Ivy League Outfielder

I am receiving interest from several Ivies. I am 5-9 165 lbs. I run a 6.7 in the 60 and I throw around 84 from the outfield. I am a good hitter, typical leadoff hitter, I walk a good bit and like to work the count.

Obviously I have never seen your son play, so I can't comment on his hitting but arm strength wise he is fine. I would try to lower the 60 maybe a little, but if he gets good reads and tracks the ball well in the OF then he should be fine. Also make sure the grades are extremely high too. 4.0+ with honors/AP classes and at least a 31 on the ACT.

BK35- Please don't interpret this as being snide, but if the Ivy League coach is interested in your son then doesn't that answer your question already?

Good point JH.

I am not sure the coach knew his 60 time when he made the comments, thats why I asked.

J H, we don't know what "somewhat interested" entails. He's asking about what are average tangibles in the Ivy League, not if his son can play there.

BK35 - IMHO, it sometimes comes down to a **** shoot, with each coaching staff having a barometer for the tangibles they need out of an incoming outfielder. Things every d1 coach loves having out of an outfielder are size, projectability, a strong arm, and a strong hitter. I don't know your son's body structure, but if he's over 6", has upper 80's arm (with projectability to improve it), can get a sub 7 60, and can swing the stick, you'll have plenty of Ivy League coaches wanting your son on their team.

Just kind of a helpful tidbit, posting batting average does very little to show what type of hitter your son (or any hitter) is. All competition is relative and batting average doesn't signify how strong of pitching a batter is facing in the summer.

Best of luck to you BK35 and the fun is about to start up real soon.

quote:

Obviously I have never seen your son play, so I can't comment on his hitting but arm strength wise he is fine. I would try to lower the 60 maybe a little, but if he gets good reads and tracks the ball well in the OF then he should be fine. Also make sure the grades are extremely high too. 4.0+ with honors/AP classes and at least a 31 on the ACT.

I agree with DLOCK. First, got to have the grades. Second, he has to be able to hit. I've seen Ivy coaches re-train many infielders (that couldn't win starting IF spots) to outfielders because they can hit. Sub 7.0 would be recommended for corners and 6.6 for CF.

Good luck and your welcome to PM me if you have specific questions.

He's 6'1.5, and weighs 170.
He doesnt turn 17 until Sept, and has no beard
He has gained 6 mph each of the last 2 seasons but I dont know if a coach would take my word for that.
He also used to be a really slow runner.

He tops out at 84 on the mound but hasnt pitched this year.

I agree with the hitting stats comments. High School ball is all over the place.

Actually we just got his stats from the showcase.

60 time was 7.02
OF velocity 87
Fastball 82-86. Not many for strikes unfortunately

Academics:
SAT 1280
GPA 3.8
Subject test 700

Most college teams (Ivy's inlcuded) do not recruit "corner OFers".

They are looking for speed, kids who can hit for power and average, and size projectability. Oh yeah bat LH. If he has an arm then they will want in on the mound. You will NEVER hear a college coach say "wow I really want that guy for his arm in the OF"....How many game changing throws does an OF make compared to a pitcher or MIFer?

I would say he is borderline for the 'big 3 Ivy's" (who have more money BTW) SAT wise, they will likely want him to get his SAT over 2150 if possible.

Read through the Ivy threads here, everyone is different and has their recruiting quirks. If they are really interested they will walk you through their process.

If he is Ivy material and maybe a bit borderline then I would make sure you make a list of compatible DIII's and work them in parallel.

quote:

Originally posted by BOF:
I would say he is borderline for the 'big 3 Ivy's" (who have more money BTW) SAT wise, they will likely want him to get his SAT over 2150 if possible.

Thank goodness the other Ivys dont require a 2150.

I know kids at Harvard with 1300 on Math and English. Columbia told my son's group 1250.

My son was recruited by Ivy's and academic D3s. From our meetings I didn't get the impression that those SAT scores would get it done.

His list up until now has been all D3's. He has contacted a number of them and they all want you to come to their camp. We are trying to gage who maybe truly interested.

A few years ago when it was only two parts my son was told the SAT had to be 1200 or higher by two Ivy schools.

The problem with a "marginal" math score is if your son is interested in engineering his scores maybe good engough to "get in", but not good enough to get into the engineering school/program......

quote:

Originally posted by leftyshortstop:
My son was recruited by Ivy's and academic D3s. From our meetings I didn't get the impression that those SAT scores would get it done.

It depends on the school and the talent level of the player involved. Coaches told us they get X number of exceptions for lower standards. Harvard did not win a NCAA hockey championship with a team full of skating valedictorians.

Not sure which IVY school you're discussing, but I do know that when I was recruited by one a few years ago (ended up not going there) the particular school did not even offer academic aid. The school's aid system was completely based on need. I'm not sure if more of the IVY schools are like that, but I do know of that one specifically. Also, while an Ivy league education is much desired, the financial side of the equation is always something to factor into the picture. Best of luck!

quote:

Not sure which IVY school you're discussing, but I do know that when I was recruited by one a few years ago (ended up not going there) the particular school did not even offer academic aid.

FYI....All Ivys are need based financial aid ONLY. Please see the link below for details. Their FA packages are very generous for those who qualify. As I've mentioned before, I would not cross them (or anybody else) off your list until you get details from FA Office.

Prospective Ivy Recruits

fenwaysouth,

I didn't know that. Thanks for letting the OP know about that. I could only speak to the school I was recruited by. Obviously you have much more experience with the Ivy schools than I do.

Fenway know his stuff about the Ivy League schools and has been a great contributor to this board. His advice should be heeded. One thing you might realize is that the Ivies recruit from the same talent pool as the other D-1's and attend the same events such as Area Code tryouts and the WWBA in Marietta. They are just looking for the exceptional athletes that also are exceptional students. One thing my son and I found out is there are more of them than you think. Don't underestimate the talent out there.