Sorry for the long list...any insight into these schools?
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Wofford is a small Div 1 school in Spartanburg, SC - highly respected academically, excellent athletic facilities (Panthers owner/Wofford grad Jerry Richardson is major benefactor), that plays in the highly competitive Southern Conference (SOCON). The conference is ranked as the 8th strongest baseball conference in the nation. Outside the conference they play Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia, NC State, Duke. Wofford won the conference tournament in 2007 in an upset and went to their first ever regional. Historically the program struggles against tough competition, but a young second year coach is highly regarded and has aggressively recruited fine classes in an effort to build a winner. The baseball field is right in the middle of campus and is a beautiful modern stadium built in the last five years. The campus is beautiful and the school atmosphere is very friendly. Small classes, all professors, leads to 90% acceptance into first choice grad schools for Wofford students. In short, Wofford is a hidden jewel.
As you may have guessed by now, my son is a student-athlete at Wofford so feel free to send me a private message (PM) with any questions you might have. For him, Wofford has been a great fit.
As you may have guessed by now, my son is a student-athlete at Wofford so feel free to send me a private message (PM) with any questions you might have. For him, Wofford has been a great fit.
quote:Originally posted by Natural:
Wofford is a small Div 1 school
Please correct me if I am wrong, but in 07 at least, they were the smallest D1 in the country. They did field a very competitive program though, and I think they led D1 in HR's that year.
According to the school website, Wofford is currently the second smallest Division 1 school. I believe Centenary is the smallest. You are correct Wofford led the nation in HR's in 2007. Their field is a bit of a launching pad, and they had 7th round draft pick Brandon Waring (27 HR's)in his junior year in 2007. He continued to hit HR's (20) in the Reds organization this past season. Current outfielder Jake Williams was a freshman All American and was named to the Wallace Watch List, while SS Michael Gilmartin had a great summer playing for Cotuit at the Cape and will likely be drafted next summer. Wofford has a talented but very young team this season (2/3rds freshman and sophomores) and play a tough schedule so 2009 is likely to be a "year to grow on."
Methodist, D III in USA South Conference-traditionally successful program, very nice field but located in "Fayette Nam" (Fayetteville, NC). My sons play them each year, appear to be well-coached.
The guard at the gated entrance to the school was an interesting touch...maybe why the town got the nickname "Fayette Nam".
The guard at the gated entrance to the school was an interesting touch...maybe why the town got the nickname "Fayette Nam".
quote:Originally posted by hokieone:
The guard at the gated entrance to the school was an interesting touch...
They do that at my sons school too! What a coincidence! Then they ask you to state the purpose of your visit, open your trunk, see id's for everyone in the car, step out of the car, and check your trunk. Nice guys, big guns.
hokieone - which school on the topic list are you referring to? Spartanburg Methodist is a junior college in Spartanburg, SC.
I second everything Natural said about Wofford. My son plays football there and he loves it. The campus is beautiful, small, and most importantly, is located right across the street from the original Krispy Kreme Doughnut Store!!!
As a "baseball guy," whenever I go watch a football game I stop by to check out the baseball facility. The stadium is very nice, the field surface is good. The rest of the facilities are lacking, i.e. batting cages, indoor, etc. Of course, like people have said, they are one of the smallest D 1 schools in the nation.
Considering the non-conference schedule they play, the strength of the SoCon, Wofford would be a pretty good place to play your college baseball.
As a "baseball guy," whenever I go watch a football game I stop by to check out the baseball facility. The stadium is very nice, the field surface is good. The rest of the facilities are lacking, i.e. batting cages, indoor, etc. Of course, like people have said, they are one of the smallest D 1 schools in the nation.
Considering the non-conference schedule they play, the strength of the SoCon, Wofford would be a pretty good place to play your college baseball.
Middle Georgia continually wins their JUCO conference year in and year out while sending a high majority of their players to the D1 and D2 level.
This year will be no exception as they will compete for the GJCAA Championship once again.
This year will be no exception as they will compete for the GJCAA Championship once again.
I refer Methodist, not Spartanburg Methodist. Nice place Spartanburg.
P.s. As for Wofford, any place with Krispy Creme across the street, where they cook them in front of your eyes and serve them hot, should go to the top of any list.
P.s. As for Wofford, any place with Krispy Creme across the street, where they cook them in front of your eyes and serve them hot, should go to the top of any list.
Marietta and Wooster are two of the most prestigious D3 baseball programs in the nation. If your son is being recruited there he is good. Marietta has won numerous national championships and most recently in 2006. Wooster is annually ranked in the top 10.
Birminghamm Southern used to be a D1 school and recently re-started their program as a D3. I have heard their academics are good along with location.
I know lots of kids are drafted from the Spartanbuurg program and they feed D1 programs like South Carolina and Clemson.
Birminghamm Southern used to be a D1 school and recently re-started their program as a D3. I have heard their academics are good along with location.
I know lots of kids are drafted from the Spartanbuurg program and they feed D1 programs like South Carolina and Clemson.
Natural is on the money regarding Wofford. Unfortunately the one thing holding them back is money. I think they only fund 4-5 baseball scholarships, which puts them at a tremendous disadvantage recruiting wise. Tuition is pretty steep, though not as high as some private colleges. They make up for the lack of scholarships to some degree by going after bright kids who qualify for lots of academic money.
SMC is one of the perennial JC powers in this area. Head coach Tim Wallace and pitching coach Matt Williams are well respected and genuinely good people. Facilities are not great. SMC is usually loaded with talent. If they were a 4 year school they would give a lot of the mid-majors a run for their money.
SMC is one of the perennial JC powers in this area. Head coach Tim Wallace and pitching coach Matt Williams are well respected and genuinely good people. Facilities are not great. SMC is usually loaded with talent. If they were a 4 year school they would give a lot of the mid-majors a run for their money.
Wofford is a great school located two blocks from downtown Spartanburg,SC. It's academic reputation is tops on nearly any list you can find. It currently has 1450 students. Most of them live on campus. The makeup is about 50/50 boys to girls. Converse College(all girls) is a block away. Spartanburg Methodist and USC-Upstate are a few miles west and north of campus, so Spartanburg is sort of a college town.
Wofford is a place where the faculty has been around and stays around for years. Its staff and administration are like family. It is truely a "lifechanging" place to attend school. The friendships made there last a lifetime. I graduated from there and my son has taken classes from professors that taught there in the early 80s when I attended.
As for the baseball program, Natural and MTH are right on the money. A big plus is that there are 25-30 kids on the team. No stockpiling of players. everyone, especially the pitchers, have a chance to contribute from day 1 in the program. A top notch freshman pitcher could become a starter. What else could you ask for as a player.
As for the competition, it is stiff, but again that gives aplayer a chance to be noticed early.
The team is made up of mostly freshmen and sophmores right now. These are basically the two classes the current coach has recruited. I understand there are a few pretty good players coming in next year also.
The program, in my opinion, is on the way up. I am also biased since I have a freshman on the team.
PS-as for Tim Wallace at SMC. He is a Wofford grad. and in the Wofford Baseball Hall of Fame. He was drafted in the second round in 1982. He runs a top notched JUCO program that produced players like Orlando Hudson.
Wofford is a place where the faculty has been around and stays around for years. Its staff and administration are like family. It is truely a "lifechanging" place to attend school. The friendships made there last a lifetime. I graduated from there and my son has taken classes from professors that taught there in the early 80s when I attended.
As for the baseball program, Natural and MTH are right on the money. A big plus is that there are 25-30 kids on the team. No stockpiling of players. everyone, especially the pitchers, have a chance to contribute from day 1 in the program. A top notch freshman pitcher could become a starter. What else could you ask for as a player.
As for the competition, it is stiff, but again that gives aplayer a chance to be noticed early.
The team is made up of mostly freshmen and sophmores right now. These are basically the two classes the current coach has recruited. I understand there are a few pretty good players coming in next year also.
The program, in my opinion, is on the way up. I am also biased since I have a freshman on the team.
PS-as for Tim Wallace at SMC. He is a Wofford grad. and in the Wofford Baseball Hall of Fame. He was drafted in the second round in 1982. He runs a top notched JUCO program that produced players like Orlando Hudson.
SMC finished the 2008 season ranked 12th Nationally in JUCO. I believe they also sent 7-9 players to College of Charleston, USC, etc.
Nothing to sneeze at for sure!
Nothing to sneeze at for sure!
I was at Wofford for the SCBL All-Star game last summer. Great campus, beautiful grounds, and a nice diamond. My son played for one of their assistant coaches last summer. Great experience overall.
The two jucos(SMC and Middle GA) that you have named are very good schools. Criag Young at Middle Ga has done a quality job but a lot of times his kids fail to get into 4 yr schools because they dont have the classes. He got a great pick up with Chris Edge who is doing the recruiting and working with hitters. Edge played at Georgia. He has picked up some big names from the state of Ga.Word from Pro scouts is they should win some games this year.
Tim Wallace at SMC just continues to win despite their tution price. He is a great leader as said in previous post.The guy has won over 1000 games. Team finished 3rd at JC national tourney 2 years ago. Matt Williams does his pitching and recruiting and is highly reguarded in the carolinas and its just matter of time before Wallace loses him(has big time pitching background-grew up son of pitching coach Steve Williams who is a high school coach). Also has another guy helping named Chris Kemp who I think works with hitters. He has not been their long but want to say he has pro experience and went to Tennessee. If he couldn't teach hitting he would not be there because Wallace really loves to hit. Both guys played for Wallace at SMC. Word from some of the pro scouts that I have spoken with say that Wallace will bring one home this year. His kids go to big schools. If you are choosing between the listed schools and are serious about baseball it should come down to these two. Personally I feel Wallace is better than Young but both do a tremendous job.
Tim Wallace at SMC just continues to win despite their tution price. He is a great leader as said in previous post.The guy has won over 1000 games. Team finished 3rd at JC national tourney 2 years ago. Matt Williams does his pitching and recruiting and is highly reguarded in the carolinas and its just matter of time before Wallace loses him(has big time pitching background-grew up son of pitching coach Steve Williams who is a high school coach). Also has another guy helping named Chris Kemp who I think works with hitters. He has not been their long but want to say he has pro experience and went to Tennessee. If he couldn't teach hitting he would not be there because Wallace really loves to hit. Both guys played for Wallace at SMC. Word from some of the pro scouts that I have spoken with say that Wallace will bring one home this year. His kids go to big schools. If you are choosing between the listed schools and are serious about baseball it should come down to these two. Personally I feel Wallace is better than Young but both do a tremendous job.
