Make a move.

His age doesn't matter as far as when to start the process. His grade level does.

The main web page on this site has a great deal of good advice. You might start by reading that information.

Best wishes for your son.

blm

TAKE THE TIME to go through and read the past threads too. It is a Goldmine of information.
Mine just started his Jr. year, we have been sending letters for about a month now. The process for us is just beginning.
I can't offer much advice, but I will say researching the Colleges Rosters, Coaches Backround, Cost of Attendance, Financial Aid, Academic requirements etc..etc.. TAKES AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT OF TIME. I would start that now, I wish we would have started sooner.

There is nothing that says your can not write a introductory letter, along with a Player Profile and send it on to the colleges that he is interested in.

Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice,I think I wiil try to get an early jump on as much as I can. Can anyone offer there thoughts on how much of outside colloge placement programs can help??? Or is it just another place to drop more money?

blm, you might want to read the thread at this link:

http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7256056565/...821009311#6821009311

blm

Do a search on RECRUITING SERVICES and SCOUTING SERVICES.

You will find a lot of info and opinions there, from peaple that have been there.

Well, there ya go, infield found it for ya!!

Hi blm, I can tell you what we did at our sophmore year and into our junior year, which turned out to work for us.

We picked out about 5 schools that we decided we wanted to start checking out and they were a mix of D1, D2 JUCO and NAIA. During our sophmore year we went to camps or other events of our top two college choices to start the interaction with the coaches. We also sent some detailed information about my son ahead of the camp and indicated in the letter we would be attending their camp. One school had a Labor Day showcase event and both had winter camps in December. We were always too busy to go to summer camps, but many do take time out to go to the summer camps also.

During the sophomore and junior year we also went to visit as often as we could. We watched their fall workouts, toured the campus, talked to the coaches; got to know them and more importantly this allowed the coaches to get to know my son.

I guess my point is, do not wait for them to come knocking. I believe the coaches like it when they see that you are really interested in going to their school.

Good luck!

I would definitely start sending out letters to any school you have an interest in playing for and then start targeting your top choices and going to camps and showcases. My son is not looking at much close to home so we have gone to camps and showcases and sent out a lot of letters. He is getting attention from these schools, but we had to take the initiative. Start now, you have less time than you think that you do. Also go to some camps at big schools that invite a lot of other coaches so you generate more exposure.

blm - Our son is also a hard-throwing LHP who graduated this June from high school at age 17, and signed with a West Coast D1.

Here's what he did as a soph - played on the top travel team in our area, and worked with a trainer during the off season to improve his strength. As a Junior, wrote colleges that interested him, and went to all the Junior Days to see the campus and talk with the coaches. Had a very good Junior year in HS ball, and then another good baseball summer, topped off with a couple of good performances at local and PG showcases and Area Code events. He also went to a few college camps to see if he really liked that school and the coaches.

Basically, we followed the advice of people on this website, and directions for contacting colleges. Along the way we were helped by many good people. Your son has to continue to work hard on the baseball diamond, in the gym and in the classroom. He will get a great look as a LHP, but low grades, lack of work ethic or bad attitude will drive schools away.

As far as his age goes, being younger than the other players in his recruiting class was a slight disadvantage for college recruiting, but we figure it will be more than made up for when he is a Junior in college and draft eligible - a year younger than everyone else.

Good luck!

HitaHomer made a good point about the bigger programs, in that they do bring in other coaches to help at the camps and they are all looking for prospects.

One thing I would add is watch the interaction between the coaches and your son. You probably will not get much individual attention or interaction on the first visit, but on repeat visits to their camps they do seem to spend more time with the guys they like. I'm not talking about hours here, but our experience was 15 to 20 minutes son-to-coach talking or special introductions to the head coach and other players that others do not get.

If they ask you to come back on an unofficial visit, DO IT. They are able to talk and interact with you while you visit them. Once you leave their campus NCAA rules allow only general contact like sending brochures on camps or general stuff about their program.

Be prepared to move on to your next choice in schools if you don't get that "special" feeling when you "revisit" a program. That is why I would say you are not too early. When you start laying out a schedule of the schools you want to visit, factor in second (or even third) visits and available camps, you can run out time fast.

I think this advice is so priceless. AL MA 08, I would like try to follow you as close as I can, if thats ok as we have similar situations. I'll just keep looking for your posts. We have received some info on a few camps by mail. Not really sure how they got to us. I guess thats not important how we got them. Again I appreciate all the help and will keep my eyes and ears open.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AL MA 08:

We picked out about 5 schools that we decided we wanted to start checking out and they were a mix of D1, D2 JUCO and NAIA. During our sophmore year we went to camps or other events of our top two college choices to start the interaction with the coaches. We also sent some detailed information about my son ahead of the camp and indicated in the letter we would be attending their camp. One school had a Labor Day showcase event and both had winter camps in December. We were always too busy to go to summer camps, but many do take time out to go to the summer camps also.

During the sophomore and junior year we also went to visit as often as we could. We watched their fall workouts, toured the campus, talked to the coaches; got to know them and more importantly this allowed the coaches to get to know my son.

I guess my point is, do not wait for them to come knocking. I believe the coaches like it when they see that you are really interested in going to their school.
QUOTE]

I really like that process! My son did wait on schools to coming knocking and they did. The problem with that is we allowed schools to be in control, not us! Regardless of how recruited your kid will be and regardless of that level, to be proactive starting early is soooooo smart!

Lafmom, Thanks for letting us know that we are on the right track. It is a relief to hear some re assurance. At times it feels like walking on egg shells for the fear that your gonna blow it for him.
I just did not want to be one of those people who was rushing things by starting to early. Time goes fast and, I did not want to have to try to make up for lost time.

You cannot start too early. Keep in mind that baseball is a spring sport so you want to have your ducks in a row, hopefully, by the middle of the HS Senior year.

Thanks blm and Lafmom, but as others point out there is a wealth of information on this site and the interactions on this message board are PRICELESS! You can see from my profile that we registered in 2004 when my son was in 8th grade. I have read alot more than I have posted and there are many many knowledgable people that post on this site.

blm, your son and mine do have alot in common, my son is also a hard throwing lhp. He will also graduate at 17 years old next spring. We also did things that brod points out with PG, travel teams, and dedicated training programs in the fall and winter. So you need to read through these thread and pick out what you believe will work for you.

I'll keep it all in mind and,I am sure I'll be returning to this site alot. PG seen my son pitch and invited us to a showcase coming up in the fall. Also, this fall he has a workout program for the fall/winter with a friends son who is in his sr. year and pitches for ST.Bonventure. Thanks for all your input and I'll read,read,read.