MIAC/Centennial/Liberty

jacjacatk,

If I understand the situation correctly, I'd be checking the College Baseball News, NCAA D3 Coaches Poll, and Boyd's World (D3 SOS, ISR, etc..)  to see where these teams/conferences stack up within the conference and outside the conference.  

Essentially, it comes down to how a team does against the top teams that determines the post season, and everybody wants to play in the post season.  Top teams have a knack for picking up top talent.   Some people like that idea and others like to make their own path.  If baseball is a huge part of your son's decision making I'd focus on the schools where he could (realistically) earn playing time. There isn't a lot of D3 data points out there so your going to have to make some assumptions on your own.  Possibly visiting the team in the Fall while baseball practice is going will give him some insights for a rising 2016.  Good luck.

Sorry, I can't help you with any up and comers in high academic DIII. From what I've observed, there isn't a tremendous amount of movement at the top of DIII from year to year. St. Thomas, Hopkins, and RPI have quite a few titles in their respective conferences over the past 10-20 years.

Are you asking about quality of baseball between the conferences purely for baseball reasons, or in regards to making it to Regionals? Because of the DIII CWS format (only 16 at-large bids), I'm guessing that very few teams from these conferences get an invite to Regionals if they haven't won their conference playoff.

I'm sure that you're looking at the weather and travel factors. I don't think the MIAC and Liberty teams got in too many home games this year before April, and probably very few outdoor practices. Centennial did a little better.

Some of these teams have video replay linked to their on-line schedules. Take a look at some games if you haven't already. You being from Atlanta, the level of play by some of the lower teams in the conferences may surprise you (not in a good way).

If I were in your son's position, I would narrow down my list to the schools who have a history of valuing the baseball program, then eliminate those that aren't a good academic fit. That should leave a short enough list to focus on.

My son was an all conference pitcher at Swarthmore.  He turned down an Ivy opportunity to go D3 and was happy he did.  In general the quality of baseball in the conference will always surprise you.  When its bad, its very bad, and when its good its shockingly good.  This makes sense because the top schools (except for Hopkins) are extremely limited in the number of "slots" admissions will "give" to each coach.  Each team may have 6-8 starters that can play at any level of baseball, but the bench drops off very quickly.  Give your "A" catcher a rest and who knows what can happen behind the plate.  The good pitching is throwing mid to high eighties with a handful at 90, but in a blowout you can see a lefty throwing 81 trying to soak up some outs while coach saves his real pitching for the second game of the double header.  

You will see very passionate student involvement both in the stands and on the bench. Playing baseball at these schools is very difficult.  Your son's life will be consumed with books and baseball.  Its a tough grind - and its not for every kid.  Some thrive - but some very talented kids end up leaving baseball to concentrate on school.  

HOWEVER, the kids that stick with it learn the most important lesson of all:  How to be a professional at everything they do.  Perfection is required in the classroom and then you give whatever you have left to the baseball team.  Every player had a well paying job waiting for him after graduation.

Please feel free to PM me with any specific questions about the level, the life, or the opportunities.

With regard he MIAC, there is a fairly wide variation across the conference in terms of academic reputation, with Carleton, Macalester, and St. Olaf regarded as stronger than the rest.  If you attend any of the others, you likely hail from the uppers Midwest. This creates some material differences in admissions dynamics, especially insofar as St. Thomas is concerned.  Carleton and St. Olaf are both in rural Northfield, which is closer to the Twin Cities than it once was, but for all intents and purposes, a world away when you are attending school: just too much work and fun on campus.  Macalester is urban.  The baseball coaches at each school are all good guys who support the student athlete model.  Your son can get to know the Carleton and Macalester coaches at the HeadFirst camps, which they frequent.  Coach McDonald at St. Olaf does not attend, but he is a rock-solid coach with a proven record of excellence, notwithstanding last season's hazing debacle, which was none of his doing, and which he addressed in the most assertive way possible.  The winters are long, so the season definitely ramps up later, and the schools have varying levels of infrastructure for indoor work.  Hope this helps. I suspect the baseball is good at any of these three, but that the cultures of the three are sufficiently unique that they will drive the selection.  If more info needed, feel free to ping me.