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Hope this question isn't too confusing. My son just started junior college out of state and is playing baseball for them. He's a pitcher, throwing in the mid '80s. I think it's a pretty good fit for him baseball-wise, and love the coach, except the academic offerings are not the greatest. He's feeling the same way. He's doing just fine in fall ball, but is having second thoughts about staying and playing for the team in the spring, because if he commits to one year, he feels like he has to stay two. Once he starts to play JC ball, he wants to play for only one school. He wants to transfer to a JC in state, because he feels his chances of transferring to a four-year college in our state will be better if he stays in state. Plus, the JC's he's looking at have much better academic offerings, and programs and courses he's more interested in. He's been told playing fall ball does not affect your eligibility, since all the games are scrimmages.

I know if he transfers he cannot play on his new school's team in the spring, but I guess I'm just wondering if his thinking is correct here. I know it will put him a year behind, and I guess that's my concern. I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this situation and has any comments on it. Thanks in advance.
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Welcome to the HSBBW! Smile

To start, your son is correct. Fall practice counts as participation in the sport! So it is important that he decide what is most important to him, playing baseball now ... or not playing baseball while attending a school that is closer to home and/or has better academic challenges.

There are so many conditions to transferring schools when it comes to sports. I've included a link below and I suggest calling to confirm his eligibility once your son has made his decision. Good Luck!

2010-11 NCAA Transfer rules
Last edited by RHP05Parent
I guess I'm not sure why he couldn't transfer to another JC in the spring? He certainly couldn't transfer to a D1 and play in the spring, but a JC? I could be wrong but I think it happens all the time when kids are cut after the fall and head elsewhere.

Be careful, fall participation may result in starting the calendar but it does not result in using a year of competition.
Last edited by CADad
Good point CADad, sorry for the misleading info.

OHMom2010 -
It may not be a problem to continue to play baseball but it really depends on the rules for each college baseball program. You should get confirmation from the athletic director of the new school he wants to attend before making a decision.

Here's the handbook for National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Eligibility.

Section 10 addresses transfers between JCs for this ruling organization. Here's an excerpt:
quote:
Section 10. TRANSFER RULE
A. General Provisions Which Apply to Any Transfer Student-Athlete.
1. Transfer students/student-athletes are those who have attended any college beyond the first 15 calendar days of a term or have participated in an athletic contest and at a later date enroll and attend classes at another college.
2. Student-athletes may not participate in the same sport during the same academic year at two different colleges. Fall participation in the sports of Baseball, Bowling, Golf, Lacrosse, Softball, and Tennis shall not prevent student-athletes from competing in the same sports during the spring season of the same academic year after having transferred from another college and satisfied all the transfer provisions of the eligibility rules. An exception to this rule is: Student-athletes who transfer from a college which has dropped a sport. (Documentation of the program being dropped must be provided when submitting the eligibility.)
3. Student-athletes who have participated in a sport before a term begins, between terms, or within the first 15 calendar days of a term and subsequently transfer before or within the first 15 calendar days of the term, must serve probation before they are eligible to participate in athletics.
4. Student-athletes serving probation shall not be allowed to dress for any athletic contests.
5. Whenever student-athletes are required to serve probation due to academic ineligibility, they must be enrolled full-time (12 or more credits) at the institution where they will be participating.
6. To be eligible in a sport that spans over two terms, transfer student-athletes must be enrolled in 12 or more credit hours (full-time) during the term when the season of that sport begins. The student-athlete must also be enrolled at the college where they have chosen to participate. There are five exceptions to this rule as found in Section 4.G.

B. Transfers from an NJCAA Member College.
Students/student-athletes transferring from an NJCAA member college are either immediately eligible upon transfer or must serve a probationary period. The following rules determine the student-athlete's eligibility status.
1. Immediate Eligibility – To be immediately eligible upon transfer, a student-athlete must comply with both of the following two requirements:
a. Satisfy the provisions of Section 4.D. or 4.E. (Use the rule which is applicable to the transfer student-athlete.)
and
b. Satisfy one of the following provisions numbered 1 through 5.
i. The college from which the student-athletes are transferring does not have a particular sport(s). (The student-athletes are immediately eligible only in the sport which is not offered.)
ii. An NJCAA Transfer Waiver Form is signed by the Athletic Director and Chief Executive Administrator of the community college from which the student-athletes are transferring.
iii. Student-athletes who have not participated in any sport, transfer from their first community college to any community college within their home district, county, or service area.
iv. Student-athletes enroll at the first possible opportunity in a newly established college or a college that initiates an intercollegiate athletic program within the student-athlete's home district, county, or service area.
v. The college from which the student-athlete is transferring has been placed on probation in the sport in which the student-athlete is participating. This provision does not apply to any student-athlete that is causatively involved in the problem resulting in the penalty.

2. Probation Period. A student-athlete who has attended an NJCAA member college as a full-time student and/or participated who transfers from that college to another NJCAA member college may not participate for one season. The probation season is interpreted as the season immediately following his/her last term of full-time enrollment.
NOTE: The season of probation must be served during the official sport season.
1. The student-athlete may be immediately eligible upon transfer if he/she has a NJCAA Transfer Waiver from the last college(s) of full-time enrollment that offers the sport.
2. All academic provisions listed in Article V, Section 10.B.1.(a) must still be met.
NOTE: A 16-week probationary period applies to all ineligible transfers from member NJCAA colleges with the exception of those student-athletes not satisfying one of the provisions listed in Article V, Section 10.B.1.b. (The probationary period is defined as the completion of one academic term of 16 calendar weeks, passing 12 credit hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher.)
NOTE: Rule does not affect transfer students from four year college or from non-NJCAA member colleges and that 16 calendar weeks probationary period would still apply.
NOTE: Before a student-athlete can participate in a second season of an NJCAA certified sport, the provisions of Section 4.F must be satisfied.

Very clear right?
Last edited by RHP05Parent
Thanks, both of you, for your answers. I was also able to find the NJCAA eligibility rules, and my understanding of reading them is that he can play fall ball at one school, and if he keeps the GPA above a 2.0, and gets permission from his school, he can transfer to a different school in the spring and play there. I think he just has to have a transfer form signed. I really appreciate you steering me in the right direction.
One other thing he may want to consider is this. Any other JC player now practicing for the spring is going to be hard to bump. Mid-80's is relief pitching on most JC squads. If he's fine with that, then he may see some innings.

Most freshmen pitchers will "on average" see approx. 25 innings all year. Unless they're throwing 90+....

Good luck.

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