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Chico, 84-86 mph is very solid for HA D3, when you mention command, did your son walk a lot of batters at Showball? How was his offspeed pitches?

Besides Showball, has your son been seen at Headfirst or Stanford? Coaches may overlook one inconsistent performance if they saw him with better command at another event, but 84-86 would seem to be well within their desired range for RHP.

 

Zoom 2020 posted:

Chico, 84-86 mph is very solid for HA D3, when you mention command, did your son walk a lot of batters at Showball? How was his offspeed pitches?

Besides Showball, has your son been seen at Headfirst or Stanford? Coaches may overlook one inconsistent performance if they saw him with better command at another event, but 84-86 would seem to be well within their desired range for RHP.

I wouldn't presume to claim I can evaluate my own kid (or any potential college player, really).  Showball is it for this year for the schools on his list.  It went OK, but he wasn't at his best.  It happens; and I know coaches evaluate potential, not just a particular day's performance. 

I'm confident some school(s) looking at him now will eventually decide they want him on their team.  (But in my most paranoid moments I worry he will be at some other school's camp when those decisions are being made, so they'll look elsewhere...)  For now I'm advising him to keep pursuing any school he'd seriously consider attending.

Chico Escuela posted:

My son's story thus far (he is a 2020 RHP):

    Traded emails with Hopkins over a period of a year or so.  HC Babb is very good about answering emails, and my son sent his basic info, then a couple of updates during HS and travel seasons. Babb always responded promptly to say thanks for the info and encouraging Jr to make good grades.  (I wish all coaches were nearly as diligent about email.)

   Son visited JHU this summer and had a good meeting with Coach Babb while he was there.  Babb described the program, answered questions, and asked my son to send updated video and his academic info.  Son sent those ASAP and received a reply email soon after saying Hopkins is interested and wants to see him this summer (son was planning to attend Showball).  A few days after Showball this past week, son got an email saying JHU remains interested and asking if he wants to continue with their "recruiting process" (which son definitely does).     

   Jr is very interested in Hopkins, and this all seems to be good progress.  But where do we go from here?  They have an August camp, but we have a family vacation (going to another country, tickets already bought). 

   My son is in more or less the same position with a few other HA schools.  A couple of schools suggested they want to see the boy at their fall camps.  Other than that, are we just waiting for schools to see their other candidates and then make their decisions?  Can you more experienced folks tell me what happens next--and what, if anything, my son can do to maximize his chances at this point?    

You are right where you want to be, it is still very early for D3 lock ups. They are actively recruiting all over right now and sifting through various names. Have your son stay in touch with them and others, over the next 2 months things will sort out. My guess is by the start of school or shortly after you will know where you stand. The better the player/student combo is the more flexibility you are going to have. If your son has the grades to get into JHU and is sitting 84-86 you are going to have plenty of options come fall. 

Don't zero in on just one school right now. 

Don't cancel a family vacation, it won't be a deal breaker. IMO.

Babb seemed like a good enough guy, but there was a disconnect between him and his top assistant coach who handles the recruiting. Told one thing by Babb, something different from the AC. Son did great at their camp and got a top written evaluation by their pitching coach (evaluated as Hopkins level with potential to be All American). Did early admissions read with Babb advising scores should be good enought to get in. AC came back and said scores one point too low. Said we could still apply and they'd "support" the application, but was wishy washy about it. We decided to go elsewhere.

What if the HA D3 doesn't offer academic or merit scholarships and only need-based scholarships?

That certainly makes it much more difficult to determine.

My kid is at an HA D3 with a pretty big freshman class on the team.  He and his teammates have been able to compare notes, to a degree, in terms of who the coach called once a week when being recruited vs who got called once a month, vs who got called every other month vs who the HC only called once and the rest of the time the prospect talked to the RC.  Then there are the players who committed early decision and made it through admissions with ease vs those who had to wait.

And then as the freshman year has played out: who gets more reps in the Fall, who makes the travel squad, who gets more reps in practice even if they aren’t starting.

Of course with the latter you are a year into your eligibility before you find out where you stack up etc

“Love” at a private HA D3 = 66% academic scholarship or more.  

The top tier of HAs (which I won't try to define other than as "schools that don't think they need to try to improve their reputations or US News ranking") typically don't offer money based on academic merit--aid is need-based only.  The place to find scholarships is at the next level of HAs--great schools, but not quite the name brand of an Amherst or Swarthmore.  I know Denison, for example, offers some great academic merit awards and is an excellent school with a baseball team that has been in the Top 25 at various points this year.

When there are no merit scholarships, love is something like "I have 6 names that I can send to admissions for Early Decision with a 99% guarantee, and yours is one of them."  That is different from "I send a list to admissions and you will be on it but ultimately it is up to them, but if you get in I would love to have you on the team" which is different from "I don't have a slot for you/room on my list, but if you get in on your own you have a place on the team."

Of course, regardless of this, you have to earn playing time once you get there.

One thing I'd point out is the conversations with the various HA schools changed from "hey we like you stay in touch" to "here's our schedule, send your transcripts, can you send more video, " after he got the SAT score they needed. One RC told the travel coach who recommended my son that they try not to waste much time until they know a kid has the scores to get in.

One RC told the travel coach who recommended my son that they try not to waste much time until they know a kid has the scores to get in.

This is very true.  A lot of coaches asked my son his GPA and test scores more or less right after introducing themselves.  If you can't make their minimum numbers, then the coaches have to move on, however much they like your baseball skills.  I know some HA D3 coaches complain that they have to meet higher standard than the Ivies, who can lower admissions requirements somewhat for athletes.

@BaseballJoe posted:

Babb seemed like a good enough guy, but there was a disconnect between him and his top assistant coach who handles the recruiting. Told one thing by Babb, something different from the AC. Son did great at their camp and got a top written evaluation by their pitching coach (evaluated as Hopkins level with potential to be All American). Did early admissions read with Babb advising scores should be good enought to get in. AC came back and said scores one point too low. Said we could still apply and they'd "support" the application, but was wishy washy about it. We decided to go elsewhere.

Hey BBJoe,

Just an observation without context and timing...  "scores should be good enough" on early admissions read and then "score came back one point too low" doesn't seem so far off from plausible.

Anyway, best of luck to your boy!

Last edited by cabbagedad
@BaseballJoe posted:

Babb seemed like a good enough guy, but there was a disconnect between him and his top assistant coach who handles the recruiting. Told one thing by Babb, something different from the AC. Son did great at their camp and got a top written evaluation by their pitching coach (evaluated as Hopkins level with potential to be All American). Did early admissions read with Babb advising scores should be good enought to get in. AC came back and said scores one point too low. Said we could still apply and they'd "support" the application, but was wishy washy about it. We decided to go elsewhere.

BaseballJoe,

I encourage you to figure out your son's recruiting status between the AC and HC.   If this is a school at the top of his list then don't be shy and get this straightened out ASAP.

A while back, my son, wife and I sat down with a D1 HA HC and his AC in the HC's office in Williamsburg, VA.   My son was getting significantly more communication from the HC, so we used that to our advantage to request a meeting.  The AC has seen him multiple times at showcases and tourneys.  It was extremely clear from the start of the meeting the HC and AC had not communicated or compared notes much at all about my son until we all sat down for that meeting.    My son was uncomfortable listening to the HC give the AC a little bit of a tongue-lashing in front of us.  On the other hand, I had no problem with the exchange  (some popcorn would have been cool) because I knew the AC screwed up (royally) and that is why I wanted to meet with the HC.   We walked away with a 25% offer to this D1 HA state school, and many, many insights and opinions from the HC about some of the other schools that offered my son which I thought was unusual.    It was a very memorable experience.   BTW...Neither the HC or AC are currently at the school.   My son would end up at another D1 HA.

PS...We learned our lesson about dysfunctional HC and AC recruiting communication with the first D1 school that offered him prior to this incident above.   That was a sh*t show that was not going to be repeated if I could do anything about it.

My two cents...nip this communication issue now.

Just my experience and best of luck!

BaseballJoe's experience at Hopkins reminds me of one of the most important lessons I learned during my son's recruiting experience:  The process is a "black box," and a lot of stuff happens that you can't understand and will never know the reasons for.  Coaches will text your kid weekly for a couple of months, then ghost him for a while, then start texting again.  Your son will be pursued avidly by three schools in one conference, but a fourth won't even respond to his emails (even though that fourth school is less competitive in baseball and academics that some of their fellow conference members who have shown interest).  It can be frustrating (or infuriating), but you just have to roll with it.  Sounds like BaseballJoe and his son did just that--they felt like they weren't "loved" at Hopkins, so they moved on.

If your son is still interested in Hopkins, then I think fenwaysouth's advice is good.  It could be worth following up with Babb (who is great about answering emails and who I have always heard is a straight shooter). I also remember Babb saying when my son and I met with him some years ago that raising a GPA was difficult, but a player could always re-take a standardized test and potentially add a few points.

Fenwaysouth,

Thanks for sharing your story. Very interesting and it sounds very much
like what was going on at Hopkins. It boggles my mind that these coaches
can’t communicate with each other better. My son who spoke with the AC
several times said it felt like he was being less than forthright. HC sees
you at his camp and says you’re exactly the type of player they’re looking
for. Pitching coach rates you super high at same camp. But then AC hems and
haws about one point on the SAT. It left a poor impression with us which is
a big reason why we went elsewhere.

On Sat, Apr 23, 2022 at 9:45 AM HS Baseball Web <alerts@crowdstack.com>
wrote:

How often do coaches tell a kid they should be good with admissions and then they aren’t? Seems like the coaches my son has interacted with have a good grasp on the minimums.

My son's experience was that schools asked for a pre-read before they get serious about recruiting.  Your son submits his transcript and test scores and the admissions office tells the coach whether he is likely to be admitted (or not likely, or definitely won't be).  A player who has a successful pre-read and who a coach agrees to support should be admitted as an ED applicant, assuming nothing significant changes, like the player being suspended or failing a class.  At some schools, a coach can get a small number of players admitted who aren't quite up to the usual academic standards--so if your kid is a lefty throwing 90 mph, it may be OK if his ACT is a couple of points lower than if he's a righty topping at 86.  In that case, too, the pre-read process should tell you where you stand.

It's important to ask directly whether the admissions office has given a coach a "tip" he will use for your kid.  Don't settle for just "we'd love have you as part of our program."  But if your son has a coach's support, then you can feel confident he will be accepted.  Coaches will warn you that nothing is guaranteed, but I have not heard of players being rejected after a successful pre-read and a coach's tip (and no significant change in the applicant's situation).

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