Is there a major difference for a life of a NAIA student athlete compared to a D1 student athlete?
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No; go to class, study, go to the field, weight room, eat, and sleep; do it again!
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Right on the mark!
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Right on the mark!
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Is it more difficult though at a D1 school rather at a NAIA school? Do they practice more at D1 schools? How do NAIA schools feel about their sports teams?
quote:Is it more difficult though at a D1 school rather at a NAIA school?
Is what more difficult? The game does not change, classes are all relitive, studying is what kids make of it and put into it, conditioning is conditioning - each school will have their own program.
The importance of athletics on campus is as different as night and day. Each school will have it's own vibe and as such there can never be a single answer.
I don't care what level/organization all schools practice alot. Are they the same; no, are they different, yes; is one "better than the other", no way to know.
Most NAIA teams will never board a plane together. They will travel on buses or vans. The NAIA teams will not usually have the same type of weekend series, they will often play doubleheaders home and home or construct their schedules the best they can.
NCAA teams for the most part I believe are better funded, but yes there are some incredible NAIA teams...
Those are the differences I see, maybe I need glasses, maybe not.
NCAA teams for the most part I believe are better funded, but yes there are some incredible NAIA teams...
Those are the differences I see, maybe I need glasses, maybe not.
Trojan-skip....so would you say "time away from academic" is about the same on an average D1 vs average NAIA? Would the same be true of D2 and D3? Thx.
I don't know this for sure but when I look at the JUCO schedule my son played, he missed some time from class, but not much at all. When I look at my sons D-2 schedule which includes out of state trips and trips across the state of Florida, I can see how it will be a greater challenge to keep up with classes. A D-1 schedule includes more games and more travel thus more time away from classes.
I believe that most NAIA will play a schedule less arduous then a D-2 and certainly less than a D-1.
I believe that most NAIA will play a schedule less arduous then a D-2 and certainly less than a D-1.
It just depends on the schools schedule. Some d1's are probably close enough to conference foes to have less missed time.
You also have to consider that things will change unexpectedly. A new coach or AD will Chang scheduling dramatically.
Laptops, YouTube lectures and online quizzes have really made things easier for kids to miss class time but the truth is that baseball players will miss class, so do crew, equestrian and basketball,
If you choose your major wisely and work on your classes when you should a kid can get his degree and still be a heck of a baseball player
Jmo
You also have to consider that things will change unexpectedly. A new coach or AD will Chang scheduling dramatically.
Laptops, YouTube lectures and online quizzes have really made things easier for kids to miss class time but the truth is that baseball players will miss class, so do crew, equestrian and basketball,
If you choose your major wisely and work on your classes when you should a kid can get his degree and still be a heck of a baseball player
Jmo
The two factors that are being pointed out that makes the college baseball experience difficult are:
Number of Games; that is the more games the more missed classes, travel, etc.
Travel Logistics; The greater the distances that teams travel the more time off campus which tranlates into missed classes, study time on the road (which is always tough).
These two factors effect all forms of college ball (D1-D3, NAIA or Juco). It is difficult to measure the impact without doing your due dilligence.
What we found out was in the spring it was tough for our son to carry more than 12 units. This translated into an extra semester to graduate.
The impact of scheduling can be reduced based upon the number of games and the length of schedule. Generally, northern schools start latter which compacts their schedules. There is also a tendance for northern schools to head south for at least a week (sometimes longer). This can only mean more time off campus. D-3 schools generally finish a week before D-2 which finishes a week before D-1 (scheduling of the NCAA tournaments). Some conferences have championships some don't again this impacts scheduling and time out of the classroom. The timing of when a schools schedule concludes can tie into when finals occur which again can have an impact.
Geography and conference participants are the major factors which impact travel. A D-1 on the west coast has much longer travel than say a MAC school in Ohio. What you can not do is assume that travel is impacted by what division a team operates in. My son's D3 conference had huge travel with many a 14 hour bus trip. Also, you can not assume that teams will fly; some trips they may and some they may choose a bus/van.
My point is get out a schedule, see who they play and then do your due dilligence.
Number of Games; that is the more games the more missed classes, travel, etc.
Travel Logistics; The greater the distances that teams travel the more time off campus which tranlates into missed classes, study time on the road (which is always tough).
These two factors effect all forms of college ball (D1-D3, NAIA or Juco). It is difficult to measure the impact without doing your due dilligence.
What we found out was in the spring it was tough for our son to carry more than 12 units. This translated into an extra semester to graduate.
The impact of scheduling can be reduced based upon the number of games and the length of schedule. Generally, northern schools start latter which compacts their schedules. There is also a tendance for northern schools to head south for at least a week (sometimes longer). This can only mean more time off campus. D-3 schools generally finish a week before D-2 which finishes a week before D-1 (scheduling of the NCAA tournaments). Some conferences have championships some don't again this impacts scheduling and time out of the classroom. The timing of when a schools schedule concludes can tie into when finals occur which again can have an impact.
Geography and conference participants are the major factors which impact travel. A D-1 on the west coast has much longer travel than say a MAC school in Ohio. What you can not do is assume that travel is impacted by what division a team operates in. My son's D3 conference had huge travel with many a 14 hour bus trip. Also, you can not assume that teams will fly; some trips they may and some they may choose a bus/van.
My point is get out a schedule, see who they play and then do your due dilligence.
Well said ILbb
Cumberland U. in Lebanon Tn. can compete against most mid-level D1 maybe not the SEC but definately A-Sun, MVC OVC etc...
NAIA does not have as much travel, but they do travel. NAIA does not play the same conference competition.
NAIA does not have as much travel, but they do travel. NAIA does not play the same conference competition.
Take this for what it is worth.
A couple of my sons former upper classman players who initially went to NAIA then transfered to a mid D1 and high D2 said the competition was dramatically different. Neither cared for the NAIA team they played for and are now much happier even though they play less.
Go figure.
A couple of my sons former upper classman players who initially went to NAIA then transfered to a mid D1 and high D2 said the competition was dramatically different. Neither cared for the NAIA team they played for and are now much happier even though they play less.
Go figure.
quote:Originally posted by Thunder11:
Is there a major difference for a life of a NAIA student athlete compared to a D1 student athlete?
I hear D1 has better party's.
I think I might be able to add some perspective to this since I played two years of NAIA ball back in the early 90's. Now as for D1 I have no clue because I didn't play there. There have been many changes as to how things are done so you may want to take things with a grain of salt.
Travel - NAIA may not travel as far as D1's but it's still an all day affair. We would get on the bus at 6 AM, drive 6 or 7 hours, play a game (sometimes two sevens), grab something to eat, drive 6 or 7 hours back to school and get home at midnight or later. We had to be in class the next day and we had to be at practice the next day. Sometimes when you start getting rainouts you might do this 2 or 3 times a week plus a home game. It will wear you out and make you hate life. I have no idea if that's worse or better than D1 but I know it wore me out.
Skill level - NAIA ball is vastly different. There are some schools that can compete with D1's and there are some that would lose to an adequate high school team. I saw and caught a lot of guys who threw high 80's and into the 90's but there is one difference from what I could see. A D1 pitcher will pretty much hit the spot the catcher throws up as a target most of the time. An NAIA pitcher will throw it just as hard but that area around the target gets much bigger in terms of accuracy. The off speed stuff isn't quite as sharp or breaks as much. They are pretty good but there's a reason why they didn't go D1. Hitters can hit but it just doesn't go as far or as hard as D1s. Another thing to realize is that admission requirements are easier at NAIA than D1 so you will find D1 talent at NAIA schools because they couldn't get into a D1 school.
Workouts - This is probably the one area where there might be a significant difference from D1. Obviously NAIA schools have less money than D1s so we never had any type of conditioning coach. Plus our coaches had to have other jobs to make a living. We had to work out on our own and there wasn't anybody to check up on us. Sadly this is the one area I wish I could go back and do over. I was always pretty strong and didn't work out as much as I should. During the season we didn't work out any but we did a lot of conditioning in the preseason and I mean a lot of conditioning.
Schedule - we played around 45 - 55 games I believe but I can't really remember now. We would play double headers on Saturday and if the team was relatively close during the week. Our typical week was something like Tue, Thu and Sat. Sometimes we would play on Sun but it was rare. We had some overnight trips but not very many.
Academics - when it didn't rain it wasn't too bad in missing class and we had to make sure we kept up with missed work. Obviously this was before the internet and mainstream use of computers. My freshman year it rained a lot and we had to move around a lot of games. I had a math class with another freshman and we probably missed two weeks of class. When we finally returned the professor didn't know who we were. We kept up with our class by getting assignments from others in class. We got through it but it was rough.
Overall college baseball is rough and you really got to want it to do it but it is something you will treasure the rest of your life. Some of my best friends in the world were my buddies on the team. I hope things have changed since I played but I would caution that if you play NAIA you need to have some self discipline to stay on top of working out and academics. You need it at any level but at the NAIA level you will probably be on your own much more than a D1.
NAIA isn't on the same level as D1 and never will be but it's still very competitive. You will find teams / players who fight and compete just as hard as D1 players. The wins are just as exhilarating and the losses are just as tough as you will find at the D1 level.
Travel - NAIA may not travel as far as D1's but it's still an all day affair. We would get on the bus at 6 AM, drive 6 or 7 hours, play a game (sometimes two sevens), grab something to eat, drive 6 or 7 hours back to school and get home at midnight or later. We had to be in class the next day and we had to be at practice the next day. Sometimes when you start getting rainouts you might do this 2 or 3 times a week plus a home game. It will wear you out and make you hate life. I have no idea if that's worse or better than D1 but I know it wore me out.
Skill level - NAIA ball is vastly different. There are some schools that can compete with D1's and there are some that would lose to an adequate high school team. I saw and caught a lot of guys who threw high 80's and into the 90's but there is one difference from what I could see. A D1 pitcher will pretty much hit the spot the catcher throws up as a target most of the time. An NAIA pitcher will throw it just as hard but that area around the target gets much bigger in terms of accuracy. The off speed stuff isn't quite as sharp or breaks as much. They are pretty good but there's a reason why they didn't go D1. Hitters can hit but it just doesn't go as far or as hard as D1s. Another thing to realize is that admission requirements are easier at NAIA than D1 so you will find D1 talent at NAIA schools because they couldn't get into a D1 school.
Workouts - This is probably the one area where there might be a significant difference from D1. Obviously NAIA schools have less money than D1s so we never had any type of conditioning coach. Plus our coaches had to have other jobs to make a living. We had to work out on our own and there wasn't anybody to check up on us. Sadly this is the one area I wish I could go back and do over. I was always pretty strong and didn't work out as much as I should. During the season we didn't work out any but we did a lot of conditioning in the preseason and I mean a lot of conditioning.
Schedule - we played around 45 - 55 games I believe but I can't really remember now. We would play double headers on Saturday and if the team was relatively close during the week. Our typical week was something like Tue, Thu and Sat. Sometimes we would play on Sun but it was rare. We had some overnight trips but not very many.
Academics - when it didn't rain it wasn't too bad in missing class and we had to make sure we kept up with missed work. Obviously this was before the internet and mainstream use of computers. My freshman year it rained a lot and we had to move around a lot of games. I had a math class with another freshman and we probably missed two weeks of class. When we finally returned the professor didn't know who we were. We kept up with our class by getting assignments from others in class. We got through it but it was rough.
Overall college baseball is rough and you really got to want it to do it but it is something you will treasure the rest of your life. Some of my best friends in the world were my buddies on the team. I hope things have changed since I played but I would caution that if you play NAIA you need to have some self discipline to stay on top of working out and academics. You need it at any level but at the NAIA level you will probably be on your own much more than a D1.
NAIA isn't on the same level as D1 and never will be but it's still very competitive. You will find teams / players who fight and compete just as hard as D1 players. The wins are just as exhilarating and the losses are just as tough as you will find at the D1 level.
Great post coach
Spot on
Spot on
I agree...great insight. Realizing there are always exceptions to the rule, on average how would the competition level in NAIA compare to D2, D3?
TX-Husker you are likely familiar with Nebraska Wesleyan, Doane, Hastings, etc. That conference is a blend of D3 schools and NAIA schools so in that area it is nearly one in the same just depends on what affiliation school wants.
I imagine it is going to vary dramatically through out the country. Just like you can't compare all D3 schools in one area to all D3 schools in another.
I imagine it is going to vary dramatically through out the country. Just like you can't compare all D3 schools in one area to all D3 schools in another.
Great post, Coach! There's a lot of valuable insight there.
This topic came up in an oblique sort of way recently in a phone conversation with my son. The topic was DI recruiting, and he was making the point that the DI's "can't get them all."
The illustration he used was from his 3 professional seasons. He said, "You know, it's striking how many of my professional peers played at smaller schools, many of which were NAIA, DIII, and DII."
It's obvious that he's got a lot of respect for the quality of players spread throughout those divisions; and, it speaks volumes about the number of fine players there are out there.
This topic came up in an oblique sort of way recently in a phone conversation with my son. The topic was DI recruiting, and he was making the point that the DI's "can't get them all."
The illustration he used was from his 3 professional seasons. He said, "You know, it's striking how many of my professional peers played at smaller schools, many of which were NAIA, DIII, and DII."
It's obvious that he's got a lot of respect for the quality of players spread throughout those divisions; and, it speaks volumes about the number of fine players there are out there.
Regarding the talent...
I coached at an NAIA college that was located in a small town in Iowa. We had much more talent than the three DI colleges in the state. That was when there were three DI programs.
On one roster we had two pitchers that ended up in the Major Leagues. Our #1 pitcher got drafted but didn't sign. He was an upper 80s lefty with a great breaking ball. Our centerfielder made it to AAA. Our catcher transfered to a DI college and became their MVP. Our backup catcher signed a free agent deal with the Pirates. The best hitter and prospect on that team was the 1st baseman.
Then again, half the roster were JC transfers and included several Latin Americans.
Another pitcher from that team is now coaching Iowa Western (They won the JC National Championship last year. (Beat Bryce Harpers team) Another kid from that roster became an assistant coach at Baylor. Our shortstop is a trainer and sits in the Cubs dugout. Yet another is an officer with us at PG.
We got beat in the regionals with one of those kids who ended up in the Big Leagues throwing 96 for us that game.
There are and were even more talented NAIA teams. At the upper level it's extremely good. (Low to mid level DI with a team or two that can compete with the top DI programs) At the lower levels it can be pretty weak. (Low level DIII)
I coached at an NAIA college that was located in a small town in Iowa. We had much more talent than the three DI colleges in the state. That was when there were three DI programs.
On one roster we had two pitchers that ended up in the Major Leagues. Our #1 pitcher got drafted but didn't sign. He was an upper 80s lefty with a great breaking ball. Our centerfielder made it to AAA. Our catcher transfered to a DI college and became their MVP. Our backup catcher signed a free agent deal with the Pirates. The best hitter and prospect on that team was the 1st baseman.
Then again, half the roster were JC transfers and included several Latin Americans.
Another pitcher from that team is now coaching Iowa Western (They won the JC National Championship last year. (Beat Bryce Harpers team) Another kid from that roster became an assistant coach at Baylor. Our shortstop is a trainer and sits in the Cubs dugout. Yet another is an officer with us at PG.
We got beat in the regionals with one of those kids who ended up in the Big Leagues throwing 96 for us that game.
There are and were even more talented NAIA teams. At the upper level it's extremely good. (Low to mid level DI with a team or two that can compete with the top DI programs) At the lower levels it can be pretty weak. (Low level DIII)