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Hi, all. My 17-year-old senior has suddenly decided he wants to play baseball in college. He has been working his tail off, hoping to have a great senior season. I have been very hands-off with him, presenting timelines and opportunities along the way, letting him choose. Now, he seems to have the bug to play at the next level but it's way late.

He is an excellent student and he is going to a 4 year school in the fall. I'm thinking walk on tryout or club ball, but is there any other avenue for a kid like this? One of his teammates last year killed it his senior year and got picked up by a D3 super late, maybe even after he graduated.

His metrics are leaping up, though he and I know he needs to show more in games. So, let's say he kills it his senior year. What are realistic pathways to play at some level in college even after he's past the admission application deadlines? He has applied to schools and has been accepted to a few already, so how does that work if it all?

Thanks for any advice. My oldest son experienced a much more formal and regimented travel ball and recruiting process. My youngest is a real wild card.

Thanks for any advice.

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@BaseballDad72

I dont know if you are aware but next year D1 rosters are expected to be 34 max with 34 full scholarships. That basically  eliminates many choices and many seniors wanting to play D1. That basically means many more players will be looking for other options.

With that being said, I suggest that your son speak to his coach as well his guidance counselor for advice or suggestions.

The possibility of finding a JUCO, D2 or D3 also might be difficult, unless you are willing to attend the high academic showcases or their camps.

Best of luck.

No such thing as walking on to a D1, they are jammed (but there never was, even pre-covid). Some club teams are very competitive.

D2s, D3s and NAIA have no roster limits, some schools carry huge teams (they want tuition-paying students).  Thus, getting "picked up" late may not mean much, he might not play much, or at all.  Many schools have rolling admissions.

Did he not play travel ball?  Can you/he ask the HS coach what he thinks?

To recap @BaseballDad72:

  • Son has applied and accepted at some schools
  • Son has suddenly changed mind about college baseball
  • Son is excellent student
  • Metrics have improved, however no offers or interest at this time

Do you know why all the sudden your son has decided he wants to play college baseball after not pursuing it previously?  What does he want to study?  What does he want to do after he graduates?  I'd start with those three questions then move into the mechanics and logistics of how he can possibly & hopefully make this work.  He's 17 years old, and extremely late in the recruiting process at a time when college baseball recruiting is probably the most competitive it has ever been.

I'd start researching baseball at the schools he's been accepted to, and I'd be very realistic about those baseball opportunities.   As others have mentioned if they are D1s, its probably not worth the time & effort.  D3s are a possibility, but you need to get more info.     Then I'd research additional schools that may be a fit to hopefully apply RD while getting the baseball coaches attention.   There are many D3 schools that are looking for a combination of excellent students and athletes that meet their requirements.   I'd leverage the heck out of his academics as a door opener as you mentioned he is an excellent student.   Club baseball is also an option.   My son played with a couple guys who walked on from the Club team and from another varsity sport.....one of them was MLB drafted.  Walking on happens but it was rare back then and I can only imagine it is tougher now.  JUCO is the other option.   I'll defer to others on JUCO specifics.   This gets back to the 3 questions above.   In my mind, if he wants to eventually play baseball professionally, then JUCO makes a lot of sense

Also, I'd sit down with your son to discuss where he is and where he wants to go while discussing expectations.  From what you've shared it looks to me like he missed the regularly scheduled recruiting "bus".   Depending on what he wants to get out of college there may be another "bus" coming around.

As always, JMO.   Best of luck!

   

Last edited by fenwaysouth

Thanks! Appreciate the input. I pushed my oldest son pretty hard to use baseball as a tool to get into a great school and it worked. Unfortunately reality for him at this school was not his cup of tea and he blew out his arm freshman year. Total disaster but he’s in a better spot now thankfully.

I took a softer approach with my youngest.  Explained timelines to him, presented his options, told him he had all the financial backing he needed. I am a former DI player and understand the recruiting options.

My youngest is an insanely hard worker and he is super pragmatic. He always said why would I go to a showcase when I don’t have numbers yet to show? Always told him projection is key but then again he was always the youngest in his travel age group and he is only now maturing.

Of course now he thinks he has something to show, I.e exit velos in live ABs 95-96 mph off upper 80s pitchers. It’s not unreasonable for him to get close to 100 EV because he is still maturing and growing.

if he has a great senior year I’m afraid this desire to play in college will only grow. Seems like Club at one of the larger schools he’s applied to might be best. Not a JUCO fit and D3 probably not a fit either because of smaller student populations.

oh well. Feel like a damned if you do or damned if you don’t Dad at this point. It’s nice to see him grow to love the process and the game and maybe that’s just fine.

While current time isn't on his side, why not check if his (when accepted) school can defer matriculation for a year? No one - no employer, no school, no coach - will care whether he went straight from HS to college.

Moreover, as the youngest in his travel age group, another year of physical development can only help him.

I know that many Ivy schools tell the (baseball skill) borderline kids that a PG year would actually help their chances at being recruited. There are many high end PG schools - IMG is just one.

Or, if he doesn't want a formal PG year AND is committed to trying to find a college baseball spot, he could just really committ to working everything baseball for a year. This route, however, requires that his baseball personal coaches have some deep college contacts. (He could also work - internship or paid - during his spare time.)

Are his academics in the Ivy range? Ivy schools, because they can only recruit 7 players a year, always have true walk-ons.

I can see no immediate, promising, decent baseball solution  - and if he wants to play college ball, rushing into it at the last moment will probably not meet a good college match. Hence, why not delay college for a year? A gap year can be a really great option.

If he's considering D1's I'd agree with what others have said.  At this point it's almost impossible to think that he will end up making a team.....no matter how his senior year goes.   My son was recruited by 3 or 4 mid-majors.  He ended up at one that in his 4 years there never won more than 15 games.....but that being said, the level of player it took to make his team was still very good.  Almost every incoming freshman was an all-state player in their senior year of HS.  He had several kids his freshman year that he knew from travel ball who came in as preferred walk ons.  None of them made it past the fall.  Keep in mind that he finished school in 2019.....so before they started the "covid year" and before the transfer portal.  I can only imagine what it would be like trying to make a team now as an unrecruited player.   Good luck to your son and I'd never try to talk a kid out of trying to pursue playing in college but unfortunately I think you need to convey to your son that by starting his journey at this late date that it's a highly unlikely possibility.

I agree with the overall sentiment of the thread and appreciate your realistic outlook.  That said, I'll offer up a bit of a different perspective...

Lets assume he does "kill it" senior year and his metrics continue to leap.  (BTW, I say this with the caveat that his HS plays against some decent level of competition).  At that point, it won't go completely unnoticed that he has the metrics AND he has some track record of success against decent arms.  While it will still be a long long longshot for him to latch on with one of his targeted and/or accepted D1 schools that are an academic and social fit, he may get the bug so bad that he is willing to make some changes or concessions on what he considers a fit and widen the circle of schools he is willing to entertain.  And, at that point, maybe y'all might find some new options that check the "revised" boxes for both the parents and the son.

I'll also offer this very unusual story... coaching HS, we had a player who definitely had the tools to play at the next level but was similarly not that interested in pursuing it.  He had other interests, his passion level wasn't quite what it takes and he had a great family business job awaiting him once he completed his business degree at the local well-respected university. He also declined the many travel club options he was offered along the way. We checked in with him regularly on his thoughts throughout his junior and early senior year and he never wavered... in fact, considered not playing his senior year because he loved volleyball and the HS now had a men's varsity team.  We did convince him to stay with the baseball team.  Half way through his senior year, that local D1 university was conducting an invite only prospect event.  As a last-ditch effort, we were able to both secure him a spot and convince him to attend.  The pitching coach took a particular liking to him.  Same P coach was also connected to the local summer college team that happened to play their home games at our HS facility.  One thing led to another and he made a handful of appearances with the summer team (and at this point, he had already graduated!).  He made the college team as a walk on in the fall, redshirted his freshman year and used that time to gain strength and more velo.  By his junior year, he was a dominant starter for a school that typically hovers around the bottom of the D1 top 25 rankings.  He was drafted in the 2nd round of the '17 draft, has spent plenty of time in the majors and is still "hangin' around".    Yes, this route is extremely unusual and unlikely and probably more likely for a P than a position player but all this is to say, nothing is impossible.

I will add, having been involved with many recruited players, I have seen admission processes shortcut-ed and "coaxed" many times. That definitely isn't the case always but things aren't as impossible as one might think when dealing with late decisions.

Best to you and be sure to fully enjoy the moment of his HS senior year regardless of what happens with the notion of playing on.

Last edited by cabbagedad

@BaseballDad72

Honestly, if it were my son, I would take into consideration all that's going on in the college baseball world and send my son off to where he has been accepted.

If the school has a baseball program, whether D1,D2,D3 etc., it's worth investigating options. Also, he needs to have a conversation with his HS coach, or if he has a travel coach.

JMO

My son’s journey to college ball involved late decisions for a different reason. He got injured at the beginning of the post junior year travel season. He was expecting offers as soon as he was seen one more time at PG Nationals.

He tore up his knee in June post junior year. He separated his shoulder requiring surgery in October falling on it doing rehab. He recovered and played spring of senior year. But he wasn’t college prospect rehabbed. He DH’ed the first month. He couldn’t throw hard yet.

The plan was to play Legion in the summer, rehab, do showcases in the fall hoping to start college in January to play college ball the following year. He would play college summer ball wherever he could in between. He would take only two JuCo courses in the fall to avoid starting the eligibility clock.

His Legion team made it to sections and states. It’s when colleges will scout Legion. He received offers to mediocre (or worse) D1s willing to take players late. This probably wouldn’t happen now with the portal.

He was still taking hitting lessons from his former highly regarded 17u travel team assistant coach/associate pro scout. My son was trying to use baseball to get into HA D1s. But he got accepted to two Big Tens on his own academic merits.

His coach told him he was rehabbed and ready to move on. The coach called the two Big Tens. It was already August. They both offered walk on opportunities with scholarship money the following year. My son headed for college later that week as soon as we could redo all the admissions and academic scholarship paperwork. Thank you FedEx.

My son lost out the last roster spot to a late bloomer pitcher who ended up in the majors. My son offered to be a bullpen catcher/manager to be around the team that season.** He became an official member of the team the next fall.

You can replace injury with late interest for this story. Life has changed in D1. I question whether this story would have a happy D1 ending now. But I believe it could work for a quality D3 program. As someone mentioned they only receive so many recruiting slots from the admissions office. There’s always room for more talent at D3s.

Good luck. What I learned from my son’s experience and some others is if a player wants it badly enough they can’t be derailed. They will find a way to make it happen.

** My son joked he hadn’t caught since LL all stars. Now he was catching bullpens of future MLB pitchers with 90+ velocity and awesome movement. But he was quick with good hands.

@TPM posted:

@BaseballDad72

Honestly, if it were my son, I would take into consideration all that's going on in the college baseball world and send my son off to where he has been accepted.

If the school has a baseball program, whether D1,D2,D3 etc., it's worth investigating options. Also, he needs to have a conversation with his HS coach, or if he has a travel coach.

JMO

Solid advice. IMO the top college baseball players, regardless of level, typically have a drive that excels all others around them, which prepares them for the demands of college baseball. Lets be real, college baseball, in addition to the demands of a college experience is hard. When I say hard, I mean it is freaking hard and unless you have participated in, it or watched it as as parent, you have no idea how difficult it is. If your son is suddenly interested in playing ball in college he is in for a big surprise on the demands that happen in college. To this day I still do not know how my managed the demands of school and college. I know @fenwaysouth has the same perspective.

@BOF posted:

Solid advice. IMO the top college baseball players, regardless of level, typically have a drive that excels all others around them, which prepares them for the demands of college baseball. Lets be real, college baseball, in addition to the demands of a college experience is hard. When I say hard, I mean it is freaking hard and unless you have participated in, it or watched it as as parent, you have no idea how difficult it is. If your son is suddenly interested in playing ball in college he is in for a big surprise on the demands that happen in college. To this day I still do not know how my managed the demands of school and college. I know @fenwaysouth has the same perspective.

This. There were several players that were in the same graduating class as my son that went on to play in college. Some who made last minute decisions their senior year to try and play baseball for a school. They were desperate to play and ended up at either expensive schools that weren't great matches as to what they were wanting in a college experience or they went to a school that let them walk on, but they would never see any playing time. Half of them have already quit and that was before the first semester even ended. I'd recommend the broken leg test. Pick a school that he'd love even if he broke his leg and couldn't play. Then of those that pass that test, pick one with a team (club or varsity) where he can realistically compete and see playing time.

My son is at a D1 juco. There are 55+ guys on his team. He's not a fan of the location, but the academic aspect is a good fit for him, he's made life long friends with teammates, and he's already been told he'll be getting play time. He loves it, but with that large of a team there are some who are most certainly questioning whether they made the right choice and are having second thoughts.

Yea good advice and that’s what where I’m leaning. I also understand and have told him what it means to plaY in college. It is your life even at D3. I played in the Big East back in the day so I know what you’re saying.

Here’s the kicker though. My kid seems to love the process more than anything. He works his ass off completely independently six days a week. I honestly see him thriving in a regimented college program. But clearly there’s an odd disconnect-could be that his bros negative experience made him hesitate and now he’s too late or maybe some fear of failing. My oldest was the third generation to play in college so maybe some pressure there??

I just want him to be happy and have a great college experience and make some good friends. I think the college ball train has left the station for him but I’ll still support him if he wants to try.

So, @BaseballDad72, I've given this some more thought.  Your son seems hellbent on pursuing a college baseball opportunity.  He has a fall back position (accepted to some schools), and I think @Goosegg provided another great option with a gap year if he is that passionate about it.   So, let him pursue some schools right now and see where it takes him.   He has absolutely nothing to lose.   

This last minute college baseball recruiting  would have never worked for my son (he is too structured).  Possibly it could work for your son (and others) if he can get some significant help from his high school, travel, Legion coach and others.   He is going to have to pump them for contacts and recommendations.   Time is his enemy.   I would look for the best academic opportunity your son could pursue and see if the combination of academics & baseball can provide some leverage.   I would focus my limited time on the D3 space given what you've shared.   Again, he has nothing to lose.  If he reaches out to 25 schools and gets 2-3 schools/coaches responses with interest then maybe you've got something.   You said your son loves the process more than anything.   Well, it is "go time" if this is something he really wants.  If he finds an opportunity that fits him better than the current opportunity then he'll have some tough decisions to make.   We're here to help if it gets to that point.

As always, JMO.   Please keep us updated.   

Last edited by fenwaysouth

"Lets be real, college baseball, in addition to the demands of a college experience is hard. When I say hard, I mean it is freaking hard and unless you have participated in, it or watched it as as parent, you have no idea how difficult it is."

Another point of consideration are the benefits of college athletics in the post-college hiring process. It's not that athletes get a break BECAUSE they are athletes; athletes are hot commodities because employers recognize it was so FREAKING HARD to be a student AND an athlete - and employers don't need to guess who will work 60 hours/week, function on a team, look to be taught (i.e., coached) to improve, etc.

Most post-college jobs only tangentially touch upon actual college learning (engineering, architecture, physics and some others excepted); the majority of "hard" work skills can be taught. The crap shoot for many companies is identifying who will put in the hours needed to succeed in the job; those hours are where the actual hard work skills will be developed. A summer internship pales in comparison to 4 (or more) years of grinding every single day just to get a small incremental improvement. Employers recognize that a college athlete (at any division) isn't one to take shortcuts or is always looking for the easy button.

A gap year which results in finding a baseball home will reap dividends way beyond college graduation.

@BaseballDad72

You came here  asking for advice, mentioned to us how your son is a good student, works hard at getting better, etc., etc.

But wait, you never mentioned what position he plays. What events has or is he participating in, beside HS ball.   Am I missing something?

What are his metrics. Is he a pitcher, catcher, infielder, outfielder? That's all very important.

Just curious because there is a ton of players out there that are really good but can't find a home.

And yes, college baseball is freaking hard!

Last edited by TPM

Some of y'all who rarely miss details might have missed a few on this one...

In the poster's assessment, the player still needs to have a breakout senior HS season ("He and I know he needs to show more in games") so it's not quite full go time yet and he'll have even less time at that point.

On the other hand, poster DID play college ball AND went through the process recently with first son AND this is part of a multi-generation family of college players so he knows of the "friggin hard" landscape.  Granted, it has gotten exponentially harder in very recent years.

On the other other hand , kid has size, grades and has found a passion in the routine.

This one is very interesting to me and I'll be both curious for the outcome and rootin' for the kid.  I get the impression he'll be more than fine either way.  I do still hope he manages to smell the roses along the way the rest of his HS senior year.

Last edited by cabbagedad

Here is the issue.  Any D1 program he might be interested in is dependant on the roster this coming fall.  Walk ons will be (if not already) a thing of the past due to the portal and freshman are already committed for the fall.

So therefore Juco, D2, D3 NAIA or other program might be the option at some point?  Dad states location is Maryland. Not familiar territory for me.

But nothing really is better than showing a coach you CAN compete. That, at this point. can be achieved by attending showcases or camps. My suggestion once again would be to discuss with HS or travel coach.

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