohio, just outside of Columbus is another one to consider if the weather won't scare you off. Great academic school and baseball coach. Up and coming program. 

If your son liked UCLA, he might seriously consider Emory. We toured it last year. Urban, highly ranked ball and competitive academics. Expensive. Huge endowment so great facilities. The South is very fond of sports in general. 

 

I really liked Willamette (right across from the capital building and a river runs through it!) but supporting ball isn't high on the student body's list. Hence, son nixed it.

 

Linfield is very supportive of their athletes. Surprising faculty. Low key, quirky and smart. 

At your son's level, great merit aid. Calculator on their website is quite accurate.

 

Cal Lu has a great baseball program. I'm not keen on the locale nor on their academics. (Totally subjective!) That said, they are popular here in So Cal b/c they've sent quite a few to the big leagues. 

 

Trinity (TX) will probably see a surge in the number of applications this next cycle. Love San Antonio. Great academics. Competes with Rice for applicants. 

 

Also, if your son has a 30 composite as a sophomore, then chances are he'll raise that a few points on his next attempt which would put him in even a higher category of applicant. Sure makes things easier all around come app season! Which would really help if he likes the Claremont Colleges (which IMHO are THE bomb even considering the smog)

 

Don't forget Case Western, Johns Hopkins, U-Chicago 

I think most others have given you a complete list. I would add that CMS has just hired the ex Cornell head coach, and although their facilities are not as great as others this should help the program. CMS as AI Pal mentioned is one of the best academically. 

 

Since he is coming from Hawaii I would add in weather to his consideration. Playing in the freezing rain in the NWest or snow in the upper parts of the country might be a bit too much for him. (or maybe not it just depends on the person)

 

Millsaps should also be on the list. However do not underestimate the travel issues so places like Emory, and P-P, CMS, Trinity, where their is a convenient larger airport should be taken into consideration. Do not underestimate the competition at places like Linfield, Emory, Trinity, Millsaps, etc, as they are consistently going to Regionals and making the travel team is no small feat as there are lots of D1 players on those rosters. 

 

Good luck!

My son just finished his first year at Linfield.  He came out of HS with a 3.85GPA and kept the same GPA through his Freshman year at Linfield.  He is pursuing an Accounting degree and from what he was studying, he has a great head start!  In fact, he is working an internship this Summer instead of playing, trying to rest up from the beating his body has taken over the last few years, and the accounting classes that he has taken has helped him immensely! The education and the networking for employment after the Linfield expereince is second to none!  Oh yeah, and the baseball is pretty good as well! He made the Varsity roster early and played in most of the games.  Planning on getting his body in shape for Fall Ball when he goes back in late August.  For him, Linfield is the perfect match!

Mallot, thanks for your gracious response.  My OP was a little snarky about academic quality in the NWC. I'm sorry I was careless.  

 

You're right: it is all about fit and it sounds like Linfield fits your son perfectly. I keep hearing more and more good things about Linfield.  My kid actually sounds a lot like yours.  He is so wide open now to what may happen with his college search that all I'm doing is staying out of the way, other than to encourage him to check out everywhere that appeals to him, and trying to help him do it.

 

BTW, I heard Scott Carnahan is coaching the baseball team again.  Carnahan was my brother's coach at Lower Columbia back in the day.  I remember him as a great guy.

No problem Smoke!  I cannot praise Linfield enough!  My Son loves everything about the school - McMinnville is great, the Professors are great, the class sizes are great (largest class he had was 45 students!), and of course the Team is off the charts!  The Team accepted the Freshmen like they had been there for years and the Coaches are second to none!  We are all going to miss Coach Brosius, but Coach Carnihan is not going to miss a beat and the players love him!  Definitely the best choice for him!

Some outstanding Virginia D III's with both good baseball and good academic reputations-Christopher Newport University, Bridgewater College, Randolph Macon College.

Haverford coach is outstanding and academics are top notch.

.....And the very highly ranked, high academic W&L (Washington & Lee).

 

To add to your Virginia D3 list, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke College, and Mary Washington are worth a mention.

 

Note:  Christopher Newport is one of the few, if not the only, D3 state school with baseball.  

Christopher Newport is not in the same class as the others academically.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07...nce-in-baseball.html

Goes to show that a school's alumni network should be factored in when choosing colleges.