Interested to know how one gets into military academies and play baseball. How much time does the kid need to pay back to the military upon graduating? Which ncaa division are these academies equivalent to?
Thanks y'all.
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You should PM GOV, he seems to know these things. A lot is also listed on the Naval Academy Website.
Coast Guard and Merchant Marine play D3. Army and Navy play in the patriot league and Air Force is in the Mountain West (D1s).
I had dinner with a MM grad last week and I believe he said his comittment is eight years.
Follow-on commitment, at least for Navy, is dependent on the service selected (career path in civilian terms). Midshipmen that are selected for submarines are obligated for x years, surface ships is y years, aviation is z years, etc. Generally I believe it is somewhere in the 4 to 7 year range, with perhaps aviation being slightly higher because of the length of the training pipeline. You don't select your career path until junior or senior year.
I've been out of the Navy for 7+ years, so the info may be dated. Also, I did not attend the Academy.
On the baseball side, as mentioned above, Army and Navy are in the Patriot League which is D1. Navy was a perennial conference leader late 90s/early 2000s when I played in the Patriot League, but I believe they are more middle-of-the-pack now.
I'm a Naval Academy grad, not baseball, but football/track. feel free to PM me if you have any questions, would also be open to a phone call with you and your son. Commitment is 5 years. Depending on service selection you may have more of a commitment once you complete the training for that specific career. As stated above, Army, Air Force, Navy are all D1.
Matt Reiland posted:Follow-on commitment, at least for Navy, is dependent on the service selected (career path in civilian terms). Midshipmen that are selected for submarines are obligated for x years, surface ships is y years, aviation is z years, etc. Generally I believe it is somewhere in the 4 to 7 year range, with perhaps aviation being slightly higher because of the length of the training pipeline. You don't select your career path until junior or senior year.
I've been out of the Navy for 7+ years, so the info may be dated. Also, I did not attend the Academy.
On the baseball side, as mentioned above, Army and Navy are in the Patriot League which is D1. Navy was a perennial conference leader late 90s/early 2000s when I played in the Patriot League, but I believe they are more middle-of-the-pack now.
Navy won the Patriot last year, and went to NCAA's (play-ins). One of their pitchers was receiving a great deal of interest.
Ripken Fan posted:Matt Reiland posted:Follow-on commitment, at least for Navy, is dependent on the service selected (career path in civilian terms). Midshipmen that are selected for submarines are obligated for x years, surface ships is y years, aviation is z years, etc. Generally I believe it is somewhere in the 4 to 7 year range, with perhaps aviation being slightly higher because of the length of the training pipeline. You don't select your career path until junior or senior year.
I've been out of the Navy for 7+ years, so the info may be dated. Also, I did not attend the Academy.
On the baseball side, as mentioned above, Army and Navy are in the Patriot League which is D1. Navy was a perennial conference leader late 90s/early 2000s when I played in the Patriot League, but I believe they are more middle-of-the-pack now.
Navy won the Patriot last year, and went to NCAA's (play-ins). One of their pitchers was receiving a great deal of interest.
Thanks for the correction.
Most kids that attend service academies develop their interest early in high school. Academies are designed to develop future officers to lead our troops. While it's cool to have a chance to fly jets, jump out of perfectly safe aircraft and fly gliders, if you graduate, you will serve our country. The commitment to military service upon graduation has ranged from 5-10 years over the past 30 years. It's a 100% scholarship and you'll also earn pay while you attend.
For baseball players it can be the same, or just like any other college pursuit. The player sends emails indicating interest (sophomore year), go to a showcase where Air Force will be attending (Headfirst Honor Camps, Arizona Fall Showcase etc). Develop your skills, playing capabilities while staying strong in the classroom. You want to position yourself to be genuine interest for an academy fall junior year, then there's a chance the AF coaches will see you play in June - July summer incoming senior year.
Air Force "typically" doesn't offer prior to junior year in high school. We have a 2018 MIF in our area who was offered last month. Typically, the AF coaches are trying to stay a few months ahead of the Ivy's. The coaches really need to be comfortable with the players academics. Admissions still makes the final call. The Air Force coaches are permitted to have X number of kids to sponsor thru admissions. Early senior year the prospective candidate (student-athlete) can get an LOA (Letter of Assurance) to provide comfort for their admissions to the Air Force Academy. Appointments to the academy typically don't arrive before November of the senior year.
Entry to the academies is similar to Ivy academic parameters. On the low side a player with a 3.5 gpa and a 28 ACT can get into the academy. But typically the athletes have 3.8-4.0's along with 30-32 ACT's. It depends year to year. The football program has more flexibility. Having a strong GPA is indicative a player might have the work ethic to survive and thrive. You have to want it.
Air Force is in the Mountain West Conference "D1". Their in conference and out of conference play has them competing against top D1 programs half the time, then midD1's, and the rare few games vs D3 schools.
Like papabaseballdad, I'm happy to take a call or discuss via PM. I work with a lot of interested service academy applicants.
Attending the Air Force Academy was one of the most challenging things I've ever done. It was one of the best experiences; I'd do it all over again in a nanosecond. Go Falcons!
My son is at the AF Academy now (not playing baseball). If your son is thinking about going to an Academy he better want to be there for the school and what it offers. If its just to play baseball I would seriously re-evaluate.
standballdad posted:My son is at the AF Academy now (not playing baseball). If your son is thinking about going to an Academy he better want to be there for the school and what it offers. If its just to play baseball I would seriously re-evaluate.
Bingo. Hope your son is doing well.
Thank you. I agree should be a calling rather than just a chance to go to school and play baseball.
If you want to grasp what it's like to be an athlete for an academy read Civil Wars. It's about the college lives of players in the Army-Navy football game. Even though it's a football story line it will bring understanding. Plus it's an awesome book.
Florida State Fan posted:Interested to know how one gets into military academies and play baseball. How much time does the kid need to pay back to the military upon graduating? Which ncaa division are these academies equivalent to?
Thanks y'all.
Don't overlook The Citadel and VMI (Virginia MIlitary Institute), both of which are D-1 programs, both of which offer graduates the opportunity to accept a commission in any one of the services or proceed into civilian life and both of which are infamous for the rigors imposed on first year students.
NTGson is a VMI Rat (freshman), made his decision based on his planned career, major (mechanical engineering), locale, rigorous academics plus D-1 baseball. His limited his other choices to two other service academies, one gave him the LOA, the other welcomed him as an appointed admit (4.3GPA; 34ACT). He never entertained the thought of any school other than one of the academies.
His mother and I are extremely happy for him and proud of his dedication. We can't say enough about the VMI experience thus far. Our son is tired, happy, working hard on the field, doing well in his classes, hating the food, surviving Hell Week and Straining with no drama and is looking forward to a schedule which includes a large number of Virginia schools: UVa, ODU, Richmond, W&M, JMU, Longwood, Mason plus the Southern Conference schedule. We're making travel plans for VMI's season.
I played baseball at Navy, albeit a few years ago. PM if you have specific questions.
Thanks again to all for your opinions and advice. Awesome info. My son and his mother and I have talked about the academies. But truthfully he's never really been all that gung-ho about the military and I know from my own experience military life isn't for everyone so I have not pushed it on him. And to those parents who's sons or daughters have that calling you should be very proud.
Here is my 2 cents. My son was a "Blue Chip" recruit of the Air Force Academy, and during his official visit at Jr. Day (Fall of Jr. Year), he committed on the spot. In hindsight, probably not a good decision. The visit took place during the Notre Dame game, and the campus is ELECTRIC on game day. I get overly excited, and sometimes I don't always see the whole picture. My thoughts were, wow, what a great place for my son! Education is free & he gets paid while doing it? Great career prospects, great experience, etc.
Another aspect of the visit was Coach Kaz! He is absolutely one of the best people that I have ever met, and I have never met a coach that I would want to mentor my son more than him. He is so positive, and he loves the Academy. Coach Kaz also played baseball at the Academy, so he knows what they are going through.
Coach Kaz had 4 Blue Chips. (I am not sure if he has differing amounts of Blue Chips every year, or if he gets 4 per year.) Ryan was one of them. It was definitely quite an honor. With this designation, Ryan would be admitted with a 25 on his ACT. Obviously a 25 would be at the very bottom academically, and Ryan currently had a 24, so his acceptance was dependent on him receiving a 25 on his ACT. It was highly likely that he would, because he hadn't spent much time preparing for it.
In the end, Ryan decided that there was not guarantee that he would get a 25, and his focus at the time was more on baseball than on academics and service. Please note that service and academics are SO MUCH more important than baseball at the Academy. If you decided to not play baseball, because it was too demanding, I don't think they would care much. Baseball is not their goal! Making you a good man and officer are their priorities.
I know this is long, but the Academy would be a great opportunity for any kid! It just wasn't the best one for Ryan, because if he went through with the commitment, he would have been on the low end of the academics. Even the very smartest kids can struggle at the Academy. The demands are rigorous, and it is not for the faint of heart.