Some Colleges have JV teams how does this work? Do kids intermingle depending on what they need and when? Or just work harder and get better to make varsity? Looking at Rollins? Thanks for any info.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
My understanding is they practice with the varsity and have a small schedule of their own. The kids rarely ever dress for varsity games. They eventually quit. These are kids who were barely recruited if recruited at all. Keep in mind every year a new batch of heavily recruited players arrive. I've heard some schools use this as a scam to bring in more full paying males and the coach gets a bonus.
I think there's a wide variety of types of JV baseball teams. SluggerDad's son played JV at a west coast school this season. He has written about it here.
I found a website for the Rollins JV team. Their roster includes players from all four classes, which seems unusual to me. I would talk to someone who is currently playing there (varsity or JV). I'm sure they could give you a good idea about how the JV figures into the program. It could be a pipeline to varsity, more like a club, or just a dead end.
SportsMom, in case this is an important factor for your son, keep in mind that if he plays on a JV team in games against other programs, he uses a season of college eligibility, even if he doesn't have any interaction with the varsity team.
Seems like half the battle is learning up front (prior to commitment) that that program has a JV team.
My son's former program has/had a JV program and those kids practiced with the Varsity team and were part of scrimmages. (which they do A LOT) All workouts were together. Other programs, like Sluggers dad's son, tend to keep them separate, so it depends on the program. BTW my son's D3 program is consistently a top 10 team and has been ranked number 1 on and off throughout the past 4 years, so spots are tough for freshmen.
In the end you have to earn a spot on a Varsity team and sometimes it is better to continue to play and be involved with a team and eventually work your way on to the travel squad. At least in my son's program this tends to happen with pitchers more than position players, but this year the team is completely full of Sr's and other players are only getting some spot innings. Next year the whole team turns over so a lot of kids will be working their way onto Varsity and the travel squad. Do your research and ask questions, but overall I find them positive more than negative.