Any feedback on this program in PA?
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I knowthey struggled last yearbut have a new coach. Wehave seen him at a couple ofcamps and seems energetic. Goodschooland nicefield butremoved from campus. Verynice fitnesscenter, fieldhouse and dininghall. I dont believe it is the strongest D3 conference and Johns Hopkins usually wins the confrence, but not always.
Don't know much about the new baseball coach. Very fine academic school and a top D-3 football program and great coach. Interested to hear more about baseball program.
My son goes there and is on the baseball team (sophomore this year). I'm from NH - so I didn't know much about the school before we went. In our area the D3 schools that are highly sought after are in the NESCAC conference. People always give me a quizzical look when I say my son goes to Muhlenberg. I don't normally follow this part of the HS baseball web, but jt123 got contacted by someone who knew my son goes to Muhlenberg and now we've shared a few PM's. Figured I'd highlight for others benefit.
Academically they are a good school and in a conference with quite a few highly regarded institutions. My son went to a private HS in NH. He had good grades in HS, better than average SAT/ACT scores, and had a relatively easy time getting into Muhlenberg. His first year was good and found things more challenging in the Spring semester. It's a rather small school and campus - everything sits pretty much within a few rectangular blocks in Allentown (which is nothing like the Billy Joel song) a short drive from downtown. When he was doing his visits he really enjoyed the smaller campus and got to like the baseball players. Even during the year it seemed like the group was very good at sticking together and being able to communicate with one another (and since the season didn't end like it started that was good!).
The baseball team started off great last year - getting votes in the D3 national poll. The successful trip to DC and FL really helped build confidence; however, they were very young though - only 3 seniors. One of those was a DH only, one was a starting 1B, and the other pitched a few innings. The 4 primary starting pitchers were 2 juniors and 2 freshman (one being my son). Once the team entered conference play things went south usually over that "bad inning syndrome". Other teams were certainly older/more experienced and were able to limit runs in bad innings. Fair warning for people looking at statistics - as a parent of a pitcher it was frustrating when you read the box scores that had infield single to SS (or 2B or 3B) when you knew those were errors. That led to higher ERA's and perhaps inflated BAVG's.
Last year when the baseball coach was announced as the new AD it meant the baseball HC job was up for grabs. From what we understand there were well over 100 applicants. Allentown is in a pretty good location in regards to accessibility and driveability from NY/NJ and the Philly area. With the team being young, I would say coaches figured they could build upon the new core. From what I hear, the new coach was out on the summer showcase circuit. I think he was really looking to see what was out there and then determine what he had before he started matching needs to who was looking to come to Muhlenberg. It does seem they've kept the assistants from last year so there is some continuity for the players. I think the new coach will help quite a bit and am anxious to see things get started.
The Fall season hasn't started yet, but it seems they are on the right track from what we heard over the summer from an assistant. I had to laugh when I read in another thread that recruiting in D3 is mainly get as many bodies as you can get and see who sticks around for 4 years. No different at Muhlenberg. Last year there were 45+ kids in the Fall and we've heard there are 60+ this Fall. We were told there will be "cuts" after about a week of practice/tryouts. Fall is short - only 15 practices followed by a scrimmage with Lehigh (three 6-inning games - varsity, jv, freshman was how it was done last year).
Probably more than was asked and hope it helps someone out there. My advice is always to visit as many schools as you can and ask questions! Do the camps of the schools you are more interested in and be sure to do an overnight visit. That's where you'll meet more players, get to go to a class, and see whether you like your perspective teammates...
Academically they are a good school and in a conference with quite a few highly regarded institutions. My son went to a private HS in NH. He had good grades in HS, better than average SAT/ACT scores, and had a relatively easy time getting into Muhlenberg. His first year was good and found things more challenging in the Spring semester. It's a rather small school and campus - everything sits pretty much within a few rectangular blocks in Allentown (which is nothing like the Billy Joel song) a short drive from downtown. When he was doing his visits he really enjoyed the smaller campus and got to like the baseball players. Even during the year it seemed like the group was very good at sticking together and being able to communicate with one another (and since the season didn't end like it started that was good!).
The baseball team started off great last year - getting votes in the D3 national poll. The successful trip to DC and FL really helped build confidence; however, they were very young though - only 3 seniors. One of those was a DH only, one was a starting 1B, and the other pitched a few innings. The 4 primary starting pitchers were 2 juniors and 2 freshman (one being my son). Once the team entered conference play things went south usually over that "bad inning syndrome". Other teams were certainly older/more experienced and were able to limit runs in bad innings. Fair warning for people looking at statistics - as a parent of a pitcher it was frustrating when you read the box scores that had infield single to SS (or 2B or 3B) when you knew those were errors. That led to higher ERA's and perhaps inflated BAVG's.
Last year when the baseball coach was announced as the new AD it meant the baseball HC job was up for grabs. From what we understand there were well over 100 applicants. Allentown is in a pretty good location in regards to accessibility and driveability from NY/NJ and the Philly area. With the team being young, I would say coaches figured they could build upon the new core. From what I hear, the new coach was out on the summer showcase circuit. I think he was really looking to see what was out there and then determine what he had before he started matching needs to who was looking to come to Muhlenberg. It does seem they've kept the assistants from last year so there is some continuity for the players. I think the new coach will help quite a bit and am anxious to see things get started.
The Fall season hasn't started yet, but it seems they are on the right track from what we heard over the summer from an assistant. I had to laugh when I read in another thread that recruiting in D3 is mainly get as many bodies as you can get and see who sticks around for 4 years. No different at Muhlenberg. Last year there were 45+ kids in the Fall and we've heard there are 60+ this Fall. We were told there will be "cuts" after about a week of practice/tryouts. Fall is short - only 15 practices followed by a scrimmage with Lehigh (three 6-inning games - varsity, jv, freshman was how it was done last year).
Probably more than was asked and hope it helps someone out there. My advice is always to visit as many schools as you can and ask questions! Do the camps of the schools you are more interested in and be sure to do an overnight visit. That's where you'll meet more players, get to go to a class, and see whether you like your perspective teammates...
I want to throw in an observation about D3 recruiting. There are D3 coaches who do not seem to take the "y'all come on down" approach. My son has spoken with D3 coaches who are very specific about their needs, and are focused in their recruiting efforts.
